Citation
The little men in scarlet

Material Information

Title:
The little men in scarlet and other fairy tales
Series Title:
'Snug corner' series
Creator:
Low, Frances H
Guthrie, J. J ( Illustrator )
Jarrold and Sons ( Publisher )
Place of Publication:
London
Publisher:
Jarrold & Sons
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
237, [19] p. : ill. ; 19 cm.

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Children's stories ( lcsh )
Children's stories -- 1896 ( lcsh )
Publishers' catalogues -- 1896 ( rbgenr )
Folk tales -- 1896 ( rbgenr )
Bldn -- 1896
Genre:
Children's stories
Publishers' catalogues ( rbgenr )
Folk tales ( rbgenr )
novel ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
England -- London
England -- Norwich
England -- Yarmouth
Target Audience:
juvenile ( marctarget )

Notes

General Note:
Publisher's catalogue follows text.
Statement of Responsibility:
by Frances H. Low ; illustrated by J.J. Guthrie.

Record Information

Source Institution:
University of Florida
Holding Location:
University of Florida
Rights Management:
This item is presumed to be in the public domain. The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not claim any copyright interest in this item. Users of this work have responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions may require permission of the copyright holder. The Smathers Libraries would like to learn more about this item and invite individuals or organizations to contact The Department of Special and Area Studies Collections (special@uflib.ufl.edu) with any additional information they can provide.
Resource Identifier:
026854249 ( ALEPH )
ALH3770 ( NOTIS )
232624798 ( OCLC )

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Full Text




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4 And other Fairy Tales



















BY
Frances h. Low -

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LONDON: JARROLD & SONS, 10 & 11, WARWICK LANE, E.C.
_ [Al rights reserved]
1896









THE ‘SNUG CORNER’ SERIES.

Crown 8vo, Art Linen, 3/6 each.

OUR LITTLE SUNBEAMS: Stories ror THE LiTTLE ONES.
By Atice F. Jackson, Author of “Fairy Tales and True,”
‘The Doll’s Dressmaker,” &c. Illustrated by K. M. SKEAPING.

THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET, anp oTHER Farry
Ta.es. By Frances H. Low, Author of ‘Queen Victoria’s
Dolls,” &c. Illustrated by J. J. GuTuriz.

THE HOLIDAY PRIZE: A Mopern Farry Tate. By
Exitnor Davenport Apams, Author of ‘Comrades True,”
‘*Colonel Russell’s Baby,” “Robin's Ride,” &c. Illustrated by
K. M. SKEapPING.

London: JARROLD & SONS, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
And of all Booksellers.





CONTENTS.

PAGE

TRAMP! TRAMP! - - 7 s 3 II
THE AIR CHILD - - - : : 24
DUST-HEAP STORIES - - : - - 38
I, THE BROKEN FAN STORY - - 40

Ul. THE GOLD STUD’S STORY - - - «43

Wl, THE SLATE PENCIL’S STORY - - 49

Iv. THE RAG DOLL’S STORY - - - 56

V. THE SEA SHELL’S STORY - - 63

THE WIZARD'S MAGIC BELL - - - - 68
THE LITTLE LAME DAISY - - - 94
THE IMP - : - S 2 y 77
THE KING AND THE COUNTRY BUMPKIN - 84
HOW THE DEMONS WERE CONQUERED-~ - - 87

THE LUCKY PEDLAR : : fe - 102



8 CONTENTS.

j
}

B THE MALICIOUS ELVES - = =

HOW WEE-WEE RESCUED THE PRINCESS ALANTHA

A VISIT FROM THE DREAM FAIRY -
THE FLYING CAT - = - -
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES IN SMOKELAND
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES -
RUPERT’S NURSERY CIRCUS - -
LITTLE EYEBRIGHT : * - “i

KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN -

PAGE
128

131
I4I
147
159
186
196
207

218



_LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Imp and the indolent -youth - - Frontispiece as
Archie pokes the fire - - - ane - 12
Town mouse-and country mouse - : - - 20
Used to look up at the mountains - - - - 25
Pointed to a white tower - - - - - 30
Pete frees the blackbird - - - - : See 33
Pete tries to grasp her, but she eludes him - - = 35
The dying wizard and his sons - - - : 69
They go off merrily in the moonlight - - - - 75
‘The King out riding - - - - - - 85
The cobbler’s wife is astonished to see a silvery light round the
child’s head - . - - - - 3 89
Gottfried plays the magic organ : - : - Iol
The King listens - - - - - - - 106
A little wood wizard dressed in green and scarlet - - 112
The King and Princess May on the verandah - - - 125
The wood wizards and elves have a party - - - 126
They both fell into the water - - : : / + 129

The Princess is seized by King Juba’s knight - . : 132



10 - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Wee-Wee drives the big bee away - - -
Wee-Wee receives advice from a great green toad -
Were soon whirling away - - : :
Four little pussies having milk out of wooden bowls
The merchant consults the witch - - -
A hideous black dwarf brought food - -
The cat transformed into a handsome youth, richly clad
Toddlekins floated upwards upon two feathers -
Toddlekins walked along by the side of Bo-Peep :
Toddlekins got on to the fairy’s wings and flew away
Made many deep, respectful bows - - -
Overcome at last : - - - -

‘*What do you want, girl?” = - - : -

Eyebright and the fat boy - : - :
A little black terrier : - : : :
He would twist them into sugar-loaf caps - -
The magician brings out a splendid robe -- :

The King goes to a secluded part of the garden -

PAGE
135
136
139
144
149
153
157
165
169
184
204
209
211
213
214
219

225

233-



THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

TRAMP! TRAMP!

RCHIE lay before the fire with a cross look
on his face and a story-book on his knee,
that he was not reading, and considered

himself a most ill-used person. “How tiresome
grown-up people are?” he said to himself crossly.
“I wonder what they were ever made for! They’re
no use except for birthdays and Christmas puddings.
Always saying, ‘You musn’t do that’ and ‘You
must do this.’ There’s mamma wouldn’t let me
go to school this morning because she said it
was too wet. Too wet! as if me or Bob minds
the rain. That’s only for girls, who have sashes
and bows to spoil. And Bob des the rain. He
trots ever so fast when the rain comes splashing
on his nose. Poor old Bob! and they wouldn’t ‘let
me come round and see you in the stables, because I
might get my feet wet. Of course, that’s jude the fun,
going into all the pools in the stable-yard. And then
stupid Nurse wants to know why I don’t play games



12 ZTHE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

with Lily and baby. It’s no good playing any proper
games with them. When I point my gun at Lily, if
we're pretending soldiers,she screams,and they all come
and blame me; and baby, in the middle of drilling
her, when I give the word of command, puts down
her gun and says, ‘ Now I play wiv’ Dolly.” Then,
when I order her to be shot for disobeying the



——=—=



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Archie pokes the fire.—/, 13.

captain, Nurse says, ‘Master Archie, don’t tease dear
little baby.’ Oh, dear, I wonder if it’s stopped raining
now ; but I suppose they’ll soon make me go to bed,
as it’s half-past seven. Well, anyway, I’ll poke the
fire whilst Nurse is out of the way.”

As Archie was strictly forbidden ever to touch the



TRAMP! TRAMP! 13

poker, he, of course, seized every opportunity of doing
so; and, leaning over the high guard, he managed to
grasp hold of the poker and give the red coals one or
two knocks. He was just about to look round in the
expectation of hearing his nurse’s angry voice, when,
to his surprise, a little scarlet man jumped into the
midst of the red-hot coals, and said,

“Come along, Archie; come and have some fun.
Leave all these tyrants, who are so fond of saying
‘you must’ and ‘you mustn’t,’ alone.”

“But,” said Archie doubtfully, “it’s just pouring
with rain.”

“Never mind that,” said the little man, who wasa
fire-troll, “that won’t hurt a hero like you. Besides,
we'll go for a trip in my new patent umbrella boat.
Jump on. Here, you must ride on the top of the sail
to keep the balance all right.”

“Oh, no,” said Archie, in a frightened tone; “I
wouldn’t like to get up there, I should fall off. Please
let me sit in the bottom with you.”

“ Ho, ho!” said the little man, grinning ; “I thought
you were so very brave, and it was only girls and
babies that ever got frightened. But look here, you'll
be all right. There’s a fat round knob on the top of
the sail, and you can sit comfortably on that.”

Before Archie could answer, the troll had hoisted
him on the top, and away they merrily sailed over
pools and streams and lakelets, in the wonderful
umbrella-boat.

“Oh, this is jolly fun!” exclaimed Archie, looking
with great interest at the little troll. He was only a
few inches high, and had a fat round body covered by



14 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

a scarlet jersey, very long thin legs, little wooden
boots that turned up at the toes, and a high-peaked
scarlet cap with a white feather stuck in the side.

“ Thought you'd like it,” answered the troll. “Know
where we're going to?”

“No,” said Archie; “is it somewhere nice?”

“That depends,” returned the troll, looking very
wise. “Some like it and some don’t. Well, any way,
we're off to the Land of Topsy-Turvy,

‘Where little birds talk, and little pigs fly,
And strange things happen and no one knows why ;
And mischievous children play the whole day,
And wise old owls are made to obey.”

“T suppose,” said Archie, ‘the wise old owls are
the grown-up people? Well, I shall like Topsy-
Turvy Land. But I say, it ain’t true, is it, that the
pigs fly >?”

“Tsn’t it,’ answered the troll. “But here we are:

- Well, ta-ta, Master Archie: when you're ready to
leave the island of Topsy-Turvy, you must try and
see the little men in scarlet.”

“What an odd little chap!” said Archie aloud.

“ Well, not odder than you, little monster,” squeaked
a grunting voice; and looking round, Archie found
himself in a field with the queerest little animals
running around. They walked about on their hind
legs like human beings, and wore neat little frilled
coats and round hats; and their faces puzzled Archie,
for they certainly resembled the pigs in Farmer
Guffin’s styes. Yet how could they be pigs, when at
the back of their coats were nice little wings, exactly



TRAMP! TRAMP! 15

like those worn by the Fairy Gossamer in last year’s
pantomime at Drury Lane.

The pigs made a circle round Archie and stared at
him with all their might.

“Well, when you've done,” said Archie, getting
very red, and wishing they wouldn’t come quite so
close.

“Ha! ha!” laughed the winged pigs. “I suppose
although a cat may look at a king, an aerial pig
mayn’t look at a monster.”

“What's aerial?” asked Archie, whose bump of
curiosity was almost as big as his head itself.

“Why, this ;” and, to Archie’s terror and disgust,
a jocular-looking old grunter caught hold of him by
the hair, flew into the air, and whirled round and.
round till Archie thought he would die of giddiness,
Goodness, how thankful he was when the pig, quite
exhausted and breathless, dropped him on the ground,

crying,

**T caught a fat little boy by the hair,
I sailed with him very high up in the air,
I dare say he’d give me a whack if he dare.”

“TI should think so,” said Archie ruefully, “I only
wish I had a thick stick. It’s quite absurd and not
at all proper for a pig to have wings. Horrid things,
you ought to be in your pig-styes.” But off flew the
winged pigs; and smoothing down his ruffled hair,
Archie moved quickly away from the spot, where he
had had such a disagreeable experience. Presently
he came. to a fence, and stood stock-still, very much
surprised at the sight that met his eyes. A lot of



16 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

very old and very wise-looking cockalorums, in
spectacles and coal-scuttle bonnets, sat in a row on
the fence, with slates tied round their throats. A
very young and very pert little sparrow-lady, dressed
in the very height of fashion, hopped about, and
occasionally gave one of the wise old cockalorums a
smart tap on her beaky nose, with a little switch she
carried in her beak.

When the impudent little sparrow caught sight of
Archie, her little black eyes sparkled mischievously ;
and she flew round, perched herself upon his shoulder,
and gave him a smart tap on his nose with her little
switch, singing meanwhile maliciously,

‘* There are horrid little boys,
As every schoolchild knows,
Who stone the little sparrows.”

“Well,” said Archie, as soon as he had*recovered___
from the blow, “Farmer Guffin says that the sparrows
do a lot of mischief.”

““ Pshaw,” interrupted the sparrow, who was of the
feminine sex, and never could listen properly to
arguments that she didn’t like. “You should hear
what the farmers say about you detestable boys.
But I shan’t waste any more time on you. So
march !”

There was a diabolical look in her bright little eye
that Archie didn’t much like, so he made haste to
comply with the lady’s order.

“That’s what Nurse would call spiteful,” said
Archie aloud ; and so intent was he on the strange
land to which he had come, that he forgot to look



TRAMP! TRAMP! 17

where he was going, and stumbled over what seemed
to him a huge tree that had fallen down. But, much
to his terror, a gigantic creature bounded ap and said
in a voice of thunder,

“Ts it you again, you impudent little ack? After
sparing your life and allowing you to brag. about your

deeds, till I am heartily tired of the affair,. have you

dared to come and annoy me again?”

Now that he had reached to his full height, he we =
a very terrifying-looking being, more especially as he «-
-began to play about with his enormous iron oe as :

if it had been a threepenny whistle.

“ Please, sir,” said Archie, very frightened, “it isn’t
Jack, and I’m only a boy.”

“Boy, indeed!” thundered out the giant, looking
very fierce, “as if I haven’t gnashed my teeth at hear-
ing you boys say, ‘Bravo, brave little Jack; go it,
kill that rascal of a giant!’ Perhaps you imagine,
boy, that that absurd imp Jack really did kill me?”

“T should think so,” said Archie quite indignantly ;
“do you mean to say that you are still living?”

“ Well, it looks like it,” and he bounded on to the
head of Archie, balanced himself there by one leg,
and roared with laughter. Then he shouted, “I say,
Mother Hubbard, Little Bo-peep, Jack and the Bean-
stalk, and all ye ogres and fairies and monsters that
ever lived in fairy-tales, come out of your hiding-
places and caves and dells and see the fun.”

Out they rushed—Mother Hubbard with a very fat

dog ; little Jack Horner, who had grown so thin, that

Archie hardly recognized him; Blue Beard, nicely

shaved for the occasion, with all his wives, who held
B



18 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

on to his long hair; and hundreds of talking animals,
odd-shaped monsters, and sweet-faced fairies and
bob-o-links standing on their-heads. They crowded
round Archie, who found, to his astonishment, that
having the giant on his head, didn’t inconvenience
him in the least.

“Why, you are quite light,” he exclaimed.

“Of course,” roared the giant, “ain't I made of
india-rubber?” and with that, he began to bound up
and‘down in the air just like an india-rubber ball.

“Well,” said Archie, “no wonder Jack managed to
kill him ; why I believe he’d burst if I stuck a pin in
him. What fun! Oh, I say, there’s Mother Hub-
bard. Please, ma’am, how is it your dog has grown
so fat?”

“Humph!” returned the dame, “he sea was.
I suppose, now, you believe that ridiculous story
about ‘the poor dog having none?’ Of course the
cupboard was empty, as the dog had just gone there
and eaten si nice piece of steak, which I had meant for
my supper.”

“Oh,” said Archie, “that’s just what our naughty
Roy did.” And he was beginning to tell the story,
when suddenly there was a little patter, as of men
marching, and with a cry, “The Little Men in
Scarlet!” the india-rubber giant, and the whole merry
company vanished.

Archie looked round, but he couldn’t see any little
men in scarlet ; and he wondered who they were, and
where they had pone to, for he had certainly heard
the “tramp, tramp.”

“ This is certainly,” he said to himself, “the funniest



TRAMP! TRAMP! 19

place that I ever was in. Everything is upside down,
Fancy all these little bob-o-links standing on their
heads! I wonder they don’t get dreadful giddy. I
wish I could see those little chaps in scarlet. Why,
whatever's this ?”

There was a sound as if all the cats in Christendom
were hissing and squealing and purring; and the
next moment there scampered across the field hun-
dreds of black cats, white cats, tom-cats, tabbies, and
kittens, each of whom had a string tied on to its tail,
to which was atieched the cat’s meat-man and his
basket.

“Such fun!” squealed the pussies, as they passed
Archie. “Only happens once in a thousand years.
Mouse pies, cats’-meat patties, and all sorts of
goodies, Why don’t you come, too?”

But Archie, although he was very fond of his own
Tabitha, to whom he was pretty kind as a rule, didn’t
half like the look of some of these fierce spitting tom-
cats, with their yellow eyes and bristling whiskers.

' His fat legs began to tremble in their shoes, for he -
saw one great black Persian looking at him, as if she
would like to make Am forthwith into a meat-pie or
patty ; so he hurried past the army of cats as quick
as ever he could, and‘never stopped to take breath,
until he got to the top of a hill, when he mustered up
enough courage to look back.

He gave a sigh of relief. There was not a sign of
a cat to be seen, but instead, hundreds of little mice,
which played and romped about, singing, “When the
cat’s away the mice will play.”

“But aren’t you afraid,’ said Archie to one dear



20 JHE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

little white mouse with bright pink eyes, “that the
cats might come back and eat you all up?”

“Qh, no,”

said the little mouse, pirouetting about

on her tail; “they don’t really eat us, and when they

do it’s only their fun.

We're really the best of friends.

Ta-ta ; am running up to town to see my fashionable



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Town mouse and country mouse.—#, 20,

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cousins, so must be
off. So dull in the
country for a charm-
ing young thing like

“Vain thing!”
Archie héard an
elderly grey female
mouse mutter; “and
so giddy; it'll serve
her right if she gets

caught in a man-
trap. Well, thank
goodness that

there’s no snare of
this sort for me—a
plain, sober country
mouse.”

Off she went
grumbling; and

Ais seeing that there was another very high hill a
little way off, thought he might as well explore it. What
was his surprise to find a neat little house on the top,
out of which walked Noah and all his family, wooden
dollies, tin soldiers, humming tops, kites, bats, and a
variety of other objects, some of them so odd-looking,



TRAMP! TRAMP! 21

that Archie hardly recognized them. That funny
little object was certainly Punch ; there was his body,
and who could mistake his nose? But instead of his
cap he wore a head-dress, that Archie supposed must
be his wife Judy’s best bonnet. What were the little
tin soldiers carrying ? Not swords or guns, but little
saucepans filled with something that smelt very
good.

“Are you making toffee?” asked Archie, going up
to one,

“Toffee!” said the soldier, contemptuously.
“That’s just like a boy, always thinking of some-
thing to eat. But, as if I am going to tell you! : It’s
a secret; and why don’t you go and play with the
other children ?” ; 5

“Other children,” repeated Archie eagerly, for he
was beginning to long for some boy and girl com-
panions. “ Where are they?”

“Oh, all over the place,” said the soldier carelessly,
“too many of ’em. No good, I say, having children
at all. Always in the way, always breaking and
smashing——”

But Archie didn’t wait to hear the end of this
lecture, and hurried round to the back of the house,
where he found more toys and lots of boys and girls.
The children didn’t seem particularly happy, and
even those who were playing games with the marbles,
and bats and balls, looked as if they would rather be
doing something else. A nice little rosy-cheeked boy
with a discontented face, said “Halloo!” when he
saw Archie; and as he seemed disposed to be

friendly, Archie said—



22 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“You must have great fun here. May you ride
the rocking-horse all day?”

“Oh, yes,” said the boy wearily; “but it’s nothing
but play, play, play all day, and I am tired of it. And
then, you know, sometimes, when the toys take a fit
of mischief into their heads, they do behave so badly.
Look at the way they’re treating that fellow.”

Archie looked and felt very indignant indeed. In
the midst of a whole group of toys, there was a mis-
chievous boy, and all sorts of indignities were being
practised upon him. The lady dolls pulled his hair,
the tin soldiers shot peas at him, the performing
monkey opened his mouth wide to see what was ~
inside it ; and the hoops had placed Hhemiscivee round
him, so that he couldn’t get free.

“What a shame,” cried out Archie so loudly, that
all the teasing toys heard, and they immediately
transferred their attentions to poor Archie.

“Oh dear!” cried Archie to the rosy-cheeked boy,
who looked on with sad sympathy, “how am I to get
away from these torments? If only my papa were
here.”

“Whist! whist!” There was a flutter of dolls’
skirts, a rattling of wooden and tin legs, a tramp
of soldiers’ feet, and Archie caught sight for one
second of the little men in scarlet. He was about
to rush up to them when he heard a well-known
voice saying,

“Come along to bed, Master Archie. Why, you’ve
been sound asleep; but poor baby was so troubled
with her teeth, dear lamb, that I couldn’t leave
her.”



TRAMP! TRAMP! 23
“Been asleep!” exclaimed Archie, rubbing his
eyes. “I have been in the Land of Topsy-Turvy.”

But Nurse said she thought it must have been the
“Land of Nod,” which is often, as many children
know, a very pleasant place to visit.



THE AIR CHILD.

ITTLE PETE lived down in the valley with
his father, at the foot of the White Moun-
tains, which, even in warm weather, were

always clothed with snow. Often, when his father
was away in the big market town selling his little
carved figures and crosses, Pete would feel very
lonely, and long to be a man, when he intended to
climb the mountain, although his father had told
him that it was a foolhardy feat, for many perished,
and few ever safely returned from the ascent.

Pete was never tired of gazing up at the moun-
tains, and especially loved the highest of them all,
which was called the Air Mountain. In the sunlight
its white peak shone like bright gold, and it seemed
to the little lad as if it quite touched the blue sky
above, where the old peasants told him his pretty
young mother lived with the angels. He loved the
mountains better than anything else in the world,
and when the boys teased him, which was pretty
often, because they said he was ugly, and had a
dark skin and woolly hair like a nigger, he would



THE AIR CHILD. 25

rush home to his father’s little cottage, and sit with
his hands on his elbows, trying to see the Air
Child, and in a little time he would forget all about
his tormentors.

It was old Jan who had told him about the Air
Child. Jan was a sailor, who had sailed all round
the world many times, and had shaken hands with
polar bears, and been for many months on a ship
wedged in between two great icebergs. He had
fought too, and lost a leg for his couniry ; and he could
tell splendid stories of savages and pirates, to which the



Used to look up at the mountains.— 2. 240

boys listened with breathless attention, whenever Jan
was in an especially good humour, and deigned to
tell some of his tales. But, as a general rule, Jan
was not fond of boys, and he was oftener to be found
swearing at them for their mischievous tricks, and
shaking his crutch at them, than sitting down to
story-telling. There was, however, one boy to whom
he never spoke roughly, and whom he would invite
into his little hut, which was full of strange relics
from the sea; and, with its hammock and sea-chest,
looked just like a sailor’s cabin. This boy was Pete,



26 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

who would sit beside old Jan for hours, whilst he
smoked his pipe or plaited rushes into baskets, by
means of which he earned a livelihood.

One day Pete had come to him with tears in his
eyes, saying, “Oh, Jan, if I could only go to sea.
My father says I am the stupidest lad in the village,
because I cannot carve the little dove on the church,
though I tried so hard; and Elsie will not kiss me,
because she says I am the ugliest little nigger she
ever saw.” It was then that old Jan had told him
the story of the Air Child, who had floated down
from the skies, the peasants said, and hung over the
Air Mountain, wrapped in a fleecy white cloud, through
which her delicate little pink limbs shone like satin.
No mortal had ever caught a glimpse of her face
except the little mountain folk, who declared that the
Air Child was an icicle in the form of an open sun-
flower. The story ran, that only he who ascended to
the topmost peak of the Air Mountain should ever
see the Air Child’s face; and that he could only
see it by pressing a kiss upon the icicle with pure
lips. Deep down in his heart, Pete made a resolution
that he would never rest until his father had given
him permission to try and look upon the Air Child’s
face ; but his father was a stern, sad man, who wished
the boy to become a wood-carver like himself, and
who was vexed that he should have such a stupid,”
ugly son.

Little Elsie was the only daughter of the richest
farmer in the village, and she had the sweetest face
in the world. Her eyes were as blue as forget-me-
nots, and with her soft yellow curls, and tiny pink



THE AIR CHILD. 27

mouth, she looked like a lovely little princess, Not
only her father, but all the villagers spoilt her, and
she was such a coquette, that she caused endless
fights between the boys, who all wished to get her
kisses and favours. Big Hans was certainly her
favourite, for he put her on his shoulder and made
a splendid prancing horse; but she liked Wil, and
also Pete, though she did sometimes say, when she
was cross, that he was the ugliest little nigger she
ever saw. But when she saw tears in Pete’s dark
eyes, her own blue ones would grow soft, and she
would say,

“T don’t think you so very ugly, Pete, and I like
you better than Bib.”

Bib was a cruel bully, and certainly Pete was glad
that she preferred him ; but he wished that she would
like him as well as big Hans, who was such a strong,
handsome fellow, and already had his own boat on
the lake, and helped his mothers and sisters by his
earnings.

“TI shall certainly marry Elsie,” said Hans con-
ceitedly one day. “I shall leave this place and go
to Fordje and set up a boat-building concern.
You'll see, you fellows, I’ll be a rich man whilst you
are carving away at your poor little figures, and
Elsie shall look like a queen in her ‘silk dress and
jewels.’”

“Elsie your wife; never!” shouted Wil angrily;
“you wait until you see me playing my flute before
kings, and getting as much gold as I can hold in my
two hands. Isn’t it better to be a great musician’s
wife than a boat-builder’s?”



28 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

There was so much contempt in Wil’s voice, that
big Hans could bear it no longer, and a dreadful
battle followed, in which both boys got many wounds.

Later on Pete got his father’s consent to become a
guide. It was clear that he would never become a
good carver, and, as he had no talent for boat-build-
ing, and could not make sweet sounds come from the
flute like Wil, there was nothing else for him to do.
As time went on Elsie grew into a lovely maiden, and
she had such a sweet and tender expression in her
blue eyes, that no one ever looked at her without
loving her. Her father was a proud man, who des-
tined her for the bride of a rich farmer; but Elsie
held back, saying she was not sure of her own mind.
At last her father grew quite cross, and, when both
Hans and Wil asked her in marriage, he declared she
must make up her mind quickly. But Elsie said,

“T want some proof of their love for me—they must
do something difficult and perilous to make me feel
certain they really love me, Father, I will marry the
man, who shows the greatest courage and patience,
provided he has a good and kind heart.”

So it was agreed that he who wanted to win Elsie
—and what youth did not desire the beautiful maiden
for his wife ?—must prove his love within the year, on
the last day of which all the rivals were to return to
the village, and show what they had done.

Pete was now a strong lad of eighteen, with a dark
face, which, if not as handsome as Hans’, or as deli-
cately beautiful as Wil’s, was full of honesty and
goodness. He had long loved Elsie very dearly, but
he had always been too humble to think that the



THE AIR CHILD. 29

dainty maiden would look with favour upon his suit,
and no one imagined that he intended to try his luck
with the rest. One night he told his father that he
should be away for some weeks, probably, and begged
him, in case any ill befell him, to give a sealed packet
to Elsie at the end of the year. Then, with a knap-
sack across his back, and his faithful St. Bernard,
Bolo, he began the ascent of the Air Mountain.

It was bitterly cold, but the moon shone brightly,
and Pete was too excited to feel the keen blast of the
night air, or to remember the dangerous journey on
which he was bound.

In one hand he held the little lantern which was
always carried by the guides, and in the other a good
stout stick, which he found very useful in crossing the
paths, which were as slippery and smooth as glass.
He had to use the utmost caution, for every now and
then great masses of snow would come rolling down
the mountain, and he had to fly out of the way
for his life. Presently his hands grew numb, and his
feet became like blocks of ice, and he felt a strong
temptation to sink down upon the ground, but he
resisted bravely, and tried to invigorate his chilled
blood by a few drops of brandy from his flask. He
was thankful when the first signs of dawn began
to appear, and he was able to throw off the feeling of
sleepiness that seized him during the hours of dark-
ness. A little wooden seat stood in front of him, and
upon this Pete sat down, and taking a large piece of
black bread from his knapsack, broke it into two pieces,
one of which he gave to Bolo, keeping the other for

himself, Just at this moment he saw, to his surprise,



30 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET

that a beautiful maiden, whose robe looked as if it were
made of snow, stood before him. The violet of her
eyes, the gold of her hair, and the scarlet of her lips
almost blinded Pete by their radiance, and he hardly
knew how to answer when she said to him, pointing
to a white tower which rose upon the mountain
side,



Pointed to a white tower.—#. 30,

Come, fair youth, and stay with me in my crystal
tower. You shall not want for anything so long as
you are with me, and all day long I will keep you
warm by putting my soft white arms round you,
and I will give you rich food and sweet wines, and



LHE AIR CHILD. 31

tend you as if you were a prince, for I am the Crystal
Queen.”

But as she tried to press a kiss on his cheeks, Pete
hung back, and kept her at arm’s length, for he
remembered Elsie, and wished no other maiden to
take her rightful place in his affections. When she
saw this the violet eyes of the Crystal Queen became
as hard as steel, and the scarlet lips grew white as she
said,

“Because you have scorned my love, may you fall
into the hands of the mountain-troll, and perish
miserably.”

But Pete had hurried on, being afraid to stay any
longer in the neighbourhood of the Crystal Queen, so
he did not hear her curse. Soon his feet grew so
numb that he could no longer walk, so he sat himself
down, and, pulling off his fur boots, began to rub his
feet with snow. Whilst he was doing this, there came
up to him an old man, looking like Father Christmas,
with a very benevolent face, and a long white beard.

“ Poor young man,” he said, looking down at Pete,
“you will certainly perish with cold. Allow me to
conduct you to my little hut, where you will find
a blazing fire and some hot coffee.”

Pete felt strongly tempted to accept the old man’s
offer, for of course he did not know that no mortal
ever came alive out of the mountain-troll’s hut, but
then he remembered that if he went and lay before
the warmth of the fire, he would feel more disinclined
than ever to proceed on his cold journey; so he
thanked the old man, and said he preferred braving
the cold, rather than that there should be any delay.



32 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET. ~*~

At this the mountain-troll grew furiously angry,
and blew a horn which hung at his side, when
immediately crowds of little mountain-trolls covered
the mountain like a black cloud, and commenced
snow-balling Pete. Many of the snowballs hit him
on the shoulders and legs, and, being very hard,
caused him to bleed in several places ; but he hurried
on, feeling glad that he had not yielded to his first
impulse to stay and accept the old troll’s hospitality.

He had now got a considerable way up the moun-
tain, but it seemed to Pete as if the Air Child were
as far off as ever, and his heart began to sink within
him ; for his provisions were beginning to run short,
and his tired and bleeding feet would no longer carry
him swiftly, so that he feared he would perish of cold
and hunger midway.

One day, as he was toiling upward, slowly and
painfully, he heard a cry as if some animal were in
distress. He looked about, but could discover noth-
ing, when all of a sudden, he saw something fluttering
in the distance. Pete went towards it, and saw it was
a great blackbird, the like of which he had never seen
before, one of whose wings had by some means got
under a great block of ice, from which the poor crea-
ture was in vain trying to free itself. By exerting all
his strength, which was very great, Pete managed to
push away the great block of ice, much to the relief
of the blackbird, which flapped its wings joyfully,
and flying round, and round, whispered in his ear,

“You are good, and kind, and courageous, and I
will help you, and show you the short path, which no
man has ever yet discovered. Follow me.”



THE AIR CHILD. 33

Then the bird flew across the snow, and Pete, follow-
ing as quickly as possible, saw, to his surprise, a tiny
little path which ran straight up the mountain, and
which was less steep and snow-covered than any of
the others. To get along now was much easier, and
he felt his spirits rise as he saw the peak getting



Pete frees the blackbird.—#. 32.

nearer and nearer; but his troubles were not yet
at an end, for one day, when he was feeling so
desperately tired that he almost longed for death, he
saw before him a pretty little mountain pony, with
slender limbs and a long waving black tail, which ran
up to him and said,

Cc



34 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“ Jump on my back, brave youth, and I’ll soon have
you on the summit of the mountain.”

Pete did not know that, if he once mounted the
black pony, he would be carried to the home of the
wicked mountain fays ; but he remembered, that if he
would win Elsie, it must be entirely by his own
exertions ; so he only patted the pony’s glossy neck,
and said, no thanks, he would go upon his own feet.
Upon this the pony careered round about him
violently, and tried to kick him, but he soon left off
and cantered away when Bolo rushed at him, and bit
him severely in the legs.) When Pete arrived within
a few paces of the summit, he was so weak and
exhausted, that he was obliged to crawl on his hands
and feet, he could not stand upright ; but he took out
his last remaining drop of brandy, and, feeling a little
revived, looked up, wondering if it were a dream,
or whether he were really at the top of the mountain.
A wonderful sight met his eyes. There, indeed, was
the Air Child, of whom he had so long thought, only
far more beautiful than he had ever imagined possible,
although there was nothing of her face to be seen.
But. her limbs shone like pale, rose-coloured satin, and
her hair looked like the finest silver thread. Then he
struggled to his feet, and, putting his hand lightly on
the icicle which was in the place of her face, he bent
_ down and kissed it gently. Immediately a wonderful
thing took place; the icicle sunflower melted away,
and instead there appeared for a few moments a tiny
human face, like that of a lovely child.

As Pete gazed in wonderment, the little pink lips
parted, and a soft, sweet voice, sounding like a light
breeze, said to him,





—p. 36.

but she eludes him,

Pete tries to grasp her,



36 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“You have given me the life which I have waited
for all these years. It can only last for a brief space,
and then I shall live again for ever in the skies from
whence I came. But you, brave Pete, shall have your
reward. Give this flower to sweet Elsie at the end of
the year, and look up in the air at the moment of
giving it; you shall catch sight of me again then.
Farewell, good, kind youth, success shall be with
you.”

Pete was still staring, unable to speak; but when
he saw the Air Child was floating away upon a cloud,
he sprang forward and tried to catch hold of her.
But she eluded his grasp, and in his hand Pete found
he was holding a splendid white and scarlet flower,
which opened and spread out like a large fan.

Then he hurried down the mountain, and arrived
-just at the last day of the year, when all Elsie’s lovers,
with rich presents in their hands, were hurrying off to
her father’s house. When the people saw his haggard,
white face, and caught sight of the wonderful white
and scarlet flower, they cried out and tried to stop
him. But he heeded them not, and was obliged to
go ragged and unkempt, for there was no time to go
home first. In the yard of the farmer’s house, there
was an immense crowd of people, many of them
mounted on splendid horses, and clad in the richest
armour; and they were indeed a fine sight as they
stepped forward, one after another, and mounted the
platform, upon which sat the fat farmer and the blue-
cyed Elsie. Then they recounted their adventures,
and one after another laid his gift at Elsie’s feet. '
It was true that they had brought back wonderful



THE AIR CHILD. 37

singing birds, and rich stuffs, and costly jewels, and
had journeyed far and wide in search of them, but
Elsie could not discover that any one had shown very
wonderful courage or devotion. However, she knew
she would have to make up her mind, and she had
half determined to have Wil, who was less insolent
and conceited than Hans, when suddenly there was a
shout of derision from the people, and Elsie saw that
the last suitor for her hand was stepping up the plat-
form. Then Pete, looking very pale and brave, told
his story, and though he spoke modestly of his
achievements, the people knew he had done the
greatest feat that had ever been known in their village.
All round there were envious, spiteful looks from his
rivals, but these turned to amazement and pleasure,
when, just as Pete tendered the scarlet and white
flower to Elsie on bended knee, there was a noise as.
of thunder in the air, and the people saw above their
heads, for the first and last time, the Air Child, who
was floating on a fleecy white cloud. As they gazed,
the Air Child gradually disappeared, and instead was
to be seen a pure white dove, which alighted for a
second on Pete’s black head, and then lightly touched
Elsie’s fair cheek, after which it circled round higher
and higher, till it was lost for ever in the blue sky.

So of course Pete married Elsie, and they were the
happiest couple in the world, for Elsie made a goad
housewife, and Pete was the best husband that woman
ever had.



DUST-HEAP STORIES.

Reon it would hardly have been expected
that the broken fan should have given herself

such airs, when one remembers that her present
position was the dust-heap. But so it was; she had
been thrown there by the rag-and-bone merchant
that morning, and she was making herself excessively
disagreeable to all her neighbours.

The gold stud, who was in very good form,
except for his little round head, which was, alas!
missing, had made several attempts to draw her
into conversation, remarking jocularly “that things
might be worse,’ which was certainly cheerful
philosophy on the part of the headless stud. But
the fan simply stared at him, and then drew the
little remaining bit of swansdown more closely to her,
while she remarked to a piece of gold tinsel, which
had once adorned a dancer’s shoes, that she had
never been used to such common society.

This remark was very much resented by the gold
stud, who said indignantly to his neighbour, the
pocket-knife,

“Tmpertinent, trumpery thing; why, she,” and he



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 39

pointed to a little pink sea-shell that lay near them,
“is a thousand times prettier and nicer.”

The pocket-knife, who presented a very dilapidated
appearance, cordially agreed, and added,

“T say, old fellow, let’s try and shut up those proud
things. I bet we’re as good as they are, aren't we,
little Miss Sea-Shell ?”

The little sea-shell flushed, and before she could
answer, a flower-pot said,

“T’m with you in that ; we are as good as she any
day.”

Then they were silent, for the fan was saying in a
loud tone, which was intended for all the company to
hear,—



Bi oan
ae

f PW
Bs (ip



“TV CAN tell you that I have seen high life, and played
a most important part init. For you must know
that my mistress was a great singer, and every

night I accompanied her on the stage, and shared in

her triumphs. Oh, you can have no notion of what it
was like,” and she glanced round contemptuously.

“ After the opera was over, kings, and princes, and

great statesmen, and soldiers with stars on their

breasts, would crowd round us, and give us jewels and
flowers, and pay her such flattering compliments that
she would whisper to me, ‘ Dear fan, what could I do
without you?’ And she would hide her lovely face
behind my laces and swansdown. Oh, what a splen-
did life it was, and to think,” moaned the fan, “that I



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 41

should ever come down to this. Was it not a mag-
nificent life?” she asked, turning to the gold tinsel,
and secretly pleased to find that everybody had been
listening to her.

“Splendid,” sighed the gold tinsel, who was a silly
little thing. “I, too, have seen better days, but
nothing like yours. My mistress was only a poor
dancing girl, but she danced very sweetly, and had
the tiniest little feet in the world, and when the
people saw us twinkling in and out—I went on the
bronze shoes—they would laugh and clap their hands,
and throw coppers. But she married a railway guard,
who said she should never dance any more, so she
gave me away to one of her friends, who trod heavily
and clumsily, and she soon wore out the pretty little
bronze shoes. And that is the cause of my present
condition,” said the gold tinsel dolefully.

“Why, this is quite jolly and sociable,” said the
pocket-knife, who had learned slang from his school-
boy masters. “I vote, if anyone has got a tale,
he or she tells it; that is, if the ladies don’t
object.”

No one thought of asking the sea-shell, and as the
fan and the tinsel condescended to nod their approval,
the proposal was carried, as the gold stud said, mem.
con.; and the pocket-knife was called upon for his
story. But he excused himself, saying it was not
fitting that the more or less unwashed, stuffing tribe,
named boys, should be brought into the presence of
elegant and refined ladies. This sounded very polite,
and as the pocket-knife was only occasionally sar-
castic, everybody accepted this excuse in good faith.



42 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Then he called upon the gold stud to relate his
experiences, which he accordingly did, although he
declared his life had not been particularly interesting,
and that his story was a very sad one,



WIS SLE



Il.

“

ELL, we need not go back to the beginning
of things, and I may as well commence my
story at the period when I looked extremely

handsome, lying on soft wool in a neat little white

box, with two of my brothers, who exactly resembled

me in good looks. We had good times together, I

can tell you, till one day, peeping out of our box,

which had no lid on, and which lay on the counter,
we saw a neatly-dressed old lady come into the shop,
and directly her eyes fell on me, she declared to
my master that was exactly what she wanted for her
son, At first my master declared that he could not,
separate the family, or, as he called it, the set; but
at last, to my inconsolable grief, he gave way, and



44 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

I was carried away by the neat old lady in a piece
of tissue paper. Her home was as neat as herself;
but I could see she was in very humble circum-
stances, for she had no servant, and directly she
had taken off her things, she set about cooking some
bacon and eggs. Then I noticed that she laid cups
and saucers and plates for two people, and I was
just wondering who her visitor would be, when the
door opened, and in came a young man, scarcely more
than a youth, who embraced his mother very affec-
tionately. I have never, before or since, seen anyone
so handsome as this young man, whose name was
Reuben. His skin was as fair and satiny as a child’s ;
his hair, of which there was only a small quantity
about his mouth, was of a golden brown; and he had
blue eyes, as soft and sweet as those of a lovely
woman.

“T was rather struck by the appearance of his
clothes, which were of a fine quality, and looked
almost’ out of place beside his mother’s cheap black
gown. It was evident to me, by her loving glances
and the way in which she attended to his slightest
wishes, that the old lady adored her son; and I was
pleased to see that the young man showed her a great
deal of affection. Presently she took me from the
mantelpiece, and handed me to her son, saying,

“ Reuben, dear, I bought this for you to-day, as I
knew you had broken yours, and I thought you
would like a gold one.”

“TI may as well tell you, as I have no false shame,
that I was not real gold, but no one could have told.
the difference. I looked so bright and sparkling,



DUST-HEAP. STORIES. 45

that it was no wonder that young Reuben was

delighted with me. He immediately took me into his

own little bedroom, and there, before the looking-

glass, he tried the effect of his new gold stud in a
spotless white collar. I soon found out that my
master was a great dandy, and tremendously proud of
his handsome appearance, and that he spent all his
money on his clothes. As he was only a poor clerk,

this did not amount to much, certainly; but still it
would have been better to buy fewer ties, and give

more money to his mother, who, I learnt afterwards,

had only a very small pension of her own. I often

thought how lonely the poor old soul must feel, for
often, Reuben did not come home till nearly midnight,

and it used to go to my heart to see how tired and

sad his mother looked when we came in. She had

always some hot supper ready for him, and though

she never reproached him, I think he sometimes felt

rather guilty, for he used to kiss her more affec--
tionately than usual, and say that he did not mean to

go out again the next week. But it was always the

same, and I can tell you, whilst the old lady was

sitting at home getting thinner and paler, my master

and I had fine times. Sometimes we went to the

play, sometimes to an evening party, when all the

young ladies would want to dance with my young’
master ; and sometimes we went to a club, where there

were a number of wild young men like Reuben, and

they would make very merry indeed.

“One day it chanced that I was left at home with
the old lady. I was not sorry for this, as of late I
had not been feeling at all comfortable about my



46 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

young master, who, I felt sure, had got into some
scrape, as he and his friends called it; and I felt sorry
for this, not only because of the grief it would cause
his mother, but also because I had really become
attached to Reuben, although I. could not help
wishing that he were less vain and thoughtless.
Presently there was a little knock at the outer door,
and the old lady went to it, and I could hear a man’s
voice, but I could not distinguish what .was said.
The old lady did not come back into the sitting-room
for a long time, and then I was shocked at her
appearance. Her face was white and drawn, and her
eyes were quite swollen with crying. Instead of
bustling about, sweeping and dusting, she sat down,
and, clasping her hands, moaned out in heartrending
tones,

“*Qh, Reuben, my son, to have been dishonest !
Oh, that he had never been born!’

“JT felt dreadfully concerned, and I guessed that my
young master must have got into some trouble about
money. He and his companions lost a great deal of
money at cards and betting, and I had long feared
that something of the kind would happen.

_ “Reuben never came home that night, but one of his
friends brought a few lines in pencil to his mother,
which, I read, as it lay on the mantelpiece. My
young master did not know that his mother knew the
whole dreadful truth, so he only said she was not to
fret, but that he was obliged to keep out of sight, as
he owed some money ; but that it would be all right,
as one of his friends owed him the exact amount.

“T could see next morning that the poor mother had



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 47

passed a sleepless night, and she ate no breakfast,
only murmuring from time to time, with a wild, fixed
look in her eyes, ‘ Fifty pounds, fifty pounds.’

“JT could not understand what she meant by con-
tinually repeating. this, and I was still more puzzled
as to why she began packing into a box a lot of little
ornaments about the room, which I knew she set
great store by. Then I saw her put into the box a
lot of her own little things—old-fashioned brooches, a
silk dress, and one or two shawls which her husband,
who had been a sea-captain, had brought from abroad.
Presently the carrier went off with the box, and the
old lady herself went out, and did not return till mid-
night. She looked so white and weary, that I
thought she would have died on the threshold ; but
she made herself a cup of tea, and then, to my sur-
prise, instead of going to bed, she took out of her bag
a lot of white calico, and for four days and nights she
never stopped working. But she got her work done,
and the next night sent a very thick letter, which was
addressed to her son Reuben. I do not know what
she said, but I saw she put in many bank-notes. Oh,
that poor mother-face, how sorrowful, and suffering,
and piteous it looked !

“The following day she remained in bed, and I was .
getting very anxious about her, when I heard a
neighbour at the door, who lifted the latch and
walked in, after the old lady had called out in a very,
very, weak voice. After this the doctor came, and, as
he went out with a grave face, I heard him say to
the neighbour, ‘She has had some shock; it is sad
that her son was not with her” And then I knew
that the poor mother was dead,



48 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Reuben came home that evening. He was very
pale, but he did not know, until he was met by the
neighbour, what had happened, and I shall never
forget his look of anguish, as he threw himself on the
floor, crying, ‘If I could only have seen her !’

“Tt was very terrible to witness, but good comes out
of the deepest grief, and Reuben never forgot his
mother’s devotion and love. Her death made another
man of him, and he grew sober, and steady, and
scrupulously honest. I was often pained to see his
sad, young face, but I feel sure that time will bring a
brighter future for Reuben. Last week I fell out of
his collar, and here you see I am to-day.” The gold
stud’s voice had grown very soft, and there were tears
in the little sea-shell’s eyes, who said gently,

“Poor mother! Poor Reuben!” and, as they were
all rather saddened, pocket-knife suggested some one
should tell something lively. Accordingly, the slate-
pencil volunteered to tell his story.





Ill.

. OLLOWING the example of my friend, gold-
stud, I shall not tell you anything about my
infancy, because slate-pencil babies are all

very much alike, and equally uninteresting to every

one but their mothers. I will start from the day
that I found myself in Jack Wide-Awake’s pocket,
and accompanied him to the New School, otherwise
called the Nonsense School. It was such a jolly
school, and quite different from the dull and prim
ones to which I had been hitherto, and where I
got positively séck of French verbs and Latin
exercises, and the multiplication table, and stupid
boys and dull masters. The schoolmaster’s name
was Mr. Buffoon, and in appearance he very much
resembled a clown, whom I had once seen ina



50 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Drury Lane pantomime. He was a very good-
tempered gentleman, very fond of making jokes,
which the glass marble and I agreed were a great
deal more laughable than many that appear in papers,
which the gentlemen who write for them ca// comic.
He never used a birch rod, and once, when a dread-
fully sour-looking parent asked him how he could
expect any sort of discipline without the rod, he said
—and we observed that he winked at some of the
boys— Sir, I use the satire rod; it stings well when
handled judiciously, and curls round the tender parts
very neatly.” I don’t think the vinegar gentleman
understood this clever reply, he hadn’t the wit.”

[The slate-pencil rather hurried over this part, for
he was very much afraid that he might be asked to
explain where the cleverness came in; and, as he
didn’t in the least know himself, it would have been
rather awkward. However, all his listeners looked as
if they quite understood the brilliancy of the remark,
so the slate-pencil went on.]

“ At this school, instead of sitting on forms, which is
a very dull and commonplace proceeding, all the boys
stood on their heads, and whenever they answered a
question rightly, they were allowed to turn a somer-
sault and pull the next boy’s hair—if they could reach
it—which, under the circumstances, was somewhat
difficult. The stupid boys were in a class by them-
selves, and, instead of standing upon their heads, they
had to sit in little baby-chairs, across which were rods
to prevent them tumbling out; they also wore neat
little white bibs, and nightcaps on their heads.

“ The punishments at this school were certainly very



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 51

queer. The best of all, in my opinion, was that given
to a boy named Greedy. He was immensely fat, never
left off feeding except when he was asleep, and was
known, even in his sleep, to walk to a jam pot and
bury his nose in it, so strong was the force of habit.
This was his punishment :—Except for two hours,
when he was run up and down the playground at a
tremendous speed by two big boys, he had to sit in a
chair all day long, surrounded by the most appetising
victuals, such as plum-pudding, fried sausages, meat
pies, jam tarts, roast pork and apple sauce, oranges,
hot plum-duff, and treacle bolly, all of which were sus-
pended from the ceiling, and which he was only allowed
tosmell ; whilst his meals consisted of bread and water
for breakfast, boiled mutton and rice pudding, for
dinner, and gruel for supper.

“T was glad to see that the cruel boy, who tortured
animals and bullied everything weaker than himself,
had a very unpleasant time of it at this school. He
had to sit all day long in a chair specially constructed
for him, out of which he could not move, and all over
his body he felt prickings as if a thousand tiny pins
were being stuck into him. The schoolmaster said,
this was the only way to treat a person who never had
any conscience pricks. But I mustn’t stay any longer
over this, or I shan’t have time to tell you about the
lessons.

“T can tell you we all did enjoy them ; and the boys
were so bright and wide-awake, that it was a pleasure
to hear them, more especially when one had been
accustomed to—‘a table, ‘O table,’ ‘to a table” ‘by a
table,’ till one felt inclined to hurl a table at those



82 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

wretched boys’ heads. But they were very queer
lessons. My Jack Wide-Awake’s favourite one was
‘Nonsense Essay Writing, at which he was very good
indeed ; in fact, Mr. Buffoon always said he would
take to journalism later on, like a duck to the water.
I remember one of his essays, and, as I think it
extremely good, and shows a great grasp of facts and
knowledge for a boy of his age, I will repeat it if you
like.”

“ Go ahead,” said the penholder ; but he muttered to
himself, “ Tiresome old bore.” However, the slate-
pencil did not hear, so it did not matter, and he
went on.

“Tt was spelt in the new way, and I remember it by
heart, as my little master wrote it out three times.
‘The ellyfant is a very domestikkated beest. The
reezon that he isn’t made a pet of is that he’s rather
large, and has some orkward habits. He dose not lay
eggs or milk like henz do, but the Indian people use
hiz flesh for food, and it is sed he cutz up into joossy
stakes, not wooden ones. It is sed that the Sooloos,
a warlike tribe in the Rocky mowntenz, use hiz trunk
for beeting their Skworz with, but Mr. Park Mungo
sez this isn’t true, they are very genturl to their wivz,
of wich they have meni hundreds, and do not chastize
them orfener than an English gentulman wood. I will
not say more of the Sooloos, as I will rite of them in
my next essay. (JV.B.—I havea Sooloo hat.) Fevur-
nong a nose elyfants (this is a French proverb). The
elyfant is a jolly strong beest. Why, he kan balunz a
man of wor on his trunk as eezly as if it was a marbul.
He is one of the most useful beests in the world, for



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 53

he carriz every one who goze to the Zoo for a ride;
you can have penny ridz and sixpenny ones. I had
a penny one, as I wanted sum bunz for the poler
bearz and meeself. Many anykdotz are told of the
elyfants, but I do not remember them just now. To
end up, we shood orlwiz be kind to animalz, az we
never know if they are vishus or not, and it is wisest
to be on the safe side.’”

“That boy’ll be an opportunist,” murmured the
penholder ; but no one heard him, and the slate-pencil
went on, pleased to find a smile on every face.

“But if little Jack Wide- Awake was good at essays,
it was little Tommy Sharp-as-a-Needle who could
remember poetry best. He could repeat it by the
yard, and I was very pleased with some of his poems,
which I have never had the good fortune to meet in
print, and which, perhaps, you may not have heard
before.

‘**T remember, I remember

The little sweet-stuff shop,

Where I’ve heard the good dame often murmur,
‘Oh, please, sir, please, sir, stop ;

For of lollipops you’ve had enough,
And of tarts you’ve had your fill,

And of toffee drops and candy stuff,
You’ve eaten enough to make you ill.’”

“I’m sorry I can only recollect one verse, but this will
give you an idea. But it was Bobby Rhymester who
used to carry off all the prizes for Original Nonsense
Verses, and, although I am not much of a reciter,
perhaps you would like to hear those that I can
remember,



54 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

‘** There was once at a certain Beast Institushon,
A Socialist boshalist Revolution,
For the animals said they couldn’t see why
They shouldn’t all live in luxury.
And the cow he said, ‘‘ I am sick or green stuff,
Which is food that is only fit for a muff,
Whereas there be bloated aristocrats
Who dine every day off fricasseed cats’; ”
And he boo-ed, and moo-ed, and moo-ed, and pooh-ed,
Whilst the inferior cud he woo-ed and chew-ed,
And the pig he said, he did, he did,
‘*Such a delicate, elegant quadruped
As myself, it’s a perfect disgrace to nourish
On cabbagy, babbagy, bubbling-squeak rubbish ;
It’s turtle soup and champagne wine
Should ke given a snouty, pouty swine.”

‘«¢ And the dog, instead of saying his grace,
When he saw his meal made a horrid grimace,
And wished his bones in a very warm place
And along with them the human race ;

And he wickedly swore, in canine bow-wow,
That he would, he would, he would kow-tow.

*«¢ And the frog he did croak, and poke, and choke,
And declare he would join the rebellious folk ;
** For,” says he, ‘I’m as good as the rest I am,
And I want to be fed on pickles and jam,
And a roaketty-poketty, hop, hop, hop,
And a floppetty, poppetty, flop, flop, flop.’”

“T am sorry I can’t remember any more, because I
know at the end verse the moral comes in, and I
recollect Mr. Buffoon said it was a very useful one in
these days of sociable aristocracy. I fancy that was
the expression he used.”

“Oh, don’t apologise for forgetting the moral,” said
the penholder ; “we have too many morals nowadays.



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 55

My master attributes the decay of wit to this cause ;
_ but fire away. Nonsense School isn’t bad.”

“T don’t know,” said the slate-pencil thoughtfully,
“that I have anything more to add. I am sorry I
have forgotten all the ‘Cross questions and crooked
answers, but I. remember one or two of Freddy
Bright’s proverbs, though possibly you have heard
them, as I believe they are in print, such as :—

“1, ‘A bun in the hand is worth two at the baker’s,’

“2, ‘When a boy goes to school his troubles begin.’

“3, *A greedy boy knoweth no joy.’

“JT think now,” said the slate-pencil, “I have con-
tributed my share to the evening’s entertainment, and
I hope I have not bored you too much,” and he looked
round with the secret consciousness that he had been
very amusing. .

“We are much obliged to you,” said the gold stud,
and all the ‘others said it was very good fun. Then
the gold stud said, “ Will any member of the fair sex
oblige us with a reminiscence?” And, thus challenged,
a legless, noseless rag doll signified her willingness to
do her best.





IV.

“TV HAVE nothing,” began the rag doll modestly,
“interesting or remarkable to tell you, for I
have never had a real adventure in my life,

which is indeed only proper, as adventures are more

suitable to gentlemen than to us; but I once had a

rather curious experience, which is worth telling to

while away a few hours.

“Tt would not become me to enlarge upon the
personal beauty that I formerly possessed. I need
only say that I held the most prominent place in
Messrs. Toy-Shop’s window, and also,” and here the
noseless rag doll darted a look of triumph at the
haughty fan, “that I was the cause of no less than
twenty duels between the gentlemen, who also stood
in the window, and who formed a bodyguard of



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 7,

honour around me.. They belonged to all the pro-
fessions—military, naval, theatrical, policemen ”

“JT beg pardon,” interrupted the slate-pencil, who
liked to show off his superior education, “but is it
quite correct to call a policeman a professional man?”

The fan tittered rudely, and the rag doll coloured
and looked vexed; but the penholder, who had be-
longed to a witty gentleman, came to the rescue, and
said he objected to be educated and amused at the
same time. At present they were being entertained ;
but those who chose to be instructed could attend the
lecture of his friend, the learned slate-pencil, a little
later on. At this there was some applause from a
lively marble and an india-rubber ball with a hole in
it, and Miss Rag Doll resumed her story.

“Well, I lived in constant terror that the sailor
would slay the soldier, who, I admit, was rather a
favourite of mine, being a comely young man, with
very distinguished manners, when one day a grand ©
carriage stopped at our door, out of which stepped
two ladies very elegantly dressed.

“Tt is one of the drawbacks of a rag doll’s life that
her construction does not permit of her turning her
head, so I had to depend on the nodding Chinaman,
also one of my admirers, for a description of the
ladies’ movements. However, in a very short time I
had no need to depend upon any one else’s report, for
I myself was brought into the shop and deposited
upon the counter, along with several of my sisters.
The elder of the two ladies took me up with her soft,
silk-clad fingers, and said to her sister,

“« Look, Ella, isn’t this exactly the thing for May?





58 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

She can’t very well pull ¢#2s to pieces, and for a rag
doll she really isn’t bad.’

“Her sister agreed, and the end of it was I was
purchased and deposited by a very magnificent foot-
man in the carriage beside the ladies.

“My new home was a very fine one, and I hada
nice soft silk cradle to lie in at nights; and if it had
not been for my little mistress, whose name, as you
know, was May, I might have been very happy, and
become quite reconciled to leaving all my old friends.
But my little mistress was the most disagreeable
specimen of humanity it has ever been my lot to
come across,

“ Although she was only four years old, she was a
perfect tyrant, and her father, and mother, and grand-
mother were absolute slaves to her whims and caprices.
You would hardly believe, on looking at this pretty
child, with her big blue eyes and long yellow curls,
that she was such a hateful little mortal; but so it
was. She was the only child of very wealthy parents,
who had lost all their other children, and who guarded
her as the apple of their eye. For the first few days
she was pleased with me, and treated me fairly well,
though I was astonished and horrified at her exhibi-
tions of passion. She would punch and kick her
unfortunate nurse on the slightest provocation, and
one night this amiable little being actually threw a
tea-cup at the housemaid. You will wonder what her
parents were about to let her grow up like this ; but
they were foolish people, and were very much in terror
that she should die like her brothers and sisters. Cer-
tainly they were laying up a great store of unhappi-



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 59

ness, both for themselves and the child, who, in spite
of having every wish gratified, was constantly in
passions and tears. She was just like a monkey for
destructiveness, and if it had been possible to break
me to pieces, you may be quite sure I should not be
here to tell the tale. However, I must admit she
certainly had a slight affection for me, and treated me
less badly than her baby doll, or the elegant doll from
Paris which her uncle brought her. |

“One day great preparations in the shape of sorting
clothes and packing boxes went on, anda little later
I learnt we were to go to Scotland the next day.
Before the departure there was some unpleasantness.
May wanted to take all her toys, and could only be
pacified by her papa promising to buy her a new doll’s
house when they reached Scotland. I was delighted
at the prospect of seeing a real Scotch moor covered
with pink and purple heather, and, as May was ina
very good temper, for a wonder, there seemed every
possibility of a pleasant time. But, alas for our hopes!
No sooner had we got into the train, and were fairly
off, than May persisted, in spite of her parents’ remon-
strances, in putting her head a long way out of the
window. I was clasped not too firmly in her arms,
and was not a little uncomfortable when she held
me dangling out of the window. Presently, however,
we came to some tunnels, and May’s father insisted on
my little mistress putting her head inside the carriage.
She flew into one of her usual passions, and the next
thing that I was conscious of, was finding myself in a
dark place on the lines, over which the train had
just rushed. Even now I cannot think of that horrible



60 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

time without shuddering, for the next moment another
express train dashed past, and I thought every instant
I should be cut to pieces. Fortunately the train passed
on, leaving me quite unhurt, for I was not on the lines
at all, but in a sort of hollow between them, and the
wheels of the train never touched me at all. I lay
there all night, feeling dreadfully frightened and cold,
and nearly deafened by the thundering of the trains
as they rushed past, and the fearful shrieking of the
whistles, which I can hear to this day, although it is
so long ago. All night there were strange green and
crimson lights flashing along the lines, so that I could
not sleep a wink, and was very thankful, as you may
imagine, when the dreadful dark night came to an
end, and morning dawned, with more noise and
whistling than ever. Presently a rough working-man
came along with a little hammer, with which he con-
tinually tapped the lines, and I can tell you he did
stare when he caught sight of me. After he had said,
‘Very rum,’ which seems to me a rather vulgar expres-
sion, he called to another man who was much more
respectably dressed, and said,

“Here, matey, you’re a married man, so this is
more in your line; it'll do for the kids.’

“He had by this time taken me up, and held me
very awkwardly indeed by my legs. I should think
he could never have held a baby in his life. The
other man, whom, I afterwards discovered, was a guard,
laughed and said,

“Yes, the little uns would like it” and he placed
me in his bag.

“T am afraid you must be finding this very dull,”



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 61

said the rag doll, looking round with a deprecating
expression, “so I’ll end up.

“J lived very happily indeed in a tiny cottage with
the guard’s two little girls, who were charming little
maids, and very different to Miss May. They were
not much older, but so useful, and it was a delight-
ful sight to see them bed-making, and dusting, and
sweeping with their small clever fingers. In the
evenings they would help their father in the little
patch of garden, and you never saw such a bright
little place, full of sweet-smelling pinks and cloves,
and ‘old man,’ and all sorts of old-fashioned plants
that the guard’s wife brought from her old home in
the country; and on Sundays they were so happy,
for the guard was at home all day, and after dinner

he would stroll out into the country with the little
"girls on each side of him, looking so clean and fresh
in their pink cotton frocks and little white sun-
bonnets.

“TI stayed with them till they were quite big; and if
it had not been for their baby brother, who threw me
into the dust-hole one day, I should be with them
still, And I have often thought that these little girls,
whose principal toy was a damaged rag doll—for I
had injured myself in my fall—were much happier
than many richer children, whose lives are spoilt by
foolish friends.”

“Very nicely told,” said the gold stud patronizingly,
whilst the fan congratulated herself on never having
had such vulgar common experiences, and all the rest
felt their lives were immeasurably superior. Only the
little sea-shell threw the doll a sweet smile, and she



62 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

looked so exceedingly pretty, that the slate-pencil
and the gold stud and the penholder immediately
fell in love with her, much to the annoyance of the
fan and the tinsel, who wondered what ‘they could
see in such a plain, insignificant little thing. How-
ever, the gentlemen longed to hear her speak, so they
crowded round her, and besought her to tell her
story.



TAs :
eras aero
STORY



HE pretty little sea-shell flushed quite rosy-red

when they all pressed her to tell her story.

She did not very much want to; but she

did not like to be discourteous, and she thought it

looked silly and affected to make a fuss, when they

asked her so kindly. So she began in a very sweet,

low voice, which sounded exactly like tiny waves of
the sea on a very calm, sunshiny day.

“I lived very happily amongst my brothers and
sisters on the golden sands, where we played hide-and-
seek with one another, and were often caught by the
sea, and carried a long way out. Once I was thrown’
upon a sea-weed bed, and I remember I shed many
tears, thinking I should never see my playmates
again, but a kind lobster, noticing my distress, carried



64 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

me home on his back, and you may be sure I was
very grateful tohim. We all felt certain that there
was no more delightful life in the whole world than
ours. On summer mornings we bathed in the little
clear pools, and all day long we amused ourselves,
sometimes pelting one another with little sand-grains,
sometimes taking a sail on a shrimp’s back, and
sometimes climbing the little rock-mountains, which
made their appearance at low tide. Oh, it was a very
joyous, sunshiny life; but I am afraid it was a very
useless one.

“One day I felt myself grasped by something soft
and warm, and, looking up, I found I was in the small,
dirty hand of an exceedingly ragged little boy. I
noticed rather sleepily, for it was a hot morning, and
I had been having a gentle nap, that there were a
number of children racing about over the sand.
They were not the daintily-dressed children, with
brown faces and sturdy legs, in charge of their nurses,
which we were accustomed to see, but poorly-clad,
pale-faced children, with such dreadfully thin legs,
and big hungry eyes, that my heart ached for them.
The lad who held me, and who was, perhaps, ten or
eleven years old, though he had such a wizened face
that he might have been sixty, was the raggedest little
object I have ever seen. But he did not seem to
mind about this in the very least, and, as he looked at
me, a great smile of delight came into his face, and he
cried, ‘That’s for Polly. ’Tain’t a common shell, but
a real fine stunner.’ I soon discovered, from the
children’s conversation, that this was a school-treat
come down from London for the day, and I was full



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 65

of horror and grief at the thought of the fate in store
for me. Indeed, it was a fearful change; away from
the blue sky, and the fresh sea air, and the white
wavelets, and all my dear little fish and shell com-
panions, into a bare, ill-smelling garret in smoky
London, where the air and sky secmed as if they
wanted a good dip into the blue sea, to make them
clean and wholesome. I am ashamed now to think
of the way I hated Jim (that was the boy’s name) for
bringing me to London, and of the many discon-
tented, wicked tears I shed on the way up, making
Jim’s pocket quite wet. Far rather would I have
been drowned in the sea, I said to myself, not remem-
bering that there were other things in a sea-shell’s
life than just pleasing one’s self:

“ However, it was not very long before I got into a
better frame of mind, for Jim rushed home—oh, such a
miserable little dark garret, with a broken bed in it,
and a chair, and a cupboard for furniture—and, pulling
me out of his pocket, cried out to someone that lay
on the bed,

“Polly, girl, I have brought you such a beautiful
shell—a real fellow —picked him off the sands—such
yellow ’uns.’

“Then Polly raised herself in bed, and I saw she
was a little girl, perhaps a year or two older than Jim,
with a sweet, white, wan face, andt the largest and
saddest brown eyes I ever saw. She was a cripple,
and could only walk with the greatest pain and diffi-
culty, and these two poor little orphans lived entirely
on Jim’s earnings as a newspaper-boy. It was touch-

* ing to see how good Jim was to her; how, on bad



66 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

days, when he could not sell out his newspapers, he
would go without food all day, so as to bring home
the proper number of pennies to Polly, and how, if
ever he made an extra copper, he would buy a cake
or some fruit for the poor little sister. And how can
I tell you of this sweet, patient child, who lay hour
after hour in that close, bad-smelling, dark, garret,
with no toys, no books, and hardly able to turn her
head except with pain. But she, too, had her joys,
and I am thankful and happy to think that, from the
very first day that she clasped me in her thin little
hand, I was one of her chief pleasures ; so that even a
sea-shell has its uses in contributing to the happiness
of others. She would play all sorts of games with
me; but her favourite of all was to put me into a
soap-dish of water, and pretend she was at the sea.

“Look, Jim, she would say, her pale face beaming
with delight, ‘look at the waves and the little sea-
shell tossed about!’

“ And how she made Jim laugh one day when she
dressed me up in a pocket-handkerchief, and pretended
I was a long-clothes baby. Sweet little suffering
soul, she is amongst the angels now ; and surely there
is not one white brow more deserving of the golden
crown, than Jim’s little sister. I was her only toy,
and she was never tired of putting me against her
ear and saying, ‘Jimmy, can’t you hear the waves
rushing?’ and then she would look lovingly at me
and say, ‘Oh, you dear little, pink, smooth baby, your
mother zs a-fond of you,” and she would kiss and
fondle me as affectionately as if I were really her own

"child. But one day a very sad thing happened. She



DUST-HEAP STORIES. 67

was getting thinner and paler than ever, and the
parish doctor said she must have fresh air; so Jim
opened the window, as it was a nice spring day, and
pushed the bed close up to it, so that, what fresh. air
there was, should reach her poor lungs. She was
looking up to the sky with her wistful brown eyes,
when she accidentally dropped me out of her weak
little hands, and I fell a long way down on to a great
dust-heap in the yard, on which everybody threw
their rubbish. I was dreadfully grieved, as I knew
the poor little one would miss me, and I felt sure I
should never be discovered, as, the same evening, a
man threw on the top of me three great bucketsful of
rubbish. There was just a tiny hole left through
which I could see, and later, the same evening, I saw
Jim searching about for me on his hands and feet. I
tried to call out, but he could not hear, and I cried to
see the poor little fellow raking about amongst the
rubbish till it was quite dark, with such a sad look on
his face. But Polly had not long to fret for me, for a
few days afterwards they buried her amongst the pale
snowdrops, like herself, in their white sweetness and
purity.”

The little sea-shell’s voice had sunk to a whisper,
and, when she finished, the gold stud said,

“To have been loved like that and to have given
happiness is surely the best of all.”



THE WIZARD’S MAGIC BELL.

(By permission of Messrs. Cassell and Comfany.)

NE day, in an Eastern city, a wizard lay dying,
so he called to his bedside his three sons,
Hugo, Roderick, and Karl, and said to them,

“My dear boys, I shall soon have to leave you, and
I feel very anxious about your lives, more especially
about you, Hugo and Roderick.” Then, addressing
Hugo, the eldest, he went on: “ Beware, above all, of
your selfishness and avariciousness. And you, Roder-
ick, think less of your strength—it is not the sword
alone that conquers. And you, my sweet Karl, be
not always timid and shrinking back. You can now
each make choice of one of my possessions. You,
Hugo, as the eldest, must choose first.”

“There is only one thing, father, J long for more
than anything else, and that is thy gold; pray give
it me all, and make not the condition, that I must

' share it with my brothers.”

The wizard looked sadly at his eldest born; but
there was no longer time for words.

“ As for me,” cried Roderick, “I am glad my brother
has so chosen. I donot want any gold. What JZ want



THE WIZARDS MAGIC BELL. 69

is thy sword, set in jewels; with this I shall be more
powerful than my brother, for he can only buy men—
I can slay them.”

“ And what wilt thou have, Karl?”

“T do not know,” answered the boy, wistfully.
“Could not I have some of Hugo’s gold?” and then,



The dying wizard and his sons.—4. 69.

as he caught sight of his father’s pale, sad face, he
said, with a burst of tears, “Oh, I want only some-
thing that will remind me of thee.”

The wizard took the boy’s hands, and said,
'“Tleave thee my bell. Stronger than the sword,



70 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

and more powerful than riches, shalt thou find my gift
of the bell.”

It was a very tiny brass bell, small enough to go
into Karl’s pocket ; and he vowed to himself, that he
would keep it there in memory of his father, although,
much as he pondered, he could not make out how it
. would be of any use to him.

Soon after his brothers departed, the one to spend
his money on feasting and pleasure, and the other to
foreign countries where he could use his marvellous
sword,

But Karl, as he had been left neither money nor a
sword, was forced to look about for some work; and,
by good fortune, he was taken into the employ of a
kind-hearted baron as page-boy. One day the lad,
hot and breathless after a long gallop, whilst follow-
ing his master on horseback, heard some exquisite
strains of music quite close to him. He stopped
short, believing it must be some rare bird. But
nothing could be seen. He listened again—it was
coming from his own pocket; it was coming from
the bell, which only gave forth these lovely sounds
when it was heated. Karl listened in rapture, and,
the faster he rode, the more rich and varied was the
music; but as he grew cooler, the sounds began to’
die away, and by the time he reached the baron, they
had ceased.

_ Soon after this Karl received a visit from his elder
brother, who was about to start off for foreign lands
and join his brother Roderick. He offered to take
Karl with him; so he and Hugo set out forthwith,
and were well received by Roderick, who, by the aid



THE WIZARDS MAGIC BELL. 71

of his marvellous sword, was now a great soldier.
The three brothers then started on a tour, and Karl
could not help being amused at Hugo’s arrogant
pride in his gold, and Roderick’s in his strength.

One day they came to a town, from which the
inhabitants were fleeing with affrighted faces. On
demanding the cause, they were told that a terrible
rebellion had taken place amongst the wildest and
most turbulent of the people; and that, at that very
moment, a great mob was surrounding the king’s
palace, and threatening to burn him and his beautiful
daughter to death. They implored the brothers to
turn back, saying the mob would massacre strangers
at once, but Hugo said grandly,

“PH throw my gold amongst them; that’ll soon
stop them,” whilst Roderick said stoutly,

“PH end the matter by ending them with my
sword.”

Hugo mounted on to a wall, and began throwing
his gold with both hands. The people were so sur-
prised that fora moment they stood quite still; and
then a worse thing happened, for men and women
were trampling upon each other in their greediness to
get all the gold for themselves. At last the mob got
so wild with excitement, that they rushed upon Hugo
where he stood, and began to tear the gold from his
hands. It was at that moment, that Roderick, with
his marvellous sword, flew to the rescue ; but although
it did wonders, and Hugo was freed, the surging
crowd of wild animals was too much for Roderick,
single-handed, and, alas! he had to flee for his life.

At that terrible instant, something happened so



72 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

strange, so rare, that even the furious fierce men
stopped and wiped their heated faces and listened.
How could they continue in their angry passions,
whilst the sweetest and most divine music they had
ever conceived, was ringing through the air, bringing
love and peace along with it? No one spoke;
women, whose faces had been hard and cruel a little
while back, now wept as they listened to the won-
drous music; whilst men hung their heads, and won-
dered that they were allowed to hear the divine tones,
so sweet, so strong, so gentle.

Night came on, and the three brothers slept at the
village inn, the two elder being somewhat humbled at
the failure of the weapons they had thought invin-
cible ; and, as they did not know anything of Karl’s
magic bell, great was their amazement when, the next
morning, a messenger arrived from the king’s palace,
saying that Karl’s presence was required immediately.

When the three brothers reached the palace, they
found the king surrounded by an immense crowd of
eager courtiers and citizens. /

As Karl entered—his face very hot and flushed,
and feeling very shy—a little wise old man from the
village stepped forward, and taking Karl’s hand,
declared he had stood near him during the riot of the
night before, and was positive the music came from
him. ‘

Then Karl, who was blushing a good deal,
modestly told the king and people, who were listening
in breathless silence, how he had received the won-
derful bell (which he took out of his pocket and
handed to the king’s chamberlain) from his father
who was a wizard.



THE WIZARD'S MAGIC BELL. 73:

When he had finished, the people crowded round
him, and besought him to stay always, and brighten
their lives by his sweet music.

And when Karl looked on their faces, and thought
how, by his precious bell, he could bring peace and
joy and happiness into their lives, he at last under-
stood his father’s words, that there was something
stronger than force, and more powerful than gold.



THE LITTLE LAME DAISY.

HE buttercups gave a grand party, to which
all the field flowers were invited, and, of
course, the daisies went, looking very sweet

and pretty in their red, pink, and white frocks. But
there was one poor little daisy who had to stay at
home, for, somehow or other, her stalk had got broken,
and her little pale face drooped almost to the ground.
Indeed, she looked so fragile, that it seemed as if every
breath of wind would carry her off. Poor little lonely
daisy. She did hope that one of her sisters would
offer to stay at home and talk to her; but perhaps it
was too much to expect anyone to give up the party
for her sake. So she watched them as they went off,
chatting very merrily, and with their heads very high
in the air, as they thought how charmingly pretty they
looked in their ball dresses of pure white and green, or
pale pink and crimson, with girdles of green. The little
daisy felt very sad and humble as they scampered
away, for she knew she should never again trip
merrily over the grass in the moonlight, like the
others. But as night came on she fell asleep, and did
not wake till the morning, when she found all the



THE LITTLE LAME DAISY. 75

daisies round her talking about the last night’s ball.
Some of them tossed their little heads quite proudly,
as they recounted their triumphs, and how very much
they had been admired. At this very moment a
troop of rough boys and girls came along, and tors
up, by the roots, the smiling little daisies, which, a
second later, they threw on the ground and trampled
upon, as they hurried off to chase a butterfly.



» aM) =F »
N\ mea

I

They go off merrily in the moonlight.—. 74.

But one chubby baby boy had picked the little
lame daisy, and, as it was the first flower he had ever
gathered for himself, he hugged it close to hirn with
his tiny, fat hands. He thought it such a pretty toy,



76 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLE?.

and ran quickly home with it to his mother, saying,
“ Me found this pretty ’itty ’sing.”

“ And his mother, who was a kind, gentle-hearted
woman, put the little daisy into a broken cup full of
water, where it lived for three or four days very

happily.



THE IMP.

HERE was once an Imp who was in the habit
of making himself such a nuisance in the
domestic circle, that one day his relations

could stand it no longer, and, taking him to the
front door, they said,

“Kindly travel in foreign lands, and the longer
you travel, and the more distant the country, the
better we shall like it. Perhaps you might try the
Polar regions ; they are a good long way off, and it
is said there are many bears and wolves there, who
. seem to have excellent appetites.”

The Imp had no objection, for, as he was always
getting into hot water at home, he thought the Polar
climes might be a refreshing change, so he set out
. merrily, taking with him a blanket, a pot of the best
pomatum, and a clean linen collar, all of which he
packed into a little knapsack, and slung across his
shoulder. How to get to the Polar regions he knew
not, but he said, remembering the geography he had
learnt in his youth,

“Since the wise men have declared the world’s
round, all I’ve got to do to get to the North Pole



78 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

is to keep on going round and round, and round and
round, and in less than six months I shall certainly
be——”

“ Giddy,” said a sharp dry voice, and the Imp saw
in front of him a Practical Man, who was clad in
a very unusual fashion. He wore a mustard-coloured
suit of clothes, full of bulging pockets, out of which
protruded machines, coffee-pots, folding-tables, hat-
racks, and other useful articles.

“T suppose,” said the Imp, staring hard out of his
little black beady eyes, “that you’re a travelling
pedlar, and carry your pack about with you for
convenience’ sake ?”

“Not a bit of it,’ returned the Practical Man
briskly ; “quite my own idea to carry everything that
a civilized man can want about with him. For
instance, suppose you want your hair cut and sham-
pooed, you can have it done in a twinkling,” and he
whipped a machine out of one of his many pockets,
and began cutting the Imp’s short black hair by
machinery; but, as he was not a very expert hair-
dresser, something in the machinery went wrong, and
not only was the unfortunate Imp’s hair entangled in
the wheels, but the little scissors went up and down,
darting into his scalp.

“ O-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 !” shrieked the Imp, dancing about
in agony, and trying tear off the machine, which
presently gave a loud whirr, and broke into pieces,
much to his relief and delight. He rubbed his
damaged head with a rueful expression, and said to
the Practical Man,

“Thanks,-I don’t care for any more of that sort



THE IMP. 79

of hair-dressing. I think I prefer the ordinary barber,
he isn’t quite so energetic; but what have you got
there?” and he looked inquisitively at a curious-
looking object, which somehow seemed familiar,
though, as it was all doubled up, he could hardly see
it properly.

The Practical Man began undoing it slowly, and in
a second the Imp exclaimed,

“Why, I declare, it’s a Punch and Judy show.”

“Exactly,” said the Practical Man deliberately ;
“one must provide for everything in this world of
chance and change. Suppose I found myself alone
on a desert island, why, here I am, well provided with
amusement.”

“But,” said the Imp, who had been looking very
thoughtful, “you would have to be your own Punch
and Judy man, so how could you look on and be
Punch and Judy at the same time?”

The Practical Man had a way of shelving awkward
questions which he didn’t know how to answer, so he
took no notice, and began to exhibit his fire-escape,
his kitchen range, and ambulance waggon, and many
other of the apparatus that were stowed away some-
where about him.

“JT think he’s crazy,” said the Imp to himself, and
he asked the Practical Man impudently, whether he
happened to have a few lunatic asylums about him ?

But the Practical Man looked so fierce, that the
Imp darted off, with vague ideas of gunpowder plots
and dynamite explosions, which he had read of in
history and in the newspapers. He felt sure he must
be walking in the right direction to get to the North



80 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Pole, for it was growing chillier every minute, and,
gladly remembering about his blanket, he wrapped it
right over him, showing a few tufts of black hair,
which had stuck straight out from his head ever since
the operations of the Practical Man. With his black
beady eyes, he looked a very appalling Imp indeed,
and might well have been mistaken for a wild Red
Indian. Soon he came to a wood, and, hearing
sounds of weeping, hurried along, when he presently
came face to face with an “ Affected Young Lady.”
At the sight of the little blanketed fellow, she set up a
wild hullaballoo of terror, screaming out with all her:
might, “ Monster, go away, go away; I shall simply
die of fright ; I shall never, never, never recover this
dreadful shock to my nerves.”

“‘ Monster, indeed !” said the Imp indignantly, whilst
he gracefully disrobed himself of his. blanket.
“ Kindly be a little more accurate, and I’m not going
to eat you. But what’s the matter with you; why
these tears?”

“Oh, pray don’t ask,” said the affected young lady,
“it’s quite too dreadful ; I shall never get out of this
horrible wood, and I shall never see my dear, dear
parents again,—-oh, oh !”

“ Dear, dear,” said the Imp sympathetically, “this
is very sad, madam,” and he bowed his absurd. little
figure to the ground; “perhaps I can be of some
service to you, if so, speak, and you are heartily
welcome.”

“Well,” said the affected young lady, condescend-
ing to dry her eyes, “it’s like this: it’s quite impos-
sible for me to get out of the wood, because at the



THE IMP. 8I

end of it there’s a stile; but, of course, if some
one would be kind enough to cut down the stile,”
and she looked meltingly at the Imp.

“But why in the name of pigs and pattypans
shouldn’tsyou jump over it?” asked the Imp with
astonishment. The affected young lady shuddered
as she cried out,

“Jump over it! a young lady of my sensibilities ?
Why, sir, I should never recover from it; think how
dreadfully unladylike.”

“Well, let’s come and have a look at it,” said the
Imp. So along they went together; and, as soon as
they reached the stile, which was really quite a low
one, this naughty, audacious Imp seized the airy, fairy,
lackadaisical, affected young lady in his arms, and
deposited her on the other side of the stile. After
one shriek of “Oh, you ungentlemanly monster,” the
affected young lady languidly closed her eyes, and
went off in a dead faint. But the Imp thought she
would probably recover just as well without him, so
he pursued his Polar journey. He was beginning to
feel quite hungry, and wish that he had brought some ~
sandwiches with him, when he saw before him, in
a meadow, a young man lying on the ground. Going
close up to him, the Imp saw with surprise that a
number of birds had built their nests in the “ Indolent
Youth’s” hair, and were flying about as if they were
quite at home.

“Do you like birds building their nests in your
hair?” asked the Imp.

The indolent youth stared, and said languidly,

“Too much trouble to talk.”

F



82 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Why don’t you get up, you great, lazy fellow?”
asked the Imp, feeling quite annoyed at the sight of a
robust young man in this condition.

“Too much trouble,” returned the youth ; “every-
thing’s too much trouble, breathing a frightful bore,”
and the indolent youth, who was the fattest and
limpest youth imaginable, gave a sad sigh.

The Imp was too disgusted to say anything. He
gave him a vicious kick, and went on; and before
long he stopped short before a soft, little, round, fluffy
ball of flesh, which looked like a baby of a few
months old, but which wore spectacles, and held in
its tiny fingers a pencil and slate, over which it was
knitting its tiny brows.

“Whatever ave you?” asked the Imp.

The baby looked up with a reproving frown, and
said, in a matter-of-fact way,

“T’m an advanced female baby, and please don’t
disturb me. I’m engaged on higher mathematics, and
haven’t any time to waste. I’m in for my tripos
next week,” and she wetted her little pink finger and
began to rub out her sums.

“ Well,” said the Imp, addressing a wise old gentle-
man who happened to be standing near, “I never
imagined till I set out on this journey, that there were
so many crazy people in the world.”

“Only their little way, sir, only their little way.
We've all got our little peculiarities. Now, I daresay
the ones you’ve got are so delightful and pleasant to
your family, that they wept bucketsful of tears when
you left home.”

The Imp thought of some of his disagreeable



THE IMP. 83

tricks, and blushed ; and, to divert the conversation
said,

“Can you tell me, sir, whether the North Pole is an
agreeable place of residence for a single man?”

The wise old man thoughtfully stroked his beard,
and said,

“Well, there’s plenty of variety ; there are bears to
eat you, and wolves to eat you, or if you like better to
be frozen, there is plenty of opportunity ; or for per-
sons of small appetites it isn’t altogether bad. On
the whole, / think it preferable to read about it in the
story books ; but there’s no accounting for taste.”

“ Ah,” said the Imp, “I think I'll go on reading
about the North Pole,” and, saying good-bye to the
wise old man, he hurried homeward. Arrived there,
he made himself much more agreeable ; and on win-
ter evenings he would tell his friends wonderful
stories of the whales he had killed; and of the great
floating icebergs which had wedged in his ship; and
of the many adventures, in which he had always
played the part of the gallant hero, that befell him on
his trip to the North Pole.



THE KING AND THE COUNTRY
BUMPKIN.

HERE was once a king who lived in a most
magnificent crystal palace, and dined every
day off gold and silver dishes ; and yet he was

more miserable than the poorest of his subjects. For
this king, whose name was Ormuz, was dreadfully tired
of life. He had long ago exhausted every pleasure, and
it was impossible, no matter how hard his courtiers
tried, to find a new one that would please him. Sohe
offered a splendid reward to any one, who should invent
some new amusement which would make him laugh.
All sorts of things were tried; the court jester came
and made some of his best jokes, and, mounting
upon a donkey’s back, capered about with all his
bells jingling ; but the king turned wearily away. He
had heard very much the same sort of jests for many
years, and they no longer delighted him. And then
twenty beautiful Eastern maidens came and danced
before his majesty, clad in transparent white gauze
and silver; but the king had seen their graceful
-movements over and over again, and he felt no
particular interest in the dances, which had been



THE KING AND COUNTRY BUMPKIN. 85

familiar to him since his boyhood. And then one of
the courtiers suggested the play, and another a hunt,
and another a sea voyage; but the king had visited
all the theatres that had ever been built, so he did
not care about this suggestion, and he said he was
too old and fat to enjoy hunting; and, as for another
sea voyage, well, he had already made a score or so,
and been twice round the
world, so it was improb-
able that anything new
should present itself.
The courtiers gave up
the matter in despair,
and the king’s face
grew longer than ever,
as he never laughed ;
and his temper became
so cross-grained, that
the court gentlemen
avoided him as much as
they dared.

One day, as they were
racking their brains to
think of something to .
make the king laugh,
whilst returning home
from a ride, they saw a country bumpkin sitting on
a stile, with a crowd of rosy-cheeked boys and girls
round him, who were laughing very merrily. The
king dismounted, and immediately a saucy little
urchin, not knowing his position, rushed up to him,
and, thrusting something into his face, said, “ That’s



The King out riding.—. 85.



86 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

just like you.” The king looked down and saw a
turnip, which had been shaped by the country
bumpkin, into a man’s face; and it was so comical,
and the children’s mirth was so catching, that the
king laughed loudly and merrily; and he declared
he would himself make turnips into men’s faces. And
the country bumpkin was so delighted to have made
the king laugh, that he threw his cap into the air and
cried “ Hurrah!”



HOW THE DEMONS WERE
CONQUERED.

NCE upon a time, long, long ago, when the
race of fairies and goblins was not quite
extinct, a king, who ruled over a wealthy

kingdom, was made exceedingly happy by the news
brought to him by his grand chamberlain, who,
with many flourishes of his three-cornered, gold-
braided hat, informed him that a little son was born
to his majesty that day. Five minutes later all the
church bells were set pealing in honour of the little
prince’s birth ; and, as the king gave orders that wine
and fruit should be served out to every man, woman,
and child within fifty miles of the palace gates, there
was much merriment and rejoicing that night. It is
true that there was a good deal of grumbling amongst
the people who were, say, three hundred miles off, for
why, they asked, should they be punished, simply
because they didn’t happen to live within fifty milesof ~
the king’s, palace ; but, in the general rejoicing at court,
their corhplaint was unheeded, and, indeed, it was a
little. unreasonable to expect that even a king could
feast every soul in his vast dominion.



88 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Now, about the same time that the little Prince
opened his eyes on his mother’s beautiful white and
gold chamber, another little baby was born into the
world. His home was many miles distant from the
palace ; indeed, it was at the uttermost end of the king’s
great kingdom, and there were no bells rung to cele-
brate this little one’s birth, Only sad and anxious
faces were round him; for not only was the child
unwelcome, as it meant another little mouth to feed—
and already, alas! in the shoemaker’s home there were
too many little unfed mouths and aching stomachs—
but also the kind, patient mother, the shoemaker’s
wife, lay sick unto death. And as the week wore on
she became worse, and one sorrowful night she lay
dying. The poor woman was dreadfully distressed at
the thought of her little baby alone in the world
without its mother. What would become of the
“ Kindlein ?” she asked herself, using the loved name
that her own mother had used, when she was a little
girl in Germany. The tears ran down her pale face
as she pressed the little one closer to her. True, her
husband, the shoemaker, had been very kind to her
lately, since she had been ill ; but she could not forget
the many times, when, sad and angry at not getting
work, he would go to the inn over the way, and then
would follow bad times for wife and boys. The poor
mother sighed deeply, and, glancing at the sleeping
child, she noticed, to her great astonishment, a pale,
silvery light over the little downy head. At the same
- moment a gentle voice said in her ear,

“Do not be unhappy about the little one, dear
mother. I will befriend him, and I will straightway



THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 89

give him two gifts; their names are Sympathy and
Imagination, so that he will never be quite unhappy.”

The mother did not quite understand these words,
and perhaps she would have preferred to hear that her
boy should be rich and clever ; but no one ever knew,
for a second later she had sunk back on to her pillow



The cobbler’s wife is astonished to see a silvery light round the child’s
head.—/. 88.

with a peaceful smile, and the shoemaker’s wife was
dead.

The neighbours all agreed that little Gottfried, as
the child was called, could not possibly live, and it is
probable that their forebodings would have proved
correct, and that little Gottfried would soon have



90 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

followed his mother, had it not been for the bagman’s
wife. She had just lost her own little girl, and she it
was who nursed, and fed, and petted, and loved him,
and as much as possible protected him from his
father’s blows and cruelty. For, unfortunately, things
went from bad to worse with the shoemaker, who was
always complaining about bad times and the hard-
ships a cobbler had to undergo, but who never reflected
that the “bad times” were of his own making; for
who would come to a man who would promise faith-

_ fully to have the boots heeled by Saturday evening,
and, when Saturday came, would be found at the inn
over the way with some noisy companions, whilst the
unheéled boots would be standing on the little wooden
shelf, looking up reproachfully at the shoemaker’s
leathern apron, which hung half the day idly over the
bench? Gottfried was happy enough—even though his
father occasionally threw a boot—too often unsoled—
at his head, and his great strong brothers, Peter, and
Fritz, and Karl, bullied and teased him, more especially
when they were hungry—so long as he could run into
the bagman’s pretty little parlour and play with Pecker,
the sulky parrot. Buta terrible day came when the
bagman and his wife packed up their property in a
neat little box, and went away to live elsewhere ; for the
bagman was so ill, that the only chance of saving his
life was to take him to a warm seaside place for the
winter.

Gottfried was now ten years old, and quite old
enough, his father thought, to look out for himself.
His brothers had long ago left the shoemaker, after
many bitter words between them and their father, and



THE DEMONS CONQUERED. gt

it was now Gottfried’s business to earn his own living
—so his father told him roughly. The lad went
slowly down the stairs, wondering with a heavy heart
what he should do.

He was a pale, delicate-looking boy with melan-
choly brown eyes, and such a sweet, gentle smile, that
few people spoke cruel or cross words to him. In
the little narrow dirty street where he had lived all
his life, he was very popular with the children and
grown-up people. The children loved him because
he invented beautiful stories, and never insisted on
having his own way ; and the grown-up people agreed
that an obliging, well-mannered boy like Gottfried was
indeed a rarity in their part, where the other kind of
boys—the rough, rude, disobliging sort—were plentiful
as blackberries.

Gottfried walked through the narrow street and
courts into fine wide streets, where people were shop-
ping, and carriages full of grand people, richly dressed,
were passing to and fro. He did not know what to
do. It was cold, he was hungry, and his father had
told him this was the last day he would give him
shelter and food.” Now, Gottfried had a certain habit
—which the practical people think a very dreadful
one indeed—but which gave him a good deal of
delight, no matter how cold and hungry. he might be.
This habit—or, as the fairy would have called it, gift
—of imagining was very useful indeed sometimes, for,
just when he was going to burst into tears, he caught
sight of a very gaily-coloured picture of a boy about
his own age, who was just mounting a pony in front
of a fine castle. This was quite enough to divert



92 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Master Gottfried, and for the next half-hour he was
marching along the pavement with his hands in his
ragged pockets, forgetting his hunger and cold, and
his unkind father, and only thinking of the fine things
that could be done in a castle with a garden full of
splendid roses, which grew again as fast they were
picked, and with stables full of cream-coloured ponies
for all the boys and girls who chose to ride them. He
was quite regardless of the fact, that people were con-
tinually calling him a nuisance as he walked straight
into them, and only awoke to the consciousness of
extreme cold, when a ragged boy about his own size,
with an excessively dirty face, and sharp, impudent
eyes, caught him a rap on the chest and exclaimed,

“Well, Tommy, thank your stars and this ’ere
gen’l’m”—patting himself—“that you aren’t at this
minute sprawling.”

Gottfried looked up with a smile, and recognized the
speaker.

“Why, Dicky,” he said, “wherever have you been
all this time? We thought you’d gone to sea.”

Dicky winked. I am afraid he was rather a bad
boy ; but he had his good points, and if he had any
love for anybody, it was for Gottfried, who had over
and over again done him service. The two boys
began talking, and presently Dicky remarked that he
was going to give up his crossing, as he had a “sitty-
wation.” He did not divulge the nature of this latter,
but went on to remark that he would sell both broom
and crossihg “dirt cheap.”

Here was a chance for Gottfried, if he only had the
money. But Dicky was not ungenerous, and he had



THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 93

a great respect for Gottfried’s promise; so, after the
latter had agreed to pay weekly instalments, the
matter was settled, and Gottfried was the proud
possessor of a broom and a crossing.

I am sorry to say that, though Gottfried was a
much finer fellow than Dicky, he wasn’t half such a
good sweeper—indeed, to tell the truth, he was a very
bad one indeed. When he ought to have been sweep-
ing away energetically, he was far too often thinking
‘of the flowers, and stars, and other beautiful things, of
which he knew nothing; and one day he actually
lost his broom. It came about in this way. It was
a cold, wet evening, when he suddenly heard his name
called out. Looking up, he beheld Dicky between
two policemen. Poor Dicky !—Gottfried had never
seen him with such a white, piteous face.

“Run,” cried icky “to father, and tell him to
come to the prison.”

Off went Gottfried like a shot, forgetful of his
broom, and everything but Dicky’s trouble. But,
when he came back, soaked through to the skin,
and found his broom gone, he wrung his hands in
despair, and, sitting down on a doorstep, wept as if
his heart would break. It was all owing to his own
carelessness, and now, whatever should he do with
only threepence, that he had taken that day. A
hand was laid on his thin coat sleeve, and a voice
near him said,

“Oh, do get up a little farther ; I’m dead beat.”

Gottfried forgot his own misery at the sight of a
poor old man, whose trembling legs seemed scarcely
able to bear him. He made room for him on the
doorstep, and said timidly,



94 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“T’m afraid you’re dreadfully wet.”

“That’s an original remark,” returned the old man
crossly ; “and is almost as stupid as the way you're
' staring at me. Don’t do it, boy.”

Gottfried obediently turned his head away, but, in
spite of his rudeness, he could not help feeling great
compassion for the old man.

Presently Gottfried went off into a sleep, and awoke
with a start, for he thought it was a policeman clutch-
ing his arm. It was only the venerable stranger, who
was whispering into his ear, for, in truth, he was a
good fairy in disguise,

“Why not earn your living in green fields and
glades, and pluck flowers as you go along, and make
friends with the birds and the bees ?”

Gottfried rubbed his eyes, for he was not quite
awake. Whatever did the old man mean? The fairy
saw his perplexity, and answered,

“You possess the gift of story-telling. Men and
children love to be amused. Wander forth boldly,
and earn your honest bread by enchanting them with
tales of wonderful men and things. Take, too, this
little lute, and play awhile when they are weary of
listening.”

Gottfried rubbed his eyes again, and sat up. It
must have been a dream. The rain was coming down
as steadily as ever, but where was the old man? And,
no, it wasn’t a dream, because-in place of the old man
a small instrument lay beside him, which Gottfried |
immediately guessed to be a lute.

And so, from that day forth, Gottfried wandered
through the land, telling the country folk the stories



THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 95

which sprang from his head, and which were in
reality the fairy’s gift, and for which he was amply
fed, and, had he liked, might have had gold pieces
given him. “How the folks loved the tall, slim youth,
with his pale face and kind, serious eyes! . As for the
children, they would climb on his knee and back, and
clamour for one tale after another, till Gottfried grew
weary, and begged them to desist. In the winter
things were not quite so pleasant, for the people had a
hard struggle to feed themselves, and had no food or
money to spare for such a luxury as’ story-telling.
But when they grew to learn that Gottfried would tell
his stories, even if there were no reward forthcoming,
they felt ashamed, and each child would break off a
piece of his portion of bread for the loved Gottfried.
Time went on, and, in the course of his journeys, he
learnt he was getting near the palace of the prince,
who, you remember, was born on the same day as
Gottfried himself, and who now ruled as king. Gott-
fried had heard with infinite distress that the young
king, who had only lately come to the throne, was
little loved by his people. Ever since his birth he had
_ been carefully shielded from anything unpleasant,
and had been steadily trained to do exactly what he
liked whenever he liked. It was, therefore, scarcely
surprising, that the young king was quite unaware,
that there existed in his kingdom many unfortunate
people who could not afford fires or warm clothing in
winter, nor bread and meat with which to feed them-
selves and their children. It is naturally much harder
for a rich man, who has never felt hunger or cold, to
pe unselfish, than for a poor strolling youth like



96 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Gottfried, who has lived all his life amidst suffering
and distress, and who would indeed be inhuman, if he
had not sympathy for the sufferers.

As Gottfried walked along the hard, frosty high-
road, not many miles from the king’s capital, he fell to
pondering on an extraordinary tale he had often heard,
both from the country folk and the dwellers in the
town. Over and over again the quiet, gentle-hearted
boy had heard the same story.

Strong men could not get work, poor women wept
that their children could not have bread, and yet the
king would do nothing. He refused even to be told
of his people’s need. And one and all would go on to
tell of a wonderful instrument in the king’s courtyard,
which was neither an organ, nor an harmonium, nor
an harp, but a mixture of all three, but from which
no one had ever yet been able to produce a single note.
Thousands had tried to do it, because it was reported
that the wise woman who lived in the cave had herself
told the king—when he consulted her on the subject
—that, on the day the wonderful instrument yielded
music, both he and his subjects would be happier, but
this would never be until the demons were conquered.
And, in spite of the amusements into which the young
king plunged, there were many days and nights in
which he suffered much grief at the thought of his
subjects’ hatred ; but, unfortunately, a sneer from one
of his favourites, would chase away his better feelings.

Gottfried walked along rather dejectedly, and said
aloud involuntarily,

“Whatever did the wise woman mean by te
demons?”



THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 97

It must have been the wind which spoke softly, for
there was not a single object to be seen near.

“Why, the demons are in the people who gather
round to hear each person, who comes to try and get
some music out of that instrument. There are all
sorts of demons flying about. Not long ago the
demon of Hate was very active on the occasion that
one of the governors tried to play; and then again,
that big demon called Jealousy was raging around
furiously, for a great soldier came to have a try, but
he wasn’t successful, and so it goes on. Alas! alas!”

The voice died away, and all was silent in the cold
night air, except for the occasional swaying of the
snow-laden boughs. Gottfried passed the night in a
barn, which lay deserted, except for a few lean robins
in the midst of a snowy field. Gottfried gladdened
the hearts of the robins by feeding them with a few
- crumbs he had in his pocket, and the little birds went
off with grateful eyes, and perceptibly fatter.

The next day he resumed his journey, and fell in
with crowds of the poor peasant folk, who were going
to the king’s palace to present a petition. As they
neared the capital, it was evident there was consider-
able excitement going on, and Gottfried, who was
leading little Lottie, the charcoal-burner’s child,
stopped one in the crowd to ask him the reason.

The man, who happened to be the barber to the
king, and who was just going to shave his majesty,
answered hurriedly

“Why, there’s a new competitor for the music
playing, and he’s a giant and a king, and done no end
of valiant deeds, and is in part a magician, and there

G



98 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

‘isn’t a doubt he’ll find the way. Our king will witness
his triumph himself at noon,” and he hastened off.

At this piece of news the people forgot their
grievances for a time, and one and all agreed, that
they too would witness the wonderful sight.

So at noon crowds of people, some with sullen faces,
some cross, and few looking happy and contented,
were gathered round the barriers, from which a good
view could be obtained of the magic instrument. A
chair was placed in front, and near it sat the king on
his magnificent purple throne, with a weary, dissatisfied
expression on his fair young face, and his richly-—
dressed courtiers around him. There-was breathless
silence as the giant, clad in golden armour, walked up
to the box enclosing the instrument. He looked
complacently around, and felt confident of success;
but he did not know that there was one woman in the
crowd, who hated him with all her heart, for he had,
years before, cruelly wronged her. ;

He sat down and touched the strings, but there was
no sound. His face grew first pale and then red with
anger ; and as the courtiers and then the crowd began
to titter, he flung himself off the chair, and disappeared
in a rage, not, however, before he had met the face of
the woman whom he had once loved.

There was again silence, broken by a child’s cry of
“Gottfried!” One of the little peasant children had
caught sight of the youth’s face, and immediately
dozens of children were crying out “ Gottfried !”

Gottfried never knew how it was, but an uncontroll-
able impulse urged him forward. Every eye was fixed
on his noble face, with its tender, wistful eyes. Nota



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BY
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LONDON: JARROLD & SONS, 10 & 11, WARWICK LANE, E.C.
_ [Al rights reserved]
1896






THE ‘SNUG CORNER’ SERIES.

Crown 8vo, Art Linen, 3/6 each.

OUR LITTLE SUNBEAMS: Stories ror THE LiTTLE ONES.
By Atice F. Jackson, Author of “Fairy Tales and True,”
‘The Doll’s Dressmaker,” &c. Illustrated by K. M. SKEAPING.

THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET, anp oTHER Farry
Ta.es. By Frances H. Low, Author of ‘Queen Victoria’s
Dolls,” &c. Illustrated by J. J. GuTuriz.

THE HOLIDAY PRIZE: A Mopern Farry Tate. By
Exitnor Davenport Apams, Author of ‘Comrades True,”
‘*Colonel Russell’s Baby,” “Robin's Ride,” &c. Illustrated by
K. M. SKEapPING.

London: JARROLD & SONS, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
And of all Booksellers.


CONTENTS.

PAGE

TRAMP! TRAMP! - - 7 s 3 II
THE AIR CHILD - - - : : 24
DUST-HEAP STORIES - - : - - 38
I, THE BROKEN FAN STORY - - 40

Ul. THE GOLD STUD’S STORY - - - «43

Wl, THE SLATE PENCIL’S STORY - - 49

Iv. THE RAG DOLL’S STORY - - - 56

V. THE SEA SHELL’S STORY - - 63

THE WIZARD'S MAGIC BELL - - - - 68
THE LITTLE LAME DAISY - - - 94
THE IMP - : - S 2 y 77
THE KING AND THE COUNTRY BUMPKIN - 84
HOW THE DEMONS WERE CONQUERED-~ - - 87

THE LUCKY PEDLAR : : fe - 102
8 CONTENTS.

j
}

B THE MALICIOUS ELVES - = =

HOW WEE-WEE RESCUED THE PRINCESS ALANTHA

A VISIT FROM THE DREAM FAIRY -
THE FLYING CAT - = - -
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES IN SMOKELAND
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES -
RUPERT’S NURSERY CIRCUS - -
LITTLE EYEBRIGHT : * - “i

KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN -

PAGE
128

131
I4I
147
159
186
196
207

218
_LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Imp and the indolent -youth - - Frontispiece as
Archie pokes the fire - - - ane - 12
Town mouse-and country mouse - : - - 20
Used to look up at the mountains - - - - 25
Pointed to a white tower - - - - - 30
Pete frees the blackbird - - - - : See 33
Pete tries to grasp her, but she eludes him - - = 35
The dying wizard and his sons - - - : 69
They go off merrily in the moonlight - - - - 75
‘The King out riding - - - - - - 85
The cobbler’s wife is astonished to see a silvery light round the
child’s head - . - - - - 3 89
Gottfried plays the magic organ : - : - Iol
The King listens - - - - - - - 106
A little wood wizard dressed in green and scarlet - - 112
The King and Princess May on the verandah - - - 125
The wood wizards and elves have a party - - - 126
They both fell into the water - - : : / + 129

The Princess is seized by King Juba’s knight - . : 132
10 - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Wee-Wee drives the big bee away - - -
Wee-Wee receives advice from a great green toad -
Were soon whirling away - - : :
Four little pussies having milk out of wooden bowls
The merchant consults the witch - - -
A hideous black dwarf brought food - -
The cat transformed into a handsome youth, richly clad
Toddlekins floated upwards upon two feathers -
Toddlekins walked along by the side of Bo-Peep :
Toddlekins got on to the fairy’s wings and flew away
Made many deep, respectful bows - - -
Overcome at last : - - - -

‘*What do you want, girl?” = - - : -

Eyebright and the fat boy - : - :
A little black terrier : - : : :
He would twist them into sugar-loaf caps - -
The magician brings out a splendid robe -- :

The King goes to a secluded part of the garden -

PAGE
135
136
139
144
149
153
157
165
169
184
204
209
211
213
214
219

225

233-
THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

TRAMP! TRAMP!

RCHIE lay before the fire with a cross look
on his face and a story-book on his knee,
that he was not reading, and considered

himself a most ill-used person. “How tiresome
grown-up people are?” he said to himself crossly.
“I wonder what they were ever made for! They’re
no use except for birthdays and Christmas puddings.
Always saying, ‘You musn’t do that’ and ‘You
must do this.’ There’s mamma wouldn’t let me
go to school this morning because she said it
was too wet. Too wet! as if me or Bob minds
the rain. That’s only for girls, who have sashes
and bows to spoil. And Bob des the rain. He
trots ever so fast when the rain comes splashing
on his nose. Poor old Bob! and they wouldn’t ‘let
me come round and see you in the stables, because I
might get my feet wet. Of course, that’s jude the fun,
going into all the pools in the stable-yard. And then
stupid Nurse wants to know why I don’t play games
12 ZTHE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

with Lily and baby. It’s no good playing any proper
games with them. When I point my gun at Lily, if
we're pretending soldiers,she screams,and they all come
and blame me; and baby, in the middle of drilling
her, when I give the word of command, puts down
her gun and says, ‘ Now I play wiv’ Dolly.” Then,
when I order her to be shot for disobeying the



——=—=



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Archie pokes the fire.—/, 13.

captain, Nurse says, ‘Master Archie, don’t tease dear
little baby.’ Oh, dear, I wonder if it’s stopped raining
now ; but I suppose they’ll soon make me go to bed,
as it’s half-past seven. Well, anyway, I’ll poke the
fire whilst Nurse is out of the way.”

As Archie was strictly forbidden ever to touch the
TRAMP! TRAMP! 13

poker, he, of course, seized every opportunity of doing
so; and, leaning over the high guard, he managed to
grasp hold of the poker and give the red coals one or
two knocks. He was just about to look round in the
expectation of hearing his nurse’s angry voice, when,
to his surprise, a little scarlet man jumped into the
midst of the red-hot coals, and said,

“Come along, Archie; come and have some fun.
Leave all these tyrants, who are so fond of saying
‘you must’ and ‘you mustn’t,’ alone.”

“But,” said Archie doubtfully, “it’s just pouring
with rain.”

“Never mind that,” said the little man, who wasa
fire-troll, “that won’t hurt a hero like you. Besides,
we'll go for a trip in my new patent umbrella boat.
Jump on. Here, you must ride on the top of the sail
to keep the balance all right.”

“Oh, no,” said Archie, in a frightened tone; “I
wouldn’t like to get up there, I should fall off. Please
let me sit in the bottom with you.”

“ Ho, ho!” said the little man, grinning ; “I thought
you were so very brave, and it was only girls and
babies that ever got frightened. But look here, you'll
be all right. There’s a fat round knob on the top of
the sail, and you can sit comfortably on that.”

Before Archie could answer, the troll had hoisted
him on the top, and away they merrily sailed over
pools and streams and lakelets, in the wonderful
umbrella-boat.

“Oh, this is jolly fun!” exclaimed Archie, looking
with great interest at the little troll. He was only a
few inches high, and had a fat round body covered by
14 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

a scarlet jersey, very long thin legs, little wooden
boots that turned up at the toes, and a high-peaked
scarlet cap with a white feather stuck in the side.

“ Thought you'd like it,” answered the troll. “Know
where we're going to?”

“No,” said Archie; “is it somewhere nice?”

“That depends,” returned the troll, looking very
wise. “Some like it and some don’t. Well, any way,
we're off to the Land of Topsy-Turvy,

‘Where little birds talk, and little pigs fly,
And strange things happen and no one knows why ;
And mischievous children play the whole day,
And wise old owls are made to obey.”

“T suppose,” said Archie, ‘the wise old owls are
the grown-up people? Well, I shall like Topsy-
Turvy Land. But I say, it ain’t true, is it, that the
pigs fly >?”

“Tsn’t it,’ answered the troll. “But here we are:

- Well, ta-ta, Master Archie: when you're ready to
leave the island of Topsy-Turvy, you must try and
see the little men in scarlet.”

“What an odd little chap!” said Archie aloud.

“ Well, not odder than you, little monster,” squeaked
a grunting voice; and looking round, Archie found
himself in a field with the queerest little animals
running around. They walked about on their hind
legs like human beings, and wore neat little frilled
coats and round hats; and their faces puzzled Archie,
for they certainly resembled the pigs in Farmer
Guffin’s styes. Yet how could they be pigs, when at
the back of their coats were nice little wings, exactly
TRAMP! TRAMP! 15

like those worn by the Fairy Gossamer in last year’s
pantomime at Drury Lane.

The pigs made a circle round Archie and stared at
him with all their might.

“Well, when you've done,” said Archie, getting
very red, and wishing they wouldn’t come quite so
close.

“Ha! ha!” laughed the winged pigs. “I suppose
although a cat may look at a king, an aerial pig
mayn’t look at a monster.”

“What's aerial?” asked Archie, whose bump of
curiosity was almost as big as his head itself.

“Why, this ;” and, to Archie’s terror and disgust,
a jocular-looking old grunter caught hold of him by
the hair, flew into the air, and whirled round and.
round till Archie thought he would die of giddiness,
Goodness, how thankful he was when the pig, quite
exhausted and breathless, dropped him on the ground,

crying,

**T caught a fat little boy by the hair,
I sailed with him very high up in the air,
I dare say he’d give me a whack if he dare.”

“TI should think so,” said Archie ruefully, “I only
wish I had a thick stick. It’s quite absurd and not
at all proper for a pig to have wings. Horrid things,
you ought to be in your pig-styes.” But off flew the
winged pigs; and smoothing down his ruffled hair,
Archie moved quickly away from the spot, where he
had had such a disagreeable experience. Presently
he came. to a fence, and stood stock-still, very much
surprised at the sight that met his eyes. A lot of
16 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

very old and very wise-looking cockalorums, in
spectacles and coal-scuttle bonnets, sat in a row on
the fence, with slates tied round their throats. A
very young and very pert little sparrow-lady, dressed
in the very height of fashion, hopped about, and
occasionally gave one of the wise old cockalorums a
smart tap on her beaky nose, with a little switch she
carried in her beak.

When the impudent little sparrow caught sight of
Archie, her little black eyes sparkled mischievously ;
and she flew round, perched herself upon his shoulder,
and gave him a smart tap on his nose with her little
switch, singing meanwhile maliciously,

‘* There are horrid little boys,
As every schoolchild knows,
Who stone the little sparrows.”

“Well,” said Archie, as soon as he had*recovered___
from the blow, “Farmer Guffin says that the sparrows
do a lot of mischief.”

““ Pshaw,” interrupted the sparrow, who was of the
feminine sex, and never could listen properly to
arguments that she didn’t like. “You should hear
what the farmers say about you detestable boys.
But I shan’t waste any more time on you. So
march !”

There was a diabolical look in her bright little eye
that Archie didn’t much like, so he made haste to
comply with the lady’s order.

“That’s what Nurse would call spiteful,” said
Archie aloud ; and so intent was he on the strange
land to which he had come, that he forgot to look
TRAMP! TRAMP! 17

where he was going, and stumbled over what seemed
to him a huge tree that had fallen down. But, much
to his terror, a gigantic creature bounded ap and said
in a voice of thunder,

“Ts it you again, you impudent little ack? After
sparing your life and allowing you to brag. about your

deeds, till I am heartily tired of the affair,. have you

dared to come and annoy me again?”

Now that he had reached to his full height, he we =
a very terrifying-looking being, more especially as he «-
-began to play about with his enormous iron oe as :

if it had been a threepenny whistle.

“ Please, sir,” said Archie, very frightened, “it isn’t
Jack, and I’m only a boy.”

“Boy, indeed!” thundered out the giant, looking
very fierce, “as if I haven’t gnashed my teeth at hear-
ing you boys say, ‘Bravo, brave little Jack; go it,
kill that rascal of a giant!’ Perhaps you imagine,
boy, that that absurd imp Jack really did kill me?”

“T should think so,” said Archie quite indignantly ;
“do you mean to say that you are still living?”

“ Well, it looks like it,” and he bounded on to the
head of Archie, balanced himself there by one leg,
and roared with laughter. Then he shouted, “I say,
Mother Hubbard, Little Bo-peep, Jack and the Bean-
stalk, and all ye ogres and fairies and monsters that
ever lived in fairy-tales, come out of your hiding-
places and caves and dells and see the fun.”

Out they rushed—Mother Hubbard with a very fat

dog ; little Jack Horner, who had grown so thin, that

Archie hardly recognized him; Blue Beard, nicely

shaved for the occasion, with all his wives, who held
B
18 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

on to his long hair; and hundreds of talking animals,
odd-shaped monsters, and sweet-faced fairies and
bob-o-links standing on their-heads. They crowded
round Archie, who found, to his astonishment, that
having the giant on his head, didn’t inconvenience
him in the least.

“Why, you are quite light,” he exclaimed.

“Of course,” roared the giant, “ain't I made of
india-rubber?” and with that, he began to bound up
and‘down in the air just like an india-rubber ball.

“Well,” said Archie, “no wonder Jack managed to
kill him ; why I believe he’d burst if I stuck a pin in
him. What fun! Oh, I say, there’s Mother Hub-
bard. Please, ma’am, how is it your dog has grown
so fat?”

“Humph!” returned the dame, “he sea was.
I suppose, now, you believe that ridiculous story
about ‘the poor dog having none?’ Of course the
cupboard was empty, as the dog had just gone there
and eaten si nice piece of steak, which I had meant for
my supper.”

“Oh,” said Archie, “that’s just what our naughty
Roy did.” And he was beginning to tell the story,
when suddenly there was a little patter, as of men
marching, and with a cry, “The Little Men in
Scarlet!” the india-rubber giant, and the whole merry
company vanished.

Archie looked round, but he couldn’t see any little
men in scarlet ; and he wondered who they were, and
where they had pone to, for he had certainly heard
the “tramp, tramp.”

“ This is certainly,” he said to himself, “the funniest
TRAMP! TRAMP! 19

place that I ever was in. Everything is upside down,
Fancy all these little bob-o-links standing on their
heads! I wonder they don’t get dreadful giddy. I
wish I could see those little chaps in scarlet. Why,
whatever's this ?”

There was a sound as if all the cats in Christendom
were hissing and squealing and purring; and the
next moment there scampered across the field hun-
dreds of black cats, white cats, tom-cats, tabbies, and
kittens, each of whom had a string tied on to its tail,
to which was atieched the cat’s meat-man and his
basket.

“Such fun!” squealed the pussies, as they passed
Archie. “Only happens once in a thousand years.
Mouse pies, cats’-meat patties, and all sorts of
goodies, Why don’t you come, too?”

But Archie, although he was very fond of his own
Tabitha, to whom he was pretty kind as a rule, didn’t
half like the look of some of these fierce spitting tom-
cats, with their yellow eyes and bristling whiskers.

' His fat legs began to tremble in their shoes, for he -
saw one great black Persian looking at him, as if she
would like to make Am forthwith into a meat-pie or
patty ; so he hurried past the army of cats as quick
as ever he could, and‘never stopped to take breath,
until he got to the top of a hill, when he mustered up
enough courage to look back.

He gave a sigh of relief. There was not a sign of
a cat to be seen, but instead, hundreds of little mice,
which played and romped about, singing, “When the
cat’s away the mice will play.”

“But aren’t you afraid,’ said Archie to one dear
20 JHE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

little white mouse with bright pink eyes, “that the
cats might come back and eat you all up?”

“Qh, no,”

said the little mouse, pirouetting about

on her tail; “they don’t really eat us, and when they

do it’s only their fun.

We're really the best of friends.

Ta-ta ; am running up to town to see my fashionable



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Town mouse and country mouse.—#, 20,

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cousins, so must be
off. So dull in the
country for a charm-
ing young thing like

“Vain thing!”
Archie héard an
elderly grey female
mouse mutter; “and
so giddy; it'll serve
her right if she gets

caught in a man-
trap. Well, thank
goodness that

there’s no snare of
this sort for me—a
plain, sober country
mouse.”

Off she went
grumbling; and

Ais seeing that there was another very high hill a
little way off, thought he might as well explore it. What
was his surprise to find a neat little house on the top,
out of which walked Noah and all his family, wooden
dollies, tin soldiers, humming tops, kites, bats, and a
variety of other objects, some of them so odd-looking,
TRAMP! TRAMP! 21

that Archie hardly recognized them. That funny
little object was certainly Punch ; there was his body,
and who could mistake his nose? But instead of his
cap he wore a head-dress, that Archie supposed must
be his wife Judy’s best bonnet. What were the little
tin soldiers carrying ? Not swords or guns, but little
saucepans filled with something that smelt very
good.

“Are you making toffee?” asked Archie, going up
to one,

“Toffee!” said the soldier, contemptuously.
“That’s just like a boy, always thinking of some-
thing to eat. But, as if I am going to tell you! : It’s
a secret; and why don’t you go and play with the
other children ?” ; 5

“Other children,” repeated Archie eagerly, for he
was beginning to long for some boy and girl com-
panions. “ Where are they?”

“Oh, all over the place,” said the soldier carelessly,
“too many of ’em. No good, I say, having children
at all. Always in the way, always breaking and
smashing——”

But Archie didn’t wait to hear the end of this
lecture, and hurried round to the back of the house,
where he found more toys and lots of boys and girls.
The children didn’t seem particularly happy, and
even those who were playing games with the marbles,
and bats and balls, looked as if they would rather be
doing something else. A nice little rosy-cheeked boy
with a discontented face, said “Halloo!” when he
saw Archie; and as he seemed disposed to be

friendly, Archie said—
22 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“You must have great fun here. May you ride
the rocking-horse all day?”

“Oh, yes,” said the boy wearily; “but it’s nothing
but play, play, play all day, and I am tired of it. And
then, you know, sometimes, when the toys take a fit
of mischief into their heads, they do behave so badly.
Look at the way they’re treating that fellow.”

Archie looked and felt very indignant indeed. In
the midst of a whole group of toys, there was a mis-
chievous boy, and all sorts of indignities were being
practised upon him. The lady dolls pulled his hair,
the tin soldiers shot peas at him, the performing
monkey opened his mouth wide to see what was ~
inside it ; and the hoops had placed Hhemiscivee round
him, so that he couldn’t get free.

“What a shame,” cried out Archie so loudly, that
all the teasing toys heard, and they immediately
transferred their attentions to poor Archie.

“Oh dear!” cried Archie to the rosy-cheeked boy,
who looked on with sad sympathy, “how am I to get
away from these torments? If only my papa were
here.”

“Whist! whist!” There was a flutter of dolls’
skirts, a rattling of wooden and tin legs, a tramp
of soldiers’ feet, and Archie caught sight for one
second of the little men in scarlet. He was about
to rush up to them when he heard a well-known
voice saying,

“Come along to bed, Master Archie. Why, you’ve
been sound asleep; but poor baby was so troubled
with her teeth, dear lamb, that I couldn’t leave
her.”
TRAMP! TRAMP! 23
“Been asleep!” exclaimed Archie, rubbing his
eyes. “I have been in the Land of Topsy-Turvy.”

But Nurse said she thought it must have been the
“Land of Nod,” which is often, as many children
know, a very pleasant place to visit.
THE AIR CHILD.

ITTLE PETE lived down in the valley with
his father, at the foot of the White Moun-
tains, which, even in warm weather, were

always clothed with snow. Often, when his father
was away in the big market town selling his little
carved figures and crosses, Pete would feel very
lonely, and long to be a man, when he intended to
climb the mountain, although his father had told
him that it was a foolhardy feat, for many perished,
and few ever safely returned from the ascent.

Pete was never tired of gazing up at the moun-
tains, and especially loved the highest of them all,
which was called the Air Mountain. In the sunlight
its white peak shone like bright gold, and it seemed
to the little lad as if it quite touched the blue sky
above, where the old peasants told him his pretty
young mother lived with the angels. He loved the
mountains better than anything else in the world,
and when the boys teased him, which was pretty
often, because they said he was ugly, and had a
dark skin and woolly hair like a nigger, he would
THE AIR CHILD. 25

rush home to his father’s little cottage, and sit with
his hands on his elbows, trying to see the Air
Child, and in a little time he would forget all about
his tormentors.

It was old Jan who had told him about the Air
Child. Jan was a sailor, who had sailed all round
the world many times, and had shaken hands with
polar bears, and been for many months on a ship
wedged in between two great icebergs. He had
fought too, and lost a leg for his couniry ; and he could
tell splendid stories of savages and pirates, to which the



Used to look up at the mountains.— 2. 240

boys listened with breathless attention, whenever Jan
was in an especially good humour, and deigned to
tell some of his tales. But, as a general rule, Jan
was not fond of boys, and he was oftener to be found
swearing at them for their mischievous tricks, and
shaking his crutch at them, than sitting down to
story-telling. There was, however, one boy to whom
he never spoke roughly, and whom he would invite
into his little hut, which was full of strange relics
from the sea; and, with its hammock and sea-chest,
looked just like a sailor’s cabin. This boy was Pete,
26 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

who would sit beside old Jan for hours, whilst he
smoked his pipe or plaited rushes into baskets, by
means of which he earned a livelihood.

One day Pete had come to him with tears in his
eyes, saying, “Oh, Jan, if I could only go to sea.
My father says I am the stupidest lad in the village,
because I cannot carve the little dove on the church,
though I tried so hard; and Elsie will not kiss me,
because she says I am the ugliest little nigger she
ever saw.” It was then that old Jan had told him
the story of the Air Child, who had floated down
from the skies, the peasants said, and hung over the
Air Mountain, wrapped in a fleecy white cloud, through
which her delicate little pink limbs shone like satin.
No mortal had ever caught a glimpse of her face
except the little mountain folk, who declared that the
Air Child was an icicle in the form of an open sun-
flower. The story ran, that only he who ascended to
the topmost peak of the Air Mountain should ever
see the Air Child’s face; and that he could only
see it by pressing a kiss upon the icicle with pure
lips. Deep down in his heart, Pete made a resolution
that he would never rest until his father had given
him permission to try and look upon the Air Child’s
face ; but his father was a stern, sad man, who wished
the boy to become a wood-carver like himself, and
who was vexed that he should have such a stupid,”
ugly son.

Little Elsie was the only daughter of the richest
farmer in the village, and she had the sweetest face
in the world. Her eyes were as blue as forget-me-
nots, and with her soft yellow curls, and tiny pink
THE AIR CHILD. 27

mouth, she looked like a lovely little princess, Not
only her father, but all the villagers spoilt her, and
she was such a coquette, that she caused endless
fights between the boys, who all wished to get her
kisses and favours. Big Hans was certainly her
favourite, for he put her on his shoulder and made
a splendid prancing horse; but she liked Wil, and
also Pete, though she did sometimes say, when she
was cross, that he was the ugliest little nigger she
ever saw. But when she saw tears in Pete’s dark
eyes, her own blue ones would grow soft, and she
would say,

“T don’t think you so very ugly, Pete, and I like
you better than Bib.”

Bib was a cruel bully, and certainly Pete was glad
that she preferred him ; but he wished that she would
like him as well as big Hans, who was such a strong,
handsome fellow, and already had his own boat on
the lake, and helped his mothers and sisters by his
earnings.

“TI shall certainly marry Elsie,” said Hans con-
ceitedly one day. “I shall leave this place and go
to Fordje and set up a boat-building concern.
You'll see, you fellows, I’ll be a rich man whilst you
are carving away at your poor little figures, and
Elsie shall look like a queen in her ‘silk dress and
jewels.’”

“Elsie your wife; never!” shouted Wil angrily;
“you wait until you see me playing my flute before
kings, and getting as much gold as I can hold in my
two hands. Isn’t it better to be a great musician’s
wife than a boat-builder’s?”
28 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

There was so much contempt in Wil’s voice, that
big Hans could bear it no longer, and a dreadful
battle followed, in which both boys got many wounds.

Later on Pete got his father’s consent to become a
guide. It was clear that he would never become a
good carver, and, as he had no talent for boat-build-
ing, and could not make sweet sounds come from the
flute like Wil, there was nothing else for him to do.
As time went on Elsie grew into a lovely maiden, and
she had such a sweet and tender expression in her
blue eyes, that no one ever looked at her without
loving her. Her father was a proud man, who des-
tined her for the bride of a rich farmer; but Elsie
held back, saying she was not sure of her own mind.
At last her father grew quite cross, and, when both
Hans and Wil asked her in marriage, he declared she
must make up her mind quickly. But Elsie said,

“T want some proof of their love for me—they must
do something difficult and perilous to make me feel
certain they really love me, Father, I will marry the
man, who shows the greatest courage and patience,
provided he has a good and kind heart.”

So it was agreed that he who wanted to win Elsie
—and what youth did not desire the beautiful maiden
for his wife ?—must prove his love within the year, on
the last day of which all the rivals were to return to
the village, and show what they had done.

Pete was now a strong lad of eighteen, with a dark
face, which, if not as handsome as Hans’, or as deli-
cately beautiful as Wil’s, was full of honesty and
goodness. He had long loved Elsie very dearly, but
he had always been too humble to think that the
THE AIR CHILD. 29

dainty maiden would look with favour upon his suit,
and no one imagined that he intended to try his luck
with the rest. One night he told his father that he
should be away for some weeks, probably, and begged
him, in case any ill befell him, to give a sealed packet
to Elsie at the end of the year. Then, with a knap-
sack across his back, and his faithful St. Bernard,
Bolo, he began the ascent of the Air Mountain.

It was bitterly cold, but the moon shone brightly,
and Pete was too excited to feel the keen blast of the
night air, or to remember the dangerous journey on
which he was bound.

In one hand he held the little lantern which was
always carried by the guides, and in the other a good
stout stick, which he found very useful in crossing the
paths, which were as slippery and smooth as glass.
He had to use the utmost caution, for every now and
then great masses of snow would come rolling down
the mountain, and he had to fly out of the way
for his life. Presently his hands grew numb, and his
feet became like blocks of ice, and he felt a strong
temptation to sink down upon the ground, but he
resisted bravely, and tried to invigorate his chilled
blood by a few drops of brandy from his flask. He
was thankful when the first signs of dawn began
to appear, and he was able to throw off the feeling of
sleepiness that seized him during the hours of dark-
ness. A little wooden seat stood in front of him, and
upon this Pete sat down, and taking a large piece of
black bread from his knapsack, broke it into two pieces,
one of which he gave to Bolo, keeping the other for

himself, Just at this moment he saw, to his surprise,
30 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET

that a beautiful maiden, whose robe looked as if it were
made of snow, stood before him. The violet of her
eyes, the gold of her hair, and the scarlet of her lips
almost blinded Pete by their radiance, and he hardly
knew how to answer when she said to him, pointing
to a white tower which rose upon the mountain
side,



Pointed to a white tower.—#. 30,

Come, fair youth, and stay with me in my crystal
tower. You shall not want for anything so long as
you are with me, and all day long I will keep you
warm by putting my soft white arms round you,
and I will give you rich food and sweet wines, and
LHE AIR CHILD. 31

tend you as if you were a prince, for I am the Crystal
Queen.”

But as she tried to press a kiss on his cheeks, Pete
hung back, and kept her at arm’s length, for he
remembered Elsie, and wished no other maiden to
take her rightful place in his affections. When she
saw this the violet eyes of the Crystal Queen became
as hard as steel, and the scarlet lips grew white as she
said,

“Because you have scorned my love, may you fall
into the hands of the mountain-troll, and perish
miserably.”

But Pete had hurried on, being afraid to stay any
longer in the neighbourhood of the Crystal Queen, so
he did not hear her curse. Soon his feet grew so
numb that he could no longer walk, so he sat himself
down, and, pulling off his fur boots, began to rub his
feet with snow. Whilst he was doing this, there came
up to him an old man, looking like Father Christmas,
with a very benevolent face, and a long white beard.

“ Poor young man,” he said, looking down at Pete,
“you will certainly perish with cold. Allow me to
conduct you to my little hut, where you will find
a blazing fire and some hot coffee.”

Pete felt strongly tempted to accept the old man’s
offer, for of course he did not know that no mortal
ever came alive out of the mountain-troll’s hut, but
then he remembered that if he went and lay before
the warmth of the fire, he would feel more disinclined
than ever to proceed on his cold journey; so he
thanked the old man, and said he preferred braving
the cold, rather than that there should be any delay.
32 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET. ~*~

At this the mountain-troll grew furiously angry,
and blew a horn which hung at his side, when
immediately crowds of little mountain-trolls covered
the mountain like a black cloud, and commenced
snow-balling Pete. Many of the snowballs hit him
on the shoulders and legs, and, being very hard,
caused him to bleed in several places ; but he hurried
on, feeling glad that he had not yielded to his first
impulse to stay and accept the old troll’s hospitality.

He had now got a considerable way up the moun-
tain, but it seemed to Pete as if the Air Child were
as far off as ever, and his heart began to sink within
him ; for his provisions were beginning to run short,
and his tired and bleeding feet would no longer carry
him swiftly, so that he feared he would perish of cold
and hunger midway.

One day, as he was toiling upward, slowly and
painfully, he heard a cry as if some animal were in
distress. He looked about, but could discover noth-
ing, when all of a sudden, he saw something fluttering
in the distance. Pete went towards it, and saw it was
a great blackbird, the like of which he had never seen
before, one of whose wings had by some means got
under a great block of ice, from which the poor crea-
ture was in vain trying to free itself. By exerting all
his strength, which was very great, Pete managed to
push away the great block of ice, much to the relief
of the blackbird, which flapped its wings joyfully,
and flying round, and round, whispered in his ear,

“You are good, and kind, and courageous, and I
will help you, and show you the short path, which no
man has ever yet discovered. Follow me.”
THE AIR CHILD. 33

Then the bird flew across the snow, and Pete, follow-
ing as quickly as possible, saw, to his surprise, a tiny
little path which ran straight up the mountain, and
which was less steep and snow-covered than any of
the others. To get along now was much easier, and
he felt his spirits rise as he saw the peak getting



Pete frees the blackbird.—#. 32.

nearer and nearer; but his troubles were not yet
at an end, for one day, when he was feeling so
desperately tired that he almost longed for death, he
saw before him a pretty little mountain pony, with
slender limbs and a long waving black tail, which ran
up to him and said,

Cc
34 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“ Jump on my back, brave youth, and I’ll soon have
you on the summit of the mountain.”

Pete did not know that, if he once mounted the
black pony, he would be carried to the home of the
wicked mountain fays ; but he remembered, that if he
would win Elsie, it must be entirely by his own
exertions ; so he only patted the pony’s glossy neck,
and said, no thanks, he would go upon his own feet.
Upon this the pony careered round about him
violently, and tried to kick him, but he soon left off
and cantered away when Bolo rushed at him, and bit
him severely in the legs.) When Pete arrived within
a few paces of the summit, he was so weak and
exhausted, that he was obliged to crawl on his hands
and feet, he could not stand upright ; but he took out
his last remaining drop of brandy, and, feeling a little
revived, looked up, wondering if it were a dream,
or whether he were really at the top of the mountain.
A wonderful sight met his eyes. There, indeed, was
the Air Child, of whom he had so long thought, only
far more beautiful than he had ever imagined possible,
although there was nothing of her face to be seen.
But. her limbs shone like pale, rose-coloured satin, and
her hair looked like the finest silver thread. Then he
struggled to his feet, and, putting his hand lightly on
the icicle which was in the place of her face, he bent
_ down and kissed it gently. Immediately a wonderful
thing took place; the icicle sunflower melted away,
and instead there appeared for a few moments a tiny
human face, like that of a lovely child.

As Pete gazed in wonderment, the little pink lips
parted, and a soft, sweet voice, sounding like a light
breeze, said to him,


—p. 36.

but she eludes him,

Pete tries to grasp her,
36 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“You have given me the life which I have waited
for all these years. It can only last for a brief space,
and then I shall live again for ever in the skies from
whence I came. But you, brave Pete, shall have your
reward. Give this flower to sweet Elsie at the end of
the year, and look up in the air at the moment of
giving it; you shall catch sight of me again then.
Farewell, good, kind youth, success shall be with
you.”

Pete was still staring, unable to speak; but when
he saw the Air Child was floating away upon a cloud,
he sprang forward and tried to catch hold of her.
But she eluded his grasp, and in his hand Pete found
he was holding a splendid white and scarlet flower,
which opened and spread out like a large fan.

Then he hurried down the mountain, and arrived
-just at the last day of the year, when all Elsie’s lovers,
with rich presents in their hands, were hurrying off to
her father’s house. When the people saw his haggard,
white face, and caught sight of the wonderful white
and scarlet flower, they cried out and tried to stop
him. But he heeded them not, and was obliged to
go ragged and unkempt, for there was no time to go
home first. In the yard of the farmer’s house, there
was an immense crowd of people, many of them
mounted on splendid horses, and clad in the richest
armour; and they were indeed a fine sight as they
stepped forward, one after another, and mounted the
platform, upon which sat the fat farmer and the blue-
cyed Elsie. Then they recounted their adventures,
and one after another laid his gift at Elsie’s feet. '
It was true that they had brought back wonderful
THE AIR CHILD. 37

singing birds, and rich stuffs, and costly jewels, and
had journeyed far and wide in search of them, but
Elsie could not discover that any one had shown very
wonderful courage or devotion. However, she knew
she would have to make up her mind, and she had
half determined to have Wil, who was less insolent
and conceited than Hans, when suddenly there was a
shout of derision from the people, and Elsie saw that
the last suitor for her hand was stepping up the plat-
form. Then Pete, looking very pale and brave, told
his story, and though he spoke modestly of his
achievements, the people knew he had done the
greatest feat that had ever been known in their village.
All round there were envious, spiteful looks from his
rivals, but these turned to amazement and pleasure,
when, just as Pete tendered the scarlet and white
flower to Elsie on bended knee, there was a noise as.
of thunder in the air, and the people saw above their
heads, for the first and last time, the Air Child, who
was floating on a fleecy white cloud. As they gazed,
the Air Child gradually disappeared, and instead was
to be seen a pure white dove, which alighted for a
second on Pete’s black head, and then lightly touched
Elsie’s fair cheek, after which it circled round higher
and higher, till it was lost for ever in the blue sky.

So of course Pete married Elsie, and they were the
happiest couple in the world, for Elsie made a goad
housewife, and Pete was the best husband that woman
ever had.
DUST-HEAP STORIES.

Reon it would hardly have been expected
that the broken fan should have given herself

such airs, when one remembers that her present
position was the dust-heap. But so it was; she had
been thrown there by the rag-and-bone merchant
that morning, and she was making herself excessively
disagreeable to all her neighbours.

The gold stud, who was in very good form,
except for his little round head, which was, alas!
missing, had made several attempts to draw her
into conversation, remarking jocularly “that things
might be worse,’ which was certainly cheerful
philosophy on the part of the headless stud. But
the fan simply stared at him, and then drew the
little remaining bit of swansdown more closely to her,
while she remarked to a piece of gold tinsel, which
had once adorned a dancer’s shoes, that she had
never been used to such common society.

This remark was very much resented by the gold
stud, who said indignantly to his neighbour, the
pocket-knife,

“Tmpertinent, trumpery thing; why, she,” and he
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 39

pointed to a little pink sea-shell that lay near them,
“is a thousand times prettier and nicer.”

The pocket-knife, who presented a very dilapidated
appearance, cordially agreed, and added,

“T say, old fellow, let’s try and shut up those proud
things. I bet we’re as good as they are, aren't we,
little Miss Sea-Shell ?”

The little sea-shell flushed, and before she could
answer, a flower-pot said,

“T’m with you in that ; we are as good as she any
day.”

Then they were silent, for the fan was saying in a
loud tone, which was intended for all the company to
hear,—
Bi oan
ae

f PW
Bs (ip



“TV CAN tell you that I have seen high life, and played
a most important part init. For you must know
that my mistress was a great singer, and every

night I accompanied her on the stage, and shared in

her triumphs. Oh, you can have no notion of what it
was like,” and she glanced round contemptuously.

“ After the opera was over, kings, and princes, and

great statesmen, and soldiers with stars on their

breasts, would crowd round us, and give us jewels and
flowers, and pay her such flattering compliments that
she would whisper to me, ‘ Dear fan, what could I do
without you?’ And she would hide her lovely face
behind my laces and swansdown. Oh, what a splen-
did life it was, and to think,” moaned the fan, “that I
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 41

should ever come down to this. Was it not a mag-
nificent life?” she asked, turning to the gold tinsel,
and secretly pleased to find that everybody had been
listening to her.

“Splendid,” sighed the gold tinsel, who was a silly
little thing. “I, too, have seen better days, but
nothing like yours. My mistress was only a poor
dancing girl, but she danced very sweetly, and had
the tiniest little feet in the world, and when the
people saw us twinkling in and out—I went on the
bronze shoes—they would laugh and clap their hands,
and throw coppers. But she married a railway guard,
who said she should never dance any more, so she
gave me away to one of her friends, who trod heavily
and clumsily, and she soon wore out the pretty little
bronze shoes. And that is the cause of my present
condition,” said the gold tinsel dolefully.

“Why, this is quite jolly and sociable,” said the
pocket-knife, who had learned slang from his school-
boy masters. “I vote, if anyone has got a tale,
he or she tells it; that is, if the ladies don’t
object.”

No one thought of asking the sea-shell, and as the
fan and the tinsel condescended to nod their approval,
the proposal was carried, as the gold stud said, mem.
con.; and the pocket-knife was called upon for his
story. But he excused himself, saying it was not
fitting that the more or less unwashed, stuffing tribe,
named boys, should be brought into the presence of
elegant and refined ladies. This sounded very polite,
and as the pocket-knife was only occasionally sar-
castic, everybody accepted this excuse in good faith.
42 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Then he called upon the gold stud to relate his
experiences, which he accordingly did, although he
declared his life had not been particularly interesting,
and that his story was a very sad one,
WIS SLE



Il.

“

ELL, we need not go back to the beginning
of things, and I may as well commence my
story at the period when I looked extremely

handsome, lying on soft wool in a neat little white

box, with two of my brothers, who exactly resembled

me in good looks. We had good times together, I

can tell you, till one day, peeping out of our box,

which had no lid on, and which lay on the counter,
we saw a neatly-dressed old lady come into the shop,
and directly her eyes fell on me, she declared to
my master that was exactly what she wanted for her
son, At first my master declared that he could not,
separate the family, or, as he called it, the set; but
at last, to my inconsolable grief, he gave way, and
44 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

I was carried away by the neat old lady in a piece
of tissue paper. Her home was as neat as herself;
but I could see she was in very humble circum-
stances, for she had no servant, and directly she
had taken off her things, she set about cooking some
bacon and eggs. Then I noticed that she laid cups
and saucers and plates for two people, and I was
just wondering who her visitor would be, when the
door opened, and in came a young man, scarcely more
than a youth, who embraced his mother very affec-
tionately. I have never, before or since, seen anyone
so handsome as this young man, whose name was
Reuben. His skin was as fair and satiny as a child’s ;
his hair, of which there was only a small quantity
about his mouth, was of a golden brown; and he had
blue eyes, as soft and sweet as those of a lovely
woman.

“T was rather struck by the appearance of his
clothes, which were of a fine quality, and looked
almost’ out of place beside his mother’s cheap black
gown. It was evident to me, by her loving glances
and the way in which she attended to his slightest
wishes, that the old lady adored her son; and I was
pleased to see that the young man showed her a great
deal of affection. Presently she took me from the
mantelpiece, and handed me to her son, saying,

“ Reuben, dear, I bought this for you to-day, as I
knew you had broken yours, and I thought you
would like a gold one.”

“TI may as well tell you, as I have no false shame,
that I was not real gold, but no one could have told.
the difference. I looked so bright and sparkling,
DUST-HEAP. STORIES. 45

that it was no wonder that young Reuben was

delighted with me. He immediately took me into his

own little bedroom, and there, before the looking-

glass, he tried the effect of his new gold stud in a
spotless white collar. I soon found out that my
master was a great dandy, and tremendously proud of
his handsome appearance, and that he spent all his
money on his clothes. As he was only a poor clerk,

this did not amount to much, certainly; but still it
would have been better to buy fewer ties, and give

more money to his mother, who, I learnt afterwards,

had only a very small pension of her own. I often

thought how lonely the poor old soul must feel, for
often, Reuben did not come home till nearly midnight,

and it used to go to my heart to see how tired and

sad his mother looked when we came in. She had

always some hot supper ready for him, and though

she never reproached him, I think he sometimes felt

rather guilty, for he used to kiss her more affec--
tionately than usual, and say that he did not mean to

go out again the next week. But it was always the

same, and I can tell you, whilst the old lady was

sitting at home getting thinner and paler, my master

and I had fine times. Sometimes we went to the

play, sometimes to an evening party, when all the

young ladies would want to dance with my young’
master ; and sometimes we went to a club, where there

were a number of wild young men like Reuben, and

they would make very merry indeed.

“One day it chanced that I was left at home with
the old lady. I was not sorry for this, as of late I
had not been feeling at all comfortable about my
46 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

young master, who, I felt sure, had got into some
scrape, as he and his friends called it; and I felt sorry
for this, not only because of the grief it would cause
his mother, but also because I had really become
attached to Reuben, although I. could not help
wishing that he were less vain and thoughtless.
Presently there was a little knock at the outer door,
and the old lady went to it, and I could hear a man’s
voice, but I could not distinguish what .was said.
The old lady did not come back into the sitting-room
for a long time, and then I was shocked at her
appearance. Her face was white and drawn, and her
eyes were quite swollen with crying. Instead of
bustling about, sweeping and dusting, she sat down,
and, clasping her hands, moaned out in heartrending
tones,

“*Qh, Reuben, my son, to have been dishonest !
Oh, that he had never been born!’

“JT felt dreadfully concerned, and I guessed that my
young master must have got into some trouble about
money. He and his companions lost a great deal of
money at cards and betting, and I had long feared
that something of the kind would happen.

_ “Reuben never came home that night, but one of his
friends brought a few lines in pencil to his mother,
which, I read, as it lay on the mantelpiece. My
young master did not know that his mother knew the
whole dreadful truth, so he only said she was not to
fret, but that he was obliged to keep out of sight, as
he owed some money ; but that it would be all right,
as one of his friends owed him the exact amount.

“T could see next morning that the poor mother had
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 47

passed a sleepless night, and she ate no breakfast,
only murmuring from time to time, with a wild, fixed
look in her eyes, ‘ Fifty pounds, fifty pounds.’

“JT could not understand what she meant by con-
tinually repeating. this, and I was still more puzzled
as to why she began packing into a box a lot of little
ornaments about the room, which I knew she set
great store by. Then I saw her put into the box a
lot of her own little things—old-fashioned brooches, a
silk dress, and one or two shawls which her husband,
who had been a sea-captain, had brought from abroad.
Presently the carrier went off with the box, and the
old lady herself went out, and did not return till mid-
night. She looked so white and weary, that I
thought she would have died on the threshold ; but
she made herself a cup of tea, and then, to my sur-
prise, instead of going to bed, she took out of her bag
a lot of white calico, and for four days and nights she
never stopped working. But she got her work done,
and the next night sent a very thick letter, which was
addressed to her son Reuben. I do not know what
she said, but I saw she put in many bank-notes. Oh,
that poor mother-face, how sorrowful, and suffering,
and piteous it looked !

“The following day she remained in bed, and I was .
getting very anxious about her, when I heard a
neighbour at the door, who lifted the latch and
walked in, after the old lady had called out in a very,
very, weak voice. After this the doctor came, and, as
he went out with a grave face, I heard him say to
the neighbour, ‘She has had some shock; it is sad
that her son was not with her” And then I knew
that the poor mother was dead,
48 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Reuben came home that evening. He was very
pale, but he did not know, until he was met by the
neighbour, what had happened, and I shall never
forget his look of anguish, as he threw himself on the
floor, crying, ‘If I could only have seen her !’

“Tt was very terrible to witness, but good comes out
of the deepest grief, and Reuben never forgot his
mother’s devotion and love. Her death made another
man of him, and he grew sober, and steady, and
scrupulously honest. I was often pained to see his
sad, young face, but I feel sure that time will bring a
brighter future for Reuben. Last week I fell out of
his collar, and here you see I am to-day.” The gold
stud’s voice had grown very soft, and there were tears
in the little sea-shell’s eyes, who said gently,

“Poor mother! Poor Reuben!” and, as they were
all rather saddened, pocket-knife suggested some one
should tell something lively. Accordingly, the slate-
pencil volunteered to tell his story.


Ill.

. OLLOWING the example of my friend, gold-
stud, I shall not tell you anything about my
infancy, because slate-pencil babies are all

very much alike, and equally uninteresting to every

one but their mothers. I will start from the day
that I found myself in Jack Wide-Awake’s pocket,
and accompanied him to the New School, otherwise
called the Nonsense School. It was such a jolly
school, and quite different from the dull and prim
ones to which I had been hitherto, and where I
got positively séck of French verbs and Latin
exercises, and the multiplication table, and stupid
boys and dull masters. The schoolmaster’s name
was Mr. Buffoon, and in appearance he very much
resembled a clown, whom I had once seen ina
50 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Drury Lane pantomime. He was a very good-
tempered gentleman, very fond of making jokes,
which the glass marble and I agreed were a great
deal more laughable than many that appear in papers,
which the gentlemen who write for them ca// comic.
He never used a birch rod, and once, when a dread-
fully sour-looking parent asked him how he could
expect any sort of discipline without the rod, he said
—and we observed that he winked at some of the
boys— Sir, I use the satire rod; it stings well when
handled judiciously, and curls round the tender parts
very neatly.” I don’t think the vinegar gentleman
understood this clever reply, he hadn’t the wit.”

[The slate-pencil rather hurried over this part, for
he was very much afraid that he might be asked to
explain where the cleverness came in; and, as he
didn’t in the least know himself, it would have been
rather awkward. However, all his listeners looked as
if they quite understood the brilliancy of the remark,
so the slate-pencil went on.]

“ At this school, instead of sitting on forms, which is
a very dull and commonplace proceeding, all the boys
stood on their heads, and whenever they answered a
question rightly, they were allowed to turn a somer-
sault and pull the next boy’s hair—if they could reach
it—which, under the circumstances, was somewhat
difficult. The stupid boys were in a class by them-
selves, and, instead of standing upon their heads, they
had to sit in little baby-chairs, across which were rods
to prevent them tumbling out; they also wore neat
little white bibs, and nightcaps on their heads.

“ The punishments at this school were certainly very
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 51

queer. The best of all, in my opinion, was that given
to a boy named Greedy. He was immensely fat, never
left off feeding except when he was asleep, and was
known, even in his sleep, to walk to a jam pot and
bury his nose in it, so strong was the force of habit.
This was his punishment :—Except for two hours,
when he was run up and down the playground at a
tremendous speed by two big boys, he had to sit in a
chair all day long, surrounded by the most appetising
victuals, such as plum-pudding, fried sausages, meat
pies, jam tarts, roast pork and apple sauce, oranges,
hot plum-duff, and treacle bolly, all of which were sus-
pended from the ceiling, and which he was only allowed
tosmell ; whilst his meals consisted of bread and water
for breakfast, boiled mutton and rice pudding, for
dinner, and gruel for supper.

“T was glad to see that the cruel boy, who tortured
animals and bullied everything weaker than himself,
had a very unpleasant time of it at this school. He
had to sit all day long in a chair specially constructed
for him, out of which he could not move, and all over
his body he felt prickings as if a thousand tiny pins
were being stuck into him. The schoolmaster said,
this was the only way to treat a person who never had
any conscience pricks. But I mustn’t stay any longer
over this, or I shan’t have time to tell you about the
lessons.

“T can tell you we all did enjoy them ; and the boys
were so bright and wide-awake, that it was a pleasure
to hear them, more especially when one had been
accustomed to—‘a table, ‘O table,’ ‘to a table” ‘by a
table,’ till one felt inclined to hurl a table at those
82 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

wretched boys’ heads. But they were very queer
lessons. My Jack Wide-Awake’s favourite one was
‘Nonsense Essay Writing, at which he was very good
indeed ; in fact, Mr. Buffoon always said he would
take to journalism later on, like a duck to the water.
I remember one of his essays, and, as I think it
extremely good, and shows a great grasp of facts and
knowledge for a boy of his age, I will repeat it if you
like.”

“ Go ahead,” said the penholder ; but he muttered to
himself, “ Tiresome old bore.” However, the slate-
pencil did not hear, so it did not matter, and he
went on.

“Tt was spelt in the new way, and I remember it by
heart, as my little master wrote it out three times.
‘The ellyfant is a very domestikkated beest. The
reezon that he isn’t made a pet of is that he’s rather
large, and has some orkward habits. He dose not lay
eggs or milk like henz do, but the Indian people use
hiz flesh for food, and it is sed he cutz up into joossy
stakes, not wooden ones. It is sed that the Sooloos,
a warlike tribe in the Rocky mowntenz, use hiz trunk
for beeting their Skworz with, but Mr. Park Mungo
sez this isn’t true, they are very genturl to their wivz,
of wich they have meni hundreds, and do not chastize
them orfener than an English gentulman wood. I will
not say more of the Sooloos, as I will rite of them in
my next essay. (JV.B.—I havea Sooloo hat.) Fevur-
nong a nose elyfants (this is a French proverb). The
elyfant is a jolly strong beest. Why, he kan balunz a
man of wor on his trunk as eezly as if it was a marbul.
He is one of the most useful beests in the world, for
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 53

he carriz every one who goze to the Zoo for a ride;
you can have penny ridz and sixpenny ones. I had
a penny one, as I wanted sum bunz for the poler
bearz and meeself. Many anykdotz are told of the
elyfants, but I do not remember them just now. To
end up, we shood orlwiz be kind to animalz, az we
never know if they are vishus or not, and it is wisest
to be on the safe side.’”

“That boy’ll be an opportunist,” murmured the
penholder ; but no one heard him, and the slate-pencil
went on, pleased to find a smile on every face.

“But if little Jack Wide- Awake was good at essays,
it was little Tommy Sharp-as-a-Needle who could
remember poetry best. He could repeat it by the
yard, and I was very pleased with some of his poems,
which I have never had the good fortune to meet in
print, and which, perhaps, you may not have heard
before.

‘**T remember, I remember

The little sweet-stuff shop,

Where I’ve heard the good dame often murmur,
‘Oh, please, sir, please, sir, stop ;

For of lollipops you’ve had enough,
And of tarts you’ve had your fill,

And of toffee drops and candy stuff,
You’ve eaten enough to make you ill.’”

“I’m sorry I can only recollect one verse, but this will
give you an idea. But it was Bobby Rhymester who
used to carry off all the prizes for Original Nonsense
Verses, and, although I am not much of a reciter,
perhaps you would like to hear those that I can
remember,
54 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

‘** There was once at a certain Beast Institushon,
A Socialist boshalist Revolution,
For the animals said they couldn’t see why
They shouldn’t all live in luxury.
And the cow he said, ‘‘ I am sick or green stuff,
Which is food that is only fit for a muff,
Whereas there be bloated aristocrats
Who dine every day off fricasseed cats’; ”
And he boo-ed, and moo-ed, and moo-ed, and pooh-ed,
Whilst the inferior cud he woo-ed and chew-ed,
And the pig he said, he did, he did,
‘*Such a delicate, elegant quadruped
As myself, it’s a perfect disgrace to nourish
On cabbagy, babbagy, bubbling-squeak rubbish ;
It’s turtle soup and champagne wine
Should ke given a snouty, pouty swine.”

‘«¢ And the dog, instead of saying his grace,
When he saw his meal made a horrid grimace,
And wished his bones in a very warm place
And along with them the human race ;

And he wickedly swore, in canine bow-wow,
That he would, he would, he would kow-tow.

*«¢ And the frog he did croak, and poke, and choke,
And declare he would join the rebellious folk ;
** For,” says he, ‘I’m as good as the rest I am,
And I want to be fed on pickles and jam,
And a roaketty-poketty, hop, hop, hop,
And a floppetty, poppetty, flop, flop, flop.’”

“T am sorry I can’t remember any more, because I
know at the end verse the moral comes in, and I
recollect Mr. Buffoon said it was a very useful one in
these days of sociable aristocracy. I fancy that was
the expression he used.”

“Oh, don’t apologise for forgetting the moral,” said
the penholder ; “we have too many morals nowadays.
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 55

My master attributes the decay of wit to this cause ;
_ but fire away. Nonsense School isn’t bad.”

“T don’t know,” said the slate-pencil thoughtfully,
“that I have anything more to add. I am sorry I
have forgotten all the ‘Cross questions and crooked
answers, but I. remember one or two of Freddy
Bright’s proverbs, though possibly you have heard
them, as I believe they are in print, such as :—

“1, ‘A bun in the hand is worth two at the baker’s,’

“2, ‘When a boy goes to school his troubles begin.’

“3, *A greedy boy knoweth no joy.’

“JT think now,” said the slate-pencil, “I have con-
tributed my share to the evening’s entertainment, and
I hope I have not bored you too much,” and he looked
round with the secret consciousness that he had been
very amusing. .

“We are much obliged to you,” said the gold stud,
and all the ‘others said it was very good fun. Then
the gold stud said, “ Will any member of the fair sex
oblige us with a reminiscence?” And, thus challenged,
a legless, noseless rag doll signified her willingness to
do her best.


IV.

“TV HAVE nothing,” began the rag doll modestly,
“interesting or remarkable to tell you, for I
have never had a real adventure in my life,

which is indeed only proper, as adventures are more

suitable to gentlemen than to us; but I once had a

rather curious experience, which is worth telling to

while away a few hours.

“Tt would not become me to enlarge upon the
personal beauty that I formerly possessed. I need
only say that I held the most prominent place in
Messrs. Toy-Shop’s window, and also,” and here the
noseless rag doll darted a look of triumph at the
haughty fan, “that I was the cause of no less than
twenty duels between the gentlemen, who also stood
in the window, and who formed a bodyguard of
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 7,

honour around me.. They belonged to all the pro-
fessions—military, naval, theatrical, policemen ”

“JT beg pardon,” interrupted the slate-pencil, who
liked to show off his superior education, “but is it
quite correct to call a policeman a professional man?”

The fan tittered rudely, and the rag doll coloured
and looked vexed; but the penholder, who had be-
longed to a witty gentleman, came to the rescue, and
said he objected to be educated and amused at the
same time. At present they were being entertained ;
but those who chose to be instructed could attend the
lecture of his friend, the learned slate-pencil, a little
later on. At this there was some applause from a
lively marble and an india-rubber ball with a hole in
it, and Miss Rag Doll resumed her story.

“Well, I lived in constant terror that the sailor
would slay the soldier, who, I admit, was rather a
favourite of mine, being a comely young man, with
very distinguished manners, when one day a grand ©
carriage stopped at our door, out of which stepped
two ladies very elegantly dressed.

“Tt is one of the drawbacks of a rag doll’s life that
her construction does not permit of her turning her
head, so I had to depend on the nodding Chinaman,
also one of my admirers, for a description of the
ladies’ movements. However, in a very short time I
had no need to depend upon any one else’s report, for
I myself was brought into the shop and deposited
upon the counter, along with several of my sisters.
The elder of the two ladies took me up with her soft,
silk-clad fingers, and said to her sister,

“« Look, Ella, isn’t this exactly the thing for May?


58 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

She can’t very well pull ¢#2s to pieces, and for a rag
doll she really isn’t bad.’

“Her sister agreed, and the end of it was I was
purchased and deposited by a very magnificent foot-
man in the carriage beside the ladies.

“My new home was a very fine one, and I hada
nice soft silk cradle to lie in at nights; and if it had
not been for my little mistress, whose name, as you
know, was May, I might have been very happy, and
become quite reconciled to leaving all my old friends.
But my little mistress was the most disagreeable
specimen of humanity it has ever been my lot to
come across,

“ Although she was only four years old, she was a
perfect tyrant, and her father, and mother, and grand-
mother were absolute slaves to her whims and caprices.
You would hardly believe, on looking at this pretty
child, with her big blue eyes and long yellow curls,
that she was such a hateful little mortal; but so it
was. She was the only child of very wealthy parents,
who had lost all their other children, and who guarded
her as the apple of their eye. For the first few days
she was pleased with me, and treated me fairly well,
though I was astonished and horrified at her exhibi-
tions of passion. She would punch and kick her
unfortunate nurse on the slightest provocation, and
one night this amiable little being actually threw a
tea-cup at the housemaid. You will wonder what her
parents were about to let her grow up like this ; but
they were foolish people, and were very much in terror
that she should die like her brothers and sisters. Cer-
tainly they were laying up a great store of unhappi-
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 59

ness, both for themselves and the child, who, in spite
of having every wish gratified, was constantly in
passions and tears. She was just like a monkey for
destructiveness, and if it had been possible to break
me to pieces, you may be quite sure I should not be
here to tell the tale. However, I must admit she
certainly had a slight affection for me, and treated me
less badly than her baby doll, or the elegant doll from
Paris which her uncle brought her. |

“One day great preparations in the shape of sorting
clothes and packing boxes went on, anda little later
I learnt we were to go to Scotland the next day.
Before the departure there was some unpleasantness.
May wanted to take all her toys, and could only be
pacified by her papa promising to buy her a new doll’s
house when they reached Scotland. I was delighted
at the prospect of seeing a real Scotch moor covered
with pink and purple heather, and, as May was ina
very good temper, for a wonder, there seemed every
possibility of a pleasant time. But, alas for our hopes!
No sooner had we got into the train, and were fairly
off, than May persisted, in spite of her parents’ remon-
strances, in putting her head a long way out of the
window. I was clasped not too firmly in her arms,
and was not a little uncomfortable when she held
me dangling out of the window. Presently, however,
we came to some tunnels, and May’s father insisted on
my little mistress putting her head inside the carriage.
She flew into one of her usual passions, and the next
thing that I was conscious of, was finding myself in a
dark place on the lines, over which the train had
just rushed. Even now I cannot think of that horrible
60 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

time without shuddering, for the next moment another
express train dashed past, and I thought every instant
I should be cut to pieces. Fortunately the train passed
on, leaving me quite unhurt, for I was not on the lines
at all, but in a sort of hollow between them, and the
wheels of the train never touched me at all. I lay
there all night, feeling dreadfully frightened and cold,
and nearly deafened by the thundering of the trains
as they rushed past, and the fearful shrieking of the
whistles, which I can hear to this day, although it is
so long ago. All night there were strange green and
crimson lights flashing along the lines, so that I could
not sleep a wink, and was very thankful, as you may
imagine, when the dreadful dark night came to an
end, and morning dawned, with more noise and
whistling than ever. Presently a rough working-man
came along with a little hammer, with which he con-
tinually tapped the lines, and I can tell you he did
stare when he caught sight of me. After he had said,
‘Very rum,’ which seems to me a rather vulgar expres-
sion, he called to another man who was much more
respectably dressed, and said,

“Here, matey, you’re a married man, so this is
more in your line; it'll do for the kids.’

“He had by this time taken me up, and held me
very awkwardly indeed by my legs. I should think
he could never have held a baby in his life. The
other man, whom, I afterwards discovered, was a guard,
laughed and said,

“Yes, the little uns would like it” and he placed
me in his bag.

“T am afraid you must be finding this very dull,”
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 61

said the rag doll, looking round with a deprecating
expression, “so I’ll end up.

“J lived very happily indeed in a tiny cottage with
the guard’s two little girls, who were charming little
maids, and very different to Miss May. They were
not much older, but so useful, and it was a delight-
ful sight to see them bed-making, and dusting, and
sweeping with their small clever fingers. In the
evenings they would help their father in the little
patch of garden, and you never saw such a bright
little place, full of sweet-smelling pinks and cloves,
and ‘old man,’ and all sorts of old-fashioned plants
that the guard’s wife brought from her old home in
the country; and on Sundays they were so happy,
for the guard was at home all day, and after dinner

he would stroll out into the country with the little
"girls on each side of him, looking so clean and fresh
in their pink cotton frocks and little white sun-
bonnets.

“TI stayed with them till they were quite big; and if
it had not been for their baby brother, who threw me
into the dust-hole one day, I should be with them
still, And I have often thought that these little girls,
whose principal toy was a damaged rag doll—for I
had injured myself in my fall—were much happier
than many richer children, whose lives are spoilt by
foolish friends.”

“Very nicely told,” said the gold stud patronizingly,
whilst the fan congratulated herself on never having
had such vulgar common experiences, and all the rest
felt their lives were immeasurably superior. Only the
little sea-shell threw the doll a sweet smile, and she
62 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

looked so exceedingly pretty, that the slate-pencil
and the gold stud and the penholder immediately
fell in love with her, much to the annoyance of the
fan and the tinsel, who wondered what ‘they could
see in such a plain, insignificant little thing. How-
ever, the gentlemen longed to hear her speak, so they
crowded round her, and besought her to tell her
story.
TAs :
eras aero
STORY



HE pretty little sea-shell flushed quite rosy-red

when they all pressed her to tell her story.

She did not very much want to; but she

did not like to be discourteous, and she thought it

looked silly and affected to make a fuss, when they

asked her so kindly. So she began in a very sweet,

low voice, which sounded exactly like tiny waves of
the sea on a very calm, sunshiny day.

“I lived very happily amongst my brothers and
sisters on the golden sands, where we played hide-and-
seek with one another, and were often caught by the
sea, and carried a long way out. Once I was thrown’
upon a sea-weed bed, and I remember I shed many
tears, thinking I should never see my playmates
again, but a kind lobster, noticing my distress, carried
64 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

me home on his back, and you may be sure I was
very grateful tohim. We all felt certain that there
was no more delightful life in the whole world than
ours. On summer mornings we bathed in the little
clear pools, and all day long we amused ourselves,
sometimes pelting one another with little sand-grains,
sometimes taking a sail on a shrimp’s back, and
sometimes climbing the little rock-mountains, which
made their appearance at low tide. Oh, it was a very
joyous, sunshiny life; but I am afraid it was a very
useless one.

“One day I felt myself grasped by something soft
and warm, and, looking up, I found I was in the small,
dirty hand of an exceedingly ragged little boy. I
noticed rather sleepily, for it was a hot morning, and
I had been having a gentle nap, that there were a
number of children racing about over the sand.
They were not the daintily-dressed children, with
brown faces and sturdy legs, in charge of their nurses,
which we were accustomed to see, but poorly-clad,
pale-faced children, with such dreadfully thin legs,
and big hungry eyes, that my heart ached for them.
The lad who held me, and who was, perhaps, ten or
eleven years old, though he had such a wizened face
that he might have been sixty, was the raggedest little
object I have ever seen. But he did not seem to
mind about this in the very least, and, as he looked at
me, a great smile of delight came into his face, and he
cried, ‘That’s for Polly. ’Tain’t a common shell, but
a real fine stunner.’ I soon discovered, from the
children’s conversation, that this was a school-treat
come down from London for the day, and I was full
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 65

of horror and grief at the thought of the fate in store
for me. Indeed, it was a fearful change; away from
the blue sky, and the fresh sea air, and the white
wavelets, and all my dear little fish and shell com-
panions, into a bare, ill-smelling garret in smoky
London, where the air and sky secmed as if they
wanted a good dip into the blue sea, to make them
clean and wholesome. I am ashamed now to think
of the way I hated Jim (that was the boy’s name) for
bringing me to London, and of the many discon-
tented, wicked tears I shed on the way up, making
Jim’s pocket quite wet. Far rather would I have
been drowned in the sea, I said to myself, not remem-
bering that there were other things in a sea-shell’s
life than just pleasing one’s self:

“ However, it was not very long before I got into a
better frame of mind, for Jim rushed home—oh, such a
miserable little dark garret, with a broken bed in it,
and a chair, and a cupboard for furniture—and, pulling
me out of his pocket, cried out to someone that lay
on the bed,

“Polly, girl, I have brought you such a beautiful
shell—a real fellow —picked him off the sands—such
yellow ’uns.’

“Then Polly raised herself in bed, and I saw she
was a little girl, perhaps a year or two older than Jim,
with a sweet, white, wan face, andt the largest and
saddest brown eyes I ever saw. She was a cripple,
and could only walk with the greatest pain and diffi-
culty, and these two poor little orphans lived entirely
on Jim’s earnings as a newspaper-boy. It was touch-

* ing to see how good Jim was to her; how, on bad
66 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

days, when he could not sell out his newspapers, he
would go without food all day, so as to bring home
the proper number of pennies to Polly, and how, if
ever he made an extra copper, he would buy a cake
or some fruit for the poor little sister. And how can
I tell you of this sweet, patient child, who lay hour
after hour in that close, bad-smelling, dark, garret,
with no toys, no books, and hardly able to turn her
head except with pain. But she, too, had her joys,
and I am thankful and happy to think that, from the
very first day that she clasped me in her thin little
hand, I was one of her chief pleasures ; so that even a
sea-shell has its uses in contributing to the happiness
of others. She would play all sorts of games with
me; but her favourite of all was to put me into a
soap-dish of water, and pretend she was at the sea.

“Look, Jim, she would say, her pale face beaming
with delight, ‘look at the waves and the little sea-
shell tossed about!’

“ And how she made Jim laugh one day when she
dressed me up in a pocket-handkerchief, and pretended
I was a long-clothes baby. Sweet little suffering
soul, she is amongst the angels now ; and surely there
is not one white brow more deserving of the golden
crown, than Jim’s little sister. I was her only toy,
and she was never tired of putting me against her
ear and saying, ‘Jimmy, can’t you hear the waves
rushing?’ and then she would look lovingly at me
and say, ‘Oh, you dear little, pink, smooth baby, your
mother zs a-fond of you,” and she would kiss and
fondle me as affectionately as if I were really her own

"child. But one day a very sad thing happened. She
DUST-HEAP STORIES. 67

was getting thinner and paler than ever, and the
parish doctor said she must have fresh air; so Jim
opened the window, as it was a nice spring day, and
pushed the bed close up to it, so that, what fresh. air
there was, should reach her poor lungs. She was
looking up to the sky with her wistful brown eyes,
when she accidentally dropped me out of her weak
little hands, and I fell a long way down on to a great
dust-heap in the yard, on which everybody threw
their rubbish. I was dreadfully grieved, as I knew
the poor little one would miss me, and I felt sure I
should never be discovered, as, the same evening, a
man threw on the top of me three great bucketsful of
rubbish. There was just a tiny hole left through
which I could see, and later, the same evening, I saw
Jim searching about for me on his hands and feet. I
tried to call out, but he could not hear, and I cried to
see the poor little fellow raking about amongst the
rubbish till it was quite dark, with such a sad look on
his face. But Polly had not long to fret for me, for a
few days afterwards they buried her amongst the pale
snowdrops, like herself, in their white sweetness and
purity.”

The little sea-shell’s voice had sunk to a whisper,
and, when she finished, the gold stud said,

“To have been loved like that and to have given
happiness is surely the best of all.”
THE WIZARD’S MAGIC BELL.

(By permission of Messrs. Cassell and Comfany.)

NE day, in an Eastern city, a wizard lay dying,
so he called to his bedside his three sons,
Hugo, Roderick, and Karl, and said to them,

“My dear boys, I shall soon have to leave you, and
I feel very anxious about your lives, more especially
about you, Hugo and Roderick.” Then, addressing
Hugo, the eldest, he went on: “ Beware, above all, of
your selfishness and avariciousness. And you, Roder-
ick, think less of your strength—it is not the sword
alone that conquers. And you, my sweet Karl, be
not always timid and shrinking back. You can now
each make choice of one of my possessions. You,
Hugo, as the eldest, must choose first.”

“There is only one thing, father, J long for more
than anything else, and that is thy gold; pray give
it me all, and make not the condition, that I must

' share it with my brothers.”

The wizard looked sadly at his eldest born; but
there was no longer time for words.

“ As for me,” cried Roderick, “I am glad my brother
has so chosen. I donot want any gold. What JZ want
THE WIZARDS MAGIC BELL. 69

is thy sword, set in jewels; with this I shall be more
powerful than my brother, for he can only buy men—
I can slay them.”

“ And what wilt thou have, Karl?”

“T do not know,” answered the boy, wistfully.
“Could not I have some of Hugo’s gold?” and then,



The dying wizard and his sons.—4. 69.

as he caught sight of his father’s pale, sad face, he
said, with a burst of tears, “Oh, I want only some-
thing that will remind me of thee.”

The wizard took the boy’s hands, and said,
'“Tleave thee my bell. Stronger than the sword,
70 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

and more powerful than riches, shalt thou find my gift
of the bell.”

It was a very tiny brass bell, small enough to go
into Karl’s pocket ; and he vowed to himself, that he
would keep it there in memory of his father, although,
much as he pondered, he could not make out how it
. would be of any use to him.

Soon after his brothers departed, the one to spend
his money on feasting and pleasure, and the other to
foreign countries where he could use his marvellous
sword,

But Karl, as he had been left neither money nor a
sword, was forced to look about for some work; and,
by good fortune, he was taken into the employ of a
kind-hearted baron as page-boy. One day the lad,
hot and breathless after a long gallop, whilst follow-
ing his master on horseback, heard some exquisite
strains of music quite close to him. He stopped
short, believing it must be some rare bird. But
nothing could be seen. He listened again—it was
coming from his own pocket; it was coming from
the bell, which only gave forth these lovely sounds
when it was heated. Karl listened in rapture, and,
the faster he rode, the more rich and varied was the
music; but as he grew cooler, the sounds began to’
die away, and by the time he reached the baron, they
had ceased.

_ Soon after this Karl received a visit from his elder
brother, who was about to start off for foreign lands
and join his brother Roderick. He offered to take
Karl with him; so he and Hugo set out forthwith,
and were well received by Roderick, who, by the aid
THE WIZARDS MAGIC BELL. 71

of his marvellous sword, was now a great soldier.
The three brothers then started on a tour, and Karl
could not help being amused at Hugo’s arrogant
pride in his gold, and Roderick’s in his strength.

One day they came to a town, from which the
inhabitants were fleeing with affrighted faces. On
demanding the cause, they were told that a terrible
rebellion had taken place amongst the wildest and
most turbulent of the people; and that, at that very
moment, a great mob was surrounding the king’s
palace, and threatening to burn him and his beautiful
daughter to death. They implored the brothers to
turn back, saying the mob would massacre strangers
at once, but Hugo said grandly,

“PH throw my gold amongst them; that’ll soon
stop them,” whilst Roderick said stoutly,

“PH end the matter by ending them with my
sword.”

Hugo mounted on to a wall, and began throwing
his gold with both hands. The people were so sur-
prised that fora moment they stood quite still; and
then a worse thing happened, for men and women
were trampling upon each other in their greediness to
get all the gold for themselves. At last the mob got
so wild with excitement, that they rushed upon Hugo
where he stood, and began to tear the gold from his
hands. It was at that moment, that Roderick, with
his marvellous sword, flew to the rescue ; but although
it did wonders, and Hugo was freed, the surging
crowd of wild animals was too much for Roderick,
single-handed, and, alas! he had to flee for his life.

At that terrible instant, something happened so
72 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

strange, so rare, that even the furious fierce men
stopped and wiped their heated faces and listened.
How could they continue in their angry passions,
whilst the sweetest and most divine music they had
ever conceived, was ringing through the air, bringing
love and peace along with it? No one spoke;
women, whose faces had been hard and cruel a little
while back, now wept as they listened to the won-
drous music; whilst men hung their heads, and won-
dered that they were allowed to hear the divine tones,
so sweet, so strong, so gentle.

Night came on, and the three brothers slept at the
village inn, the two elder being somewhat humbled at
the failure of the weapons they had thought invin-
cible ; and, as they did not know anything of Karl’s
magic bell, great was their amazement when, the next
morning, a messenger arrived from the king’s palace,
saying that Karl’s presence was required immediately.

When the three brothers reached the palace, they
found the king surrounded by an immense crowd of
eager courtiers and citizens. /

As Karl entered—his face very hot and flushed,
and feeling very shy—a little wise old man from the
village stepped forward, and taking Karl’s hand,
declared he had stood near him during the riot of the
night before, and was positive the music came from
him. ‘

Then Karl, who was blushing a good deal,
modestly told the king and people, who were listening
in breathless silence, how he had received the won-
derful bell (which he took out of his pocket and
handed to the king’s chamberlain) from his father
who was a wizard.
THE WIZARD'S MAGIC BELL. 73:

When he had finished, the people crowded round
him, and besought him to stay always, and brighten
their lives by his sweet music.

And when Karl looked on their faces, and thought
how, by his precious bell, he could bring peace and
joy and happiness into their lives, he at last under-
stood his father’s words, that there was something
stronger than force, and more powerful than gold.
THE LITTLE LAME DAISY.

HE buttercups gave a grand party, to which
all the field flowers were invited, and, of
course, the daisies went, looking very sweet

and pretty in their red, pink, and white frocks. But
there was one poor little daisy who had to stay at
home, for, somehow or other, her stalk had got broken,
and her little pale face drooped almost to the ground.
Indeed, she looked so fragile, that it seemed as if every
breath of wind would carry her off. Poor little lonely
daisy. She did hope that one of her sisters would
offer to stay at home and talk to her; but perhaps it
was too much to expect anyone to give up the party
for her sake. So she watched them as they went off,
chatting very merrily, and with their heads very high
in the air, as they thought how charmingly pretty they
looked in their ball dresses of pure white and green, or
pale pink and crimson, with girdles of green. The little
daisy felt very sad and humble as they scampered
away, for she knew she should never again trip
merrily over the grass in the moonlight, like the
others. But as night came on she fell asleep, and did
not wake till the morning, when she found all the
THE LITTLE LAME DAISY. 75

daisies round her talking about the last night’s ball.
Some of them tossed their little heads quite proudly,
as they recounted their triumphs, and how very much
they had been admired. At this very moment a
troop of rough boys and girls came along, and tors
up, by the roots, the smiling little daisies, which, a
second later, they threw on the ground and trampled
upon, as they hurried off to chase a butterfly.



» aM) =F »
N\ mea

I

They go off merrily in the moonlight.—. 74.

But one chubby baby boy had picked the little
lame daisy, and, as it was the first flower he had ever
gathered for himself, he hugged it close to hirn with
his tiny, fat hands. He thought it such a pretty toy,
76 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLE?.

and ran quickly home with it to his mother, saying,
“ Me found this pretty ’itty ’sing.”

“ And his mother, who was a kind, gentle-hearted
woman, put the little daisy into a broken cup full of
water, where it lived for three or four days very

happily.
THE IMP.

HERE was once an Imp who was in the habit
of making himself such a nuisance in the
domestic circle, that one day his relations

could stand it no longer, and, taking him to the
front door, they said,

“Kindly travel in foreign lands, and the longer
you travel, and the more distant the country, the
better we shall like it. Perhaps you might try the
Polar regions ; they are a good long way off, and it
is said there are many bears and wolves there, who
. seem to have excellent appetites.”

The Imp had no objection, for, as he was always
getting into hot water at home, he thought the Polar
climes might be a refreshing change, so he set out
. merrily, taking with him a blanket, a pot of the best
pomatum, and a clean linen collar, all of which he
packed into a little knapsack, and slung across his
shoulder. How to get to the Polar regions he knew
not, but he said, remembering the geography he had
learnt in his youth,

“Since the wise men have declared the world’s
round, all I’ve got to do to get to the North Pole
78 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

is to keep on going round and round, and round and
round, and in less than six months I shall certainly
be——”

“ Giddy,” said a sharp dry voice, and the Imp saw
in front of him a Practical Man, who was clad in
a very unusual fashion. He wore a mustard-coloured
suit of clothes, full of bulging pockets, out of which
protruded machines, coffee-pots, folding-tables, hat-
racks, and other useful articles.

“T suppose,” said the Imp, staring hard out of his
little black beady eyes, “that you’re a travelling
pedlar, and carry your pack about with you for
convenience’ sake ?”

“Not a bit of it,’ returned the Practical Man
briskly ; “quite my own idea to carry everything that
a civilized man can want about with him. For
instance, suppose you want your hair cut and sham-
pooed, you can have it done in a twinkling,” and he
whipped a machine out of one of his many pockets,
and began cutting the Imp’s short black hair by
machinery; but, as he was not a very expert hair-
dresser, something in the machinery went wrong, and
not only was the unfortunate Imp’s hair entangled in
the wheels, but the little scissors went up and down,
darting into his scalp.

“ O-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 !” shrieked the Imp, dancing about
in agony, and trying tear off the machine, which
presently gave a loud whirr, and broke into pieces,
much to his relief and delight. He rubbed his
damaged head with a rueful expression, and said to
the Practical Man,

“Thanks,-I don’t care for any more of that sort
THE IMP. 79

of hair-dressing. I think I prefer the ordinary barber,
he isn’t quite so energetic; but what have you got
there?” and he looked inquisitively at a curious-
looking object, which somehow seemed familiar,
though, as it was all doubled up, he could hardly see
it properly.

The Practical Man began undoing it slowly, and in
a second the Imp exclaimed,

“Why, I declare, it’s a Punch and Judy show.”

“Exactly,” said the Practical Man deliberately ;
“one must provide for everything in this world of
chance and change. Suppose I found myself alone
on a desert island, why, here I am, well provided with
amusement.”

“But,” said the Imp, who had been looking very
thoughtful, “you would have to be your own Punch
and Judy man, so how could you look on and be
Punch and Judy at the same time?”

The Practical Man had a way of shelving awkward
questions which he didn’t know how to answer, so he
took no notice, and began to exhibit his fire-escape,
his kitchen range, and ambulance waggon, and many
other of the apparatus that were stowed away some-
where about him.

“JT think he’s crazy,” said the Imp to himself, and
he asked the Practical Man impudently, whether he
happened to have a few lunatic asylums about him ?

But the Practical Man looked so fierce, that the
Imp darted off, with vague ideas of gunpowder plots
and dynamite explosions, which he had read of in
history and in the newspapers. He felt sure he must
be walking in the right direction to get to the North
80 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Pole, for it was growing chillier every minute, and,
gladly remembering about his blanket, he wrapped it
right over him, showing a few tufts of black hair,
which had stuck straight out from his head ever since
the operations of the Practical Man. With his black
beady eyes, he looked a very appalling Imp indeed,
and might well have been mistaken for a wild Red
Indian. Soon he came to a wood, and, hearing
sounds of weeping, hurried along, when he presently
came face to face with an “ Affected Young Lady.”
At the sight of the little blanketed fellow, she set up a
wild hullaballoo of terror, screaming out with all her:
might, “ Monster, go away, go away; I shall simply
die of fright ; I shall never, never, never recover this
dreadful shock to my nerves.”

“‘ Monster, indeed !” said the Imp indignantly, whilst
he gracefully disrobed himself of his. blanket.
“ Kindly be a little more accurate, and I’m not going
to eat you. But what’s the matter with you; why
these tears?”

“Oh, pray don’t ask,” said the affected young lady,
“it’s quite too dreadful ; I shall never get out of this
horrible wood, and I shall never see my dear, dear
parents again,—-oh, oh !”

“ Dear, dear,” said the Imp sympathetically, “this
is very sad, madam,” and he bowed his absurd. little
figure to the ground; “perhaps I can be of some
service to you, if so, speak, and you are heartily
welcome.”

“Well,” said the affected young lady, condescend-
ing to dry her eyes, “it’s like this: it’s quite impos-
sible for me to get out of the wood, because at the
THE IMP. 8I

end of it there’s a stile; but, of course, if some
one would be kind enough to cut down the stile,”
and she looked meltingly at the Imp.

“But why in the name of pigs and pattypans
shouldn’tsyou jump over it?” asked the Imp with
astonishment. The affected young lady shuddered
as she cried out,

“Jump over it! a young lady of my sensibilities ?
Why, sir, I should never recover from it; think how
dreadfully unladylike.”

“Well, let’s come and have a look at it,” said the
Imp. So along they went together; and, as soon as
they reached the stile, which was really quite a low
one, this naughty, audacious Imp seized the airy, fairy,
lackadaisical, affected young lady in his arms, and
deposited her on the other side of the stile. After
one shriek of “Oh, you ungentlemanly monster,” the
affected young lady languidly closed her eyes, and
went off in a dead faint. But the Imp thought she
would probably recover just as well without him, so
he pursued his Polar journey. He was beginning to
feel quite hungry, and wish that he had brought some ~
sandwiches with him, when he saw before him, in
a meadow, a young man lying on the ground. Going
close up to him, the Imp saw with surprise that a
number of birds had built their nests in the “ Indolent
Youth’s” hair, and were flying about as if they were
quite at home.

“Do you like birds building their nests in your
hair?” asked the Imp.

The indolent youth stared, and said languidly,

“Too much trouble to talk.”

F
82 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Why don’t you get up, you great, lazy fellow?”
asked the Imp, feeling quite annoyed at the sight of a
robust young man in this condition.

“Too much trouble,” returned the youth ; “every-
thing’s too much trouble, breathing a frightful bore,”
and the indolent youth, who was the fattest and
limpest youth imaginable, gave a sad sigh.

The Imp was too disgusted to say anything. He
gave him a vicious kick, and went on; and before
long he stopped short before a soft, little, round, fluffy
ball of flesh, which looked like a baby of a few
months old, but which wore spectacles, and held in
its tiny fingers a pencil and slate, over which it was
knitting its tiny brows.

“Whatever ave you?” asked the Imp.

The baby looked up with a reproving frown, and
said, in a matter-of-fact way,

“T’m an advanced female baby, and please don’t
disturb me. I’m engaged on higher mathematics, and
haven’t any time to waste. I’m in for my tripos
next week,” and she wetted her little pink finger and
began to rub out her sums.

“ Well,” said the Imp, addressing a wise old gentle-
man who happened to be standing near, “I never
imagined till I set out on this journey, that there were
so many crazy people in the world.”

“Only their little way, sir, only their little way.
We've all got our little peculiarities. Now, I daresay
the ones you’ve got are so delightful and pleasant to
your family, that they wept bucketsful of tears when
you left home.”

The Imp thought of some of his disagreeable
THE IMP. 83

tricks, and blushed ; and, to divert the conversation
said,

“Can you tell me, sir, whether the North Pole is an
agreeable place of residence for a single man?”

The wise old man thoughtfully stroked his beard,
and said,

“Well, there’s plenty of variety ; there are bears to
eat you, and wolves to eat you, or if you like better to
be frozen, there is plenty of opportunity ; or for per-
sons of small appetites it isn’t altogether bad. On
the whole, / think it preferable to read about it in the
story books ; but there’s no accounting for taste.”

“ Ah,” said the Imp, “I think I'll go on reading
about the North Pole,” and, saying good-bye to the
wise old man, he hurried homeward. Arrived there,
he made himself much more agreeable ; and on win-
ter evenings he would tell his friends wonderful
stories of the whales he had killed; and of the great
floating icebergs which had wedged in his ship; and
of the many adventures, in which he had always
played the part of the gallant hero, that befell him on
his trip to the North Pole.
THE KING AND THE COUNTRY
BUMPKIN.

HERE was once a king who lived in a most
magnificent crystal palace, and dined every
day off gold and silver dishes ; and yet he was

more miserable than the poorest of his subjects. For
this king, whose name was Ormuz, was dreadfully tired
of life. He had long ago exhausted every pleasure, and
it was impossible, no matter how hard his courtiers
tried, to find a new one that would please him. Sohe
offered a splendid reward to any one, who should invent
some new amusement which would make him laugh.
All sorts of things were tried; the court jester came
and made some of his best jokes, and, mounting
upon a donkey’s back, capered about with all his
bells jingling ; but the king turned wearily away. He
had heard very much the same sort of jests for many
years, and they no longer delighted him. And then
twenty beautiful Eastern maidens came and danced
before his majesty, clad in transparent white gauze
and silver; but the king had seen their graceful
-movements over and over again, and he felt no
particular interest in the dances, which had been
THE KING AND COUNTRY BUMPKIN. 85

familiar to him since his boyhood. And then one of
the courtiers suggested the play, and another a hunt,
and another a sea voyage; but the king had visited
all the theatres that had ever been built, so he did
not care about this suggestion, and he said he was
too old and fat to enjoy hunting; and, as for another
sea voyage, well, he had already made a score or so,
and been twice round the
world, so it was improb-
able that anything new
should present itself.
The courtiers gave up
the matter in despair,
and the king’s face
grew longer than ever,
as he never laughed ;
and his temper became
so cross-grained, that
the court gentlemen
avoided him as much as
they dared.

One day, as they were
racking their brains to
think of something to .
make the king laugh,
whilst returning home
from a ride, they saw a country bumpkin sitting on
a stile, with a crowd of rosy-cheeked boys and girls
round him, who were laughing very merrily. The
king dismounted, and immediately a saucy little
urchin, not knowing his position, rushed up to him,
and, thrusting something into his face, said, “ That’s



The King out riding.—. 85.
86 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

just like you.” The king looked down and saw a
turnip, which had been shaped by the country
bumpkin, into a man’s face; and it was so comical,
and the children’s mirth was so catching, that the
king laughed loudly and merrily; and he declared
he would himself make turnips into men’s faces. And
the country bumpkin was so delighted to have made
the king laugh, that he threw his cap into the air and
cried “ Hurrah!”
HOW THE DEMONS WERE
CONQUERED.

NCE upon a time, long, long ago, when the
race of fairies and goblins was not quite
extinct, a king, who ruled over a wealthy

kingdom, was made exceedingly happy by the news
brought to him by his grand chamberlain, who,
with many flourishes of his three-cornered, gold-
braided hat, informed him that a little son was born
to his majesty that day. Five minutes later all the
church bells were set pealing in honour of the little
prince’s birth ; and, as the king gave orders that wine
and fruit should be served out to every man, woman,
and child within fifty miles of the palace gates, there
was much merriment and rejoicing that night. It is
true that there was a good deal of grumbling amongst
the people who were, say, three hundred miles off, for
why, they asked, should they be punished, simply
because they didn’t happen to live within fifty milesof ~
the king’s, palace ; but, in the general rejoicing at court,
their corhplaint was unheeded, and, indeed, it was a
little. unreasonable to expect that even a king could
feast every soul in his vast dominion.
88 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Now, about the same time that the little Prince
opened his eyes on his mother’s beautiful white and
gold chamber, another little baby was born into the
world. His home was many miles distant from the
palace ; indeed, it was at the uttermost end of the king’s
great kingdom, and there were no bells rung to cele-
brate this little one’s birth, Only sad and anxious
faces were round him; for not only was the child
unwelcome, as it meant another little mouth to feed—
and already, alas! in the shoemaker’s home there were
too many little unfed mouths and aching stomachs—
but also the kind, patient mother, the shoemaker’s
wife, lay sick unto death. And as the week wore on
she became worse, and one sorrowful night she lay
dying. The poor woman was dreadfully distressed at
the thought of her little baby alone in the world
without its mother. What would become of the
“ Kindlein ?” she asked herself, using the loved name
that her own mother had used, when she was a little
girl in Germany. The tears ran down her pale face
as she pressed the little one closer to her. True, her
husband, the shoemaker, had been very kind to her
lately, since she had been ill ; but she could not forget
the many times, when, sad and angry at not getting
work, he would go to the inn over the way, and then
would follow bad times for wife and boys. The poor
mother sighed deeply, and, glancing at the sleeping
child, she noticed, to her great astonishment, a pale,
silvery light over the little downy head. At the same
- moment a gentle voice said in her ear,

“Do not be unhappy about the little one, dear
mother. I will befriend him, and I will straightway
THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 89

give him two gifts; their names are Sympathy and
Imagination, so that he will never be quite unhappy.”

The mother did not quite understand these words,
and perhaps she would have preferred to hear that her
boy should be rich and clever ; but no one ever knew,
for a second later she had sunk back on to her pillow



The cobbler’s wife is astonished to see a silvery light round the child’s
head.—/. 88.

with a peaceful smile, and the shoemaker’s wife was
dead.

The neighbours all agreed that little Gottfried, as
the child was called, could not possibly live, and it is
probable that their forebodings would have proved
correct, and that little Gottfried would soon have
90 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

followed his mother, had it not been for the bagman’s
wife. She had just lost her own little girl, and she it
was who nursed, and fed, and petted, and loved him,
and as much as possible protected him from his
father’s blows and cruelty. For, unfortunately, things
went from bad to worse with the shoemaker, who was
always complaining about bad times and the hard-
ships a cobbler had to undergo, but who never reflected
that the “bad times” were of his own making; for
who would come to a man who would promise faith-

_ fully to have the boots heeled by Saturday evening,
and, when Saturday came, would be found at the inn
over the way with some noisy companions, whilst the
unheéled boots would be standing on the little wooden
shelf, looking up reproachfully at the shoemaker’s
leathern apron, which hung half the day idly over the
bench? Gottfried was happy enough—even though his
father occasionally threw a boot—too often unsoled—
at his head, and his great strong brothers, Peter, and
Fritz, and Karl, bullied and teased him, more especially
when they were hungry—so long as he could run into
the bagman’s pretty little parlour and play with Pecker,
the sulky parrot. Buta terrible day came when the
bagman and his wife packed up their property in a
neat little box, and went away to live elsewhere ; for the
bagman was so ill, that the only chance of saving his
life was to take him to a warm seaside place for the
winter.

Gottfried was now ten years old, and quite old
enough, his father thought, to look out for himself.
His brothers had long ago left the shoemaker, after
many bitter words between them and their father, and
THE DEMONS CONQUERED. gt

it was now Gottfried’s business to earn his own living
—so his father told him roughly. The lad went
slowly down the stairs, wondering with a heavy heart
what he should do.

He was a pale, delicate-looking boy with melan-
choly brown eyes, and such a sweet, gentle smile, that
few people spoke cruel or cross words to him. In
the little narrow dirty street where he had lived all
his life, he was very popular with the children and
grown-up people. The children loved him because
he invented beautiful stories, and never insisted on
having his own way ; and the grown-up people agreed
that an obliging, well-mannered boy like Gottfried was
indeed a rarity in their part, where the other kind of
boys—the rough, rude, disobliging sort—were plentiful
as blackberries.

Gottfried walked through the narrow street and
courts into fine wide streets, where people were shop-
ping, and carriages full of grand people, richly dressed,
were passing to and fro. He did not know what to
do. It was cold, he was hungry, and his father had
told him this was the last day he would give him
shelter and food.” Now, Gottfried had a certain habit
—which the practical people think a very dreadful
one indeed—but which gave him a good deal of
delight, no matter how cold and hungry. he might be.
This habit—or, as the fairy would have called it, gift
—of imagining was very useful indeed sometimes, for,
just when he was going to burst into tears, he caught
sight of a very gaily-coloured picture of a boy about
his own age, who was just mounting a pony in front
of a fine castle. This was quite enough to divert
92 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Master Gottfried, and for the next half-hour he was
marching along the pavement with his hands in his
ragged pockets, forgetting his hunger and cold, and
his unkind father, and only thinking of the fine things
that could be done in a castle with a garden full of
splendid roses, which grew again as fast they were
picked, and with stables full of cream-coloured ponies
for all the boys and girls who chose to ride them. He
was quite regardless of the fact, that people were con-
tinually calling him a nuisance as he walked straight
into them, and only awoke to the consciousness of
extreme cold, when a ragged boy about his own size,
with an excessively dirty face, and sharp, impudent
eyes, caught him a rap on the chest and exclaimed,

“Well, Tommy, thank your stars and this ’ere
gen’l’m”—patting himself—“that you aren’t at this
minute sprawling.”

Gottfried looked up with a smile, and recognized the
speaker.

“Why, Dicky,” he said, “wherever have you been
all this time? We thought you’d gone to sea.”

Dicky winked. I am afraid he was rather a bad
boy ; but he had his good points, and if he had any
love for anybody, it was for Gottfried, who had over
and over again done him service. The two boys
began talking, and presently Dicky remarked that he
was going to give up his crossing, as he had a “sitty-
wation.” He did not divulge the nature of this latter,
but went on to remark that he would sell both broom
and crossihg “dirt cheap.”

Here was a chance for Gottfried, if he only had the
money. But Dicky was not ungenerous, and he had
THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 93

a great respect for Gottfried’s promise; so, after the
latter had agreed to pay weekly instalments, the
matter was settled, and Gottfried was the proud
possessor of a broom and a crossing.

I am sorry to say that, though Gottfried was a
much finer fellow than Dicky, he wasn’t half such a
good sweeper—indeed, to tell the truth, he was a very
bad one indeed. When he ought to have been sweep-
ing away energetically, he was far too often thinking
‘of the flowers, and stars, and other beautiful things, of
which he knew nothing; and one day he actually
lost his broom. It came about in this way. It was
a cold, wet evening, when he suddenly heard his name
called out. Looking up, he beheld Dicky between
two policemen. Poor Dicky !—Gottfried had never
seen him with such a white, piteous face.

“Run,” cried icky “to father, and tell him to
come to the prison.”

Off went Gottfried like a shot, forgetful of his
broom, and everything but Dicky’s trouble. But,
when he came back, soaked through to the skin,
and found his broom gone, he wrung his hands in
despair, and, sitting down on a doorstep, wept as if
his heart would break. It was all owing to his own
carelessness, and now, whatever should he do with
only threepence, that he had taken that day. A
hand was laid on his thin coat sleeve, and a voice
near him said,

“Oh, do get up a little farther ; I’m dead beat.”

Gottfried forgot his own misery at the sight of a
poor old man, whose trembling legs seemed scarcely
able to bear him. He made room for him on the
doorstep, and said timidly,
94 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“T’m afraid you’re dreadfully wet.”

“That’s an original remark,” returned the old man
crossly ; “and is almost as stupid as the way you're
' staring at me. Don’t do it, boy.”

Gottfried obediently turned his head away, but, in
spite of his rudeness, he could not help feeling great
compassion for the old man.

Presently Gottfried went off into a sleep, and awoke
with a start, for he thought it was a policeman clutch-
ing his arm. It was only the venerable stranger, who
was whispering into his ear, for, in truth, he was a
good fairy in disguise,

“Why not earn your living in green fields and
glades, and pluck flowers as you go along, and make
friends with the birds and the bees ?”

Gottfried rubbed his eyes, for he was not quite
awake. Whatever did the old man mean? The fairy
saw his perplexity, and answered,

“You possess the gift of story-telling. Men and
children love to be amused. Wander forth boldly,
and earn your honest bread by enchanting them with
tales of wonderful men and things. Take, too, this
little lute, and play awhile when they are weary of
listening.”

Gottfried rubbed his eyes again, and sat up. It
must have been a dream. The rain was coming down
as steadily as ever, but where was the old man? And,
no, it wasn’t a dream, because-in place of the old man
a small instrument lay beside him, which Gottfried |
immediately guessed to be a lute.

And so, from that day forth, Gottfried wandered
through the land, telling the country folk the stories
THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 95

which sprang from his head, and which were in
reality the fairy’s gift, and for which he was amply
fed, and, had he liked, might have had gold pieces
given him. “How the folks loved the tall, slim youth,
with his pale face and kind, serious eyes! . As for the
children, they would climb on his knee and back, and
clamour for one tale after another, till Gottfried grew
weary, and begged them to desist. In the winter
things were not quite so pleasant, for the people had a
hard struggle to feed themselves, and had no food or
money to spare for such a luxury as’ story-telling.
But when they grew to learn that Gottfried would tell
his stories, even if there were no reward forthcoming,
they felt ashamed, and each child would break off a
piece of his portion of bread for the loved Gottfried.
Time went on, and, in the course of his journeys, he
learnt he was getting near the palace of the prince,
who, you remember, was born on the same day as
Gottfried himself, and who now ruled as king. Gott-
fried had heard with infinite distress that the young
king, who had only lately come to the throne, was
little loved by his people. Ever since his birth he had
_ been carefully shielded from anything unpleasant,
and had been steadily trained to do exactly what he
liked whenever he liked. It was, therefore, scarcely
surprising, that the young king was quite unaware,
that there existed in his kingdom many unfortunate
people who could not afford fires or warm clothing in
winter, nor bread and meat with which to feed them-
selves and their children. It is naturally much harder
for a rich man, who has never felt hunger or cold, to
pe unselfish, than for a poor strolling youth like
96 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Gottfried, who has lived all his life amidst suffering
and distress, and who would indeed be inhuman, if he
had not sympathy for the sufferers.

As Gottfried walked along the hard, frosty high-
road, not many miles from the king’s capital, he fell to
pondering on an extraordinary tale he had often heard,
both from the country folk and the dwellers in the
town. Over and over again the quiet, gentle-hearted
boy had heard the same story.

Strong men could not get work, poor women wept
that their children could not have bread, and yet the
king would do nothing. He refused even to be told
of his people’s need. And one and all would go on to
tell of a wonderful instrument in the king’s courtyard,
which was neither an organ, nor an harmonium, nor
an harp, but a mixture of all three, but from which
no one had ever yet been able to produce a single note.
Thousands had tried to do it, because it was reported
that the wise woman who lived in the cave had herself
told the king—when he consulted her on the subject
—that, on the day the wonderful instrument yielded
music, both he and his subjects would be happier, but
this would never be until the demons were conquered.
And, in spite of the amusements into which the young
king plunged, there were many days and nights in
which he suffered much grief at the thought of his
subjects’ hatred ; but, unfortunately, a sneer from one
of his favourites, would chase away his better feelings.

Gottfried walked along rather dejectedly, and said
aloud involuntarily,

“Whatever did the wise woman mean by te
demons?”
THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 97

It must have been the wind which spoke softly, for
there was not a single object to be seen near.

“Why, the demons are in the people who gather
round to hear each person, who comes to try and get
some music out of that instrument. There are all
sorts of demons flying about. Not long ago the
demon of Hate was very active on the occasion that
one of the governors tried to play; and then again,
that big demon called Jealousy was raging around
furiously, for a great soldier came to have a try, but
he wasn’t successful, and so it goes on. Alas! alas!”

The voice died away, and all was silent in the cold
night air, except for the occasional swaying of the
snow-laden boughs. Gottfried passed the night in a
barn, which lay deserted, except for a few lean robins
in the midst of a snowy field. Gottfried gladdened
the hearts of the robins by feeding them with a few
- crumbs he had in his pocket, and the little birds went
off with grateful eyes, and perceptibly fatter.

The next day he resumed his journey, and fell in
with crowds of the poor peasant folk, who were going
to the king’s palace to present a petition. As they
neared the capital, it was evident there was consider-
able excitement going on, and Gottfried, who was
leading little Lottie, the charcoal-burner’s child,
stopped one in the crowd to ask him the reason.

The man, who happened to be the barber to the
king, and who was just going to shave his majesty,
answered hurriedly

“Why, there’s a new competitor for the music
playing, and he’s a giant and a king, and done no end
of valiant deeds, and is in part a magician, and there

G
98 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

‘isn’t a doubt he’ll find the way. Our king will witness
his triumph himself at noon,” and he hastened off.

At this piece of news the people forgot their
grievances for a time, and one and all agreed, that
they too would witness the wonderful sight.

So at noon crowds of people, some with sullen faces,
some cross, and few looking happy and contented,
were gathered round the barriers, from which a good
view could be obtained of the magic instrument. A
chair was placed in front, and near it sat the king on
his magnificent purple throne, with a weary, dissatisfied
expression on his fair young face, and his richly-—
dressed courtiers around him. There-was breathless
silence as the giant, clad in golden armour, walked up
to the box enclosing the instrument. He looked
complacently around, and felt confident of success;
but he did not know that there was one woman in the
crowd, who hated him with all her heart, for he had,
years before, cruelly wronged her. ;

He sat down and touched the strings, but there was
no sound. His face grew first pale and then red with
anger ; and as the courtiers and then the crowd began
to titter, he flung himself off the chair, and disappeared
in a rage, not, however, before he had met the face of
the woman whom he had once loved.

There was again silence, broken by a child’s cry of
“Gottfried!” One of the little peasant children had
caught sight of the youth’s face, and immediately
dozens of children were crying out “ Gottfried !”

Gottfried never knew how it was, but an uncontroll-
able impulse urged him forward. Every eye was fixed
on his noble face, with its tender, wistful eyes. Nota
THE DEMONS CONQUERED. 99°

soul there felt any hatred towards him ; many—indeed
the larger part—knew and loved the boy, who had
often beguiled their cares and soothed their troubles
by his stories. The king and the court were struck
by the sweet graveness of his manner; and, as the lad
raised his cap to the king, the wind played with his
fair hair till it Jocked like a crown of glory round him.
He did not replace his cap, but, with one look on the
crowd of eager faces round him, he sat down bare-
headed; and, lo! there was music—music of such a
beautiful, heavenly kind, as if angels were playing on
their harps. Nor was it the sort of music that the
people had ever heard before, for, as Gottfried played
on lightly, a kind of meaning appeared amidst the
melodious tones. But, to each of the listeners, the
music spoke differently. To the little pale children it
meant fun and crackers and Christmas-trees, and
they began to dance softly. To the sad, tired, women,
it brought back memories of the days when they were
blooming girls, and of the sweet wooing and wedding ;
and, somehow, their love for their husbands revived,
and they began to think that, as long as the husband
and bairns lived, there was still joy for them.

And to the men it said, be patient, be courageous,
bear up till you get work, and when you get work,
don’t play ninepins with your wages.

But it had a special significance to the young king.
“Don’t,” it said, in clear, sweet tones, “don’t waste
your time in cruel sport and senseless pleasure; no
man’s life should be wasted thus, above all, a king’s,
which should be an example of honour, and nobleness,
and true manhood. Don’t let the sun go down again
100 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

without having done some good for your people,” and
so on, till the king hung his head, and held his hand
before his eyes. Presently the music seemed to be
dying away, and, as it grew fainter and fainter, the
people began to dry their tears and turn with dim eyes
towards the young king. He came down amongst
them with a troubled face, but on it was a new
expression of high purpose and generous resolve.

The people clustered round him, and, grasping a
dozen hands, hardened with toil, in his own idle one,
he said humbly,

“My people, forgive me. I will be a better king in
future.” .

The air was rent with cheers and applause, and it
was not till the excitement had cooled down that the
king remembered Gottfried, and called for him. But
he had wandered off, and was not to be found. Perhaps
he had gone to chase away more demons.
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THE LUCKY PEDLAR.

ae children set up a great shout of delight as,
bounding out of the little white school-house

on the hill one summer afternoon, they caught

sight of Jenny’s well-known brown head; and behind
her the neat little green house on wheels, which
belonged to Jock, the pedlar. He was the most
welcome visitor imaginable in the little village, for
to the housewives he brought many a useful herb,
besides doing all their commissions in the great
town; whilst to the old men he brought supplies
of fresh tobacco and first-rate snuff. For the young
girls he had trinkets, and rose-coloured ribbons,
which they wore on fair days, when they danced
with their sweethearts; and for the children, lovely,
blue-eyed, flaxen-curled dolls, bright-coloured beads,
tops, and slashing swords for the boys; and, best
of all, great cakes of transparent, amber-coloured,
sweet-tasting toffee. For many months the children
saved up all their pennies for the pedlar’s visits, which
were paid twice a year; and at the sight of the little
cart many a child scampered back to the cottage and
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 103

emptied the little china money-box of its farthings
and halfpennies, and here and again a bit of silver.
But most of them clustered round the pedlar, and
begged for a ride into the village.

“ What a lovely life Jock has!” said the children to
one another. To live in that green and white van all
the year round, with its little square door and tiny
windows, through which, in winter, the children could
see the great blazing fire, before which Mop, the lazy,
fat, white, cat was always basking ; to have no lessons,
to bathe on summer mornings in the clear, bright
pools, and to live on butter-balls, and gingerbread-
cakes, and dough-nuts. Why, there was not a boy in
the village who did not intend to be a pedlar himself,
as soon as he was old enough to work; or a little girl,
who had not determined to marry a pedlar as soon as
she grew up. Jock was a small, sturdy man, with an
- honest, tanned face, which showed that the sun and
winds played frclics with it; and a pair of laughing,
brown, good-humoured eyes. His face was like him-
self—kind, good-tempered, and simple; for he loved
all things that were beautiful and natural—the blue,
summer sky with its pearly clouds, the blossoms and
flowers in the lanes, the birds that opened their soft
little throats, and sent out music when they saw him
coming, and the deer, and goats, and bright-eyed
rabbits, which in winter time he fed from his own
scanty meals. But most of all he loved rosy-cheeked,
brown-legged boys and girls, although the school-boys
played him a thousand tricks, broke his little windows,
teased Jenny, scattered his chattels all over the floor,
and jumped on his back and pulled off the little green
log THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

cap, that he always wore, summer and winter. Some-
times Jock would pretend to get into a great rage,
and threaten never to come back again to the village ;
but the little girls would set up such a crying, and the
boys would promise so penitently to be good, that it
always ended the same way, and year after year saw
Jock’s welcome brown face again.

So up jumped half-a-dozen boys into the back part
of the cart, and, with two or three others helping Jenny
to drag it along, they reached the village green, where
the little cart was made fast by two poles into the
grass; and whilst Jock was selling and chattering,
Jenny was allowed to wander off into a neighbouring
field, and stuff herself with sweet purple and white
clover to her heart’s content. Soon a large crowd of
mothers, with babies in their arms, and children of all
sizes and descriptions, were pressing close round the
pedlar, asking a thousand questions, all of which he
answered good-naturedly, only now and again pausing
to take breath, or to dive into his little shop and bring
out the laces, and tapes, and buttons the housewives
wanted. It was a very tiny shop indeed, and being
the only room there was in Jock’s little house, served
as a parlour and a kitchen as well. But it was so
beautifully neat and spotlessly clean, that many a
housewife felt envious as she peeped in, and wondered
how it was, with all her scrubbing, she couldn’t keep
her kitchen as tidy. Half of the room was a regular
shop, with white wooden shelves and drawers, in which
all the pedlar’s little stock was kept with great neatness ;
pins and needles and cottons, you may be sure, were
not to be found in the same compartment as toffee,
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 105

balls, and peg-tops. On the opposite side hung
brightly-scoured pots and pans, and beneath these
more shelves with cups and saucers and a great
wooden bowl, out of which Jock had his dinner.

Near the door was a pretty little table made by
clever Jock himself, on which there stood a pink rose
and a bird-cage containing Peepsie, the yellow linnet,
and close by a big easy chair, in which sleepy Mop
was to be found as often as her master. This was the
pedlar’s bed on cold nights; on warm summer nights
he slept out in the soft fresh air, with a mattress made
of long grass, a pillow of golden and green leaves, and
the starlit sky for a quilt.

“You'll come and have a bit of supper with us,
Jock,” said a rosy-cheeked young woman, who held a
- dark-eyed little baby in her arms. “My man says it
does him good to see you, you've always got a pleasant
word for everybody ; but, then, you’ve got a pleasanter
time than most of us, I guess.”

“T should think so,” cried a round-faced boy stand-
ing near. ‘‘Who wouldn’t exchange places with old
Jock? Why, I’d sooner be him than a king.”

They had all been so busy talking and buying, that
no one, not even the children, who were already
quarrelling over their new toys and sweets, had noticed
that a man on horseback had come quietly over the
grass, and stood hidden behind the cart, listening to
what they were saying.

He bent forward, that he might the better hear
Jock’s reply.

“So,” said the pedlar, who was busily packing up
his things, “you’d like to be a pedlar, eh, Martin?
106 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Well, but how would you like to go without your
breakfast and tea for two or three days together, with
only a bit of dry bread and a handful of berries for
dinner ?”

Martin, who was a notoriously greedy boy, and
constantly ill from over-eating himself, whenever, in
fact, he got the chance,
coloured to the roots of
his hair, and looked
ashamed ; but Jock pat-
ted him on the shoulder,
and said, with a twinkle
in his eye,

“Never mind, laddie;
only remember that being
a pedlar isn’t all ginger-
bread cake. Whatever
/ we are, we have to put
xu up with something ; and
whether you’re a king or
a pedlar, you can be
happy if you manage to
get hold of——’ He
paused.

“Of what?” cried all
the women and the bigger children.

“ Why,” said the pedlar, who was fond of mystifying
them, “of that wonderful little ointment of mine that
I’ve got in there in a little square box,” and he pointed
inside the house. “I wish I could sell it you, but I
can’t,” and he burst out laughing at the puzzled faces
round him. “Well, I must be off.”



The King listens.—,. 105.
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. _ 107

“ No, no,” cried several of the women, “ not till you’ve
told us what you mean. Why can’t you sell it?”

“Because,” said the pedlar slowly, “ it is like life and
air, it can’t be bought and sold ; but you can all have
it if you really wish for it. You go back to your
homes to-night, be kind to your husbands if they come
back cross, don’t fret if the children get up to mischief,
and don’t think that your neighbours’ cows, or dresses,
or fine furniture are much better than your own. Like
your own things, and, I’ll promise you, you'll find you’ve
got some of my wonderful golden ointment. Good-
bye, my bairns, I must be off,” and he took the children
in his lithe arms, and gave them a toss, and kiss, and
ride on his shoulders.

Then one of the boys fetched Jenny, who, like
greedy Master Martin, was fond of over-eating her-
self, and she was soon put into the harness with many
a pat and caress from the children, who threw up their
hats and cried, “Come again soon, Jock,” and stood
. watching till the little cart had disappeared, and with
it, unnoticed by any one, the black horse and its rider.

“Well, Jenny,” said Jock, as they passed out of the
high road into the forest, “ you’re a greedy old lady, to
be sure. I don’t believe you've stopped to take breath
since we last parted ; you’re as bad as Martin ; you'll
be sorry for it.”

Jock was fond of talking to Jenny as if she really
understood like a human being. At times he got very
lonely, for often he passed whole days in the country
with no companion but Jenny, who did her best by
grunts and nods to show she understood him. The
forest that they were now entéring was avery dark
108 ZHE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

and gloomy one; but the pedlar had plenty of courage,
and, in spite of his small stature, was a strong, well-
built man, with much power and muscle in his arms.
He had met with adventures of many kinds—high-
waymen, who had tried to rob him of his little store,
and wild beasts, who had longed to make a substantial
meal off him, and Jenny, and Mop.

But the little pedlar—or, as he was nearly always
called, “Lucky Jock,’—had always managed to get
away safely; and he had grown so accustomed to
finding himself the only human being in a huge forest
ona dark night, that it had ceased to trouble him,
and he minded it no more than if he had been seated
before a blazing hearth in a snug little cottage.

But this time a rather terrifying adventure was to
befall him. For, just as the shadows began to grow
thicker and thicker, and it was impossible to see an
inch before you, Jock heard a great pattering of horses’
hoofs close to him, and, looking up in surprise, he
found numberless men, richly clad, on horseback sur-
rounding him.

They formed a circle round the little cart, much to
Jenny’s amazement, which she showed by braying in
a most annoyed tone; and then, with drawn swords
which flashed like silver in the darkness, they waited
for a sign from their leader, who was none other than
the rider who had been listening to the pedlar on
the village green that afternoon. Unlike the other
tiders, upon whose breasts shields and stars flashed
like jewels of light, the leader was dressed quite
humbly in black, and instead of a sword he held
a small riding-whip in his hand; only on his head,
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 109

instead of the three-cornered cap which was worn by
the others, he had a turban with waving plumes like
immense feathers. Jock rubbed his eyes and won-
dered if he were dreaming, as the leader called out to
his men in a clear voice, which sounded above the
soughing of the wind through the trees, “ Halt.” _Im-
mediately each man’s sword was placed across his
horse’s neck, and every head was bent in a respectful
salute towards the rider in the centre, who brought his
horse close up to Jenny’s head, and, addressing the
pedilar, said,

“JT am your king, and I order you to deliver up to
me immediately the box of golden ointment, of which
you were speaking this afternoon. What you meant
by not being able to sell it, I neither understand nor
care. If you choose to sell it I will give you as much
gold and silver as you like to ask ; for, indeed, during
ten years I have been seeking a remedy for my
dissatisfaction and disgust. Nothing pleasesme. I
am weary of hunting and shooting ;—of the wine cup
and of my dancing girls; and I would fain have the
ointment of which you speak, which makes your voice
cheerful, and fills you, as I noted this afternoon, with
joy, and vigour, and strength. But, fellow, if you will
not sell me this ointment of your own free will, my
guards shall clap you into prison, and keep you there
until it is found; and, if this be long delayed, your
head shall be cut off and strung upon a gate to teach
men that a king shall be denied nothing. So you
have your choice.”

Jock was in a dreadful state of terror, in spite of
his naturally brave heart. Those words spoken in jest,
110 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

but which, nevertheless, contained a true meaning,
had been overheard by the mighty king, who held his
life in his hands, and who, as the pedlar had often
heard, would brook no opposition to his autocratic
will.

So that his voice should better reach the king, he
mounted upon Jenny’s back, and, first bending his
body almost double in respectful salutation, he said,
humbly,

“Your majesty has been pleased to take seriously
some jesting words of mine. It is not for me, a poor,
unlearned pedlar, to explain to a wise and powerful
king what these words meant; I can only most
solemnly assure your gracious majesty, that there is
no such ointment in my little shop, and, that had I
known your royal highness was within earshot this
afternoon, I should not have ventured upon counsel
that must have seemed presumptuous coming from an
unlettered pedlar. If your majesty wills that his
soldiers should inspect my stock, I will prove that I
am speaking the truth.”

Thereupon the king flew into a great passion, and
cried to his officers,

“T thought as much, the rascal knows the value of
his ointment; well, no more parleying. Seize the
fellow, bind him securely, and search thoroughly, so
that the ointment is delivered at the palace, into my
hands, before nightfall.”

Saying this, he rode away, followed by his own
body soldier, and the pedlar was bound to a tree,
whilst a strict search was made for the golden oint-
ment. However, nothing was to be found which
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. III

seemed at all likely to be the ointment for which they
were in search; and, after having carefully examined
a pot of pomatum, which Jock swore was pure bear’s
grease, the search was given up, and Jock was brought
along with his cart to the palace, from whence he was
taken between two soldiers to the imperial dungeon,
a gloomy, underground cell, with beetles and spiders
crawling about the walls and floor. Almost for the
first time in his life Jock felt ready to cry like a child.
For himself, he did not so much mind cold, and hun-
ger, and stiff, aching limbs. But Jenny, how would
they treat her? and Mop, who would be waiting and
waiting for her evening bowl of milk? And his pack
of goods? Would not the rough soldiers break up
everything? He threw himself on the hard floor and
wondered what on earth he should do, and how he
could make the king understand. He was in despair.
Then he heard a voice near him say,

“Good little Jock, don’t be cast down, I’ll help you,”
and, looking up, the pedlar saw a wood wizard, dressed
in green and scarlet, whom he had sometimes caught
sight of amongst the boughs, when he had been feed-
ing the sparrows in winter time. He was a tiny little
man, with a scarlet cap on his head, and little scarlet-
pointed shoes on his feet, and in his hand he carried a
slender stick, with which he aimed various dexterous
blows at the great black beetles which swarmed about,
slaying many of them on the spot.

“ But how can you help me?” asked Jock dejectedly;
“there isn’t such a thing as the golden ointment. I
could cut out my tongue for letting it run on with me
this afternoon, and now I’m in a pretty plight.”
112 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Tut, tut!” said the wood wizard, “there is nothing
to be down-hearted about ; there are not many things
that a wizard like me can’t set right, and I like you,
Jock, my good fellow,” and the little green and red
man gave Jock a hearty slap on the back, “you're
such a sensible, good-tempered, contented fellow.
Now, most of these wretched earth-mortals are fools ;

|



A little wood wizard dressed in green and scarlet.—f, x31.

they’re always sighing for what they can’t get, and
wishing this, and hoping that, till one gets out of
patience with them. Why, Jock, it’s you who ought
to be king, and, upon my word, I’ve got an idea!” and
the wood wizard went into fits of laughter till his
sides ached and his little red cheeks swelled with
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 113

amusement. Then, with his little silver stick, he gave
a sly poke at the poor pedlar—who was rather indig-
nant at the wizard’s merriment—and said, with great
cheerfulness, strutting about the little cell with noise-
less steps, “All right, old man, I’ll attend to it; we
shall see you with a crown upon your head before
long,” and saying this he disappeared.

Now that night the cunning little wizard paid a
visit to the king and made him dream a curious dream,
For the king had retired to his magnificent bed, which
was made of gold and ivory, in a great passion. When
his courtiers had returned from the forest, saying there
was no golden ointment to be found in the pedlar’s
van, he had raged up and down his state-room like a
wild animal; and to one unfortunate courtier, who
ventured upon a suggestion, he administered a sound
box on the ear, saying at the same time,

“Dummy, who asked you to speak ?” and after this
no one dared to say anything except to answer the
king’s questions. He was not a bad sort of king, on
the whole, though he sometimes got into rages when
his will was crossed ; and at bottom he had a really
kind disposition. But, even as a little baby prince, he
had shown signs of the fault which spoiled his life
when he came to manhood. He was never satisfied,
and, though every wish that he had, no matter how
wild and selfish, was immediately gratified, yet he had
no sooner got it than he immediately wanted some-
thing different.

Of all this the wood wizard, who knew everybody’s
concerns, was quite aware, so, when the king was fast
asleep under a lovely rose-silk coverlet, with his head

H
114. THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

resting on a soft pillow of the finest spun lace, the
little wizard put on his invisible coat and paid him a
_ visit. Then he whispered artfully to the king,

“You know you're very tired of sitting upon that
throne, and always being surrounded by tiresome
courtiers, who watch everything that you do, and
never leave you alone for a second, and do nothing
but praise and flatter you. Then you’ve seen every-
thing that a king can see, and: there’s nothing fresh
that can happen in your life, which is very dull and
wearying. Now, wouldn’t you like to try a delightful
life in the open air, without any tiresome people to
watch you, and be able to ride all over the country in
a jolly little cart, instead of that gold state-coach of
yours, where you have to sit quite still—upright, like
a wooden doll. The fact is,” said the little wizard,
“you'd like to be a pedlar; you'd do capitally, and
you'd find it ever so much more fun than being a
king.” ;

So, when the king opened his eyes the next morn-
ing on the marble basins and richly-embroidered
garments which hung near, he remembered his dream;
and, ringing a little tinkling silver bell, which hung at
his side, he desired his valet to dress him, and then
bring before him the pedlar, who had been cast into
prison the night before. Like all discontented people,
the king was anxious for any change, so he cried
impatiently to Jock, when he was led into his presence
between two soldiers,

“Look here, we’ll change places ; you shall be king,
and I’ll be pedlar—I’m tired of all this,” and he
touched his jewelled crown with his hand, “TI dare-
\

THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 115

say my courtiers won’t like to kow-tow to a common
pedlar fellow; but what do I care about that?
They'll have to put up with it—a king driving a
pedlar’s van, and a common pedlar sitting on a king’s
throne! Ha! ha! ha! what fun! I warrant Pll get
hold of that stuff; but, if I don’t find it, there'll be a
quarrel,” and he looked very fierce indeed.

The courtiers stared at each other in dismay, but
they did not dare to say anything; and, as for Jock,
he was one of those happy persons to whom nothing
comes amiss. He opened his eyes wide when a small
black page, bowing low, led him into a marble bath-
room, full of the loveliest and most fragrant perfumes.
After he had refreshed himself with a milk and honey
bath, Jock was brought into the dining-hall, the walls
of which were of sweet-smelling sandal-wood, inlaid
with rubies and pearls, and other precious stones.

At one end of the lofty room there was a sparkling
fountain, whose dancing waters reflected a thousand
gold, and green, and purple hues, as the sunbeams
frolicked in and out; and, climbing about the blue
and silver roof, there were lovely little humming-birds
and bright-coloured songsters from foreign lands,
whose sweet notes, mingling with the ripple of the
fountain, made what Jock thought was the sweetest
music he had ever heard. By the help of the wizard,
who was always at his elbow to help him out of any
difficulties, the pedlar played his part of king very
creditably. By the time he had become accustomed
to washing out of golden basins, and sitting on a
throne of gold and ivory, with a crown upon his head,
in which were diamonds as big as hen’s eggs, he
116 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

learned that the king was coming back from the trip,
that he had made through the kingdom, and was
angrier than ever, as he had neither discovered the
ointment nor the secret of Jock’s joyfulness and
happy temper. For the king had not found Jock’s
life at all agreeable. He made a dreadfully wry face
on the very first morning that he learnt he could not
have a warm bath; for, even if Jock had possessed
one, there would not have been any room for it in
Jock’s little house. Then, instead of the luxurious
couch, with two slaves to fan him and bring him iced
drinks, there was no refuge from the burning sun,
except the close little shop-parlour, with its one hard
cane-bottomed chair. This was rather different from
the cool marble halls of the king’s palace, to which the
spoilt young king was accustomed. However, his
majesty bore it all for a little time ; but, at last, after
a long stiflingly hot day, when they had been obliged
to keep inside the little house for fear of sunstroke,
and during which he had been dreadfully teased by
mosquitoes, the king said to the faithful attendant,
who accompanied him,

“Jacopo, I’d give the world for a plate of fruit and
some iced wine; my throat is parched. and I’m
scorched with the heat. Oh! this is dreadfui, unen-
durable. Imagine having to live ail one’s life like
this!”

Jacopo spied a brook a little later on, and brought
his master some fresh water, which the king drank
greedily, and said impatiently,

“If we could only get hold of that golden ointment.
Well, I’m determined I'll have it, or the pedlar fellow’s
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 117

head. Why it’s clear he must have got some won-
derful stuff of some kind, or he could never put up
with this sort of thing. Jacopo, turn that brute’s
head ; we'll go home, and I'll make short work of that
scoundrel of a pedlar.”

Now, the wood wizard had ordered one of his wood
sprites to make herself invisible, and accompany the
king, and report to him everything that took place.
This wood sprite was a very clever little person
indeed, and, after making her report to the wizard
that night, she said gravely, nodding her perky little
head,

“Lucky Jock isn’t in luck this time, for the king
certainly means to have his head.”

“You're a little fool,’ replied the polite wizard,
knowing she was nothing of the sort. “Do you
imagine I am going to allow my good Jock to be
made into mincemeat? Go and fetch me my wisdom
cap, and then take yourself off; one of your sex isn’t
any good where there’s anything serious to be done.”

The wood sprite, whose name was Femina, smiled
rather sarcastically. The wizards, who called them-
selves the superior sex, were always patronizing and
scoffing at her and her sisters; yet it very often
happened, that they were able to give excellent
counsel and suggestions to the wizards. Then she
went and told the whole affair to the rest of the wood
sprites; there were some fifty or so of them; and they
were charming little creatures, not more than a couple
of inches high, dressed in pure white gossamer
frocks, with golden girdles, to which were attached
little mother-of-pearl whistles of the greatest possible
118 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

use, if they happened to be in danger. This was
never the case, except when they fell by accident
into the power of the water trolls, between whom and
the wood wizards there was constant war. So, as the
wood sprites sat over their afternoon tea, which they
drank out of blue hare-bell cups, Femina told them
all about Jock’s misfortune, and all the wood sprites
put their little yellow heads together and talked very
seriously. And at last they hit upon an excellent
plan; and it was determined, that if the mighty
wizards had not discovered a better method of releas-
ing Jock from his difficulties, that Femina should go
and tell them of her plan.

The wood wizards, of whom there were a dozen,
were sitting in a circle on a big white stone, and each
man had his wisdom cap on—a scarlet sugar-loaf cap,
with a black raven perched upon the top. Femina
saw, with an inward chuckle, from the frowning faces
of the wizards, that they were still perplexed as to
what to do, so she stood for a few minutes behind a
juniper bush, listening to Jock’s wood wizard, who
said,

“Of course we could easily make up some golden
ointment, but I don’t know that that would do the
king much good. Ah, in the good old days, when we
had more power over mortals, we might have done
something; but now I don’t see that we can do any-
thing, but get our good old Jock out of his clutches,
and I am not quite sure how we are going to do that,”
upon which the wood wizard lit a pipe, and began to
smoke, declaring that this helped reflection.

Then the silvery voice of Femina was heard, and,
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 11g

as she stepped forward, she looked so sweetly pretty
that the gentlemen wizards forgot to snub her, and
simply looked at her with admiration in their little
twinkling eyes.

“Allow me to suggest,” said Femina, hopping
lightly into the middle of the big white stone, where the
wizards made a place for her, “our plan. You seem
to have forgotten—wizards are, of course, wonderful
beings, but sometimes we have also good ideas—that
the principal reason that the king is discontented, is
that he has only one person on earth to think about
and gratify, and of course he has got tired of that one
person, who happens to be himself. Why not find a
good, sweet, lovely princess for him, so that he has a
nice companion, and some one else to think about
and care for?”

The wizards were much too dignified to jump at
this proposal, with which they were secretly very
much pleased, so they hummed and ha’d a good deal,
and at last Jock’s wizard, who was the chief of them
all, said,

“Not so bad for your sex; but it needs thinking
over.”

“Very well,” said saucy Femina, “just as you like,
only don’t be too clever and think it over till it’s too
late. The king will be back to-morrow.”

So the end of it was that the wizard sped away to
the king’s palace, and found Jock just as he was
setting out for a ride. He whispered in his ear,

“Good King Jock, the other king is on his way
back, and he means to chop off that little brown head
of yours. Now, this is what you've got to do, As
120 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

soon as the king comes back, tell him you'll go in
search of the golden ointment. Then set off at once
and travel till you find a lovely, good princess for his
wife. She is waiting for him somewhere, but, unfor-
tunately, I cannot say where. Perhaps, however, you
might be lucky enough to meet the world-magician ;
in this case—only be sure it zs him—show him this,
and he'll help you,” and he handed Jock a little sun-
dial, on the reverse side of which was a globe with all
the countries of the world upon it, and above the
whole the majestic figure of the world-magician, who
held in his hands weighing scales and a sickle.

Jock promised to take care of it, and the next day
set off with the consent of the king, who,.at his
request, gave him a portrait of himself, in which the
king was represented as a very handsome young man,
beautifully dressed in the green and gold garb of a
huntsman. He also assured him that Jenny and Mop.
and Peepsie should be well taken care of. Jock set off
whistling, with a light heart. How delightful it was
to be free again, without having all those grinning
and scraping courtiers to follow him directly he
moved! He determined to stop at every village,
where he was likely to find friends, and where he
might possibly learn if they knew anything of a prin-
cess who would do for the king—the king who
supposed him to be searching for the golden oint-
ment! One day he came to a pond where a number
of thoughtless boys and girls were pelting an enormous
green frog with sharp stones. Jock hated cruelty, so
he administered a sound cuffing to the nearest boys,
most of whom he knew, and told them they ought
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 121

ti) be ashamed to bully an unfortunate frog in that
manner. But he could not stay, as it was near night-
fall, and he wished to get to the next village that
night. He had only got a few paces along the high
road when he heard a deep voice behind him, which
said,

“Thank you, Jock; but those wretched children
weren’t really hurting me, because it is not likely that
common mortals could hurt the world-magician. I
only wanted to try them. However, I think just as
well of your good-heartedness ; and now, is there any-
thing I can do for you?”

“Tam in luck,” said the pedlar, and, pulling out the
sun-dial, he told his story to the world-magician, who
was invisible, and asked him where he could find such
a princess. To which the magician replied,

** Such a princess may be found, and not far distant from this ground,
Who scatters seeds of joy around, and like the sun with gold is
crowned,
And like the sun around her play, the golden sunbeams of the day.
So, pedlar, speed upon your way, and bring your king our Princess
May.”

Jock was very glad to know that the princess was
not far off, for he had visited a great many palaces,
and in most of them the princesses had received him
with scorn, declaring that it was impossible that a
common pedlar fellow should have anything to do
with a king. Early the next morning he reached a
fine town, and, to his surprise, found the streets lined
with people, many of whom were poor and afflicted.
Jock inquired of a country woman what it was they
122 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

were waiting to see, upon which the old woman said,
with surprise,

“Why, man alive, where be you come from, that
you haven’t heard of our sweet Princess May? She’s
going to have her bath, and we are waiting to see her,
as we do every morning.”

And presently there was a great shouting and
cheering, and there came along a pretty little chariot,
all made of blue and silver, drawn by two pure white
ponies ; and in the chariot there sat the loveliest prin-
cess imaginable, with flowing golden hair and soft blue
eyes, which shone with sweetness and kindness as she
smiled upon the people, and every now and again
stopped her ponies to talk to some old man, or woman,
or sick person.

Jock felt a little shy about going up to her, so he

waited until she came back from her bath, when it
was her custom to go into the public gardens, and
allow anybody, no matter how humble, to come and
talk to her.
. So Jock waited his opportunity, and then, when he
saw she was quite alone, except for a big white dog,
as tall as a small pony, which accompanied the prin-
cess wherever she went, he drew near to her, and
said,

“Beautiful and gracious princess, will you save the
head of a poor pedlar?”

“ Why, yes, gladly,” said Princess May; “but what
can I do, for you know my father is but a poor man,
and we have but little money to spare?”

Then Jock drew out of his pocket the picture of the
king, dressed as a huntsman, and he looked so hand-
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 123

some, and noble, and manly, that, directly the princess
looked at him, she fell in love with him, and her face
flushed like a sunset; for she knew that she could
never wed any man but this huntsman, in his brave
green and gold uniform. And then Jock fell upon
his knees, and told the princess the whole story, and
begged her to come back with him and marry the
king, as the world-magician had ordained.

The Princess May told him to come back with her
to her father’s house, which was nothing more than a
good-sized mansion, and very plainly furnished. And
here followed a long consultation with the parents of
the princess. When the princess declared she had
fallen in love with the picture of the king, her parents
said, as she had always been the most obedient and
loving of daughters, they would give their consent to
her accompanying Jock.

So, to the great grief of the people, who were incon-
solable at the idea of losing their beloved princess,
she went off with Jock, driving her own little blue
and silver carriage, with Jock.on the seat behind her.
They travelled for two days without stopping, and on
the third day, when they were getting near the king’s
palace, they met a countryman driving a cart, in
which were hundreds of coloured lamps. Princess
May, who had a very inquiring mind, asked what
they were for, and the man answered that there was
going to be a grand public ball that night, at which
his majesty the king was to be present.

Thereupon the princess, who had both modesty and
woman’s wit, said to Jock,

“| will go to the ball to-night, and perhaps the king
124 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

will love me of his own accord as much as I do him.
Meanwhile, you hide yourself at the inn until the ball
is over, and not a word to any one, mind, about a
princess or golden ointment.”

The public ball was a most magnificent affair. It
was held in a splendid room; the walls were of pure
white marble, upon which thousands of coloured. lamps
threw the most delicate hues of purple, and green, and
crimson; and in the centre of the room were cool,
splashing fountains, and great shining green palms,
and the rarest white flowers.

Great blocks of ice, which kept the air fresh and
cold, were suspended from the blue and gold ceiling,
and beneath them hung delicate little silver baskets.
full of the most fragrant perfume.

The guests were very gorgeously attired ; the ladies
in the richest silks, with long trains, and diamonds
flashing on their breasts and in their hair; and the
gentlemen in scarlet or blue and silver, or white and
gold military uniforms. The young king, who did not
seem to be in a particularly amiable temper, now and
again danced with his favourite ladies; but, for the
most part, he stood with his arms folded, surveying
the scene with a gloomy expression. The fact is, in
the midst of that gay assemblage, he was really feeling
very lonely.

Suddenly, in the midst of all the beautiful, haughty
faces of the ladies round him, he caught sight of the
lovely face of a young girl, whose streaming golden
hair and soft, modest, blue eyes gave her a truly
angelic appearance. Everybody was asking who this
young girl—clad so simply in shimmering white, with
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 125

snowdrops at her neck, and a silver girdle circling her
waist, and looking as sweet and pure as the flowers
she wore—could be.

The king’s heart beat violently, for, amongst all the
beautiful women to whom he had made love, and who
had spoilt and flattered him, he had never seen any
who looked like this white angel-maiden. One look

Me A\
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Ow

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The King and Princess May on the verandah.—¢. 125.

at her shining blue eyes was enough for him ; he felt
a real, true love for her, and, after he had danced with
her over and over again, he took her out into the
- cool, white verandah, and there, amidst the palms
and ferns, with no one but the pale, silver moon to see _
them, the king kissed her many times, and promised
1236 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

always to love and be true to her if she would wed
him.

Then Princess May told him how she had loved
him as a huntsman; and as the king, like most men,
was very impatient, their nuptials were celebrated with
great splendour on the following day.

Anda rather curious thing happened at the wedding

ar:
a ee :
le > wal hh is

ht i i, vil i i al hay i

I!

i Ml a ih ip |
. i me

all Ch na Hy \
site

7
“g



The wood wizards and elves have a party.—. 127.

breakfast, for, in the very centre of the great, white,
sugar-frosted cake, the bride’s knife struck upon some-
thing hard, which turned out to be a little white ivory
box, addressed to the king. Princess May bent over -
him with a smile, as he opened it, and read these
words, which were formed in solid gold letters ;—
THE LUCKY PEDLAR. 127

‘¢ From henceforth, king, you’ll be more satisfied,
For you have gained a peerless bride,
And with her is the golden ointment sent—
In other words, O king, content—content.”

The King blushed and whispered in the princess's
little pearly ear, that, as long as she was with him, he
would always be content; and, thanks to the Princess
May’s influence, he was a much better and less selfish
king from that time.

As for the pedlar, it was quite enough joy for him
to get back once more to his Jenny and Mop and
Peepsie, who nearly knocked him down in their delight
at seeing him. And the wood wizards and elves had
a party that night, to which all the aristocratic
mountain elves were invited, and after they had feasted
on honey and forget-me-not jam and cowslip wine
(only the gentlemen were allowed this, as they con-
sidered it too strong for ladies), they sang, in their
pretty, clear voices,

* Silly mortals, full of sighs for things beyond your reach,
Listen to the lesson wise that learned fairies teach—
Be content, be content, whate’er may be your lot,
Whether you drink from a goblet gold, or out of a pewter pot ;
Whether pedlar or king, or in cottage or palace,
Bear your lot bravely, without grumbling or malice 5
For there’s plenty of laughter, and joy, and fun,
For all God’s creatures under the sun.”
THE MALICIOUS ELVES.

HERE were once two little land elves, who
lived in a hill with their mother. She tried
to keep them in order, and often talked

seriously to them about their pranks; but they only
laughed, and said it was all fun.

“Well,” said their mother, “one day the Water
Wizard will get hold of you, and punish you by
casting you into the water; but it will serve you
right.”

Now these elves, whose names were Blackie and
Brownie, loved teasing people better than anything,
and they were always putting their heads together to
try and find out some trick to play upon a man, or
woman, or child. One day they were especially
naughty, for Brownie said, early in the morning,
nodding his little red-peaked cap,

“We'll have fine fun to-day; we'll make the cook -
cross, and spoil the dinner.”

So they jumped into a saucepan of milk and made
it fizz up all ina moment whilst the cook’s back was
turned, and over it went, across the clean, well-
scrubbed kitchen floor, and all the milk was wasted.
THE MALICIOUS ELVES. 129

The cook was very angry indeed, and gave the poor
little page-boy a smart rap on the knuckles; but he
had done nothing. Later on in the afternoon her
face_grew as red as a turkey-cock when she discovered
that a fine fat fowl was quite spoilt ; for these naughty
little elves had opened the oven door whilst she went





Air

They both fell into the water.—. 129.

-uptodress. Brownie and Blackie were delighted when

they saw real tears in her eyes, and they scampered off

down the garden in high glee. But there was punish-

ment in store for them. They were so busy laughing

and talking that they never noticed the river ran at

the bottom of the garden, and both fell plump in,
I
130 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

where the Water Wizard, who knew all about their
tricks, lay in wait for them.

“ Ah, ha!” he cried, showing his great white teeth :
“now I’ve got you, into the water you go, and there
you stay till you’re good.”

And Brownie and Blackie had plenty of leisure to
repent of their malicious tricks before the Water
Wizard released them.
iIOW WEE-WEE RESCUED THE >
PRINCESS ALANTHA.

(By kind permission of Messrs. Cassell and Co.)

I,

HERE was such a to-do in King Bong-Bong’s
Land! Every single soul, man, woman and
child, looked sad and unhappy, and even the

dogs were wagging their tails as if they were in fearful
pain. Fora terrible thing had befallen the king and his
wife Queen Mirola. Their only daughter, the beautiful
golden-haired Princess Alantha, or Princess Lally, as
she was usually called, had been stolen; and, worse
still, stolen by King Bong-Bong’s greatest enemy, the
cruel Juba, king of the Fiery Mountains, They had
been enemies for a long time, for Juba was cruel,
unjust, and tyrannical, whilst King Bong-Bong was
kind and loving to his subjects, and often and often
helped Juba’s subjects, who had fled from him, to
escape, and gave them money and food with which to
flee. So Juba disliked King Bong-Bong, and would
have marched against him, only he feared, in spite of
his great arty, that he would be taken prisoner, and
his mien put"to death ; for Bong-Bong’s little army

x
132 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

was renowned throughout the world for its skill in the
field and the bravery of its soldiers, But King Juba
vowed vengeance,

It happened one day that King Bong-Bong and
his wife went into a neighbouring country to attend
a royal wedding, leaving Princess Lally in the care of
a knight and one of the queen’s waiting-maids,

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Now, though Princess Lally was a very dear little
- girl indeed, she was also a very wilful one, and im-
mediately her father and mother had departed, she
set out to visit a small wood a few yards from the
‘palace, which she had been .expressly forbidden to
RESCUE OF PRINCESS ALANTHA. 133

enter. When she got to this “ Wild Wood,” as it was
called, she felt quite disappointed. It was very dark
and damp, and the trees rustled till the princess grew
rather frightened. All of a sudden she heard a great
whizzing behind her and looked up, and what she
saw made her round blue eyes grow big with terror,
for.close behind her, in a fiery chariot, sat ugly King
Juba, with two great knights in black armour at each
side.

“Ah!” she heard a voice cry triumphantly. “As
daughter. Seize her, Roco and Bril, and bear her
away with us.”

Then the knights caught the princess, who remained
stock-still with fright, by her golden hair, and carried
her up into the air. She gave one great cry, which
brought all the knights and pages out of the palace,
only to see the poor little princess borne away by the

two stern knights, and King Juba sitting with a .-

triumphant grin on his ugly face.

II.

You can imagine the grief and despair of the king
and queen when they heard the news. The-king
‘immediately called a council to consult what: was
best to be done. It was at once decided that it was
impossible to march an army into the Fiery Kingdom,
because the road leading into it was so narrow as only
to aliow a very thin. man indeed to squeeze through.
What was to be done? At last an old counsellor of
the king suggested that one of the pages, who were
tall, slim boys, should be well mounted and armed, and:
134 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

try by stealth and cunning to get into the palace and
rescue the princess by night. This plan gave universal
satisfaction, and many bold youths volunteered to go.
At last a brave and clever lad, named Rolph, was

‘ chosen, and after.having been given much wise advice,
he set out, mounted on a small white horse.

Well, many days passed, and, alas! nothing was
heard of Rolph; and I cannot tell you how many
courageous pages went one after another; but the
same thing happened—nothing was ever heard of
them after their departure, and it was feared they had
perished. At last the king said no more lives could
be sacrificed, and forbade any one else to-go.

Now it chanced one day a very queer-looking little
person presented himself before the king’s audience-
chamber. When the pages saw him, they all laughed,
for he was Wee-Wee, the dwarf, a poor, pale, stunted
little fellow, the son.of the king’s woodman.

He marched boldly up. to King Bong-Bong; and
said, in his shrill, piping voice,

“Please, your majesty, will you let me try and-
rescue the princess ?”

There was a roar of laughter from the courtiers, and
even the king smiled, saying kindly,

“Thank you, dear lad, but you could not succeed -
where so many strong have failed.”

But Wee-Wee begged, and begged, and begged the
king, till at last he said, —

“Well, well, you-may go if your father will let you ;
but I very much fear no good can come of it;and only
harm.to you.”
RESCUE OF PRINCESS ALANTHA, 138

’ OTT.

So Wee-Wee set out unmounted, bearing a brave
and hopeful heart in his bosom, and a good deal of
sense in his wise little head. He knew the way
perfectly well to the Fiery Mountains, and very soon
got out of King Bong-Bong’s Land. Then his diffi-
culties began. The road grew fearfully steep, and
the sun beat down so
fiercely on his face that
Wee-Wee thought he
should burn. He could
not go a step farther, and
threw himself on the
grass face downwards,
where he soon fell asleep.
He was aroused by a
buzzing near him, and
looking up, he saw the
biggest and_ brightest
yellow bee he had ever
seen in his life, attacking
a quite little one, whose
wings were sadly torn.
Wee-Wee rushed to the
rescue, and though he
got his. hands stung, he
succeeded in sending the big bee flying. Then the
tiny bee said to him in the softest and sweetest voice
imaginable, i

“Thank you, Wee-Wee, for helping the weak.
Now I'll do youa turn. Remember not to turn your



Wee Wee drives the big bee away.—. 135.
136 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

head when you get to the zigzag path.” Then she
flew off, and her words rang in the boy’s ear.
“The zigzag path,” he said aloud. “I wonder what
that is?” ;
“Wonder what what is?” croaked a harsh voice
beside him, and Wee-Wee saw an immense green
toad, hideously ugly, hopping in front of him. His
first impulse was to stone the toad, but he checked
himself, remembering how often the pages had thrown
things at him, and said
instead, laughingly,
“Oh, you ugly old
fellow.”
The toad seemed
agreeably surprised at
Wee-Wee’s friendliness ;
then he said gruffly,
looking at the boy’s
lean legs and body,
“Well, you ain’t
exactly a beauty. But
I like you, little chap.
You are the first of
them that hasn’t pitched
stones at me, so I’ll give
; you a bit of advice.
Wee-wee receives advice from a great There’s a certain sword :
green toad.—#. 136. .
remember this. When
you've got it, old it.. Good-day,” he said politely,
and hopped off.
“How queer,” said Wee-Wee, “they all seem to
know about me, Oh, dear, that place is all on fire,


RESCUE OF PRINCESS ALANTHA. 137

what shall I do?” He stood still in dismay, for a
great mountain stood in front of him, looking like one
vast sea of flames. The poor little dwarf shivered
with fear; but a kind voice seemed to whisper,
“Courage, forward.” Then, with heart going pit-a-
pat, and feet trembling like an old, old man’s, he
walked into the flames, expecting every moment to
be a cinder. But, to his surprise, the flames parted
on each side, leaving a path for him in the middle.
At the top the flames all disappeared, but a no less
horrible sight met his eyes. The path leading down
was terribly steep and crooked, and on each side of
it were great stone monsters, whose heads were ugly
shapes, and whose arms were beckoning Wee-Wee.

Wee-Wee gave the horrible creatures and path one
swift glance, and cried,

“The zigzag path!”

It was a terrible journey. He stumbled over an ,
over again, but he always picked himself up, and
kept his eyes resolutely turned to the front; and at
last the road grew wider and wider, and before
long, to his delight, he found himself in a green
field, away from flames and monsters. He breathed
a sigh of relief, and said, “I wonder how much farther
it is; I am so tired.”

‘When he got to the bottom of the field he knew
he had reached his journey’s end. For another
mountain rose before him, and on the top of it was
a beautiful shining palace, looking as if it were made
of red glass. Wee-Wee knew directly, by the dragon’s
heads stuck all round, that it was King Juba’s palace.
At the foot of the mountain he was met by two
138 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

magnificently-mounted knights, who ordered him in
the name of King Juba to “halt,” and name his
business.

“T come to rescue the princess,” said Wee-Wee
boldly.

The knights roared with laughter, and cried,

“No one can ever enter the castle without first try-
ing his fortune with the magic sword.”

They led Wee-Wee round to the other side of the
mountain, where there was a small earth-hole, in which
a glittering sword was sticking, and upon it were
engraved these words: “ Death or Victory.”

“Now,” said one of the knights mockingly, “it’s
quite easy, my little man—pull it out.”

Wee-Wee thought to himself: “There’s some trick
about this sword.” And all-at once the words flashed
across his mind: “When you've got it, Aold zt.” Then
he grasped the sword firmly. It came out quite
easily ; but, oh, the agony! Wee-Wee felt as if his
hands were being stabbed in a thousand places.
“When you've got it, fold it!” and hold he did,
though he could not help shrieking with the pain.
And then, to his great surprise, the knights fell down
praying for mercy.

Wee-Wee, however, took no notice of them; with
the magic sword in his hand, he marched into King
Juba’s palace. The king, with all the people, fled
affrighted before him; and amongst those. running
away, Wee-Wee saw the princess, grown sadly pale
and thin. He hastened to: tell her he had come to.
‘take her back to her father’s kingdom, and begged
her not to lose an instant. And-at the suggestion of
) ori ce

SSS Sa

Se

SSS ;

BO Wi = ELaY



Were soon whirling away.—. 138.
140 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

the knights, whose lives Wee-Wee spared, they got
into the fiery chariot, and were soon whirling away
to King Bong-Bong’s Land. And, oh, the rejoicing
when they arrived. Never before had there been
such a feast, never before had the little boys and girls
been treated to so many buns and good things; and
never before, said the people, was there such a good,
brave little hero as Wee-Wee, whom the king took
care of for ever after.
A VISIT FROM THE DREAM FAIRY.

fe “OU’RE the idlest little ragamuffin I ever set
- eyes upon,” shouted an angry voice, “and if I
'... don’t have that blessed kitten drowned to-night,
my name isn’t Martha Scold.”
' .Poor little Miles tried to make his escape, but was
less fortunate than kitty, for he was seized by his
aunt’s strong arms, and belaboured by the stout
rolling-pin which she held. Then she released him
and ordered him to go and dig the potato-bed, and if
he hadn’t done it by supper-time, why then, he could
- go without his porridge. Miles hurried off, thinking
less of his poor, aching, little bones than of his aunt’s
dreadful threat that she would drown kitty. He was
a small, fragile-looking boy of nine or ten, with a pale
face and big-eyes, which were so sad and appealing,
that even his great rough cousins would forbear to
give him a blow, when he looked up at them with an
imploring expression. None of them were so unkind
to him as his aunt, a domineering, overbearing woman,
who would long ago have turned the little boy adrift, -
had it not been that her husband had solemnly pro-
’ mised Miles’s father to keep the child, until he should
142 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

be old enough to earn his own living. Miles worked
hard at the potato-bed, but he would not have finished
his task by supper-time, had it not been that Nancy,
his aunt’s maid, came out and helped him while her
mistress was entertaining company in the parlour.
She was a great, rosy-cheeked wench, and with her
strong, capable hands, made short work of the dig-
ging. . Then she said kindly, for she knew that the
beloved kitty had been drowned that afternoon,
“You come along of me, Miles, and have your supper
in the kitchen, and I'll give you some honey to
sweeten your porridge.” It was always a great treat
to Miles to sit in the clean, sanded kitchen, with its
blazing log-fire and shining pans hanging on the

wall. So he went gladly, and chatted away to Nancy
- about what he should do when he became a man, for-
getting for the time being all about kitty. But he
remembered when he was goingsto bed, for kitty
always slept with him in his little garret; and when
Nancy told him, as gently as she could, of its sad
fate, he broke out into passionate crying, saying he
hated his aunt; she took away everything he loved.
For once he had had a little pet lamb, and this she
had killed, declaring it ate too much grass, and now
his darling kitty, who had lain’in his atms ever since
it was born.

“T will never forgive her,” he said to eirmeelk: as he
mounted up to the little garret, which looked more
bare and lonely than ever. “Oh, pussy, ‘pussy dear,
couldn’t you have managed to run away. from that
cruel, cruel thing ?”

He tossed about on his-little straw bed, and couldn’t
THE DREAM FAIRY. 143

sleep, and presently, for he knew Nancy and his aunt
were busy with the company, he crept downstairs, and
got a candle and some matches out of Nancy’s store-
cupboard. Then—it was very naughty of him, for he
was never allowed a candle after he was in bed—he
took out, from a little box under the bed, one of his
great treasures, which he always kept carefully con-
cealed from his aunt’s eyes. It was a picture-book
which old Dick, the pedlar, had given him, and was
printed in big letters, which Miles could spell out
pretty well. His favourite story was Puss-in-Boots,
and he read to-night more eagerly than ever, for he
always thought this wonderful puss very like his own
loved Blackie, anyway in face. Oh, how he wished a
fairy, or wizard, or some wonderful person could
_ bring to life again his dear Blackie, who must be feel-
ing so cold and lonely under the dark waters of the
_ mill-pond. Miles . almost thought he could feel
Blackie’s little soft, dark head against his cheek, and
he put out his hand, almost expecting to hear a gentle
purr. But there was no little warm kitty, and Miles
wept afresh. Then he sobbed himself off to sleep,
and, while he was asleep, the Dream Fairy, who was
fond of little Miles, came and asked him if he would
like to take a little trip with her into the strange
country called Fantasticalia, where there were no
tiresome mortals ; and, of course, Miles said “Yes,”
being fond of fairy tales, and picture-books, and
impossible things, and wonderful talking animals.
So, when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a
pussy-cat nursery, where there were four little pussies
of varying ages sitting up at the nursery table, and
144. THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

drinking their milk out of wooden bowls. They had
neat little white pinafores on, and appeared very well
behaved indeed, and their nurse, who was a stately
old tabby, seemed greatly pleased with their nice
manners. But all of a sudden there was a loud
scrimmage, for grey puss had upset his bowl of milk
into his brother’s lap, who immediately proceeded to
scratch him, which piece
of civility grey puss re-
turned with great ardour,
and, when last Miles saw.
them, they were being
led away, struggling and.
kicking, by Nurse Tabby,
who held in her paws a
good-sized birch broom. ©
“Now [ll show you a
pretty sight,” whispered
the fairy, and she led the
way into a large room
where a pussy cat ball
was being held. All the
ladies wore muslin frocks
and coloured ribbons,
whilst the gentlemen

of wooden bows: having milk out Wore gay waistcoats and
knickerbockers, and
nothing could have been prettier than to see the
pussies dance the minuet with the greatest solemnity.
Half-a-dozen very musical cats played the banjo, and
though Miles thought he preferred the cracked old
violin which his cousin Roger played, he was too


THE DREAM FAIRY. 145

polite to say anything ; and would have been pleased
to stay longer, but the fairy drew him along and said
she would show him a foolish cattykin. And then
Miles saw something, which reminded him very much
of a scene, which he had witnessed the day before,
when his cousin Tom had stolen one of his uncle’s
pipes, and was dreadfully ill afterwards. For here
was a foolish young cat who had managed to get
hold of one of his father’s pipes, and although he
pretended he liked it, he looked very sick and dis-
gusted. His catty friends were very envious of his
good fortune; but they were uncommonly glad they
had not smoked, when, later on in the evening, it
became known that this cat, whose name was Pre-
cocity, was very ill indeed. A doctor was sent for, .
and as the cats did not think it etiquette to be -
doctored by one of their own race, they were always
attended to, when sick, by the celebrated medical
monkey family. So the solemn, ponderous Dr.
Baboon arrived in his great coat and furs, and when
he had felt Master Precocity’s pulse he looked very
solemn, and declared he was in a high fever, and must
be kept on milk diet for some weeks.

This was done, much to Precocity’s disgust ; but he
grew so terribly thin under this treatment, that at last
his fond parents determined to call in another doctor,
and, accordingly, the eminent Dr. Chimpanzee, who’
was a thin wiry man, was sent for. He pooh-poohed
the milk diet, said Dr. Baboon was—ahem—and
ordered the patient to be given cat’s-meat three times
a day. Master Precocity had to swallow a good
mary bottles of very disagreeable medicine; but he

K
146 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

soon recovered under the second doctor’s treatment,
and when last Miles saw him he was beginning to
look quite fat and rosy again.

“You see, Miles,” whispered the fairy, “ how foolish
it is for young cats to do things which are only fitting -
and wholesome for their elders. I hope this will bea
lesson to you not to attempt to smoke until you are
a man, and have a sound head and firm bones. But,
come along, we are in luck to-day, for the king and
queen have ordered a review of the troops, as there is
shortly to be a great war against the Dog-country.”

Then she led the way to a large courtyard, where
a splendid review was going on. All. the cats were
divided into battalions according to their colours, and
the Blacks were the finest regiments of all. They
stepped out so well and looked very alert and glossy.-

Miles watched their movements with the greatest
interest, and he was delighted to see the precision and
quickness with which they obeyed the order to
“ Fire,” “March,” “ Left Wheel,” “ Halt,’ and so on.
However, the Dream Fairy had a good deal to do,
and could not devote any more time to Miles, so she
deposited him in his straw bed, and gave him a gentle
kiss to wake him up. Miles rubbed his eyes and ran
down into the kitchen to tell Nancy of his wonderful
dream. But a still more wonderful thing was to
happen, for that very day the rich miller and his wife,
who had no children of their own, offered to adopt
Miles ; and they promised him not only a new pussy,
but Bee a pony of his own, which promise they faith-
fully kept.
THE FLYING CAT.

HERE was once a miller, who lived very happily
and prosperously with his good dame, and was
much beloved by his neighbours for his bene-

volence and charity.
Every night in winter time the good man allowed:
the peasants to come up to the mill, and they were
served with a hearty meal of meat and bread, which
they ate before a blazing fire in the great white
kitchen. No one ever went up to the mill without
noticing the miller’s big black cat, Nuba. It had the
most intelligent face in the world, and was certainly
a wonderful animal. If an idle, thieving tramp came
up to the kitchen-door, begging for money or bread,
Nuba would begin to mew like mad, and Nancy, the
kitchen-maid, knew that she must shut the kitchen-
door and not listen to the tramp’s tale; but to
children and good people it would purr contentedly,
and a real smile was seen about its white whiskers,
whenever the miller made one of his good-humoured,
hearty jokes. As the miller and his wife had, much
to their grief, no children of their own, Nuba was
greatly petted ; but he was not spoilt, and had: never
148 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

been known to put his nose into any of the dairy
pans, as is the custom of some ill-bred cats. Now,
there was only one person in the world who hated
the miller and wished him evil, and that was his own
brother, a silk-merchant, in the next town. He, too,
was rich, but not as rich as the miller, for he had
avery extravagant shrew of a wife; but he was very
angry that everyone should speak well of his brother,
whereas, all the townspeople disliked him for his
cruel and domineering ways. For a long time the
merchant had been casting about, trying how he
could do the miller an ill turn, and at last he said to
his son Dick, who was a lazy, good-for-nothing
fellow,

“ Why should yon miller, who has no children, have
more yellow gold than I, with half-a-dozen of the
plagues? Go to him and tell him he must give me
a hundred bags of gold, or I will set fire to his mill
one night when he is asleep.”

Dick went up to the mill to deliver the message,
but his aunt, the miller’s wife, met him with such
a kind smile, and gave him such an excellent dinner,
that he felt ashamed to deliver his father’s insolent
message. So he only said,

“Pray, uncle, lend my father a hundred pieces of
gold, as he is distressed for this sum, and will surely
repay you some day.”

“That I will right gladly,” said the miller, cheer-
fully, and he went to his strong-box and counted out
a hundred pieces of gold, which he placed in a strong
leather bag. Then he bade the young man_ hurry
home, so as to be there before nightfall, as there were
THE FLYING CAT. 149

many highwaymen about, and Dick set off, promising
to come again soon. But the merchant, instead of
being grateful to his brother for so promptly helping
him, was filled with furious jealousy, and determined
more resolutely than ever to bring the miller to ruin.
As he could not think of any way, he dressed himself

\
\

\\

ZN



The merchant consults the witch.—f. 147.

in the middle of the night, and hurried off to consult
a toothless old witch who lived close by. She wasa
horrible old woman to look at, with a thick black
moustache like a man’s, and so hump-backed that
her long nose almost touched the ground. At each
side of her were two great yellow toads with green
130 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

eyes, and every now and again the old witch would
hit them with a stick and make them scream.

“Good mother,’ said the merchant, “you have
helped me before, help me again. Pray tell me why
it is that my brother the miller has everything he
wants, and more money than he knows what to do
with. See here, he has just sent me this bag full of
gold pieces, and you shall have twenty of them if you
can tell me how to bring his proud head low.”

The witch’s eyes sparkled, and she sang,

‘°C to get this shining gold
I’m ready to do an action bold ;
For I don’t like good folks, no, not I,
I love to hit em and make ’em cry.”

So saying, she again hit the unfortunate toads, and
when tears came out of their yellow eyes, she rubbed
her hands and chuckled with glee. Then she said to
the merchant, “Nothing will make the miller more
unhappy than to lose his dear wife. Now, if you'll
give me fifty pieces of gold, I’ll promise to take her
’ away to the white tower on the sea coast, and no one
need ever hear of her again.” The merchant handed
the witch the money, and told her he would come
there again the next night, and hear how she had got
on. Then the witch dressed herself in a blue cotton
frock and poke bonnet, to look likea poor old country-
woman, and ‘at daybreak hurried off to the mill. It
chanced that the miller had gone into the town to
buy a mare, at which the witch was very much over-
joyed. She told the miller’s wife a long story of how
her little girl was dying, and begged her to come
back to her cottage and see the child.
THE FLYING CAT. 151

The miller’s wife, who was a very kind-hearted
woman, and did not suspect any evil, promised to do
so at once, only stopping to put up some jelly and
fruit for the sick child. All this time Nuba had been
mewing very loudly, and many times tried to scratch
the witch; but his mistress thought he was in a bad
temper, and, unfortunately, did not take much notice.
The witch, however, was very frightened, and she
trembled when she saw that the cat was beginning to
follow them, and when the miller’s wife was not look-
ing, she pulled its tail hard. Nuba flew into a fearful
rage, and tried to spring at the witch’. “:roat.

The miller’s wife could not understand it; she had
never seen her cat like this before: he had arched up
his great black back, and was spitting and hissing at
the witch, who was quite livid with anger and fright,
for she was afraid of black cats, and she knew that
one day through them, she would lose her wicked
powers. She said to the miller’s wife,

“Sweet lady, I cannot go any further with that
terrible animal following us; pray make it return
home, as I am of a timid nature.”

The millers wife, seeing that she was really
frightened, said,

“Home, Nuba,” and took no heed when he mewed
piteously, as if begging to be allowed to come too;
for Nuba, being a wonderful cat, knew that his
mistress was in danger, and he determined to follow
her wherever she went. However, the next minute
he had raced back towards the mill, and the witch
chuckled to think that now she had the miller’s wife
entirely in her power; but she did not reckon on the
152 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

wonderful cat, who was more wonderful than any cat
that has ever been seen or heard of, for he could
separate his head from the rest of the body, and fly
into the air just like a bird, although he had no
wings.

As quick as lightning Nuba flew into a tree, and
keeping his mistress in sight, he flew above their
heads. Before long the miller’s wife grew dreadfully
tired, and she said to the witch,

“ Are we soon coming to your cottage, as my limbs.
are beginning to ache, and my throat is parched with
thirst ?” and the witch said,

“Tt is not much further now.”

Presently they came to a thick forest, and the cat
heard his mistress say nervously,

“ Are you sure we ate coming the right way ?”

“Oh, it’s all right,’ answered the witch; “we are
nearly there,” but the miller’s wife began to be very
frightened, and to wish she hadn’t come, for she
could not help thinking how very much uglier the
old countrywoman looked, than when she had first
seen her.

At the end of the day they came to the sea-coast,
where there was no sign of house, or man, or bird to
be seen, but only a gloomy-looking white-tower, built
on a rock at the edge of the sea. The miller’s wife
shuddered ; it all looked so wild and desolate, but she
turned pale with terror when she saw before her,
instead of the countrywoman, a toothless old hag,
with a wickedly malicious expression on her ugly face.

She fell down upon her knees, and besought the
witch to take her back to her husband, who would be
LHE FLYING CAT. sa SEBS

il great distress and fear at her absence; but for all
answer the witch unbolted the great door of the
tower, and began dragging the poor woman up the
stone steps.

When the cat saw his poor mistress white and faint-
ing, he fell into such a passion that he nearly dropped
into the sea, and vowed that he would scratch out the



A hideous black dwarf brought food.—s. 154.

witch’s eyes the instant he saw her again; but the
witch took her departure by way of a secret passage,
and the cat waited and waited in vain for her.
Meanwhile, the poor millers wife was weeping
bitterly. She was all alone in a stone cell, and
beneath were the foaming white waves, which every
154 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

moment dashed up against the stone walls of the.
tower with great force. When it grew dark, a hideous
little dwarf made his appearance, and, placing a piece
of dry bread and a pan of water, went out again
without speaking. No sooner had he gone, than the
miller’s wife heard a soft little mew, and, looking up,
to her amazement she saw it was her own cat Nuba,
who had followed the dwarf into the tower.

Oh, how glad she was to see him! She caught
him in her arms, and kissed him again and again.
It made her feel less lonely to have one friend near
her.

“Pussy, dear,” she said piteously, “can’t you go to
your good master, and tell him of this dreadful
prison? I would rather be drowned at once than
stay here! Oh, that wicked woman! I shall never,
never see my dear husband again!”

The cat looked up at her as if he quite understood,
and stroked her cheek with his paw, moving his tail
up and down, as if to say, “I know all about it, and
think I can help you.”

When the dwarf came in the morning, the woman
tried to hide Nuba under her skirts ; but he flew softly
up into the air, and, as the dwarf went out, he followed
him unperceived. Then, with tremendous speed, the
cat flew across the sea until he came to a land where
a race of magicians dwelt. He put on his legs and
body, and ran along the road till he met a venerable
man with a white beard, who stooped to pat him.
-Nuba ran round and round the old man, who recog-
nized him, and said,

“ What would you, beloved?”
THE FLYING CAT. 155

Nuba made no mew in answer, but he led the way

to the sea-coast, where a noble little fleet lay in the
harbour.
’ The white-bearded magician clapped his hands, and
in a few moments hundreds of little men, dressed in
blue sailor suits, with long scarlet caps, were swarming
the decks, mounting the rigging, and jumping upon
the cannon. The cat flew up to the top of one
of the masts, and then the little fleet set sail, and
never stopped until it came to the white tower. No
sooner was it perceived than hundreds of black
dwarfs made their appearance at the strong gates of
the’ tower, and a dreadful fight took place between
them and the little sailor men. The latter, however,
were soon victorious; for Nuba went from one to
another of the dwarfs, scratching their faces so terribly
that, with a great yell of pain, they one after another
let go of their guns, and tumbled into the sea.
Then, with a great shout of triumph, the sailors fixed
ladders from the boats to the window-ledges of the
tower, and began swarming up them. Inside the
tower there were numerous men and women, some of
them princesses, and all put there by the witch and
her wicked friends. When the little men told them
that their ships would take them back to their homes,
they were overjoyed, and thanked the sailors with
tears in their eyes; and amongst them was the
miller’s wife, who would have been quite happy, if it
had not been that Nuba took to flying about instead
of sitting on her lap, and letting himself be stroked.

Amongst the prisoners there was a beautiful prin-
cess who had been put there by a wicked uncle,
136 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

who wanted to get her father’s throne for himself:
One day, as they were nearing home, she was stroking
Nuba’s black head with her soft, white hands, when a
little gold ring which she wore on one of her slender
fingers slipped off on to the cat’s back. She noticed
that the cat became strangely excited, and rushed
about the deck in the wildest manner. The miller’s
wife could not make it out at all, and she was dread-
fully disappointed when they landed to find that the
cat refused to come with her, but held tight to the
skirts of the princess, who begged to be allowed to
keep him.

The miller’s wife was so thankful that she had
escaped from the tower, that she agreed, but she asked
the princess to bring the cat to see her and the miller
sometimes. The princess said “Yes;” and, as she
was still a long way from her father’s kingdom, she
asked the little sailor men whether they could get
her a horse, so that she could ride home without
‘delay. But the sailors said they had orders to bear
her home on their shoulders, and they brought out of
the ship a lovely little ivory and red silk car, into
which the princess stepped, with the cat in her arms.
At the back marched the little sailor men, looking
‘like a small army, as they walked along ten abreast.
Presently they came to the very marsh where lived
the witch with her toads.

To the surprise of the princess, the cat bounded off
her lap out of the car, and at the same moment she
heard a great shout from the sailor men, who cried
out, with surprising strength, throwing their little
scarlet caps into the air,
THE FLYING CAT. 157

“Hurrah, hurrah, the spell is broken—for the ring
fell on to pussy’s back, and now the witch’s skull will
crack.”

Out came the witch from her hole where she usually
burrowed, hitting her toads; but at sight of the little
scarlet-capped men, she gave a cry, and when she

i i : )
; i |

i



The cat transformed into a handsome youth, richly clad.—,. 158.

caught sight of the flying cat in the air, she clasped
her hands and gave a loud shriek, for she knew that
her wicked end was near. And the princess, peeping
through the silken curtain of the car, saw, to her
amazement, that the cat flew round and round the
witch three times, and then, instead of a woman, there
158 ZHE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

was nothing but a big grey mouse, which the cat
sprung at and gobbled in a trice. The princess
thought this very cruel, and was just going to blame
the cat, when, lo and behold, there was no black cat
to be seen either in the air or on the ground, but
instead, a handsome youth, richly clad in blue and
silver brocade, to whom the red-capped men were
bowing respectfully. Soon he came over to her car,
and said,

“Fair princess, for many years I have lain under_
the spell of that wicked witch, who, in revenge for a
wrong done many years ago by my father, turned me
into a black cat.

“The magicians could not alter the spell, but they —
secretly promised me that I should be given flying
powers, and that the wicked spell should be broken, if
ever a ring dropped off a princess’s finger on to my
back. They also warned the witch that, whenever
this took place, she should be changed into a grey
mouse, and be eaten up by a black cat.”

The princess thought this a very wonderful tale ;
and she was so pleased with the comely looks of the
prince, that she agreed to marry him as soon as they
reached her father’s kingdom.

And not long after they set out for the mill, bearing
the most lovely presents of gold and silver and pearls
for the good miller and his wife, whose hearts had
since been gladdened by the birth of a fine rosy boy.
As for the silk-merchant, he had such ill luck after the
witch’s disappearance, that he was obliged to leave the
country and fly from his creditors, who declared they
would keep him in prison for the rest of his life,
if they ever set eyes on him again,
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES IN
SMOKELAND.

ITTLE Toddlekins had wept so much that
evening since he had been sent to bed in
disgrace, that he found some difficulty in dis-

‘covering a dry place upon which to deposit his
little yellow head. The trouble had all come about
in this way.

Toddlekins (whose real name was Guy Stanley) had
lost his mother when he was quite a tiny baby; but,
fortunately, he had found a very kind friend in Mrs.
Bootle, the housekeeper, who took very good care of
him and his brothers, Regie and Philip. Regie and
Philip both went to boarding-school, and Toddlekins,
who was only seven years old, would have been rather
lonely in the great big house with his stern, grave
father, if it had not been for kind fat Mrs. Bootle, who
used to invite the lonely little man into her cosy room,
where sometimes, for a great treat, she would let him
make toffee or roast chestnuts.

It happened, however, that Mrs. Bootle went off
into the country for her annual holiday, leaving Toddle-
kins to the care of Mary, the nurse.

Toddlekins saw very little of his father. He was
160 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

what Lizzie the housemaid called a “littery gentle-
man.” By this she did not mean that Toddlekins’
papa ever made the room untidy, like Toddlekins and .
his brothers. On the contrary, Mr. Stanley’s papers |
were always like himself, as neat as a new pin. What
she meant by his being a “littery gentleman” was, as
she herself explained- to the tax-gatherer when he
came round, that “he wrote books and newspapers.”

Now, although Toddlekins had the most cherubic
little face in the world, and, with his yellow curls and
round pink cheeks, looked exactly like an angel, all
the same he was a very troublesome-and mischievous
little monkey. The three boys had a playroom of
their own at the end of the upper hall, and, as their
father and uncles gave them plenty of expensive toys,
it might have been reasonably expected that Master
Toddlekins could play by. himself for half-an-hour
without getting into mischief But Toddlekins did
not find ‘the rocking-horse much fun without Regie
and Phil (who, by-the-bye, bullied him more than
they played with him), and, after he had smashed a
toy nigger which had been given him the night before,
he could not find anything else to hammer to pieces,
so he felt rather disconsolate. Mary had gone into -
the kitchen to do some ironing, after having given
Toddlekins strict injunctions to stay in the playroom
until she came up.

> Toddlekins was not fond of Mary, who was very
‘ sharp and peremptory in her manner. So, after he
had peeped out cautiously, and discovered that she
_was nowhere about, he made his way downstairs. A

bright thought had darted into his impish little brain,
TODDLEKINS ADVENTORES. 101

and, with a stealthy glance up and down the great
staircase, Toddlekins made his way on tiptoe into his
father’s study. This was the idea that had come into
his head. He had happened to hear his father say to
the coachman that morning that there was a lot of
soot in the study chimney, and that he should like it
swept. Now, the day before, one of Toddlekins’ aunts
had brought him a picture-book, and in it was a picture
of a poor, miserable, little sweep-boy climbing down
a chimney upon his hands and feet. His Aunt Flo
had explained to him that, in the olden times, tiny
boys were employed by the master sweeps to get
inside the chimneys, which were much wider than they
are now, and sweep them out. Toddlekins was very
much impressed, and asked a great many questions as
to ‘how this could be done. His aunt, not suspecting
any mischief, had given him full particulars, and Tod-
dlekins took good care not to forget a single word.

So, with a wicked little chuckle, he softly went into
the study, shut the door tight, and took up a little
black broom, which was hung upon a nail near the
grate. Then he thrust his small yellow head and the
top part of his body into the wide opening of the
chimney, and began poking about vigorously with the
little black broom, as the sweep-boy had done in the
picture. To his immense joy, a great mass of soot
was dislodged, and fell softly into the grate. .:Toddle-
kins stopped his operations for a moment, clapped his
hands with delight, and then began brushing more
energetically than ever.

He was obliged to leave off before long, for the
soot, which had long ago completely covered his blouse,

; L
162 YZTHE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

began to fill his throat and eyes, and make him feel
sick; but this was not until there was a tolerably
thick layer of soot on all the chairs and tables. Then
it was that Mary entered the room, having heard a
noise in the study, and stood speechless at the sight
that met her gaze. Toddlekins’ soft yellow curls were
black as coal; Toddlekins’ blue cotton blouse was
likewise ; Toddlekins’ brown legs and white socks
were still more likewise.

Then followed a rather dreadful moment for Tod-
dlekins, for when he looked up, meaning to be saucy
to Mary, he saw behind her the wrathful face of his
father. Mr. Stanley did not appreciate. boys; he was
always wondering why they were invented, thought
them a great nuisance, and that the best place for
them was boarding-school all the year round. But he
very much appreciated his magnificently-bound books,
which, in white and gold and real Russia-leather covers,
filled all the shelves that ran round the room. So
you may imagine his very righteous anger when he
saw at a glance that many of his books were quite
spoiled, not to speak of his papers, on which there was
no longer a speck of white. He was a very big, tall
man, and, as he stood towering over the small Toddle-
kins, he looked like an enraged giant.

“ How dare you come into my study ?” he thundered
out, to which Toddlekins replied, in a frightened little
voice,

“Please, papa, I only wanted to be a little sweep-
boy.”

I will not dwell upon the painful event that followed,
when Toddlekins howled most piteously, mure hurt in
LODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES. 163

his feelings than in his small body; for, although
Regie and Phil had often received what they called
“spankings,” from their father, Toddlekins had never
before made practical acquaintance with the strength
of his father’s right arm.

He sobbed so dreadfully after he was put to bed
that Lizzie, the housemaid, who was very kind-hearted,
ran up to him, and took him into her arms, saying,
“ Poor little chappie,” which seemed to comfort Toddle-
kins very much; and he was still more comforted
when Lizzie brought him up a nice jam puff, with
strawberry jam oozing from the sides, showing there
was a good supply within. Toddlekins had to eat it
in the dark, and it was so good and sweet that, by the
time he had consumed it, he had almost forgotten his
troubles. Then he began thinking what fun it was,
before his papa had come into the room (it wasn’t fun
after), and how jolly it would have been if he could
have got right up the chimney.

“Right up the chimney,” said Toddlekins to him-
self, sleepily. “Why, that’s where the smoke goes;
I wonder where it goes to? Perhaps it goes up
to heaven and turns into an angel; I’d like to go
too.”

And then all sorts of things danced before his
sleepy blue eyes ; angels, like the one in his big pic-
ture-book, little black brooms, round faces, with two
eyes, which all seemed to look like Mary; great
frowning giants, with slippers in their hands; jam
puffs, sweep-boys, and blue smoke curling up, and up,
and then Toddlekins felt himself going up into the
air. He looked down, and found himself on the back
164 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

of two white feathers, which he remembered to have
pulled out of his pillow that night, for he used to play
all sorts of games with feathers, pretending they were
fairies and pussy cats and mice.

Toddlekins was a very intelligent child, and had a
particularly inquiring mind, which was apt to be
rather a nuisance at times, for he always wanted to
know the why and wherefore of everything, and, if
you did not answer him to his satisfaction, he never
rested till he had found out for himself. So he asked
the feathers very solemnly,

“ Am I going to heaven ?”

To which they answered in their soft, silvery
voices,

“Dear littlke Toddlekins, we are taking you to
Smokeland, and here we are,” and both feathers gave
him a kiss on his rosy cheeks, and vanished into the ©
air.

Toddlekins immediately rubbed off the kisses,
which he did not at all like, for he had heard Regie
say indignantly, on a similar occasion, that only little
boys were kissed, and Toddlekins did not consider
himself a “7¢¢le boy. For the first time in his life he
found himself quite alone in the open air, and he was
so pleased, that he began whistling “Little Bo-Peep,”
which was the only tune his little red lips ever suc-
ceeded in producing. A minute later Bo-Peep stood
before him. She was prettily dressed in white, with
a yellow sash across her shoulder, and in her hand
she carried a slender white wand, on which was
written, in goid letters, the word “ Primrose.” At her
heels followed a flock of tame lambs, who looked
more stupid and sheepish than they usually do.

166 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Coming to the party ?” asked little Bo-Peep.

“Yes, of course,” answered Toddlekins promptly, a
vision of jellies, crackers, and oranges rising before
his mind. “Could I go with you?”

“ Ye-e-e-e-es,” said Bo-Peep rather doubtfully ; “ but
isn’t your costume a little remarkable for a party and
Jéte? Excuse the liberty of mentioning it.”

“Oh, with pleasure,” returned Toddlekins, who had
heard his father say this once, and treasured it up for
a fitting occasion. “I’m sorry I haven't got on my
velvet suit and lace collar—Mary says it’s real lace,
and worth a sight o’ money—and my silk socks and
buckled shoes, but——”

Bo-Peep interrupted him.

“ Never mind, you’re a little duck as you are, and
I'll make you look a little more dressy,” saying which
she took off her own yellow silk scarf and tied it
round Toddlekins’ waist, which was not very clearly .
defined, owing to his plumpness. But when she had
done this, and they had set off for the party, Toddle-
kins fidgetted with it dreadfully, and at last he said
piteously,

“Please, please ma’am, do tie it at the side ; it’s just
like a girl to have bows at the back, and, please, in
a sailor-knot, because I am a veal boy.” Then he
went on, afropos of nothing, but Toddlekins loved to
wag his tongue, “Mary says daddy’s dreadful ’strava-
gant with his white bows—ties, I mean; when he’s
going out to dinner he has six.”

“ And does he wear them all at the same time?”
asked little Bo-Peep, flicking her sheep; “he must
feel rather white choker-d—choked, I mean. Hullo,
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES. 167

here’s little Jack Horner; I don’t mind introducing
you.”

Jack Horner was a stout, round-faced boy, who
looked as if he habitually ate too much pudding; and
his method of recognizing the introduction was to
stick out his tongue as far as it would go, in fact,
further, and he had some difficulty in getting it back
again. Toddlekins, like most small boys, was ex-
tremely quick at imitating rude habits, so he immedi-
ately went through the same performance with his
small red tongue, whereupon Miss Bo-Peep burst out
laughing, declaring that her little family would never
behave so vulgarly.

Jack Horner kicked the nearest sheep, which
retaliated by a mild bleat, and said,

“No, they ain’t got enough pluck—asses !”

“They’re sheep,” said Miss Bo-Peep.

“ Don’t care,” said rude Jack Horner; “they’re both.
Greater contains the less, as my Butter’s Spelling-Book
used to say. Do you learn Butter’s Spelling, night-
gown boy? ’Tain’t the Butter I mind, ’tis the Spelling.
Oh! my word, when you get to words of twenty sylla-
bles like ‘Treaclemolassespiecrustsugarplumslemon-
squashcockalorum.’ Spell that if you can, night-
gown boy.”

Toddlekins gasped. He could read books in two
syllables pretty well, and had just begun words of
three syllables, with a dash between them, like “ Man-
eat-er.”

However, he made a brave attempt and began,
“T-r-ee tree, k-u-l kul, treacle,” and he was about to
start on molasses, when little Bo-Peep said, laughingly,
168 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

that they weren’t at a spelling-bee, and that they
must go on a iittle quicker, or they wouldn’t be ia
time.

They hurried on, but Toddlekins did not enjoy
Jack Horner’s company much, for he kept on saying,
in an undertone,

“Oh, what a nice little girl we are! and what a
lovely sash we've got to match the colour of our kuls !
I say, Bo-Peep, here’s a conundrum, ‘ Why is molasses
like night-gown boy’s kuls?’?’ Answer—‘’Cos both is
yellow and sticky.’”

“My hair isn’t sticky,” put in Toddlekins, with a
very red face.

“ Ain’t it just, night-gown boy. I don’t mean any-
thing offensive ; but what does sticky mean? Why,
anything that sticks of course; and don’t your hair
stick to your head? Let’s try.”

Jack made a dash at the yellow curls; but little
Bo-Peep said Toddlekins shouldn’t be hurt, and that
she preferred Jack Horner at a distance; he was so
ill-mannered.

Jack went off muttering girls never could seea joke ;
but Toddlekins was much relieved, and vented his
feelings by hitting the hindermost lamb with a little
knotted stick that he had picked up.

They had now reached a delightful part of the
country, the ground being made of a beautiful, soft,
white substance, looking exactly like clouds, on which
grew quantities of exquisite flowers, whose shape and
colour were constantly changing.

“Oh, how pretty!” cried Toddlekins; and, as he
loved nothing better than pulling and picking things
TODDLEKINS ADVENTURES. 169

to pieces, he ran forward, and, with ruthless hands,
tore a lot of lovely scarlet flowers up by their roots.
He had no sooner got them in his rough grasp than
they immediately vanished, much to his amazement ;
but Bo-Peep said,

“Oh, you were too rough with those pretty flowers ;
you had better not pluck them, as they want very



Toddlekins walked along by the side of Bo-Peep.—4. 168,

tenderhandling. They are called ‘imagination flowers’
and are really fairies, which take all sorts of shapes,
like birds, and stars, and angels, and moons, and all
sorts of lovely things.”

“Oh, I would like some,” exclaimed Toddlekins
170 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

earnestly ; he always wanted everything he heard
about.

“Well, I can’t give you any,” said Bo-Peep ; “but,
perhaps, if you keep good friends with the fairies,
they'll present you with some imagination gifts some
day. Why, here comes old John Beef-and-Ale with
his stupid John Bulls.”

John Beef-and-Ale was a burly farmer, with a red,
stolid face exactly like his own John Bulls. They
were a drove of well-fattened oxen, and they were
nicely dressed for the party in corduroy trousers and
blue shirts, and braces hanging down behind. They
all had pipes in their mouths, and walked upon their
hind legs. Their conversation appeared to consist
chiefly of grunts, but they seemed to find it interest-
ing ; generally, however, they tramped along in silence,
. puffing away at their pipes.

Toddlekins walked round the first John Bull, who
was a little ahead of the rest, and stared at him with
all his might and main: Finally, he mustered up
enough courage to give him a very cautious poke with
his stick, much more cautious than the one he had
given the mild lamb, but just enough to find out that
he was real.

John Bull turned round, took his pipe out of his
mouth, stood still, and spat upon the ground. (I regret
to relate that Toddlekins, forgetting that the habits of
a John Bull are not quite befitting those of a well-bred
boy, afterwards practised this operation with much
ardour and success.)

Soon, however, the John Bull went on again, and
Toddlekins said to Bo-peep, who was discussing the
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES. 171

weather with John Beef-and-Ale, “ Are they going to
the party too?”

And the farmer answered, “Oh, yes; they’re going
right enough; it does’em good. I say, food for the
body and food for the mind.”

Toddlekins didn’t understand this, and was just
going to ask some of his everlasting questions, when
the farther disappeared, remarking he felt a “trifle
dry.”

They all went on, and presently the farmer caught
them up, and Toddlekins asked him immediately,

“Don’t you like being dry ?”

“ All depends, my little man. I like being dry out-
side, but a draught of pure fresh water is so good for
every one, and so refreshing.”

In saying this he winked at some of the John Bulls,

upon whose faces there appeared a great, broad grin. .

Toddlekins did not see anything very funny, but he
kept this to himself, and, pretending to find the joke
very amusing, said,

. “Wiggins, our man, is a blue temperance tea
' “Tea-to-tum?” asked John Beef-and-Ale, good-
temperedly.

“No,” said Toddlekins, his cheeks growing scarlet,
as they always did when he couldn’t remember his
long words; “I don’t think that’s ’zactly the ’spres-
sion, but I remember he said he liked the ’sample.”

Wiggins had really said he liked setting a good
example; but Toddlekins’ blunders didn’t matter, for
no one heard, as by this time they had reached the
gates of a splendid park, through which all sorts of
creatures were passing.

”



7
172 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

There were a lot of peacocks, magnificently arrayed,
under the charge of a lady, who, Bo-peep whispered,
was a duchess, “J know,” said Toddlekins, nodding
his head sagely. “Earl; female earl, countess. Duke;
female duke, duchess.”

“Hush,” said Bo-peep; “you chatter too much,
Now, I'll explain to you some of these things, and
then Pll have to run away. You see, Toddlekins, you
probably won’t understand all this, but you can
remember that it’s a political theatrical party. And,
you see, the more people who come the better, and
that is why the wire-pullers—you know, like the man
who makes the Punch and Judy perform—are so
pleased when they see crowds like this. So that’s
why I bring my silly baa-lambs, who never think for
themselves, and always say ‘Baa-baa’ to everything,
even to a goose; and that’s why John Beef-and-Ale
brings his John Bulls, because the Punch and Judy
puller will give them plenty of beef and beer, and
that makes them even stupider than they look, which
is saying a good deal. And, as for the peacocks, well,
they can’t live without excitement, and they like the
opportunity of showing off their fine clothes and
flirting with the turkeys. You will see, too, a good
many woodensheaded apes, also talking apes, who
are often to be found chattering on platforms, and
many turkey-cocks, parliamentary and otherwise.
But a primrose party in Smokeland isn’t bad fun,
and there are plenty of good things to eat. Ta-ta,
dear little Toddlekins; you may keep my sash as a
keepsake,”

Toddlekins felt rather forlorn when he found himself
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES, 173

surrounded by all sorts of chattering creatures, who
all seemed to know each other, and find it great fun.
However, his spirits revived at the sight of a big tent,
beneath which he spied a huge table, on which a
splendid feast was spread. Toddlekins, with some
trepidation, slipped into a vacant seat, next to an
enormously fat, elderly gentleman, who required two
seats, owing to his great bulk.

Presently a waiter came up to him and said, “ What
for you, sir?” and the “sir” so delighted Toddlekins,
that he could have fallen upon that waiter’s neck
and kissed him. However, he managed to restrain
his emotions, and said, in a very xonchalant sort of
voice, as if he were quite used to this sort of thing,

“T’ll trouble you to give me one of those meat pies,
not the long, thin one, but the fat, lumpy fellow.”

“ And what will you drink, sir?” asked this delight-
ful waiter.

Toddlekins was just on the point of saying he
always drank milk at home, when he remembered
Regie had once said it was only fit for babies, so he
puzzled and puzzled to think of something that his
father took, and at last he said,

“T’ll take a little brandy-wine, please, waiter, not
too strong, and with nine lumps of sugar.”

The waiter did not move a muscle of his face, so
Toddlekins’ order must have been quite the correct
thing ; and he could not make out why a creature near
him gave a loud guffaw, as if he had said something
very funny.

This creature was a big fox, with a very intelligent
face, and he looked quite a gentleman in his evening
174 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

clothes, with a flower in his button-hole, and a pair of
gold-rimmed eye-glasses on his nose.

Next to him sat his great friend the Hawk, also
nicely dressed in evening clothes, and a little lower
down the table there was a walking-stick with a
wooden face, exactly like one Toddlekins had often
seen in his father’s “Punch.” The walking-stick
seemed very languid and sleepy, and he leant back
across the chair as if he were tired of life and dinners.
He was dressed in a very high white collar, which
looked as if it would choke him every minute, and
under this, a lovely mauve tie, in which there was a
gold pin.

Then there were two drums seated side by side,
who were chattering as fast as their drum-sticks
could go. Every now and then the fat elderly
gentleman next to Toddlekins would look across at
them and scowl, and say angrily, “ Nothing but noise,
nothing but noise, confound them !”

Next to them sat two queer-looking gentlemen,
with heads like feathers, and shamrocks in their
hair. Toddlekins overheard one of them say to the
waiter,

“Shure, I detaste your primrose politics, I scoron
them, but faith, I like yer primrose pies.”

Next to him were two sweet young ladies, called
the Miss Soap-bubbles ; they wore airy transparent
dresses, of the palest pink and mauve, and looked as
if a breath would blow them away altogether. Having
in a minor degree satisfied his inner man with meat
pies, blanc mange, jelly, meringues, etc., Toddlekins
began to feel more sociable, so he said to his fat
TODDLEKINS ADVENTURES. 175

neighbour, who had been steadily and systematicaily
eating for the last hour,
~ “Do you often come to these kind of dinners, sir?”

The fat elderly gentleman glared at him, and ther
said severely,

“Sir, I never talk at my meals, it interferes with my
digestion ; and perhaps you are not aware that the
only form in which I care to see the specimen, named
boy, at my dinner, is in that of boyl’d pork, served up
hot, with plenty of apple-sauce and roasted chestnuts.”

“ But, sir,” persisted Toddlekins, “wasn’t you oncea
boy ?”

“* The fat boy’ in Pickwick,” murmured: the Hawk
to the Fox.

The old gentleman looked at Toddlekins with un-
utterable disgust, and said,

“Boy, know that there are some chapters in one’s
life that one would fain forget; and no respectable
man likes to remember that he was once a boy, an
animal that doesn’t wash, and over-eats himself,
ugh!”

Toddlekins thought he heard the Fox murmur,

“ Not too much evidence of soap and water now,
and certainly over-eats himself Hawky, old boy,
fifteen courses and twenty-five entrées, what a splen-
did digestion !”

Toddlekins having distinctly heard the words soap
and water, immediately said to the Fox,

“Do you like blowing soap-bubbles?” Just as he
asked this, there was a lull in the conversation, and
the question was heard by every one at the table.

The Fox glanced at the Miss Soap-bubbles, and
176 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLE?.

smiled cynically, and then made a remark to his
friend Hawky, upon which they both burst out
laughing in the most uproarious manner.

Then to Toddlekins’ surprise, up jumped one of the
feather-headed gentlemen opposite, and throwing a
glass of wine into the Fox’s face, said passionately,

“Sir, do you mane to call yourself a gentleman?
It’s a scounthrel you are, insulting two lovely swate,
charming young ladies; and, as for you, spalpeen”
(this was addressed to Toddlekins), “I’d like to have
the thrashing of ye!”

Toddlekins looked so distressed, that one of the
Miss Soap-bubbles, who was quite pink with blushing,
said, ‘wery kindly, that she did not think Toddlekins
meant to hurt their feelings, but people should be very
_ careful in a public place to avoid personal remarks.
As for the Fox, after deliberating with Hawky as to:
whether he should throw some claret at Feather-head, -
he decided not to waste good wine, and the affair ~
passed off, the Fox only remarking in an undertone
to Toddlekins,.

“Young man, in going to public dinners, you have
commenced early your downward career, but let this
be a warning to you, never, never, never sit near a
Paddy.”

“ Personal et again,” said the fat elderly
gentleman sourly, who sometimes broke his rule
about ever speaking. . “Can’t you choose an abstract
subject for a public dinner, sir?”

“ Certainly,” said the Fox politely, grinning with all
his might at the Hawk. “How's the tallow-candle
trade flourishing ?”
TODDLEKINS' ADVENTURES. 177

The fat elderly gentleman grew purple with rage,
for he was a retired tallow chandler, and very stupidly,
was much ashamed of the fact. Whilst he was ponder-
ing upon an answer that should completely annihilate
the audacious Fox, Toddlekins, who had been thinking
deeply for the last few minutes, asked anxiously of the
Fox,

“ Sir, what is ’stract? Is it nice?”

A thin elderly lady in black, who looked exactly
like an ordinary. vinegar bottle with a bonnet on, bent
across the table, and, drawing a book out of a little
black bag, said solemnly, handing it to Toddlekins,

“Little boy, I will give you a tract for your very .
own. It is beautiful and instructive reading, and ald:
about two boys no older than you.”

Toddlekins put out his hand eagerly, and began to
spell out the words, whilst the Fox looked over his
shoulder and read,

“An awful warning and a touching consolation
illustrated by the lives of the wicked, high-spirited
Tommy Mirthful, and the saintly, meek William

_Ditchwater.” And underneath were their portraits.

“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the Fox, “now you're in
for it, Tommy. Why, what’s this written at the
bottom? ‘Dear young friends, when you have
thought upon this, and made your choice as to
whether you will be William or Tommy, piease
pass it on to. your friends.’ Ail right,” said the
irrepressible Fox, “we'll pass it on,” and snatching
it out of Toddlekins’ hands, he threw it into the
capacious lap of the elderly gentleman, after which
he rose from the table, saying to Toddlekins,

M
178 THE LITTLE MEN 1N SCARLET.

“Young one, I like you, so you may come with me.
I want some fresh air. I have had enough of tallow
chandlers, vinegar bottles, spinsters, and paddies.”

He might have added also “of dinners,” which was,
indeed, sufficiently clear, as he had to undo three
buttons of his waistcoat.

Outside things were much more lively. There was
dancing, cocoa-nut shying, pea-shooting, sack races, all
of which Toddlekins tried in turns. A crowd of
people were collected round a hideous little nigger
girl, who was dressed in very puffy white skirts, and
who danced and capered about, and sang, amidst
roars of laughter and shouts of applause, a comic
song, which the Hawk said was very popular at the
Smokeland concert halls,

Presently they came to a platform, on which there
were six young gentlemen, who sat straight upright,
exactly like wooden dolls, listening to one of their
number, who was talking to the crowds that were
standing round on the grass, and which consisted of
ladies, young and old, pretty and ugly.

The Fox eyed some of the younger ladies with
approval, and whispered to the Hawk that he was
sure a lot of these pretty girls were waiting to be
kissed ; but the Hawk said (and Toddlekins could not
make out what he meant),

“As a married man, with a wife, and a mother-in-
law who has no sense of humour, I think I would
rather not venture.”

Presently they got separated from Toddlekins, who
found himself in the arms of a young lady, who
covered him with kisses, called him a sweet darling,
and asked him where his mamma was.
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES. 179

When Toddlekins said solemnly, “In heaven,” she
renewed her kisses, and called several of her lady
friends to come and admire him.

They all crowded round him, saying,

“What a sweet little pet, and in his night-dress!
What lovely silky hair he has, and what pretty blue
_ eyes—the darling little angel!”

When one young lady proceeded to kiss his little
bare foot, Toddlekins made many attempts to free
himself, but they so hugged and smothered him, that
big tears came into his eyes, and at last, I am ashamed
to say, he tried to dzte one pretty white hand that held
him fast.

Then he managed to get free, and scrambled up to
his proper place amongst the gentlemen on the plat-
form, who all looked at him in mild surprise, and sat
quite still, looking as if they were at a funeral.
Toddlekins soon grew tired of this, and, climbing
along the back of the platform, fell plump into a
tent, where there were a lot of merry gentlemen and
animals sitting smoking, with glasses in front of them.
They shouted at the sight of Toddlekins, and clinked
glasses, crying, “Come in, come in, the more the
merrier.”

A huge man, dressed like a clown, with a cap and
bells on, caught up Toddlekins with one hand, and a
little stool in the other, which he deposited in the
centre of the table, with Toddlekins upon the top of
it. Toddlekins was not altogether delighted with this
arrangement: he would have preferred a proper seat
like the other men; but still, as they didn’t crowd
round him and hug him, he didn’t mind so much.
1809 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

His friend the Fox, who had got a huge cigar in
his mouth, called out, “Tired of the ladies, eh,
Tommy?”

“ Rather,” said Toddlekins emphatically. “They’re
very tiresome, and too fond of kissing ; but allow me
to ’erpress on you” (he had just heard this said on the
platform), “that my name’s Toddlekins, not Tommy.”

“All right, Toddykins,” said a facetious Ape, who
sat near him, “have some toddy, name’s something
like,” and he handed to Toddlekins some lemonade,
which he drank greedily, as he was very thirsty.

“Toddykins Tommy,” called out a laughing Hyena
from the bottom of the table, “how far had they got
in the speeches, and how did you like them speeches,
not peaches ?”

“As well as primrose-promise pies?” asked the
clown.

Toddlekins had been burning to ask this question
ever since the Fox had left him, so he said to the
clown,

“Why is primrose stuck up everywhere ?”

“Why, don’t you know?” called out the Ape, who
also wore evening clothes. “It’s because the men are
all so prim. Didn’t you notice old Drybones on the
platform go like this?” and the Ape drew himself up,
put his arms down straight beside him, and looked
very prim and proper indeed, exactly as the gentle-
man on the platform had looked.

All the rest burst out laughing, and cried, “ Bravo,
Charley!” and the Ape went on, “And then, of
course, all the ladies are roses and rosebuds, blush-
roses and full-blown roses” (here all the men laughed,
TODDLEKINS’. ADVENTURES. 181

in which Toddlekins joined), “so you see, Tommy
Toddlekins, together it comes to primrose. Why,
you're a primrose already, you’ve got it on your
tie-ups.”

“Tt isn’t tie-ups,” said Toddlekins, with an angry
frown ; “it’s a belt,’ and he hastily tucked the ends
out of sight. “And I don’t know whether J w7// be a
primrose.”

“YT wouldn't,” said the clown, filling Toddlekins’
chubby hands with chocolate, and putting a pink
paper cap upon his head, without Toddlekins knowing
it, on which was written, “Baby Bunting,” “but what
will you be?”

“TI don’t quite know,” said Toddlekins thoughtfully,
“but nota ‘littery gentleman.’” Here all the company
roared, and said to the Ape; who was the editor of a
comic paper, “that’s one for you, Charley.”

“T’m ’plexed between a fireman and a Punch and
Judy showman, and a blacksmiff, and a soldier—my
uncle’s a soldier—or I’d like best to be a haymaker,
or I'd like to be a butcher-boy, or a gipsy, or a post-
man, and go rat-tat.”. Then he burst out into peals
of laughter, exclaiming, “Oh, you funny, funny, it zs
*musing.”

It really was most ridiculous. Everybody had put
on a paper cap of some kind. The clown wore one in
the shape of a donkey’s head; the Ape wore a night-
cap; the Fox a servant’s cap; whilst John Beef-and-
Ale looked the most absurd of all, for on the top of
his broad red beefy face he had stuck a little French
bonnet of the sort that fine ladies wear.

_ Witha wild yell of excitement, Toddlekins scrambled
182 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

off the stool and ran to the edge of the table, intending
to pluck off John Beef-and-Ale’s bonnet, when, just as
“he stretched out his hand, everything, including the
table, vanished into smoke, making the air quite
cloudy for a few moments. Only Toddlekins was
left standing upon the grass; and as soon as he had
recovered from his surprise, there was another in store
for him, for he was surrounded by giants with great
horns sticking out on each side of their heads; and
huge mouths full of great gleaming teeth looking like
saws. Each of them carried a slipper as big as a
salmon in his hand, and by this and their horns
Toddlekins knew they were “bogeys,” like ones he
had seen in a book of Regie’s.

The bogeys danced round poor frightened little
Toddlekins like wild Indians, shouting “ Ha-ha, a fine
tender morsel. Baby Bunting herself; this is luck.
The question is, shall it be roast or boiled?” Saying
which, one of the bogeys caught up Toddlekins,
balanced him on his little finger, and they all started
homeward.

Imagine Toddlekins’ feelings. All the way home
they discussed whether he would taste best roasted or
boiled, and at last they came to the conclusion that
he would be more juicy roasted. Directly they
reached the bogeys’ cave, a crowd of naked baby
bogeys, who had horns just like the big ones, rushed
out and shot right up into the air at sight of Toddle-
kins. Then they begged that they might have Baby
Bunting to play with and tease; and the giants
said,

“Yes, till to-morrow, you can play with her, then
we'll have a fine supper, oh, golly!”
TODDLEKINS’ ADVENTURES. 183

Toddlekins was too frightened even to say that he
was a boy, and he was borne off by the horrible little
baby bogeys. They were very cruel to him, and
behaved, in fact, very much in the same way that
Toddlekins did occasionally to his little cousins, and
very frequently to his own little dog, Leo.

They played ball with him, pulled out his pretty
yellow hair, and held him up by his toes. Then they
stood him on his head, and sticking him on one of
their thumbs, jumped about till he was quite giddy.
Even the latest baby bogey, who was only two weeks
old, was allowed a turn at him; and she stuffed him
into her feeding-bottle, and nearly suffocated him
by trying to put the stopper on. Fortunately, at
this moment, the supper-bell rang, and all the
bogey children hastened in, saying maliciously to
Toddlekins,

“ To-morrow we shall have you for supper.”

During supper, to make sure he did not run away,
they stuck him inside a thimble belonging to one of
the bogey girls, with his legs sticking out. Toddlekins
found this very uncomfortable, and tried hard to get
out, but he was wedged in too tightly, and at last, in
‘despair, he burst into tears, sobbing out,

“T know I’ll be roasted to-morrow.”

“Serve you right too, didn’t you roast me once?”
and looking up through his tears, Toddlekins saw a
beautiful wax lady, with real fair ringlets and earrings
in her ears. He recognized her at once. She was
cousin Daisy’s doll, Miranda Maria, whom he had
once put before the fire to see if she would melt, which
she had done all too quickly, losing her beauty and her
nose for ever. Then another voice said,
184 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Yes, and didn’t you pull me to pieces to see how
I squeaked?” and Toddlekins recognized a fine toy
pig that he had had one Christmas day, and broken
the same evening.

And then all his broken toys appeared. His clock-
work mouse, his nodding donkey, his dancing monkey,
his steam engine, his performing nigger, and numbers

WH
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Toddlekins got on to the fairy’s wings and flew away.—g, 185,

of dolls, soldiers and windmills ; and they all pointed
and jeered at him, and made grimaces, saying,

“ Now you'll be pulled to pieces, what fun!”

And one of his pretty swimming ducks said to him,

“You see if you had not treated us so badly we
would have helped you.”
TODDLEKINS ADVENTURES. 185

“Oh, do help me! I never will again,’ implored
Toddlekins piteously. uO

“Very well,” said a pretty little voice, “then you
shall not be roasted, Toddlekins, or boiled,” and a
sweet little fairy in white and gold spangles stood on
the top of the thimble. She had gold wings, and
Toddlekins remembered to have seen her in a little
toy theatre, which had enjoyed a very brief existence
before it was chopped up with Regie’s new knife.
“T’ll help you, only you must keep your promise. Get
on to my wings and [ll carry you out of Smokeland,
because, otherwise, you will. never be safe from the
bogeys.” Thanks to the fairy’s touch, the thimble
grew wider and wider, and Toddlekins was able to
get out quite comfortably. He held on to the fairy’s
wings with his two little fat hands, and was just going
to ask some question about bogeys and fairies, when
he heard a voice near him saying,

“Get up at once, Master Toddlekins,” and a few
minutes later he was in his bath, telling Mary about
his adventures in Smokeland. But Mary said it was
all a pack of nonsense, and the result of eating a jam
puff for supper.
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES.

: HERE was never such a boy for reading,” said
the schoolmaster’s widow to the clergyman,
as she watched her eight-year-old son, Paul,

pick up a newspaper that had fallen upon the ground,

and begin spelling it out.

“ Mother,” said the boy, as soon as the grave clergy-
man had left her, “do come with me to the town gates,
there is something I cannot make out.”

The mother smiled down upon the eager little face
with its big, solemn, brown eyes, and took the child’s
hand, and Paul led her to the gates of the city, where
he had that morning discovered something that was
greatly exercising his mind.

It was a very old city indeed, and all round it there
was a wall,so that at night, when all the city gates
were locked and guarded by sentinels, no one could
come in or out without special permission from the
chief-ruler. The gates were made of massive iron, and
bore ornamental devices in front ; whilst, on each side,
were the city arms, wrought in fine gold and silver
work. But there was something else that arrested the
stranger’s attention as he approached the city through
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES. 187

the principal gates, and here it was that little Paul
paused, crying out,

“Mother, what does that mean?” and he pointed to
a high white stone, upon which was carved an angel in
white marble. Underneath was written in neat black
letters, “In memory of Annie, who died whilst trying
to save three children,” and below this, in bright gold
letters, were written the words that had puzzled little
Paul, “ What is beautiful never dies.”

“How can that be true, mother?” asked Paul.
“Do not the beautiful flowers die, and the butterflies,
and little sister Stella?”

“ Ah, Paul,” said the mother, “you will understand
this better when you are older; but let me tell you
about Annie, because it is a beautiful story, and as
there are so many ugly and sad things in the world,
it is good to remember and think of the good and
beautiful deeds that have been done. Come, we-must
be going homewards, as it is late, and I will tell you
the story on the way.”

So mother and son went hand in hand through the
busy streets, where an endless throng of human beings,
bearing burdens of joy and sorrow, and good and evil,
known only to their own souls, passed to and fro.
Paul looked eagerly into his mother’s face, and pressed
her hand more closely as she began,

“Tt all happened when I was a little girl about as
old as you, and lived with my grandparents in this
town; but I remember it all as if it were but yester-
day,” and the widow sighed, for memories of her
Paul’s father, whom she had known as a boy, came
back to her. “In the same row of houses as the one
188 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

in which we lived, there lived a tailor with his wife
and family. He might have been a wealthy man if
he had chosen, as his father had left him a nice little
sum of money, and he himself was a clever workman ;
but he was known throughout the town for his laziness
and unthriftiness, and, I am sorry to say, his drunken-
ness. His wife was not much better, and was, in
addition, a bad-tempered scold, so that their children
would have fared badly, if it had not been for the
little maid-of-all-work and nurse-maid, whose name
was Annie. She was only a little bit of a girl; but as
she was an orphan, and had no friends, she had been
obliged to go into service to earn her bread. I have
often heard my grandmother and the neighbours say
that she was shamefully treated, underfed, and over-
worked, and when the tailor and his wife had drunk
too much, they very often struck and kicked her.
Nor were the children kind to her, for they were badly
brought up, and thought, as Annie was their servant,
they had a right to torment her. Her only comfort
was the baby, who was then about two, a sweet little
fellow, and more attached to Annie than to his own
neglectful mother. However, things grew so bad, that
even the patient Annie could not any longer endure
her ill-treatment, so she made up her mind to go as
soon as she could hear of another place. However,
one night the great bell on the watch-tower was rung
three times, and by this every one knew that there
must be a fire in the town, and so it was; a fire had
broken out at the tailor’s, and the flames were spread-
ing rapidly and unchecked, for in those days there
were not as many pumps in the town as there are
now.”
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES. 189

‘ “Did you run out and see the fire, mother?” asked
Paul anxiously.

“No, I was in bed; but I have heard your Uncle
Fritz tell the story very often, and he saw it all. It
was Annie who first discovered the fire, and she
immediately rushed to her master’s room and told
him ; but, unfortunately, he and his wife had drunk a
good deal of hot whisky that night, so, instead of
remembering about their children, whom they really
loved when they were sober, they thought only of
their own safety, and, shrieking with terror, managed to
get out of the house.”

“Meanwhile Annie had rushed to the top bedroom
where the three sleeping children lay, and which was
beginning to fill with smoke. She caught up the
baby, and promising the two frightened children to
come back for them in a moment, hurried to the stair-
case; but, to her horror, she found it was a sheet of
flame. The girl did not know how she could save
herself and the children; then she suddenly remem-
bered that, from the children’s room, she could get on
to the roof. This she did, and as a great crowd of
people were waiting below, she dropped the baby,
who was caught upon a mattress, and was quite un-
hurt. She did the same with the next child, a sturdy
boy of about six, who had always been very trouble-
some, and he too was caught safely. Then the brave
girl began to feel very dizzy and sick, and the smoke
was beginning to reach her, upon which the people
cried out, ‘Jump at once; save yourself!’ But she
shook her head, and went back for the other boy, who
was greatly terrified, and fought and struggled with
1909 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET,

her so much, that she was not able to drop him as
carefully as the others, and he fell on to the ground.
Fortunately he was not much hurt; but poor Annie
was so much exhausted, and so blinded by the smoke,
that she could not see where the mattresses were that
the people held; and, instead of jumping, she fell
with dreadful force on to the ground, and when she
was picked up by strong loving hands she was quite
dead. Is not this a sad story, darling; but is it not
also beautiful to think that a poor little servant girl
should have done a noble and grand deed like this,
which will live for ever?”

So, although Paul did not quite understand the
words on the tombstone, he loved to hear the story
about Annie, and he would often go and look at the
words and repeat them to himself.

Later on, he went to school and became a great
favourite with the other boys, although he was very
different from them ; for he loved to watch the crimson
and golden sunsets, or to sit idly by the river, with a
thousand dreamy fancies in his head, as to where the
green waters were flowing. Rest of all, he loved to
repeat poetry to himself, and would sometimes write
verses when he was quite alone. Even to his mother,
whom he loved best in the world, he did not show
them ; but she knew he had beautiful thoughts, and
she loved to watch his big dreamy eyes as he sat
before the wood fire, declaring he saw all sorts of
strange and lovely things in the red and purple flames.
He was a very thoughtful and quiet boy, and, after
his mother’s death, which happened when he was about
fourteen, he grew more sad and serious than ever ; but,
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES. 191

though many things puzzled him, he no longer asked
questions. There was no money for him to go to
college, as his mother had intended, and as Paul him-
self ardently desired; but, thanks to the influence
of the pastor, he was allowed to stay at school
and help the schoolmaster with the small boys. In
return, the schoolmaster, who was a very learned
man, promised to teach him Greek and Latin, and ina
few years to pay him wages. The boys were rough,
unruly lads ; and at first Paul, who was but little older
than some of the bigger ones, had a hard time of it,
and had many a missile, in the shape of a slate or
book, thrown at his head. But he bore it quietly;
and in time the master was heard to say that he never
had a tutor with so much influence over the boys as
the pale, serious-eyed Paul.

A year or two later the school was broken up, and
Paul was obliged to accept work at a distant village.
On the night before he left his native town he walked
down to the quiet little grave, where his mother lay
calmly sleeping, and there the youth made fresh
promises to live nobly and truly; and he planted
some fragrant violets above her head, touching them
with great tenderness, for the ground was sacred to
him. Then he turned away and strolled towards the
city gates, and he remembered the walk he had taken
with his mother eight years ago, when she had told
him the story of the tombstone. He saw, with. grief,
that the gilt letters had become so tarnished with time
and rain, that they were scarcely distinguishable. Paul
sighed and said to himself, “In a few years these
words will be quite rubbed out. I wish I had the
192 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

money to have them put in again in bright golden
letters.” But he was only a poor youth, whose genius
-no one guessed, not even he himself; and, although he
spoke about it to one or two of the townspeople, it
seemed to be nobody’s business to attend to, and
they only shrugged their shoulders and said someone
should see to it. But everybody’s busineés is nobody’s
business, and in time the words became black and
almost disappeared.

But Paul never forgot about Annie’s story, and in
his distant home across the ocean, whither he went
a few years later, he often thought about the words
on the tombstone, which had become clearer to him
since he was a man.

Time went on and he became famous, for he had the
best and most divine of all gifts—he was a poet. What
a beautiful treasure his was. When they read his
poetry, men forgot their avarice, and selfishness, and
unrest, and ambition, even their sufferings no longer
troubled them, as they heard, like sweetest music, of
the beauty of the golden sunbeams, the white snow-
capped mountains, the calm silent stars, the red dawn,
and, above all, of the beauty that is to be found in the
lives of true and noble men and women.

Kings and great men paid him honour and
marvelled at his simple and childlike nature; for,
when they pressed upon him riches and rank, he
refused steadily with a serene look in his beautiful
brown eyes, as if he had found something higher than
money and an exalted position. Sometimes people
wondered that he looked so sad, for no one knew the
great sorrow he had lived through when he was
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES. 193

younger, and when he had loved a dancer whom he
believed to be as pure in heart as she was beautiful
in form. But he had many joys, and no one could be,
unhappy who loved so passionately the clouds, and the
woods, and the snowdrops, and everything natural and
simple, and, above all, little children.

One day—he was no longer a young man by this
time, but had a few grey hairs in his brown beard—
he sat down and wrote the finest of all his poems, all
about a woman’s love and self-sacrifice ; and, although
it was not exactly like Annie’s story, it had come into
his mind one day whilst thinking about her ; and it was
her unselfish deed that had suggested the idea of the
poem to him. The lines were so noble, majestical,
and musical, that no man, however coarse his nature,
could read them unmoved.

Then he was seized with a great longing to go back
to his native town where his mother lay- buried, which
he had not visited for twenty-five years, for it was a
costly and arduous journey. Nearly all the friends of
his youth had either died or left the town ; but there
were one or two married men whom he had known as
boys, and these were proud to claim acquaintance with
the famous poet. They it was who got up a grand
reception for Paul, and decked the city gates with
flags, and “Welcome” in red letters. The towns-
people felt very proud that the great poet, whose
name was known all over the world, should belong to
them ; and they were so anxious to do him honour,
that they sent a magnificent coach to meet him, drawn
by four horses, on which there were postilions blowing
trumpets, Paul felt rather sad and lonely, and would

N
194 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

have much preferred walking into the town on foot;
but he did not like to disappoint the people, whose
intentions were kind, so he got into the coach. Of
what was he thinking as he drove into the city, which
he had left a poor, obscure lad? Not of his grandeur
or of his fame at that moment, but of his dear, dead
mother.

And once again he seemed to see her tender, pale
face, with her sweet lips, and to hear again her true
words, which had lived for ever enshrined in his
memory. But now the coach makes a halt at the
city gates, and, amidst the cheers of thousands of
people, nearly all of whose faces are strange to Paul,
the magistrate of the town hands him an engraved
casket, containing a document, in which the highest
honours that the city could give are conferred upon
him. Paul thanked the magistrate for his kindness;
but his eyes were fixed upon the old tombstone, grey
and black with age, which still remained. To his
great surprise, and that of the people, whose eyes
immediately followed Paul’s, instead of the blurred,
indistinct letters which had not been decipherable for
many years, there appeared in large gold letters,
which shone dazzling bright as the sunbeams fell
upon them, the old words, “What is beautiful never
dies.” Whilst everybody was asking what this miracle
meant, Paul slipped away, and stood bareheaded
beside his mother’s grave.

It was such a sweet peaceful spot, this little green
cemetery, with the white tombs, about which blossomed
bright flowers, emblems of the love that still flourished
in the hearts of those left behind, for the dear departed.
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL NEVER DIES. 195

Paul stood still as if trying to pierce through the
violet-covered earth where his mother slept, and
suddenly there was wafted, like softly-played music,
the echoes of the story that an old crone was telling
the townspeople, of how Annie saved her master’s
children. And a great calm entered into his soul, for,
looking towards the sunlit hills, he saw with his poet’s
eye a vision of the day that was yet to dawn, when,
instead of harsh faces, and discordant voices, and base-
ness and ugliness, there should be joyful light and
tenderness in every eye, the melodious music of
tongues which spoke no evil, and everywhere in men’s
hearts a love of beauty and goodness which lives for
ever.
RUPERT’S NURSERY CIRCUS.

UPERT lay in bed in his snug night-nursery,
thinking over all the wonderful and delight-
ful things that he had seen that evening

at the circus. It was the most splendid sight in
the world, he declared to his nurse, and millions and
trillions of times better than pantomimes, children’s
parties, Towers of London, and other dissipations,
which had pleased him in his younger days.
How, he asked himself scornfully, could he ever
have wanted to be a policeman, or a sailor, or a
lamplighter? A lamplighter, indeed! when he could
be a trainer of performing animals like Professor
Jenkinson, whose ponies and bears danced and
did all manner of wonderful tricks. Then his busy
little brain began to think, and the next morning, to
the astonishment of Nurse, who had generally con-
siderable difficulty in inducing him to leave his warm
bed and to have his cold bath, he bounded out of bed,
made no objection to his ablutions, and finally impa-
tiently demanded breakfast, declaring he couldn’t
“wait for the girls, as he had important business on
hand.” The girls were his two elder sisters, Rose and
RUPERT’S NURSERY CIRCUS. 1097

Poppy, and they were very anxious to know what
Rupert was going todo. But they had arrived at an
age when lessons have a serious meaning ; and though
they lingered and loitered about as long as they could,
they had to go at last when the prim voice of Miss
Pipes, the governess, was heard bidding them bring
their books to the school-room. Properly speaking,
Rupert was quite old enough to be doing Latin like
other well-constituted little boys; but the doctor had
said that his brain was too active, and that for another
year he must “run wild.” Rupert much preferred
running wild, especially as Miss Pipes was no great
favourite of his.

He had a splendid nursery, numberless toys, and,
best of all, three pets of his own, to which, as a rule,
he was very kind, Mink was a rather ugly little
terrier, that had been found in a forlorn condition in
the streets ; Bo-Peep was a very clever and self-willed
puss ; and Twittums was the sweetest and tamest of
little yellow canaries. The three pets lived very
happily together ; and Bo-Peep allowed Twittums to
come out of her cage, chirp a little song, and flap
about the room without making the slightest attempt
to pounce upon her and gobble her up.

Now, a brilliant idea had occurred to Rupert. He
had his own little family of animals ; why should he
not train them to perform, and when they were quite
ready, have a grand performance and show those big
boys, his cousins Hugh and Leonard, what a fine
trainer he was and how clever his animals were? The
only anxiety in his mind was whether Nurse would
allow some sawdust to be put down. She was always
198 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

grumbling about “making a mess,” so he felt rather
doubtful; but he determined if she made a fuss to
appeal to his papa, who never said “ No.”

At that moment Nurse entered the room and said,

“Well, Master Rupert, I am going to be busy in the
next room; what are you going to play with this
morning ?”

“Qh, that’s a secret,” said Rupert, with tremendous
importance. “ Please push the table into the corner,
and, Nurse, will you get some sawdust ?”

“ Sawdust, child,” repeated Nurse; “what for?”

“That's part of the secret, don’t you see; but it
really won’t make a mess,” declared the mendacious
Rupert.

“Well, where do you suppose I am going to get
sawdust from?” asked Nurse, whisking round with
a duster. “You may take a little out of the arm of
Miss Poppy’s broken doll.”

“That little!” cried Rupert, scornfully— that’s no
good ; why, I want bagfuls.”

“Well, you'll have to want,” said Nurse, placidly ;
but, seeing the look of disappointment on the little
boy’s face, she said good-naturedly, “If you'll tell me
what you want it for, perhaps I could suggest some-
thing else that might do.”

Under a solemn promise not to divulge the impor-
tant secret, Rupert confided to her his splendid plans ;
which did not somehow strike Nurse, who was conser-
vative in her ideas, as nearly so desirable as playing
with his soldiers or riding the rocking-horse. How-
ever, she was a kind body and very fond of Rupert;
so she said, “It doesn’t so much matter about the
RUPERT’S NURSERY CIRCUS, 199

sawdust so long as you have a ring like a real circus.
Now you may have that bit of chalk out of my work-
box and mark a ring on the polished floor, and it can
be easily wiped away again afterwards.”

This would do very well for rehearsals, thought
Rupert, but on the grand day, when all the spectators
would be looking on and admiring, he must have the
real thing. As soon as Nurse had left him to his
own devices, Rupert did a very naughty thing. He
went to Rose’s play-cupboard, which she had strictly
forbidden his ever touching, rummaged about, and
then guiltily brought out the object for which he was
in search—a white muslin skirt belonging to Rose’s
eldest doll-child. The next proceeding was to capture
Bo-Peep, who was toasting her toes against the guard,
and squeeze her into the muslin skirt. “Stand on
your hind-legs, miss,’ ordered Rupert, who now called
himself Professor Ruperto; and puss, though she
didn’t at all like it, stood meekly on her hind legs and
allowed the skirt to be tied on. “Now, then, Mink,”
called his master, “you come here ;” and when the
little terrier trotted up obediently, Bo-Peep was placed
on his back. Mink immediately threw her off, and it
was only when Professor Ruperto took up a little whip
and made a great slashing with it, that he consented
to allow puss to ride on his back. “Now, Miss Star-
of-the-Night,” said Rupert, addressing Bo-Peep by the
name of one of the lady riders at the circus, “the
splendidly-trained steed Mazeppa will first trot three
times round the ring and then gallop.”

Bo-Peep, who didn’t seem to altogether grasp the
situation, listened to the Professor’s remarks, and then
200 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

sprang to the ground and began tearing at her muslin
skirt.

“Oh, you tiresome thing!” cried the impatient
Professor, grasping puss and perching her once more
on Mazeppa’s back.

This time the lady rider behaved beautifully, and
the trainer clapped his hands in an ecstasy of delight.
“Good, good!” he exclaimed. “Now that'll do for
that exercise. Keep both as you are while I fetch
something.”

He went to his own play-box, and fetched a little
wooden hoop that he had trundled when he was quite
a tiny boy. But as soon as he had turned his back,
Miss Star-of-the-Night had jumped off her fiery steed
and made straight for the hearthrug, where she settled
herself for a comfortable snooze. But the Professor
brought her and Mazeppa back into the ring, and
explained that the next feat consisted in Miss
Star-of-the-Night flying through the hoop from off
Mazeppa’s back. He held the rope in the proper
position, but, instead of flying gracefully through, the
perverse Star-of-the-Night caught hold of the hoop,
and, lying flat on her back, began playing with it
with one paw. Rupert gave her a smart tap, and
ordered her in stern tones to get up immediately and
do her work. After a good deal of coaxing, and
miouing, and chasing, she at last went through the
hoop beautifully, declining, however, to do it a
second time. But Rupert was very well pleased, and
he said gleefully, “She zs a good jumper.” He
patted Mink—I mean Mazeppa—on the head, and
told him he was the most famous Arab steed in the
world, at which Mink looked pleased but puzzled.
RUPERT’S NURSERY CIRCUS. 201

Now came the next item on the programme, This
consisted of leaping, and here Twittums was to come
in. Rupert fetched four little white milking-stools
and carefully placed them.at equal distances apart on
the chalk ring. Henext arranged the dog and cat
and Twittums in arow; but the little bird, not seeing
the fun, would keep on hopping around.

“Keep in line!” thundered the Professor, looking
very black; but the little bird only chirped and
flapped around, and pecked up any crumbs that lay
handy. Then Rupert imprisoned Twittums in his
hand, and informed his little family that the milking-
stools were put there to be jumped over, and that they
were to go in turn.

Mink, who had been used to tricks of this sort,
jumped very neatly, and only once touched a stool
with his foot; but the Star-of-the-Night, instead of
leaping over, jumped on to the top, and, curling her-
self up, sat on her tail. She wouldn’t budge, in spite
of the Professor’s entreaties and threats, and at last
he had to tip up the stool and spill her off. After
this the Star-of-the-Night looked very cross, and
sulked for the rest of the morning. As for Twittums,
she was incorrigible; and the poor Professor, quite
tired out with his efforts, began to think perhaps he
wouldn’t be a trainer after all—or, if he were, he would
go in entirely for bears, which, he felt sure, were better
behaved.

“Now, one thing more,” he announced. “ This time
rope-treading.” He brought out a skipping-rope
belonging to one of the girls, and made each end fast
to the back of a nursery chair, stretching the rope out
202 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

tightly. Mazeppa was then ordered to walk upon it,
but not being a cat, he couldn’t manage to balance
himself, and fell off; after which he very sensibly ran
away. This-rather depressed Rupert; but he felt sure
that in this feat, Star-of-the-Night would distinguish
herself. He was quite right, for she walked across
the rope in the most dainty and delicate manner
imaginable. Her master caressed her and begged her
to walk back, which she did equally lightly and
cleverly. “Bravo!” cried Rupert with delight, and
forgetting all about his professional airs, he began to
hug her and play with her. Twittums was not nearly
so amiable, and at last Rupert had to give her up.
By this time he found himself rather tired of training,
so he dismissed his performers, bidding them come
punctually to rehearsal the next morning.

Every day for a fortnight the practising went on,
and at last the animals were so expert that the time
came for the grand performance. Just before, Rupert
was obliged to take Poppy into his confidence, as, of
course, there must be a programme; and how was
this to be done, seeing that Nurse took a couple of
hours to write a post-card to her mother ; while Annie,
the housemaid—the only other person let into the
great secret—had an unfortunate habit of making a
blot with each letter, otherwise she would have done
very well. Poppy could make beautiful printing
letters, and she felt a very proud little girl as she
wrote out the programme in gold ink on some pretty
sheets of pink note-paper, that had been given her.
It was a very creditable production, as you will see as
follow :—
RUPERT'S NURSERY CIRCUS. 203

GRAND NURSERY CIRCUS.

Most Hicuty TRAINED ANIMALS IN THE WORLD.
TRAINED BY THE CELEBRATED
Pror. RUPERTO,

THE RENOWNED LION TRAINER
PERFORMANCE AT FOUR O’CLOCK, WEDNESDAY,
THE CELEBRATED STEED Mazeppa
WILL Run, Leap, aND CLIMB ;

WILL BE RIDDEN BY
STAR - OF - THE - NIGHT,

THE WONDERFULLEST LaDy RIDER IN THE WORLD.
TwITTUMs, THE Famous PERFORMING BIRD.
Boxes, 2d. each, Other Seats, rd. Children, 3d.

When the big boys saw the programme, they
laughed and scoffed, but they announced their inten-
tion of coming; and at four o’clock on Wednesday,
the nursery-—that is to say, the circus-house—was
crammed full, and the trainer must have taken no end
of ticket-money. In the front row sat mamma and
papa, with three aunts and an uncle. Then behind
were the big boys, their sister Rose, her governess,
and two little girls who had been especially invited,
and who were given very high nursery-chairs, so that
they could see over the heads of the grown-up people.

In the back row were all the maids, the coachman,
and Dick, the boot-boy, who was a tremendous friend
of Rupert. In the middle of the big room a quantity
of sawdust had been put down, as Rupert had begged
so hard; and he looked very proud and pleased as he
204 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

stood in his velvet suit with a little switch in his hand,
bidding his troop do as well as they had done at the
rehearsal the day before. Really everything seemed
likely to go off beautifully ; and Poppy, who looked
very sweet in a white frock and blue sash, and who
was allowed to help Rupert, had serious thoughts of
becoming a lady rider,

w= :
|) ’ ms " | |

Made many deep, respectful bows.—, 204,



It was now time for her to ring a little bell, the
signal for Rupert to walk into the middle of the ring
and make many deep and respectful bows. The
audience clapped loudly, and at the sight of Miss
Star-of-the-Night, who was brought out from behind ~
the curtains in a lovely sky-blue dress made for the
RUPERT'S NURSERY CIRCUS. 405

occasion by Cook, the boys clapped louder than ever.
Now, would you not have supposed that Star-of-the-
Night would have put on her best behaviour to suit
her fine frock? Instead of doing so she behaved
disgracefully. She kicked up her legs in the most
unladylike way, and absolutely refused to mount.
Poppy half coaxed, half pushed her on; but she was
no sooner on than off again; and, encouraged by the
laughter of the big boys, she suddenly made a dart
into the audience, and everybody had to get up and
move their chairs before she could be found and cap-
tured. Now was not this nice behaviour for the most
renowned lady rider in the world? Rupert stroked
her, talked kindly to her, and at last switched her ;
but stay on Mazeppa’s back, she would not; so he was
obliged to explain, with distress on his face, that though
Star-of-the-Night- could ride beautifully, she some-
times got into a temper, as on the present occasion
when she would not ride.

“Never mind!” shouted one of the big boys good-
humouredly; “go ahead with the next thing.” But
the story is too painful to tell; and I am sure every
boy and girl will be grieved to hear, that, after the
trouble Rupert had taken and the patience he had
shown, his performing animals obstinately refused to
exhibit their wonderful skill and prowess, and simply
behaved like a very naughty cat and dog and bird.
It was really dreadfully distressing; and when the
crowning blow came—when Mazeppa knocked over
the chair, threw the rope on to the ground, and began
to gnaw it, while Star-of-the-Night perched herself
on the back of the chair—poor Professor Ruperto
206 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

could restrain himself no longer, and burst out into
tears of rage and disappointment. I think I had
better here,-as they do in the theatre, when the
play is over, draw down the curtain ; only saying that,
though at first Rupert refused to be comforted, he
later on forgot his troubles at the sight of a delightful
present. This was brought by his uncle from the
north, and was a darling little long-tailed, shaggy-
haired pony. Before he fell asleep that night, he came
to the conclusion that it is not at all easy to be a
trainer ; for he had had a little talk with his kind
_ father, who had explained to him that perseverance,
self-control, and patience, aré as necessary for success
in dealing with dumb. animals, as cleverness and
courage.
LITTLE EYEBRIGHT.

NCE upon a time there lived in a pretty little
farmhouse painted white and green, a surly
farmer with his ill-tempered wife. All day

long the voice of the farmer’s wife was heard scolding
her young servant, and sometimes the neighbours saw
the poor maid weeping, because of her mistress’s
unkindness. She was a poor girl without any home
or parents, and bore with her cross master and
mistress as long as she could; but one day, when
the farmer’s wife had told her she was an idle, good-
for-nothing girl, who didn’t earn the bread she ate,
she could bear it no longer, and she decided to run
away. She chose the middle of the afternoon, when
the farmer was away at market, and the farmer’s wife
was dozing before the parlour fire, and after having
swept up the kitchen, and made it as neat as a new
pin, she hastened over the hills and meadows till she
had come a long way from the farmhouse. Presently
she came to a beautiful mansion, and, knocking at the
door, inquired if anyone wanted a neat little maid to
wait at table, or wash up dishes, or sew the linen. But
no maid was wanted, and, with a sad heart, she ran
208 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

on. It was beginning to get dark, and her heart sank
as she saw a long dark wood in front of her, through
which she must pass before she could get to the town
with its twinkling lights. She grew so frightened,
that she began to wish she had never run away, and
to think that the sharp tongue of the farmer’s wife
was better than this dreadful wood, where the
shadows looked. like great animals, whose long arms
seemed as if they would catch her every moment.
“Oh, dear,” she sighed, “if I can only get to the town
before nightfall, and if only some kind person will
take me in.” But the wood seemed to get darker and
darker, and the girl was so overcome with fatigue
that she sank down..upon the ground and wept
bitterly.

All of a sudden she heard some children’s voices
near her, and, to her great joy, perceived some boys
and girls carrying sticks and twigs and dried leaves.
They were barefooted and ragged, but they were
talking merrily, and had happy faces, so the little
servant went up to them and begged them to show
her how to get to the town, as she had no friends, and
unless someone wanted a servant, and could give her
a bed, she would have to sleep on the ground.

“Well, you are a long, long way from the town,”
said the biggest boy, “and we mustn’t stop to show
you, as mother is waiting for these sticks to boil the
kettle with, and for these leaves to make our beds
with.”

“Oh, dear, what shall I do?” cried the girl.
_ “Please, dear children, do not leave me here. Can’t
I come with‘you?”
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Overcome at last.—Z, 208,
210 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

The boy was half afraid of taking home with them
a stranger, and he began walking on; but one of his
sisters, called Eyebright, because of her shining blue
eyes, said,

“Poor girl, you shall come with us, and if mother
is angry, I will go without my crust to-morrow and
the next day, and perhaps she will let you have it.”

When the children reached their poor little cottage,
they rushed in and told their mother what Eyebright
had done, and she said it was right and kind of the
little girl, and that they would try and spare a bit of
bread for the maid’s supper, They were very, very poor,
for the father was only a woodcutter, and there were
so many little mouths to feed. But they had kind
hearts, and when the maid had told her story of the »
unkindness of the farmer’s wife, the woodcutter said,
with a sigh,
- “Ah! well I> know her unkind tongue, for the
farmer is my brother, although he is a rich man and
I am a poor one. But he has no children, and I
have six little ones to provide for. I once thought
he would do something for one of you, but he’s never
given us a cup of milk yet.”

“Well,” said the mother, “ we must manage as well
as we can, and perhaps there are better days in store
for us.”

Now Eyebright, who was a handy little maid, had
been thinking of the story told by the maid, and she
thought, as she lay on her bed of leaves that night
with her sisters, what a fine thing it would be if she
could earn the crown piece, which the farmer and his ©
wife gave every year to their servant for wages. She
LITTLE EVEBRIGHT. 211

was not quite so old as the maid. hut she was nearly
as tall; and next day, afte telling her mother that she
was going to earn some money, she set out for her
tnicie and aunt’s farm. She soon arrived there, as
often and often she and her brothers and sisters
had stood before the pretty little white and green
farm, and peered in at the diamond-pane windows,
with their clean white curtains. But she had never
before known that it was her own uncle that lived
there. She rapped gently at the door, and was
rather frightened when a cross face in a nightcap
looked out of the window, and asked,
“What do you want, girl?”



‘tWhat du you want, girl?”"—Z 2st.

“ Please, ma’am,” said Eyebright, “do you want a
little maid to sweep the room and tidy the grate and
boil the kettle?”

Now the farmer and his wife had passed a very
unpleasant morning, for, whereas formerly their little
servant had got up at dawn and boiled the kettle
and swept the parlour, the farmer’s wife had been
obliged to do all the labour herself, and she felt very
tired and cross, and because she was cross the farmer
212 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET,

was cross. So when the couple saw the pleasant face
of little Eyebright, they were very glad, and the
farmer’s wife said,

“Come in, child, and begin to sweep at once, and be
sure and don’t leave a speck of dust in any of the
corners.”

“No, ma'am,” said little Eyebright, and she swept
as diligently as she could, and polished the parlour
sideboard.till she could see her own round little face
reflected in it; but it was no good, nothing pleased
the farmer’s wife.

Next day it was just the same, scold, scold, scold,
and little Eyebright felt very sad, as she did not
think she could stay and earn the silver crown.

But in spite of her cross words, the farmer’s wife
was in reality very pleased with Eyebright, and she
said to the farmer that night,

“ This girl is worth half-a-dozen of the others. But
I must keep my eye on her, or she'll be idling about
the meadows. The trouble the girls are to me!”

The next day and the next day little Eyebright
worked harder than ever; but never a word of praise
did she get, and when, at the end of her day’s work,
she asked the farmer’s wife if she might run into the
meadows, she was sent to bed supperless, and told not
to be idle and giddy.

Poor Eyebright had been used to running about
the woods all day long barefoot, and the stockings
and shoes that the farmer’s wife made her wear, hurt
and tired her feet dreadfully, and she began to long
to hear the birds sing, and to see the squirrels jump,
and to be free to come and go as she liked. Oh,
LITTLE EVEBRIGHT. 213

how she longed for little baby Jack, and how she did
want to see her mother’s kind face! One afternoon,
the farmer and his wife went to drink tea at a
neighbour’s, and they left Eyebright with strict
injunctions not to open the door to anyone, and to
go straight on sewing until they returned. Eyebright



VAS
iy ON

Eyebright and the fat boy.—. 213.

sewed on steadily for a long time, and then she began
to feel dreadfully lonely. . All of a sudden there was
a tap on the window, and, looking out, Eyebright
saw a funny, little, fat, round boy standing outside
making grimaces. She called through the window
to know what he wanted, and as she went closer
214 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

to. it, she saw he had a curly dog with him, dressed
in a little coat and hat with a red feather.

“Would you like to see my dog do tricks?” shouted
the fat boy.

“Oh, yes; yes, please!” answered little Eyebright,
forgetting all about her sewing, and pressing her
snub nose against the window-pane.

The fat little boy got
a stick out of his pocket,
and the dog did all sorts
of tricks. He held the
stick on his nose, he
jumped over it, and
holding it between his
paws, beat his fat little
master soundly, and
took off his cap and
bowed and danced.

Little Eyebright was
delighted and laughed
merrily. What a delight-
ful dog, and what a
clever. little fellow he
G] was!

She felt she must

stroke him, and, running

to the door, she called the boy to bring him round.

He was the prettiest little black terrier imaginable,
and had such a knowing little face.

“What is his name?” asked Eyebright, “and is he
yours 2?” ;

“Yes, he’s mine, and he’s called Patsy, and you



A little black terrier.—Z, 214.

ys
LITTLE EVEBRIGHT. 215

should see him after mice. What’s your name, and
do you have to live with these horrid cross old
patches ?” asked the boy.

Now at that moment the farmer and his wife had
come in through the back door, and had come softly
into the kitchen to see if little Eyebright was doing
her work. When the fat boy with the dog said the
word “cross-patches,” the farmer’s face grew very red
indeed, and he was about to run forward and give the
boy a good beating, when, to his surprise, he heard
little Eyebright say,

“You mustn’t call my uncle names, it isn’t polite.”

~“Your uncle,” said the boy in surprise, and the
farmer and his wife looked at one another in wonder,
and said, “What does the girl mean ?”

“Yes,” said Eyebright, taking Patsy in her arms
and fondling him. “He’s my father’s brother, and we
live in a cottage at the end of the wood, and it isn’t at
all pretty like this ; it’s full of holes, and when it rains
the wet comes through, and we get a regular shower-
bath.”

“My!” said the fat boy, “I shouldn’t like that. My
father’s a huntsman, and we’ve a much finer-house
than this. Here, give us Patsy, I’m going to take
him to hunt moles. Why don’t you come too? It’s
such fun.”

“Oh, how I should love to—but, oh! I’ve forgotten
what my aunt said about opening the door, and I
haven’t done my sewing—oh, I am a bad, idle girl,”
and the tears came into her pretty blue eyes.

“Pooh!” said the fat boy, who was rather naughty,
“bother sewing! Well, if you aren’t coming, I must
216 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

be off; but I’ve got a cream tart in my pocket, and if
you'll come I'll give you a bite.”

He pulled it out of his pocket, and when Eyebucke
saw the delicious flaky-looking cream tart, she felt
ready to cry. She had never tasted a cream tart in
her life, and it looked so good.

Patsy was watching gravely, and all of a sudden,
as the teasing boy flourished the cream tart about,
the little terrier jumped up, caught hold of it, and
had gobbled it up in a twinkling. The fat boy did
‘look cross, and when the farmer and his wife saw
his face, they could not help laughing merrily. Little
Eyebright turned with rather a frightened face when
she heard them, for she had not known they were
there, and she was surprised to see the old couple
looking so good-tempered and lively.

But when she thought of how disobedient she had
been, she hung her head, and going up to her aunt,
she said,

“Oh, aunt, don’t be cross. I am so sorry. I will
work hard for you if only you will be kind to me, and
say like mother does, ‘Well, you are a good lass,
Eyebright.’”

The fat boy whistled to Patsy and walked off,
and the farmer shut the house door. Then he said,

“You are a good lass, and, if you will stay with us,
we will feed and clothe you well.”

And the farmer’s wife kissed Eyebright’s rosy
cheeks and said,

“Yes; and you must not mind my being cross.
I have had so much trouble with the maids, and it
has got to bea habit; but I will try and not be so
LITTLE EVEBRIGHT. 217

sharp. And to-morrow I will give you a new shilling,
and a fine plum-cake, and you shall go and spend the
day with your brothers and sisters if you will promise

to come back.”

_ And Eyebright faithfully promised, and she stayed

on at the little white and green farm till the old
couple died ; and, then, as she had been such a good
daughter to them, they left the farmhouse to her, and
here she lived very happily with her good father and
_ mother and brothers and sisters.
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN.

HERE was once a king living in a beautiful
palace who liked fun and games better than
anything in the world. When his prime .

minister used to come to him to sign very important
papers, he would catch hold of them, twist them into
a sugar-loaf cap, and perch it on the top of his crown.
His prime minister looked very serious indeed, and
said this was not at all a thing for a king to do; but
his courtiers, who were mostly silly youths, would
clap their hands and say, “Was there ever such a
merry monarch!”

Meanwhile, as you may imagine, the affairs of the
kingdom were in a pretty muddle, for the king was
so much engaged in playing practical jokes and
absurd tricks, that he had no time to see whether
the roads were kept in good order, and the poor
people fed when they had no work to do, and the
soldiers drilled carefully.

One day the king, in his ermine robes and his ~
golden crown, went out into some meadows where
a number of boys were playing games by carrying
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220 LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

“Ho! ho!” cried King Happy-go-lucky, “this is
rare fun. Come along, Florizel, you’re a light weight.
Up with you, I’ll give you a ride!”

Florizel was an idle youth, who delighted the king
by inventing jokes to play off on the greyheaded
ministers of the Crown, and he did not see anything
undignified or improper in jumping on to the back
of the king, and having a romp. So up he jumped,
and off raced the king all round the field. The boys
stopped their games, because they thought it much
more fun to see a king in royal robes and crown
playing the part of a clown; and they hurrahed, and,
forgetting all respect to his majesty, shouted,

“Gee-up! Happy-go-lucky !”

It was a sight! The king’s royal robes were half
off his shoulders, and his hair under the crown was
all rumpled and disorderly.

Suddenly the boys set up a still louder shout of
glee and held their sides with merriment, for King
Happy-go-lucky had slipped and rolled into the
ditch, that ran under the hedge all round the field,
with Florizel at the top of him. They soon picked
themselves up in the highest spirits, and the boys,
running up, began to rub the mud off the king’s red
velvet robes. All of a sudden the king put his hand
up to his head, and said in a voice of dismay,

“ My royal crown is gone!”

“Impossible!” cried Florizel, the courtier ; ; and the
boys all threw themselves into the ditch and began
to search for the crown.

The king was in terrible distress, for what was a
king without a crown? And he promised that who-

-
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN. 221

ever found the crown should have a hundred gold
pieces.

The boys searched more diligently than ever.
There was a hole in the hedge near where the king
had fallen, and they got through this and thoroughly
scoured the next field. But not a sign of the crown.
Then the king told Florizel to bring all the boys to
him, and when they were all collected round, he said,

“Listen to my royal command. He who brings
the crown to me shall receive a hundred gold pieces
as I have promised; but let a single one of you
breathe a word of this to anyone, and within the next
half-hour I will have his head chopped off. Mind, it
is a secret.”

The king then told Florizel to send a herald
through the streets to proclaim that the king was
sick, and, by the advice of his physicians, had gone
into the country, where he could see no one for ten
days. He hoped by this time that the crown
would be found. It was impossible to make another
exactly like it, for it had been made by a magician,
and had the magic power of fitting the head of
every king directly he came to the throne. It was
a beautiful crown made of solid gold, and set with
diamonds and rubies as big as duck’s eggs, and
Happy-go-lucky’s great, great grandfather, a brave
and warlike king, had bid his descendants guard it
as their greatest treasure, for, if by mischance any-
thing befell it, misfortune and ruin would come to the
kingly line.

So you may imagine the distress and grief of the
king, and how anxicus he was to keep the loss from
222 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

his subjects, who, he knew, were not best pleased with
him.

Now it happened that just at the time that the
king was making himself so ridiculous by tumbling
into the ditch, a discontented shepherd, whose face
was very like the king’s own, was walking on the
field the other side of the hedge.

Although the discontented shepherd had a fine
flock of healthy sheep ; a pretty little cottage, covered
with roses in summer and snugly thatched in winter ;
a stocking full of silver; and, best of all, a thrifty,
industrious wife; he was always bemoaninz his lot,
and wishing he had nothing to do and wore fine
clothes and lived in a palace. His discontent made
his poor wife quite sad, and when she pointed out
how many blessings they had, he would say angrily,

“Tsn’t it enough, woman, that I should be robbed
of the fine things that ought to be mine, without
having to listen to your silly words?”

Then the poor woman would be silent, and, with a
sigh, set about spinning the flax shirts.

Now, as the discontented shepherd stood watching
the king with envy, something magnificently bright
rolled through the gap of the hedge, into the field
at the very spot where he was standing; and whilst
he stood bewildered, for he did not for a moment
recognize that it was the famous crown, he heard a
voice saying in a tone of great authority, that com-
pelled him to obey, “Take it up and put it in your
wallet.” —

The shepherd hastily picked up the crown and put
it into the black wallet that was slung across his
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN. 223

shoulders, and in which he kept his dinner—bread
and cheese—that he had just eaten, and then, to
his astonishment, he found himself borne off his feet,
as it seemed to him into the air. The discontented
shepherd felt very much alarmed, for he found he
was being carried a long way from his cottage, and
at the same time he could not see how it was done.
In truth, although he did not know it, he was in the
hands of an invisible magician, who, many, many
hundreds of years ago, had himself made the wonder-
ful crown.

Presently they came to a lonely sea shore, and the
discontented shepherd, feeling they were descending
to earth, began to be afraid he would be dropped
into the middle of the sea. But he was placed safely
on his feet on the dry coast land, and, being very
giddy and rather exhausted with that heavy wallet
on his back, he shut his eyes for a moment and felt
as if he must faint from fatigue.

When he opened his eyes he found to his surprise
that he was inside a beautiful dwelling-place, the walls
of which were formed out of the white rocks. In front
stretched the great fathomless blue ocean ; above—
for there was no roof—the eye rested upon the blue
vault of heaven, and all around fluttered white
seagulls, who shared with the magician the land of
the Lonely Shore, where he had built his home.

The discontented shepherd trembled. It was all
so lonely—the waves, which were now so rippling and
gentle, seemed to say to him that at any moment they
might rush over his head, and the cry of the gulls was
so wild and strange and so unlike the soft bleat of
his own lambs,
224 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

Just as he was thinking about this he heard a
sound, and there stood before him an old, old man,
with a beard that reached to his feet, and white locks
that fell upon his shoulders. He wore a long robe,
fastened at the waist with a girdle of leather, that
bore in bright silver letters the word “ Knowledge,”
and on his head there was a close-fitting black cap.

“Do not be frightened,” he said to the discontented
shepherd. “You are in the Hall of the Magician,
and as safe as if you were in your own little cottage.
I have long thought about you and watched you, and
now I have determined to give you what you want. |
Open your wallet.” . ;

The shepherd did-so, and took out of it the massive
gold crown with its wondrous sparkling gems.

“Put it on,” said the magician, “and then look into
the rock mirror.”

The shepherd obeyed, and noticed for the first
time that the rock walls reflected back images, just as
if they were made of glass. The crown fitted him to
perfection, and as he had quite as handsome a face as
the king, whom he so closely resembled, it became
him very well indeed. He could not repress an
exclamation of joy.

“Oh,” he cried, “what a splendid king I should
have made. How I would enjoy my life,.and with
what majesty would I play my part! Nothing to do,
royal robes to wear, fine delicacies to eat—off silver
and gold dishes—and perhaps a princess to woo and
wed. Oh, cruel destiny, that made me a wretched
shepherd instead of a mighty king!”

Meanwhile the magician was pulling a splendid
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN. 225

robe out of a big quaint chest, that was so deep, that
not even the magician had ever seen its bottom.

“Put this on,” said the magician, and, when the
discontented shepherd had delightedly arrayed him-
self, he said, “Would you like to be a real king, and
live in a palace, and sit upon a throne of gold?”

Vip) \\.

Hy) nae N\:
ey MY, N



The magician brings out a splendid robe.—Z. 225.

“Like!” cried the shepherd, transported at the
thought, “I would give my life—my soul for it!”

“ Ah,” said the magician sadly, “like all men, you
are dazzled by show and high station. Pause,. my
good shepherd, and think.

“ Are you not happy in summer-time, going amidst
your gentle lambs under the soft blue skies, and

P
226 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

dreaming the thousand beautiful and graceful dreams,
that come to a man whose life is peaceful and
untroubled? Have you not sweet milk for your por-
tion in the evening when you return home from your
labours, and honey and fruits in plenty?

“Have you not a good wife, who spins and sews,
and greets you with a loving eye, night and morning?
Will you exchange these?”

“Oh, do not torture me any longer,’ cried the
shepherd, “I despise these contemptible joys; and as
for milk out of an earthenware mug, I tell you it is
fit only for a slave, and I_long for bright red wine
from a golden flagon.”

He had scarcely uttered these words, when he
found that his wish was about to be gratified.

Two black slaves stood before him, bearing between
them a splendid gold flagon, full of ruby: coloured
wine, and a goblet of crystal to drink out of.

“Where am I?” he asked, feeling very stiff and
uncomfortable.

“Your majesty has been asleep,” said his lord
chamberlain respectfully. “It was perhaps the hot
day. Would your majesty permit me to fan you?”

More and more astonished, the discontented shep-
herd, now a king, looked around, and behold he was
in a palace with walls of white marble, inlaid with
bars of gold, with ivory ceilings, studded with gold
stars, and he himself was seated upon a throne carved
out of pure gold. He stretched out his hand to take
the goblet of red wine, and took a long draught.
Then he took another and another, for he was accus-
tomed to huge potations of milk to slake his thirst.
_KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKYS CROWN. 227

As there was not much business to transact that day,
one of his courtiers proposed that perhaps his majesty
would like a walk in the grounds, where the musicians
were already playing on their viols and harps and
lutes, and the noble maidens and youths were dancing.

So the king went into the grounds and watched the .
pretty sight, and wondered why his head ached so
terribly.

“Tt must be the crown,” he thought. “Oh, dear
me, how heavy it is.”

But it was not only the crown that made his
majesty feel so sleepy and headachy. It was partly
the red wine, to which he was unused.

Presently he noticed that a lot of soldiers had run
up to a gate in the grounds, and were driving away a
man, who, followed by a great crowd, was shouting
and gesticulating.

“What is the matter?” asked the ansehendt king.

“Oh, nothing, your majesty,” answered Florizel, the
courtier, “it is only some mad fellow who pretends
that he is the king, and swears that your majesty is
wearing his crown.”

“Well, I think I will go indoors, and look here,
Florizel, I want this crown taken off; my head
aches.”

“Oh, your majesty,” cried Florizel, “you know that
must not be. I dare not do it. I beseech your
majesty to reconsider the question. Your august
highness knows it must never leave the head of the

. sovereign, except between the hours of midnight and
cock-crowing, and it wants six hours to midnight.”

“Very well,” said the king irritably ; and to himself
228 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

he said, “ This tiresome heavy thing! I should like to
throw it into yonder lake.”

But it was still worse after the banquet that night,
for his majesty, having eaten and drunk much more
than was good for him, wished to go for a stroll in
the clear moonlight air. He longed to feel the
soft breezes on his heated forehead, and therefore
announced his intention of going for a walk.

“Oh, your majesty,” cried the oldest of his ministers,
“TI beg you not to go out in the night air,’ and a
minute later the court physician hurried up, and
making a low obeisance, said,

“Pray, pray be warned, royal king. Your majesty’s
family have all delicate chests, and it would be a
‘most dangerous proceeding to go out into the night
air.”

“What nonsense!” cried the king, with a peevish
face, for he was used to going out in all weathers,
having come of a sturdy stock, and knowing nothing
of the ailments that trouble grand people. But he
was obliged’ to submit. All that night, on his satin
and gilt bed, he tossed about uncomfortably. He
was relieved of his crown, but he could not sleep.
The many different dishes of which he had eaten
disagreed with him and lay heavy upon. his stomach,
and the wines had gone into his head and made him
hot and disagreeable. How different from the sound
sleep on his own little wooden bed after a simple meal
of bread and milk and figs!

The next day there was business to transact, and
the old prime minister said early in the morning,

“T beg and implore your majesty not to make
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN. 229

holiday to-day. Your subjects, loyal as they are, are
becoming terribly dissatisfied, and I am afraid, unless
your majesty listens to their petitions, they will
rebel.”

The king felt rather uncomfortable, as he knew
what rebellions of the people meant ; so, although he
still felt tired and unrefreshed, having passed a very
bad night, he said haughtily,

“ Of course, I will transact the business of the State.
Order the people to come in.”

He mounted his grand throne, and there, with the
sceptre in his hand, he sat all day long, hearing
petitions from people with sullen faces and angry
eyes, Oh, how he hated it! How unhappy and
tired and starved some of the poor creatures seemed,
and how, in spite of their lowly obeisance before his
throne, hate and anger shot out of their eyes !

And how dreadfully tired and stiff he himself felt
at the end of the day, when the last of the poor
peasants had gone, and his courtiers bathed him in
a scented bath of silver.

There was to be a ball that night, so, in spite of his
fatigue, the poor king had to dress himself in a suit of
velvet, with lace ruffles at his throat and wrists.

All through the ball he was thinking of the people
who had declared to him that morning, that if he
would only look into things himself, he would find
out how badly they were treated.

“Ts that so?” he had asked the prime minister, and
the prime minister, who was a good and kind man,
had said, .

“{t would be better if your majesty would show
230 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

yourself amongst your people oftener, and yourself
listen to their wrongs and redress them.”

So, as the king went among the fair ladies clad in
silken dresses, gleaming with jewels, he thought of the
looks of some of the poor women who had come to
him that morning, their bitterness of heart reflected
on their thin faces, and who had declared they had
no bread for their children, because the soldiers
robbed them and ill-treated them. ,

The fair ladies, too, did not please him. They were
beautiful—far more beautiful than his own little wife,
who sat spinning in the little cottage; but they
laughed and stared at him when he began to tell
them about the distress of the poor people, and one
lady said haughtily,

“ Oh, those poor people, they’re always complaining
about something. What does it matter? Your
majesty shouldn’t trouble about it.”

Everybody wondered what had come to the once
jolly, thoughtless king. Instead of being merry and
full of a hundred tricks, he looked glum and
unhappy, and his idle courtiers were quite puzzled .
at the change, and very dissatisfied. But the prime
minister rejoiced, for he thought to himself, “ Now the
king is beginning to see that he must not squirt rose-
water on to the ladies’ hair, nor do other silly
schoolboy tricks; but must learn to play his part
like a king.” The king, however, was beginning to
be heartily tired of playing his part as aking, He
fretfully complained to Florizel that he did not want
to be always surrounded with courtiers, and one
evening, when Florizel proposed that they should
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY S CROWN. 231

amuse themselves by capping comic verses, he said
angrily,

“Get out of my sight, giddy fellow! There is no
sense in that empty head of thine. I am sick of
all this—this crown; these heavy hateful robes; this
sitting in state till my legs ache; this red wine,
which causes my head to swim; these little dishes
that make me sick and yet leave me hungry. I
hate all this. I long for a good draught of cider;
and, oh! for a mess of porridge!”

Florizel stared and thought the king was light-
headed.

“ And, oh! for the time when I had no bothers and
no cares, and when honest folk did not look at me
with hate in their eyes. Ah, who would be a king
when he could be a happy shepherd ?”

Florizel was more and more astonished; but,
thinking to cheer up his majesty, he said,

“There is a famous troop of clowns and conjurors
in the town and they crave leave to show your
majesty their mirth-provoking performance. Will
it please your august highness to give audience to
them in the grounds to-night after dark, when a
* thousand coloured lamps will be lit and the fountains
will play ?”

The king, happy to escape from his disagreeable
thoughts, signified to Florizel his willingness, and
gave orders that all the poor people were to be
admitted to the grounds, so that they might share
in the amusements.

When the court ladies and gentlemen heard of this,
they were not best pleased; but, of course, as they
232 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

would witness the show from the terrace, there would
be no fear of their fine clothes being soiled by touch-
ing the rags of the common people,

As soon as it grew dark the scene in the palace
grounds became very brilliant and beautiful.
Thousands of coloured lamps swung from the trees,
and threw blue and crimson and orange flashes upon
the waters, that sparkled and bubbled up from the
fountains. Everywhere, too, was the scent of roses;
and here and there were placed little tables of white
marble, loaded with beautiful fruit and sweet cakes,
for the benefit of the poor multitude. A great space
was railed off in the centre for the acrobats and
performers ; and, facing this, high up on the terrace,
sat the king, pale and weary, in the midst of richly-
dressed courtiers and lovely ladies,

Presently the common people began to.troop in,
and they laughed heartily at the antics of the clown,
who was a suprisingly clever fellow, and who kept
them all in fits of amusement, as he first represented
an aged man, then an infant in arms, then its nurse,
and finally every sort of animal to be found in the
farmyard. But the king noticed, very much to his
surprise, that this clown had a very, very sad face,
and he thought to himself, “That poor, melancholy
fellow is almost as miserable a being as I am. Ah,
me; but ‘he’s got his liberty and can go where he
likes and when he likes, without a crowd of courtiers
always at his heels.” Inthe middle of the evening
the lord chamberlain announced that supper was laid
for his majesty in the banqueting hall; but the king
said he would prefer to stay and watch the games;
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The King goes to a secluded part of the garden.—4. 234.
234 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

only, as he did not want to deprive any of the court
of their supper, all the ladies and gentlemen were to
go to the feast and leave him alone. He spoke in so
peremptory a manner, that the courtiers, who were
quite ready for supper, hastened to obey; and the
king, being left alone, immediately stepped off the
terrace unobserved, and ran into a very dark and
deserted part of the grounds. Here there were no
tables and no lamps; but the grass was sweet and
fresh with the summer dew, and the dark sky was
strewn with stars.

The king gave a great sad sigh of relief, and, to
his astonishment, heard another sigh close by, almost
as sad. He looked up and was able to discern a
figure near him, but it was too dark to make out
whether it was man or woman.

“ Who is there ?” asked the king.

“Only a poor clown,” answered the other, coming ,
) S ¢

closer, and the king recognized the voice of the clever
clown with the sad face, who had been delighting the
people a few minutes ago, “and a most miserable
creature.”

“Why,” asked the king curiously, “should you be
miserable? Yours, I should think, is a delightful life
—all play, no worries, no responsibilities, no heavy
crown to wear like his majesty yonder. Why, you
ought to be the merriest man alive. I daresay, now,
the king would gladly change places with you,”

“ Ah,” whispered the clown; “I think, my good
fellow, you are a simple countryman; but I wil! tell
you a piece of news so wonderful, that your eyes will
grow larger, than when you were gazing at my apish

‘
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN. 235

tricks. Know, then, that Jam your true king. This
head, so foolishly decked with ribbons and bells, once
proudly wore the royal crown.”

The king started, but he said coolly,

“Oh, what a fine story! One day aking and the
next day.playing the clown. You must think me a
simple fellow to believe that. Kings don’t grow on
every bush; and, if you are the king, why is his
majesty yonder wearing the crown ?”

It was only the moon that saw how the clown hung
his head with shame as he answered,

“When I was a king I played the part of a buffoon.
I was a schoolboy, an imp, an ape—anything—but
never a king, full of honour and dignity and majesty.

“ And there came a day when the glory and treasure
of our kingly line fell from my unworthy head, and I
was doomed to play eternally the hideous part of a
clown. >

“Oh! how I hate it! Conceive, my good, honest
fellow, the hatefulness of it. To have a big grin
for ever on your face; to be turning somersaults all
your life. If you are born a clown, all very well;
but if you are a king, with fine opportunities and great
possibilities and noble ambitions——,” and here the
clown wept bitterly, “and come to know that you
have misused them, have neglected your people, and
lost your crown, just for a game of leapfrog—leapfrog
for a king!”

The king listened in silence with a thoughtful air,
and some words of the clown rung in his ears.

“Tf you are born a clown it is different ; but if you
are born a king”—and how, he asked himself, if you


236 THE LITTLE MEN IN SCARLET.

are born a shepherd? In his mind he went over all
he had suffered during the last few months in that
shining palace. The stiffness, the ceremony, the
confinement, the grand airs of the courtiers which
he did not understand, the weight of the crown
that was killing him, his own helplessness and
awkwardness.

“Oh!” he suddenly exclaimed aloud, “oh! for my
own little cottage, my beloved wife, Rosella, the old
pleasures, the free life under God’s sky; oh! for
them once more; oh! to be rid of this hateful,
accursed crown!” and he began to try and wrench
the thing from his head.

“What!” said the clown in astonishment, “you
are the false king? Oh, forgive me, your majesty,
for using this word,” he went on stammering.

But the king said bitterly,

“Tis the right word. I am no morea king than
you are a clown. I am a shepherd born and a
shepherd bred, and as great a fool as you; I beg
your pardon, even as your majesty has begged mine,”
and he bowed low to the ground.

Suddenly, as the two men were staring at each
other in astonishment, there was a noise in the air
as of gunpowder exploding, and the voice of the
_ magician was heard in the clouds saying,

“¢ Oh, king and shepherd, learn to-day
That each man has his part to play ;
And whether in hut or on stately throne,
He plays it best who plays his own.”

These words were followed by a mighty wind, in
KING HAPPY-GO-LUCKY’S CROWN. 237

the midst of which the king felt as if a great weight
had fallen off for ever from his head and his heart.

He rubbed his eyes. Oh, joy! there was his own
collie dog, Skye, standing at his feet, and near by, at
the cottage door, stood his dear Rosella, who was
calling to him,

“ Hasten in, dear husband, I have just the supper
that you love—a bit of capital bacon and some hot
beans.”

And, meanwhile, the wind wafted the crown to the
head of the true king, who slipped in unobserved on
to the terrace.

When the courtiers came back from their supper,
they noticed that the frown had slipped away from
his majesty’s face, and that, though he looked very
stately, he seemed much happier.

From that day things went quite differently in King
Happy-go-lucky’s kingdom ; the poor people were
fed and given work; the soldiers were drilled daily
by the king himself; the courtiers were each given
duties suitable to their rank ; and the king played no
more monkey-tricks, but ruled wisely and lived happy
and respected.

THE END.



Jarrold and Sons, Printers, Norwich, Yarmouth, and London.
Selections from Jarvolds’ New Books.





THE “SNUG CORNER” SERIES...
Crown 8v0, Art Linen, 3/6 each.

A series of bright, imaginative stories, artistically bound and profusely
illustrated, intended for the young—of al/ ages.

The Holiday Prize : A Movern Farry Tate. By ELLINOR
DAVENPORT ADAMS, Author of ‘‘ Comrades True,” ‘‘ Colonel Russell's
Baby,” “ Ro Illustrated by K. M. SKEAPING.

: ‘Cin
f Lif < y /





The prize, concern-
f ing which Miss Daven-
port Adams writes, is
to be given, at the end
of the summerholidays,
to the boy who, among
his girl playfellows
proves himself ‘‘a veray
parfit gentil knight.”
A pleasant vein of hum-
our runs through the
story, but neither this,
nor the interest of the
simple plot, is allowed
to obscure the lesson
of chivalrous unselfish-
ness so clearly and con-
vincingly taught.






The Little
Men in
Scarlet,
and other
Fairy
Tales. By
FRANCES H.
Low, Author of
‘Queen Victoria's
Dolls,” &c.

Illustrated by
J. J. Gururie.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of ali Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from “jarrolos’ Stew Books.

THE “SNUG CORNER” SERIES.
Crown 8v0, Art Linen, 3/6 each.

A: series of bright,- imaginative stories, artistically bound and profusely
illustrated, intended for the young—of ail ages.

Our Little Sunbeams: Srorims ror tHe LittLe
Ones. By Aticz F, Jackson, Author of ‘‘ Fazry Tales and True,”
“© The Doll’s Dressmaker,”? &c. Illustrated by K. M. SKEAPING.

A book of pleasant and
well-written stories for young
children. The stories—or
sketches, as they may be
called, such as ‘Qn the
Sands,” &c.—are all of a
nice tone, and contain un-
obtrusively an unmistakable
lesson. The appropriate
illustrations by K. M. Skeap-
ing add to the attractiveness
-of this book for the little
ones.



Some Morals and Emotions of a Doll.

By this amusing story of puppet-land, Mrs. S. B. Martin has made a new
departure in juvenile literature. To an imaginative child the joys and
sorrows of ‘* Angelina de Sambo” and her doll companions will seem very
real, while all children, imaginative or otherwise, will fall in love with
‘* Vera,” the little girl heroine, and envy her the possession of so
accomplished a doll-friend. [J preparation.]

London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of ali Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.




Selections from Jarrolds’ Stew Books.

“SABLE AND WHITE” SERIES.
Crown 8v0, Cloth elegant, 3/6.

Four=-Footed and
Feathered Friends.

By ALByn Muttoy. Illustrated
by J. A. SHEPHERD. (“‘ Zig-zag
Sketches from the Zoo.” )



A book to interest all animal lovers,
and especially to be recommended to
“Bands of Mercy” and other kindred
associations in need of a prize-book !
It abounds in stories of dog, cat, and
bird life, and is written with such
knowledge, sympathy, and insight, that
even the most apathetic reader will find
his interest kindled. The illustrations
are by Mr. J. A. Shepherd, and com-
prise a number of clever and humorous
sketches.

THE WINDSOR . LIBRARY.

New Mlustrated Edition. Crown 8vo, Cloth
elegant, Gilt top, 2/6 each. Beautifully
Milustrated by J. ALLANSON CULL.

By MRS. WALTER SEARLE.

Paul Haddon.

Redcar Lee.

Sarah Deck’s Victory.
Somebody and Nobody.

The Greatest is Charity. By
Mrs, H. B. PAULL.
Mabel Berrington’s Faith, and
other Stories. By Mrs. H. B. PAULL.
A Series of Eight Stories for the Young
People of the Family, bearing upon
Domestic or Family Life.
Paul Porter and His Brothers.
By P. A. Biyru, Author of “‘ Merry
and Grave ; or, What's in a Name?”



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarrolds’ Wew Books,

BLACK BEAUTY.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A HORSE.



120 Entirely New Illustrations. 4to, Cloth Elegant,
5/- (Postage 44d.)

“ Ffad the Society
for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals
published this, we
should say it had
published its best
work.’’—Review.

"Tt would be diffi-
sult to conceive one
more admirably suit-
ed to its purpose,’—
Nonconformist.

‘The story 1s sim-
ply told and cleverly
put together, and
while it may be read
with pleasure and
Profit by educated
people, it is an excel-
lent book to put into
the hands of stable-
boys, or any who
have to do with
horses.”

Essex Standard.

"As a book for
young people it will
popular for its
Picturesque _illustra-
tions of all possible
aspects of a horses
career.”

Lpswich Journal





Of this book 180,000 have been printed in this country alone. It has also
been very extensively reproduced in the United States, and Editions have been
published in France and Italy.

The present 4to Edition has been produced at great expense. It contains
120 Illustrations by that eminent Artist, JOHN BEER, Esq., facsimiled by
the half-tone process, with beautiful results. It is artistically bound, and
will no doubt be highly appreciated as a suitable gift book by many of
the thousands who have been delighted with it in its cheaper form ; for as the
Editor of Zhe Animal World says, ‘‘ The more often we have turned over the
leaves of ‘Black Beauty,’ the greater has been our delight.”

The Popular Editions at 2/- and 1/- are still on Sale.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls. Q
Selections from Jarrolds’ Mew Books.

BEAUTIFUL JOE.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A DOG.
BY MARSHALIL SAUNDERS.
Illustrated, 3/- (Post 44d.) Gilt Edges, 3/6. &





The Countess of Aberdeen writes of the Canadian Edition of '' Beautiful Joe” :—!I ar
sure that all lovers of animals will welcome this book with eagerness as being eminently
calculated to spread. that knowledge and thought for dumb beasts which will lead to
their humane treatment.”

‘The narrative is admirably conveyed and interesting from every point of view. If we

pad oar wish and our way, the book should be in every school and in every house.”—The
orld,

ay ne book is charmingly got up, and would make an excellent school-prize.’—British
eekly.

“Tt is a capital story, and is certain to be popular among all lovers of animals,"—Shefield
Daily Telegraph.

‘For Sunday-school libraries and for reading alike in families, it is a most appropriate
volume, sure to draw out the sympathies of young readers to their four-footed companions,
ao ie eect them valuable lessons as to the right and kind treatment of dumb creatures.
_ veeman.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarrolds’ Mew Books.

BOOKS OF ADVENTURE FOR BOYS.

Crown 8vo., Illustrated, Handsomely Bound, Cloth, Olivine Edges.
Price 3s. 6d. (Postage 44d.)



After School. By Rosert Overton. With 24 Illus-

trations by REINHOLD THIELE. 2nd Edition. 3s. 6d,

Twenty-four complete short stories of
school-life, home-life, and later-life, deal-
ing largely with the experiences and
adventures of the two boys Higgins and
their companions, the scrapes they got
into, and how they got out of them.
With twenty-four full-page illustrations.

Schoolboys never tire of reading stories in
which their fellows play the chief parts, and they
will find a delightful collection of fresh tales in
‘ After School,’ by Mr. Robert Overton, who
knows the English public schoolboy so well
that it is at times difficult to believe that he is
not one himself at the present moment. There
are ag aces: chiefly the work of Higgins sen.
and Higgins jun., and they are all so full of
merriment, and are all such perfect pictures of
school life that it is difficult to determine which
is the best amongst them. Birchingham Hall,
the school these two delightful boys turn topsy-
turvy, will remain a pleasant recollection long
after the stories in which they relate their many
deeds and misdeeds have been read and laid
aside.” The Star



“The funniest, most entertaining, and most wholesome collection of stories ever written."
—Christian Age.

‘Tt contains a number of short stories, describing incidents of school-life, and purporting
ie be the work of the boys themselves. Some of them are highly laughable.”—Morning
‘ost.

“It is clever, and the tales amusing and serious by turns. Indeed the stories are very
suitable for boys."—Bel/ast Evening Telegraph.

“The incidents are told with considerable cleverness, and there is a freshness about
the whole story that every reader will appreciate.’"—Christian World.

“No ‘boy’ Is too old to enjoy stories as fresh and refreshing as these."—Leytonstone
Express.

‘A book to delight all schoolboys. It is full of merriment, and of mischief, and of rattle
end go.”—Glasgow Herald.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C,
Of ati Booksellers and at the Bookstalis.
Selections from Jarrolds’ Mew Books.

BOOKS OF ADVENTURE FOR BOYS.

Crown 8vo, Illustrated, Handsomely Bound, Cloth, Olivine Edges,
Price 3s. 6d. (Postage 44d.)





Lights Out. By Rosner
OvERTON. With twenty-six full-
page Illustrations by REINHOLD
THIELE. 2nd Edition. 3s. 6d.

Twenty-six complete short stories,
“Told in the dark by the Boys of the
Big Dormitory—Tales of the Playground
and the Camp, of ‘the Battle and the
Breeze,’ of young boys and old boys,
from grave to gay, from lively to severe,”

‘Will be read with pleasure by boys."—Dazly
News.

‘A good boy’s book or a good book for boys.”
—Morning.

"Lights Out,’ by Robert Overton, is breezy, lively, and exciting. They are stories of
incidents by land and sea, supposed to be told of evenings in a boys’ dormitory after the lights
were extinguished and before silence was enjoined. Mr. Overton sometimes drops into verse,
one the verses are very good, especially a fiery ballad of the American Civil War."—The

umes.



‘The stories are sure to be enjoyed by the youth of all ages, and the book will be a popular
gift."—Guardian.

‘The tales are supposed to be told to one another by boys at school after the lights are out.
They are numerous, brief, and adventurous, dealing with running away from school, with
burglars, wiih the battle, and the breeze. They make a capital boy’s book.” —Scotsman.

‘A string of stories of adventure of all sorts in all places, ashore and afloat, told in the
dormitory of Dr. Adlem’s College. Every story is interesting."—PalZ Mall Gazette.

‘Deserves a place among the most attractive gift books of the year.”—Schoolmasters

‘*Mr. Robert Overton sets his boys to weave romances for their own edification o’ nights in
the big dormitory during the hour which precedes ‘lights out.’ A charming book this, and
sure of a warm welcome.”—77uth.

‘In the last year or two no writer for the younger members of the community has sprung
into greater prominence than Mr. Overton. His success has been the reward of merit. He
Possesses what we cannot characterise otherwise than as a genius for story writing for boys.
He combines a delightful sense of humour with a dramatic power of the very highest order,
and his style is easy and graceful."—Home News.

‘Humour, pathos, and adventure are admirably blended in a manner which does the author
credit. His stories deserve to become popular.”—Birmingham Daily Gazette.

see Lights Out!’ by Robert Overton, is the title of a collection of racy stories, full of adven-
ture and fun, and yet inspired by a sound and healthy moral tone.”—Bradford Observer.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarrolds’ Mew Books..

BOOKS OF ADVENTURE FOR BOYS, =

Crown 8vo, Illustrated, Handsomely Bound, Cloth Olivine Edges.
Price 3s. 6d. (Postage 44d.)





The King’s Pardon; or,
THE Boy wHo SAVED IIs FATHER.
A Story of Land and Sea. By
ROBERT OVERTON. With twelve
Illustrations by W. H. MarceTson.
2nd Edition. 3s. 6d.

Being the recital of the perils and
escapes of Bart Arber in finding and
saving his convict-father, assisted by his
faithful chum, Bob Simmons, A.B. Stir-
ring adventures afloat and ashore, in war
and peace, at home, in the West Indies,
and the far Australian Bush.

‘Mr. Overton has certainly the knack of writ-
ing stories that are particularly taking for boys,
to say nothing of their elders."—Saturday Ke-
view.

‘*A deeply interesting story. The interest of
the tale grows greater from first to last, and the
course of the plot is full of surprises.” —Scotsman.



‘A tale of school, home, and sea life, of constant sensation and breathless interest—alto
gether a rousing book.”—Glasgow Herald.

"A breezy well-told story of land and sea."—The Sun.

‘A capital book for lads."—Shefield Telegraph.

‘A delightful and exciting story."—AJlerdeen Free Press.

‘All boys, and many who are not boys, will read it with pleasure. '—Wewcastle Leader,

‘A book full of adventures, really a book for boys, to show them how to be brave and how
to endure.”"—Westminster Budget.

“Tt is a narrative of considerable power, based ona miscarriage of tee transporta-
tion of an innocent father, and the brilliant adventures of his son on land and sea during the
boy’s unswerving resolve to set his father’s character right in the eyes of the world. The hero
of the story is a type of manliness and of British pluck, who by the sheer force of his courage
overcomes more than ordinary difficulties and heartrending disappointments, and in the long
run vindicates his father’s character and restores him to the home on the Gorleston cliffs.”—
Peterborough Advertiser.

‘*Mr. Overton's new boys’ story is laid in that exciting period at the beginning of the present
century when ‘ Boney’ was the bogey of Europe, when the English navy was at its best, when
men were transported to the convict stations of Australia. It is indeed, in ‘the good old
times’ that we follow the fortunes of Bart Arber. Mr. Overton is winning a prominent place
in the affections of boy readers."—Publishers' Circular.

London: Jarrold and Sons, ro and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarrolos’ Mew Books.

NEW BOOK OF ADVENTURE FOR _BOYS.

Crown 8vo, Illustrated, Handsomely Bound, Cloth, Olivine Edges
Price 3s. 6d. (Postage 44d.)





Afloat in a Gipsy Van.
By E. R. Surriine, Author of
‘*Tethou; or, Crusoe Life in the
Channel Islands,” &c. With beau-
tiful Illustrations by PauL ILARby.
3s. 6d.

Being the wanderings and adventures
f three lads under the care of one,
‘Uncle Rue.” It shows how a Gipsy
Van is made to float safely down the
East Coast and across the North Sea to
Ifolland, and recounts the experience of
the quartette both on sea and land.

‘A capital book for boys."—Daily Chronicle.
It is ingenious, bright, and well-written, and

will tend to develop the resourcefulness of the
boys who read it.”—/ndependent.



‘About the most novel and ingenious book for boys we have seen for some time.” —A der
deen Free Press. :

‘Cannot fail to prove exceptionally interesting."—Christian World.

‘Will prove of absorbing interest to those lads who delight in tales of perseverance and
pluck and all that can be accomplished by these qualities. The volume is cleverly illustrated
y Paul Hardy.”—Bel/ast News Letter.

‘It is a lively and well-written story."—Brad/ord Observer.

‘Every boy’s eye will brighten on seeing ‘Afloat ina Gipsy Van.’ The story is strongly
original in conception, and is treated with a vigour becoming a stirring recital of adventure."
Dundee Advertiser.

“Tt has a lively plot, which is always on the move, and adventures enough to fill forth a
dozen books, while the interest is always bright and changing.”—Scotsman.

‘Mr. Suffling’s yarn, which inculcates the need of courage, perseverance, and obedience for
the attainment of a desired end, will certainly delight and interest a very large audience.”—
Christian Age.

“We are delighted with the whole narrative, and predict for it a great success as a prize
book.”"— Teachers’ Aid,

It is very well put together and written."—Literary World.

‘Tt is a stirring narrative throughout, and youthful readers will find in its pages as much of
danger, strange adventures, and singular situations as the most exacting of them can demand,
And with all this, the limits of the possible and probable are not exceeded.” —Leeds Mercury.





London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.

~
=
Selections from “Jarrolds’ Mew Books.

NEW BOOK OF ADVENTURE: FOR BOYS.

Crown 8vo, Illustrated, Handsomely Bound, Cloth, Olivine Edges,
Price 35. 6d. (Postage 44d,)





Her Majesty the Queen and His Majesty the Emperor of Germany
have graciously accepted copies of this book, of which they have expressed
their appreciation to the Author,



Rex; OR, WINNING THE VIC-
TORIA Cross. By L. THuompson,
Illustrated by W. B. Wo.ven,
RL. ;

An intricate plot, full of adventures by
sea and land. Thrilling account of the
rescue of the captive heroine—a unique
and unprecedented wedding—the young
couple taken prisoners—court-martial of
the young ‘‘ General.” Though the hero,
through a mistake, runs away, he takes
with him the tender home-training which,
in its unconscious power over others con-
stitutes the deep under-current of pathos
through the story, showing how there are
more ways than one of winning the Vic-
toria Cross.

‘SA splendid story, which no boy can read
without becoming enthusiastic over its startling
and extraordinary incidents.—Birmingham Ga-
sette.



“Every boy will want to read it, and we can promise him a real treat in the realms of
tdventure."—Belfast News Letter.

‘Few better books have been published this year than Louisa Thompson's ‘Rex: or,
Winning the Victoria Cross.’ Itis a rattling story." —T7he Star

‘*A spirited story, with sufficient adventure and interest to satisfy the most exacting young
reader. The style is bright and effective.” —Guardian.

“A stirring story of heroism and moral courage, told with bright sympathy and a lively
(magination.”—Bradford Observer.

“One of the very best books that it has been our privilege to look through this season."—
Teachers’ Aid.

“ Youthful readers will revel in the many adventures by land and sea which befall Rex."—
Publishers’ Circular.

“This is a good, wholesome book for boys, full of incident, without a dull line from begin-
fling to end.’ "North Wilts Guardian,



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.

Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls. ‘
Selections from ‘farrolds’ Mew Books.

BOOKS OF ADVENTURE FOR BOYS,

Crown 800, Illustrated, Handsomely Bound, Cloth, Olivine Edges,
Price 3s. 6a. (Postage 43d.)









Adventures in Texas. By Grace Sressinc. _Illus-
"trated by PauL Harpy. 3rd Edition. 3s. 6d.

‘* Adventures in Texas,” being a graphic description of the experiences of a
boy colonist on the shores of the Mexican Gulf, with some account of his
friends and enemies. The book is especially designed for readers from twelve
to eighteen years, but many older folks may find interest in its numerous
incidents.

‘CA very pretty gift book, which any boy will read with pleasure.” —British Weekly.

«A most interesting story. It is written in a charming style, and is pervaded by such
healthy, helpful principles, that all young people should be the better for reading it. The
adventures, which are of a stirring and thrilling character, follow each other in rapid succes-
sion, so that the reader's attention is completely engrossed. Any boy would rejoice to add
this volume, with its bright attractive cover and coloured edges, to the treasures already upon
his bookshelf. One of the cheapest and best books of the season.” —Schoolmaster.

‘Miss Stebbing is rapidly rising into popularity as a story-teller, and this exciting tale
thoroughly deserves the favour it has met with.”—Bookseller,

“The work has proved an exceptionally popular one for boys, the story being of absorbing
interest, while the moral tone is healthy and good. Being well illustrated, strikingly bound,
and having quaint olivine edges, the book will be found very suitable for presentation. The
success it has already gained speaks strongly for the enjoyment it affords to boys.”—T7he
Gentlewoman.

‘© A well-told story of incident and romantic enterprise, and it will be read with interest
and enjoyment.”—NVewcastle Daily Leader.

‘A capital book for boys which we are glad to commend to our young readers." —John Bull,

‘This is a capital book for boys. The incidents of the story are deeply interesting, and the
lessons inculcated are such as we should like all ‘our boys’ to learn. ‘The illustrations are
really good.”—Christian Age.

‘“We know of no better gift book at this season than this graphic tale of adventure.”—
Admiralty and Horse Guards’ Gazette.

“It is a most delightful story of adventure, treachery, and triumphant goodness, and in
every way merits the success it would appear to have met with. —Sfectator.

‘* Abounding with exciting and interesting incident, and told in realistic fashion, the story
forms a capital addition to the series of Boys’ Books of Adventures which Messrs. Jarrold are
issuing in such a graceful form. It is well illustrated, and will be found suitable for presenta-
tion."—Zastern Daily Press.

‘Tt has a rattling plot of intrigue, adventure, and peril, and will, no doubt, be more liked
than ever in the pretty illustrated form in which it is now published.” —Te Scotsman,

“No element is senting, in this new candidate for public favour to make it a favourite with
both boys and girls. Well got up and beautifully illustrated, it is one of the best books of the
season. —Teachers' Aid.

“The young fellow’s experiences make capital reading." —Western Morning News.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarvolds’ Mew Books.



ATTRACTIVE BOQKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Handsomely Bound, Cloth Boards, Illustrated, 35. 6d. each,



The Maid of London
Bridge. end Edition. 3/6.

This is an historical romance dealing
mainly with ‘Old London Bridge,” and
events that happened on and near it,
and also with Norwich and the neigh-
bourhood during Kett’s rebellion. The
story being full of adventures will prove
acceptable to young readers, while adults
will find in it accurate pictures of the
manners, customs, modes of life, and
incidents of the period treated.

“This story is full of life and movement, and
deals with those stormy scenes of rebellion and
unrest which were enacted about the middle of
the sixteenth century. Full of exciting incident
and historical detail, and brightened by the
glamour of the inevitable ‘affair of the heart
as the title sufficiently indicates, the story can-
not but prove attractive, and even instructive
to the general reader.’— Eastern Daily Press.

“Tt is just such a story as Harrison Ainsworth
might have written.”"—The Scotsman,





The Wild Ruthvens. By

Curtis YorKE. Author of ‘* Dud-
ley,” ** Once,” “* Hush,” “A Ro-
mance of Modern London,” &c,
Illustrated by PauL Harpy. 3s. 6d.

A story illustrating the mistakes, failures
and successes of a family of unruly but
warm-hearted boys and girls. They are
ultimately softened and civilized by the
influence of an invalid cousin, Dick
Trevanion, who comes to live with them.
He recovers, and, years later, marries

the most rebellious and unruly (formerly) of all the family, Nancie Ruthven.
‘An enchanting work. The story runs on with happy blithesome tread to the end, which

{s reached all too soon.’—S%. Stephen's Review.

‘The book is most amusing.”—Manchester Guardian









London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarrolds’ Mew Books.

ATTRACTIVE BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Handsomely Bound, Cloth Boards, Illustrated, 3/6 each.





Old Caleb’s Will. By Miss E. Armsrronc. With
Twelve Beautiful Illustrations by G. DEMAINE HAMMOND. 3s. 6d.

The hero, Robert Cardew, meets with
a friend in need, and long years after is
able in return to hold out the hand of
friendship to the prodigal son of his
benefactor. He and his sister Janet for-
get themselves in their brave effort to save
their young brother and sisters from the
consequences of their father’s self-indul-
gence.

‘‘Miss Armstrong’s latest work is, in short,
of such excellent quality, that it must be read
with pleasure, and can scarcely be laid down
without regret.’—Dazily Telegraph.

Qld Caleb’s Will’ is full of interesting situa-
tions and incidents from beginning to end; and
there is an ease about the style which is very
refreshing.’"—Cornish Post.



A Charge to Keep. By
P. A. BiytH, Author of ‘ Paul
Porter and His Brothers,” &c. Tlus-
trated by PauL Harpy. 3s. 6d.

“This is a powerful, earnest piece of fiction,
of strong and sustained interest, abounding in
lessons to be laid to heart.”’—Chvistian Age.

‘A Charge to Keep” is a book with
a high ideal. It is based upon the maxim
that it is love that saves. The reader’s
attention is kept unflagging from the first
page to the last. The book contains
some clever sketches of character, the
religious tone is healthy and cannot fail

; to do good, especially to young people.

eee

London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.c,

Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.



serad
Selections from Jarvolds’ Mew Books.
sleet lss Deel pane EET ee

POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS AND Gl RLS.
Uniformly Bound, Small 4to, Cloth Elegant, Price 3/6.





Sable and White. The Autobiography of a Show
Dog. By Dr. GORDON-STABLES, C.M., R.N. Author of ‘ Friends
in Fur,” “* The Cruise of the ‘ Snowbird)” “* Our Friend the Dog,” &c.
Beautifully illustrated by HARRISON WEIR. 2nd Edition.

The Author has for his object the amelioration of the condition of the
*¢Companion and the Friend of Man,” performing for the Dog the same
kindly office as in ‘‘ BLACK BEAUTY » has been performed for the Horse.

“This Is a very pleasing story by Dr. Stables,
who knows so weil how to secure the interest of all

oung readers. It is altogether a splendid gift-
Reo "— Glasgow Herald.

“To all boys and girls who cannot reproach
themselves with having been unkind to their dumb
friends, the book will be both enjoyable aud profit-
able."—Dundee Advertiser.

“Sable and White’ purports to be the auto-
biography of a show dog, and it is enough to
say that the text is by Dr. Gordon-Stables, and
the illustrations by Mr. Harrison Weir, to indi-
cate that both alike are rich in graphic power and
in fidelity to nature.”’"—Leeds Mercury.

“Mr. Harrison Weir's illustrations add to the
charm of the book, which will delight every boy
who loves dogs—that is to say, every well-
regulated boy.”—Scottish Leader.

‘The book is a very good one for boys and
girls, and there are points in it which even adults
could profit by."—Belfast Evening Telegraph.



* All lovers of animals will revel in it.”"_Wewsagent,

“ As a writer for boys Dr. Stables has justly won high tame, and he is, as his readers know,
a great lover of animals. Both these characteristics find full play in this his latest work,
which will charm the boys while winning their sympathy for the Beautiful collie whose adven-
tures it narrates.”—The Christian.

“The work cannot fail to please young readers for whom it is designed. It has an
exceptional charm in the sketches of dogs with which Mr. Harrison Weir has illustrated
it, and which add much to its value.” —7he Scotsman,

“This beautifully printed book is just the thing for a present for a boy of ten or there-
abouts.”—WVature Notes.





London: Jarrold and Sons, 10, and 11, Warwick Lane, B.C.
Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls, ©
Selections from Jarrolos’ Sew Books.

A POPULAR BOOK FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Small 4to, Cloth Elegant, Price 35. 6d.



Shireen and Her Friends.
Pages from the Life of a Persian Cat. By
GORDON STABLES, M.D., C.M., R.N. Illus-
trated by HARRISON WEIR. Uniform with
“Sable and White.” 35. 6d.

‘*Sable and White” and “ Shireen ” are two of
the author’s own favourite books, and written in §
his best vein of pathos and humour. This form of -
autobiography is eminently readable and devoured
by children. The author’s well-known love for
the lower animals is well-shown throughout.



‘© What ‘Sable and White” was designed to bring about in the interest of the dog, this not
less delightful volume is intended to achieve for the cat. There ought to be no doubt of the
result, for a more charming book about animals Dr. Stables himself has not written.”—7he
Saturday Review.

‘ Will doubtless meet with a hearty welcome from both the young folks and also their elders.
It is a most charming book of animal life, adorned with the illustrations from the pen of the
veteran artist, Mr. Harrison Weir.”—The Gentlewoman.

‘This is apleasant tale lightly told. Shireen’s experiences are sufficiently adventurous,
involving as they do perils by sea and land, and children certainly will not fail to appreciate
them to the full.”"—7he Queen.

‘All young people will take delight in Dr. Gordon-Stables’ new book, ‘Shireen and Her
Friends,” in which a Persian cat relates her many marvellous adventures on sea and on shore,
at home and abroad. The narrative is racy and humorous, and contrives to convey not a few
precepts on kindness and consideration for dumb animals. Shireen certainly is not dumb;
she has plenty to say for herself, and tells a wonderfully vivid story, interspersed with home
incident and comment on her past history.”--T'he Literary World.

‘In ‘Shireen and Her Friends,’ Dr. Gordon-Stables describes the life of a favourite cat
just as in ‘Sable and White’ he gave us the autobiography of a dog. No one who knows
anything of this entertaining writer's works will require to be told that he has an almost un-
rivalled knowledge of the manners and habits of domesticated animals of all kinds. His
descriptions of cat-life display all his remarkable gifts of observation in this direction." —The
Daily News.

‘A cat has nine lives, everybody says so. And Shireen is no oddity to this rule. She went
through as big a round of adventures as Robinson Crusoe. Every little girl and boy will take
an interest in her history.”—Westminster Budget. “

‘Written with the same adventurous movement, the same healthy interest, the same know-
ledge of and affection for animals, as have made his former books a favourite with so many
children.”—Scotsman.

‘‘Mr. Harrison Weir has illustrated the book with some capitally-drawn pictures."—
Christian Age.

“Besides being interesting as a story, this book is very much of an appeal for kindness to
animals. It is illustrated by Harrison Weir, and with two such animal lovers as author and
artist, the combined result is particularly happy.” —Glasgow Herald.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
f Of all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarrolds’ Mew Books.

POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS AND _ GIRLS.
Oniformly Bound, Small 4to, Cloth Elegant, Price 3s. 6d.



Wooing of Osyth. A

Story of the Eastern Counties in
Saxon Times. By KATE T. S1ZER,
Author of ‘ Avice Tennant’s Pil
grimage,” ** Dicken o Greenwood,”
&c. 48 Illustrations by M. M.
BLAKE. 3s. 6d.

The heroine is St. Osyth, of the famous
priory in Essex. _Betrothed- to King
Sighere, on the wedding day she refuses
to marry him. He endows her with the
convent where afterwards she is martyred
by the Danes. Sighere marries Osyth’s
cousin and fights under King Alfred. The
scenes are laid at Ely, Bures, in Suffolk,
St. Osyth, Wantage, Athelney.

“The story is extremely well told, lights and
shades are pleasantly mingled; and the contrast
between the fierce heathen Dane with the brave, 5 =
but forgiving, Saxon, is effective. The attempt, too, to give life-like pictures of old times 1s
successful. There are pleasing illustrations by M. M. Blake.” —The Academy.



“A most attractive story of Saxon times. The legendary history of St. Osyth and St.
Edmund (supposed to be her brother), is interwoven with fiction so as to produce a very read
able tale. The book cannot fail to be popular as a present to girls." —7he Record.

“This is a very prettily written and fascinating story by Kate Thompson Sizer. It is a
‘Story of the Eastern Counties in Saxon times,’ and as such has a peculiar interest for people
living in East Anglia."—Hert/fordshive Mercury.

“ Asa presentation volume for boys and girls it deserves and will doubtless attain wide
popularity.”"—Kentish Observer.

“This very readable book should become a favourite. It is illustrated very fully by
M. M. Blake, whose work is uniformly excellent."—Worthern Whig.

“Readers who like to feel as if they were sympathising nobly with beauty in distress
will read the book with enjoyment."—The Scotsman.

“Boys and girls will enjoy the book, and be the better for reading it."—Methodist
Recorder. :

An excellent book for girls."—Glasgow Herald.
“This romantic and pretty story of Saxon times will add to the author's reputation. The

three strong elements of love, war, and religion are effectively brought to bear on the principal
characters in the book, and the tragic fate of Osyth is very powerfully and dramatically told.
This story of endurance and heroism may be placed without fear in the hands of the “young

person.’”—Lady's Pictorial.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 1o and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
Of all Booksellers ani at the Bookstalls.
Selections from farrolds’ Wew Books



POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS AND _ GIRLS.
Uniformly Bound, Small 4to, Cloth Elegant, Price 3/6.



Sayings and Doings in Fairyland; or, Oo
FRIENDS WITH New Faces. By D. S. SINcLAIR. Author of
“* Sugar Plums for Children,” “ The Fairy Prince and the Goblin,” &c.
Upwards of 40 Illustrations by PauL Harpy. 2nd Edition. 3s. 6d.

In this little volume the personages of
our old nursery rhymes are made to go
through many and varied adventures such
as children love to read of witchcraft and
fairy power, evil-spells and counter charms,
assist in developing the histories of our
old friends ‘‘King Cole,” ‘‘The Black
Sheep,” ‘The Mouse that ran up the.
clock,” &c., &c. Vice conquered, virtue
triumphant, are the leading notes in the
quaint medley.

“In this delightful volume we have ten old
friends with new faces, and very charming faces Nate
they are too. Miss Sinclair, who has already fe SS
proved herself an adept in fairy lore, here adopts WE Gstlee
the plan of taking for her text such familiar
nursery rhymes as ‘Hush a-bye Baby,’ ‘Baa,
Baa, Black Sheep,’ ‘Old King Cole,’ &c., and
weaving out of them very pretty and interesting little stories. Fairy stories every one of
them, and all the better for the moral that runs through them; that love and kindness
and courtesy and truth-telling are the best things in this world, and that the dwellers
in fairy-world only help those who help others, and drive away fear and wickedness and
enchantment with only the everyday weapons of courage and goodness and unselfish-
ness! Clever illustrations by Paul Hardy greatly add to the charm of the book, which
should be very heartily welcomed.’—Glasyow Herald.



‘*Miss Sinclair has given us ten good fairy stories of the old-fashioned sort, and Mr.
Hardy has illustrated them charmingly, ‘Old friends with new faces’ are happily
interspersed with new faces destined to become old friends ; it is impossible to make a selec-
tion where all is good, so we will say with the Irishman, ‘They're each as good as the
other, only more so.’"—Literary World.

‘May be introduced with excellent results into any nursery. The old favourites are here
dressed up in a very charming way.”— Yorkshire Post.

All who delight in wicked enchanters, ogres with bad tempers, dwarfs, fairy princesses,
fairy godmothers, and all the other good things that are to be found in fairy-land—and what
child does not—will rejoice in the book, and older people can enjoy the luxury—becoming so
rare—of possessing a book in which the stories all end pleasantly, and the heroes and
heroines settle down and ‘live happy ever afterwards.’"—Market Harborough Advertiser.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
OD all Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.
Selections from Jarrolds’ Wew Books.

POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Uniformly Bound, Small 4to, Cloth Elegant. 3s. 6d.





Lord Lynton’s Ward. By Hetena Brooxs. Author

- of “Jack's Watchword,” “In the Shadow of the World, “ Bessie’s
Mission?’ ‘“The Victory Won,” &c. With 36 illustrations by PauL
Harpy. 2nd Edition. Small 4to. Cloth Elegant. 3s. 6d.

“Tord Lynton’s Ward” is the story of a little boy who, at an early
age, was left to the guardianship of a cold stern man, whom, though all
respected, none could love. Norman Rosslyn’s sole aim was to do right, and
how he did this, even under circumstances where many an older boy would
have failed, the reader will find out if he peruses the story.

‘“We have no hesitation in placing this charming
book in the hands of the children, and we cordially
recommend it as a most suitable gift-book.”

Schoolmaster.

‘Just the thing to place in the hands of young
people."— The Newsagent.

“The young folk who do not grieve, but rather
are glad, when in a story there is a parallel to
some other story they have enjoyed, will say that
this is one of the right sort, as their interest is
maintained from the beginning to the end.”

Norwich Mercury,

‘Since Mrs. Hodgson Burnett wrote ‘Little
Lord Fauntleroy’ few more pleasing children’s
books have seen the light than ‘Lord Lynton’s
Ward,’ a story by Helena Brooks, just issued by
Messrs. Jarrold & Sons.”

‘The illustrations are plentiful. and well-
designed.”"—The Sum.

“Miss Brooks’ charming picture of juvenile pre-
cocity in the person of Lord Lynton’s wee ward, a
little fellow of some eight years, the soul of honour
and truth, is intensely pathetic, and powerfully
stimulates the better part of one’s nature. Our
young friends will, we feel sure, find the story
irresistibly attractive, and take keen delight in
Fan Hardy’s beautiful illustrations.”—Christian

gee

‘* Among the many valuable books for young people, this is one of the best. Its admirable
story is told in graceful style, and the type of boyhood exhibited in it is altogether attractive
and noble—the very pattern indeed, which a father would wish to commend to his sons.”—
Aberdeen Daily Free Press.



‘A good healthy tone runs through the story."—G/asgow Herald.
“It is an attractively written story for boys and girls.”"—Scottish Leader.



London: Jarrold and Sons, 10, and 11, Warwick Lane, E.G,
Of ali Booksellers and at the Bookstalls,
Selections from Jarrolds’ Mew Books.



ATTRACTIVE BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Handsomely Bound, Cloth Boards, Illustrated, 3/6 Each,



Clear as the Noon

Day. By Erne. PENROSE.
Author of ‘‘ Zhe Fairy Cobébler’s
Gold,” &c. 36 Illustrations by Edith
GE. SOMERVILLE. 3s. 6d.

A description of child-life in Ireland,
and giving an account of the adventures
of Paul de Céreuville on his first visit

- to that island. Paul passes through many
trials caused by unjust suspicion and the
jealousy of his cousin Bruce ; but finally,
after stirring adventures, his innocence
is proved, and his character completely
cleared.

‘‘An interesting and brightly-written story
of Irish life, with attractions for all who are
desirous of better knowledge of our Irish neigh-
bours.”"—Glasgow Herald.




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Edition. 3s. 6d.



That Bother of a Boy.

By Grace STEBBING. Author of
“ Wild Kathleen,” &c.

trations by PauL Harpy.

35 Illus-

2nd

6*That Bother of a Boy” will remind
some small urchins of the various bits
of mischief they have perpetrated, or
would love to perform.
they are also as good-hearted and honest
as this especial little bother, most folks
will readily forgive them their scrapes.

If, however,

The story is admirably told ; it moves to laugh-
iy ter in almost every page, and to ‘lumps in the
? throat’ not seldom. It is also cleverly and ade-
quately illnstrated by Paul Hardy; and will be
a favourite, not only of this season, but of many
a season to follow.’—Leeds Mercury.



Londons Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.
7 Of ali Booksellers and at the Bookstalls.


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