"A strangely inconsistent crew!"-- Said the Viper to the simple Leech,-- "Men fly from me and seek for you; Although they get a bite from each." "All very true,"--the Leech replied...
In the midst of a plain stood a great church built of white stones, with a massive tower. On this tower was a weather vane in the shape of a golden man who rode a golden horse, and...
THE SNAKE'S HEAD AND TAIL The Snake's Tail had a quarrel with the Snake's Head about who was to walk in front. The Head said: "You cannot walk in front, because you have no eyes an...
Not many years ago there lived on a stony, barren New England farm a man and his wife. They were sober, honest people, working hard from early morning until dark to enable them to...
If we are to believe the proverb, a 'Jack of all Trades is master of none,' and it is mostly true. But here and there even in our own day, we meet with some gifted person who seems...
In the times of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid there lived in Bagdad a poor porter named Hindbad, who on a very hot day was sent to carry a heavy load from one end of the city to the...
Once on a time, a noisy Frog Heard a Hen cackling near his bog; "Begone!" said he; "your clamor rude Disturbs our quiet neighborhood. What's all this shocking fuss about, I beg?"--...
From the Danish. There was once a man who had a son who was very clever at reading, and took great delight in it. He went out into the world to seek service somewhere, and as he wa...
I suppose each of us has had more than one occasion to come in contact with monstrous, senseless phenomena, and to find back of these phenomena put forward some important principle...
Once upon a time there lived a great king who had a wife and one son whom he loved very much. The boy was still young when, one day, the king said to his wife: 'I feel that the hou...
As an unpractised urchin lessons took In dancing, of a veteran of the ring, On slack or tight rope,--it is all one thing,-- The youngster said,--"Good master, prithee, look; How th...
A Cock, that was well known As a champion brave and stout, And a Chicken but half grown Squabbled something about,-- But what, to me's unknown,-- And, after furious din, At last go...
In the country of Zouman, in Persia, there lived a Greek king. This king was a leper, and all his doctors had been unable to cure him, when a very clever physician came to his cour...
After my sixth voyage I was quite determined that I would go to sea no more. I was now of an age to appreciate a quiet life, and I had run risks enough. I only wished to end my day...
'Tis said of WIDOW, MAID, and WIFE, That honour is a WOMAN'S life; Unhappy sex! who only claim A being in the breath of fame, Which, tainted, not the quick'ning gales That sweep SA...
"I heard a story the other day," said daddy, "a quite true story. Mr. Nightingale had built too large a nest. "After a while he thought of a visitor he would like to have all the t...
Evelyn was very fond of little chickadees, and she was so pleased when daddy said that he was going to tell them a story about them that evening. "You know," commenced daddy, "the...
A quarrel rose, both long and loud, A well-stocked wine-cellar within, Where wine-bibbers--a goodly crowd-- Tasted and argued, talked and sipped again. The occasion was, that many...
In the kingdom of Kashgar, which is, as everybody knows, situated on the frontiers of Great Tartary, there lived long ago a tailor and his wife who loved each other very much. One...
When Aurore Dupin went to Paris she found herself in the Rue Thiroux, where Madame Dupin had taken a suite of rooms, or, as the French say, an 'appartement.' For this 'appartement'...
It was almost midnight and the dolls were asleep in their beds; all except Raggedy Ann. Raggedy lay there, her shoe-button eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. Every once in a...
Full fed and antic, A Hack Mule pushed With speed so frantic Forth from her stable, That her rider Scarcely was able With rein to guide her. Half our journey Not long will bide her...
The Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid sat in his palace, wondering if there was anything left in the world that could possibly give him a few hours' amusement, when Giafar the grand-vizir,...
Many many years ago there lived a king and queen who had one only son, called Sigurd. When the little boy was only ten years old the queen, his mother, fell ill and died, and the k...
BY STANDISH O'GRADY One night in the month of the fires of Bel, Cathvah, the Druid and star-gazer, was observing the heavens through his astrological instruments. Beside him was Cu...
On one of the great moors over in Jutland, where trees won't grow because the soil is so sandy and the wind so strong, there once lived a man and his wife, who had a little house a...
"Mr. and Mrs. Seagull didn't really know what to do," said daddy. "They loved their home, which was in a big harbor, for they enjoyed seeing the boats pass and hearing the differen...
Once upon a time there lived a respectable young tailor called Labakan, who worked for a clever master in Alexandria. No one could call Labakan either stupid or lazy, for he could...
From the German of Clemens Brentano. ONCE upon a time there was a King of Roundabout who had, among many other servants, a page-boy who was called Wittysplinter, and he preferred h...
A dame from St. Domingo Brought with her Parrots twain. Now this island is half Gallic, Half owns the flag of Spain; Thus, in two different languages, The Parrots talked amain, Til...