story_name
stringlengths 4
79
| story_section
stringlengths 94
6.77k
| question
stringlengths 12
136
| answer1
stringlengths 4
353
| answer2
stringclasses 1
value | local-or-sum
stringclasses 2
values | attribute
stringclasses 7
values | ex-or-im
stringclasses 2
values | ex-or-im2
stringclasses 1
value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | changed , but the same , with ghastly looks and arms that were withered , she appeared to her sons as they returned from the hunt , in the twilight , in the close of the day . at night she darkly unlatched the lodge - door and glided in , and bent over them as they sought to sleep . oftenest it was her bare brow , white , and bony , and bodyless , that they saw floating in the air , and making a mock of them in the wild paths of the forest , or in the midnight darkness of the lodge . she was a terror to all their lives , and she made every spot where they had seen her , hideous to the living eye ; so that after being long buffeted and beset , they at last resolved , together with their father , now stricken in years , to leave the country . they began a journey toward the south . after traveling many days along the shore of a great lake , they passed around a craggy bluff , and came upon a scene where there was a rough fall of waters , and a river issuing forth from the lake . they had no sooner come in sight of this fall of water , than they heard a rolling sound behind them , and looking back , they beheld the skull of a woman rolling along the beach . it seemed to be pursuing them , and it came on with great speed ; when , behold , from out of the woods hard by , appeared a headless body , which made for the beach with the utmost dispatch . | what did the sons and their father see when they looked back ? | the skull of a woman rolling along the beach . | local | action | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | the skull too advanced toward it , and when they looked again , lo ! they had united , and were making all haste to come up with the hunter and his two sons . they now might well be in extreme fear , for they knew not how to escape her . at this moment , one of them looked out and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the rapids . they called out to the bird , " see , grandfather , we are persecuted . come and take us across the falls that we may escape her . " the crane so addressed was of extraordinary size , and had arrived at a great old age , and , as might be expected , he sat , when first descried by the two sons , in a state of profound thought , revolving his long experience of life there in the midst of the most violent eddies . when he heard himself appealed to , the crane stretched forth his neck with great deliberation , and lifting himself slowly by his wings , he flew across to their assistance . " be careful , " said the old crane , " that you do not touch the crown of my head . i am bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . should you be so unlucky as to lay a hand upon it , i shall not be able to avoid throwing you both in the rapids . " | why did the crane say to not touch the crown of his head ? | the crane was bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | the skull too advanced toward it , and when they looked again , lo ! they had united , and were making all haste to come up with the hunter and his two sons . they now might well be in extreme fear , for they knew not how to escape her . at this moment , one of them looked out and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the rapids . they called out to the bird , " see , grandfather , we are persecuted . come and take us across the falls that we may escape her . " the crane so addressed was of extraordinary size , and had arrived at a great old age , and , as might be expected , he sat , when first descried by the two sons , in a state of profound thought , revolving his long experience of life there in the midst of the most violent eddies . when he heard himself appealed to , the crane stretched forth his neck with great deliberation , and lifting himself slowly by his wings , he flew across to their assistance . " be careful , " said the old crane , " that you do not touch the crown of my head . i am bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . should you be so unlucky as to lay a hand upon it , i shall not be able to avoid throwing you both in the rapids . " | who did the sons and their father call for for help ? | a stately crane . | local | character | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | changed , but the same , with ghastly looks and arms that were withered , she appeared to her sons as they returned from the hunt , in the twilight , in the close of the day . at night she darkly unlatched the lodge - door and glided in , and bent over them as they sought to sleep . oftenest it was her bare brow , white , and bony , and bodyless , that they saw floating in the air , and making a mock of them in the wild paths of the forest , or in the midnight darkness of the lodge . she was a terror to all their lives , and she made every spot where they had seen her , hideous to the living eye ; so that after being long buffeted and beset , they at last resolved , together with their father , now stricken in years , to leave the country . they began a journey toward the south . after traveling many days along the shore of a great lake , they passed around a craggy bluff , and came upon a scene where there was a rough fall of waters , and a river issuing forth from the lake . they had no sooner come in sight of this fall of water , than they heard a rolling sound behind them , and looking back , they beheld the skull of a woman rolling along the beach . it seemed to be pursuing them , and it came on with great speed ; when , behold , from out of the woods hard by , appeared a headless body , which made for the beach with the utmost dispatch . the skull too advanced toward it , and when they looked again , lo ! they had united , and were making all haste to come up with the hunter and his two sons . they now might well be in extreme fear , for they knew not how to escape her . at this moment , one of them looked out and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the rapids . they called out to the bird , " see , grandfather , we are persecuted . come and take us across the falls that we may escape her . " the crane so addressed was of extraordinary size , and had arrived at a great old age , and , as might be expected , he sat , when first descried by the two sons , in a state of profound thought , revolving his long experience of life there in the midst of the most violent eddies . when he heard himself appealed to , the crane stretched forth his neck with great deliberation , and lifting himself slowly by his wings , he flew across to their assistance . " be careful , " said the old crane , " that you do not touch the crown of my head . i am bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . should you be so unlucky as to lay a hand upon it , i shall not be able to avoid throwing you both in the rapids . " | how will the sons and their father feel seeing the skull ? | terrified . | summary | feeling | implicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | the skull too advanced toward it , and when they looked again , lo ! they had united , and were making all haste to come up with the hunter and his two sons . they now might well be in extreme fear , for they knew not how to escape her . at this moment , one of them looked out and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the rapids . they called out to the bird , " see , grandfather , we are persecuted . come and take us across the falls that we may escape her . " the crane so addressed was of extraordinary size , and had arrived at a great old age , and , as might be expected , he sat , when first descried by the two sons , in a state of profound thought , revolving his long experience of life there in the midst of the most violent eddies . when he heard himself appealed to , the crane stretched forth his neck with great deliberation , and lifting himself slowly by his wings , he flew across to their assistance . " be careful , " said the old crane , " that you do not touch the crown of my head . i am bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . should you be so unlucky as to lay a hand upon it , i shall not be able to avoid throwing you both in the rapids . " | what will happen if the boys touch the crown of the old crane's head ? | the crane shall not be able to avoid throwing them both in the rapids . | local | prediction | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | the skull too advanced toward it , and when they looked again , lo ! they had united , and were making all haste to come up with the hunter and his two sons . they now might well be in extreme fear , for they knew not how to escape her . at this moment , one of them looked out and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the rapids . they called out to the bird , " see , grandfather , we are persecuted . come and take us across the falls that we may escape her . " the crane so addressed was of extraordinary size , and had arrived at a great old age , and , as might be expected , he sat , when first descried by the two sons , in a state of profound thought , revolving his long experience of life there in the midst of the most violent eddies . when he heard himself appealed to , the crane stretched forth his neck with great deliberation , and lifting himself slowly by his wings , he flew across to their assistance . " be careful , " said the old crane , " that you do not touch the crown of my head . i am bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . should you be so unlucky as to lay a hand upon it , i shall not be able to avoid throwing you both in the rapids . " they paid strict heed to his directions , and were soon safely landed on the other shore of the river . he returned and carried the father in the same way ; and then took his place once more where he had been first seen in the very midst of the eddies of the stream . but the woman , who had by this time reached the shore , cried out , " come , my grandfather , and carry me over , for i have lost my children , and i am sorely distressed . " the aged bird obeyed her summons , and flew to her side . he carefully repeated the warning that she was not to touch the crown of his head ; and he was so anxious that she should take it to heart , that he went over it a second and a third time , word by word . he begged her to bear in mind that she should respect his old age , if there was any sense of virtue left in her . she promised to obey ; but they were no sooner fairly embarked in the stream , than she stealthily sought to disregard the warning she had received . instantly the crane cast her into the rapids , and shook his wings as if to free himself of all acquaintance with her . | how did the crane help the sons and the father ? | took them across the falls . | summary | action | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | they paid strict heed to his directions , and were soon safely landed on the other shore of the river . he returned and carried the father in the same way ; and then took his place once more where he had been first seen in the very midst of the eddies of the stream . but the woman , who had by this time reached the shore , cried out , " come , my grandfather , and carry me over , for i have lost my children , and i am sorely distressed . " the aged bird obeyed her summons , and flew to her side . he carefully repeated the warning that she was not to touch the crown of his head ; and he was so anxious that she should take it to heart , that he went over it a second and a third time , word by word . he begged her to bear in mind that she should respect his old age , if there was any sense of virtue left in her . she promised to obey ; but they were no sooner fairly embarked in the stream , than she stealthily sought to disregard the warning she had received . instantly the crane cast her into the rapids , and shook his wings as if to free himself of all acquaintance with her . | what happened when the woman disregarded the warning she had received ? | the crane cast her into the rapids , and shook his wings as if to free himself of all acquaintance with her . | local | outcome resolution | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | " there , " said he , as she sunk in the stream , " you would ever do what was forbidden . in life , as you sought those you should have avoided , so now you shall be avoided by those who should seek you . go , and be henceforth addum kum maig ! " the woman disappeared , was straightway carried by the rapid currents far out into the waters , and in the wide wilderness of shoreless depths , without companion or solace , was lost forever . the family of the hunter , grateful for his generous help , adopted the bird as their family emblem or mark , and under the guardianship of the crane that crossed the river , they prospered , with days of plenty and nights of peace . | what did the family of the hunter do after the crane helped them ? | adopted the bird as their family emblem or mark . | local | action | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | " there , " said he , as she sunk in the stream , " you would ever do what was forbidden . in life , as you sought those you should have avoided , so now you shall be avoided by those who should seek you . go , and be henceforth addum kum maig ! " the woman disappeared , was straightway carried by the rapid currents far out into the waters , and in the wide wilderness of shoreless depths , without companion or solace , was lost forever . the family of the hunter , grateful for his generous help , adopted the bird as their family emblem or mark , and under the guardianship of the crane that crossed the river , they prospered , with days of plenty and nights of peace . | how did the hunter's family feel about the crane's help ? | grateful . | local | feeling | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | changed , but the same , with ghastly looks and arms that were withered , she appeared to her sons as they returned from the hunt , in the twilight , in the close of the day . at night she darkly unlatched the lodge - door and glided in , and bent over them as they sought to sleep . oftenest it was her bare brow , white , and bony , and bodyless , that they saw floating in the air , and making a mock of them in the wild paths of the forest , or in the midnight darkness of the lodge . she was a terror to all their lives , and she made every spot where they had seen her , hideous to the living eye ; so that after being long buffeted and beset , they at last resolved , together with their father , now stricken in years , to leave the country . they began a journey toward the south . after traveling many days along the shore of a great lake , they passed around a craggy bluff , and came upon a scene where there was a rough fall of waters , and a river issuing forth from the lake . they had no sooner come in sight of this fall of water , than they heard a rolling sound behind them , and looking back , they beheld the skull of a woman rolling along the beach . it seemed to be pursuing them , and it came on with great speed ; when , behold , from out of the woods hard by , appeared a headless body , which made for the beach with the utmost dispatch . | how did the woman appear to her sons as they returned from the hunt ? | ghostly . | local | character | explicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | in fear they for a time held their peace , but still taking note that the stranger came so often and by stealth to the lodge , they resolved at last to speak with their father . accordingly one day , when they were out in the woods , learning to follow the chase , they told him all that they had seen . the face of the father grew dark . he was still for a while , and when at length he looked up- " it is done ! " he said . " do you , my children , tarry here until the hour of the falling of the sun , then come to the lodge and you will find me . " the father left them at a slow pace , and they remained sporting away their time till the hour for their return had come . when they reached the lodge the mother was not there . they dared not to ask their father whither she had gone , and from that day forth her name was never spoken again in the lodge . in course of time the two boys had grown to be men , and although the mother was never more seen in the lodge , in charge of her household tasks , nor on the path in the forest , nor by the river side , she still lingered , ever and ever , near the lodge . | how will the father feel when his sons tell him all that they have seen ? | jealous . | local | prediction | implicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | in fear they for a time held their peace , but still taking note that the stranger came so often and by stealth to the lodge , they resolved at last to speak with their father . accordingly one day , when they were out in the woods , learning to follow the chase , they told him all that they had seen . the face of the father grew dark . he was still for a while , and when at length he looked up- " it is done ! " he said . " do you , my children , tarry here until the hour of the falling of the sun , then come to the lodge and you will find me . " the father left them at a slow pace , and they remained sporting away their time till the hour for their return had come . when they reached the lodge the mother was not there . they dared not to ask their father whither she had gone , and from that day forth her name was never spoken again in the lodge . in course of time the two boys had grown to be men , and although the mother was never more seen in the lodge , in charge of her household tasks , nor on the path in the forest , nor by the river side , she still lingered , ever and ever , near the lodge . | why did the boys dare not to ask their father whither their mother had gone ? | they knew he was angry . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | changed , but the same , with ghastly looks and arms that were withered , she appeared to her sons as they returned from the hunt , in the twilight , in the close of the day . at night she darkly unlatched the lodge - door and glided in , and bent over them as they sought to sleep . oftenest it was her bare brow , white , and bony , and bodyless , that they saw floating in the air , and making a mock of them in the wild paths of the forest , or in the midnight darkness of the lodge . she was a terror to all their lives , and she made every spot where they had seen her , hideous to the living eye ; so that after being long buffeted and beset , they at last resolved , together with their father , now stricken in years , to leave the country . they began a journey toward the south . after traveling many days along the shore of a great lake , they passed around a craggy bluff , and came upon a scene where there was a rough fall of waters , and a river issuing forth from the lake . they had no sooner come in sight of this fall of water , than they heard a rolling sound behind them , and looking back , they beheld the skull of a woman rolling along the beach . it seemed to be pursuing them , and it came on with great speed ; when , behold , from out of the woods hard by , appeared a headless body , which made for the beach with the utmost dispatch . the skull too advanced toward it , and when they looked again , lo ! they had united , and were making all haste to come up with the hunter and his two sons . they now might well be in extreme fear , for they knew not how to escape her . at this moment , one of them looked out and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the rapids . they called out to the bird , " see , grandfather , we are persecuted . come and take us across the falls that we may escape her . " the crane so addressed was of extraordinary size , and had arrived at a great old age , and , as might be expected , he sat , when first descried by the two sons , in a state of profound thought , revolving his long experience of life there in the midst of the most violent eddies . when he heard himself appealed to , the crane stretched forth his neck with great deliberation , and lifting himself slowly by his wings , he flew across to their assistance . " be careful , " said the old crane , " that you do not touch the crown of my head . i am bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . should you be so unlucky as to lay a hand upon it , i shall not be able to avoid throwing you both in the rapids . " | who was the skull and headless body ? | the mother . | summary | character | implicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | a famous hunter who lived in a remote part of the north had a fair wife and two sons , who were left in the lodge every day while he went out in quest of the animals whose flesh was their principal support . game was very abundant in those days , and his labors in the chase were well rewarded . they lived a long distance from any other lodge , and it was seldom that they saw any other faces than those of their own household . the two sons were still too young to follow their father in the hunt , and they were in the habit of diverting themselves within reach of the lodge . while thus engaged , they began to take note that a young man visited the lodge during their father 's absence , and that these visits were constantly renewed . at length the elder of the two said to his mother : " my mother , who is this tall young man that comes here so often during our father 's absence ? does he wish to see him ? shall i tell him when he comes back this evening ? " " naubesah , you little fool , " said the mother , " mind your bow and arrows , and do not be afraid to enter the forest in search of birds and squirrels , with your little brother . it is not manly to be ever about the lodge . nor will you become a warrior if you tell all the little things that you see and hear to your father . say not a word to him . " the boys obeyed , but as they grew older and still noticed the visits of the stranger , they resolved to speak again to their mother . they now told her that they meant to make known to their father all that they had witnessed , for they frequently saw this young man passing through the woods , and he did not walk in the path , nor did he carry any thing to eat . if he had any message to deliver at their lodge , why did he not give it to their father ? for they had observed that messages were always addressed to men , and not to women . when her sons spoke thus to her , the mother was greatly vexed . " i will kill you , " she said , " if you speak of it . " in fear they for a time held their peace , but still taking note that the stranger came so often and by stealth to the lodge , they resolved at last to speak with their father . accordingly one day , when they were out in the woods , learning to follow the chase , they told him all that they had seen . the face of the father grew dark . he was still for a while , and when at length he looked up- " it is done ! " he said . " do you , my children , tarry here until the hour of the falling of the sun , then come to the lodge and you will find me . " the father left them at a slow pace , and they remained sporting away their time till the hour for their return had come . when they reached the lodge the mother was not there . they dared not to ask their father whither she had gone , and from that day forth her name was never spoken again in the lodge . in course of time the two boys had grown to be men , and although the mother was never more seen in the lodge , in charge of her household tasks , nor on the path in the forest , nor by the river side , she still lingered , ever and ever , near the lodge . | why did the mother want to keep the young man a secret ? | the young man was her lover . | summary | causal relationship | implicit | ||
the-crane-that-crossed-the-river | in fear they for a time held their peace , but still taking note that the stranger came so often and by stealth to the lodge , they resolved at last to speak with their father . accordingly one day , when they were out in the woods , learning to follow the chase , they told him all that they had seen . the face of the father grew dark . he was still for a while , and when at length he looked up- " it is done ! " he said . " do you , my children , tarry here until the hour of the falling of the sun , then come to the lodge and you will find me . " the father left them at a slow pace , and they remained sporting away their time till the hour for their return had come . when they reached the lodge the mother was not there . they dared not to ask their father whither she had gone , and from that day forth her name was never spoken again in the lodge . in course of time the two boys had grown to be men , and although the mother was never more seen in the lodge , in charge of her household tasks , nor on the path in the forest , nor by the river side , she still lingered , ever and ever , near the lodge . changed , but the same , with ghastly looks and arms that were withered , she appeared to her sons as they returned from the hunt , in the twilight , in the close of the day . at night she darkly unlatched the lodge - door and glided in , and bent over them as they sought to sleep . oftenest it was her bare brow , white , and bony , and bodyless , that they saw floating in the air , and making a mock of them in the wild paths of the forest , or in the midnight darkness of the lodge . she was a terror to all their lives , and she made every spot where they had seen her , hideous to the living eye ; so that after being long buffeted and beset , they at last resolved , together with their father , now stricken in years , to leave the country . they began a journey toward the south . after traveling many days along the shore of a great lake , they passed around a craggy bluff , and came upon a scene where there was a rough fall of waters , and a river issuing forth from the lake . they had no sooner come in sight of this fall of water , than they heard a rolling sound behind them , and looking back , they beheld the skull of a woman rolling along the beach . it seemed to be pursuing them , and it came on with great speed ; when , behold , from out of the woods hard by , appeared a headless body , which made for the beach with the utmost dispatch . the skull too advanced toward it , and when they looked again , lo ! they had united , and were making all haste to come up with the hunter and his two sons . they now might well be in extreme fear , for they knew not how to escape her . at this moment , one of them looked out and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the rapids . they called out to the bird , " see , grandfather , we are persecuted . come and take us across the falls that we may escape her . " the crane so addressed was of extraordinary size , and had arrived at a great old age , and , as might be expected , he sat , when first descried by the two sons , in a state of profound thought , revolving his long experience of life there in the midst of the most violent eddies . when he heard himself appealed to , the crane stretched forth his neck with great deliberation , and lifting himself slowly by his wings , he flew across to their assistance . " be careful , " said the old crane , " that you do not touch the crown of my head . i am bald from age and long service , and very tender at that spot . should you be so unlucky as to lay a hand upon it , i shall not be able to avoid throwing you both in the rapids . " | why did the mother seek revenge ? | her sons told her husband about the young man . | summary | causal relationship | implicit | ||
little-lasse | there was once a little boy whose name was lars , and because he was so little he was called little lasse ; he was a brave little man , for he sailed round the world in a pea - shell boat . it was summer time , when the pea shells grew long and green in the garden . little lasse crept into the pea bed where the pea stalks rose high above his cap , and he picked seventeen large shells , the longest and straightest he could find . little lasse thought , perhaps , that no one saw him ; but that was foolish , for god sees everywhere . then the gardener came with his gun over his shoulder , and he heard something rustling in the pea bed . ' i think that must be a sparrow , ' he said . ' ras ! ras ! ' but no sparrows flew out , for little lasse had no wings , only two small legs . ' wait ! i will load my gun and shoot the sparrows , ' said the gardener . then little lasse was frightened , and crept out on to the path . ' forgive me , dear gardener ! ' he said . ' i wanted to get some fine boats . ' ' well , i will this time , ' said the gardener . ' but another time little lasse must ask leave to go and look for boats in the pea bed . ' | what was lars called ? | little lasse . | local | character | explicit | ||
little-lasse | there was once a little boy whose name was lars , and because he was so little he was called little lasse ; he was a brave little man , for he sailed round the world in a pea - shell boat . it was summer time , when the pea shells grew long and green in the garden . little lasse crept into the pea bed where the pea stalks rose high above his cap , and he picked seventeen large shells , the longest and straightest he could find . little lasse thought , perhaps , that no one saw him ; but that was foolish , for god sees everywhere . then the gardener came with his gun over his shoulder , and he heard something rustling in the pea bed . ' i think that must be a sparrow , ' he said . ' ras ! ras ! ' but no sparrows flew out , for little lasse had no wings , only two small legs . ' wait ! i will load my gun and shoot the sparrows , ' said the gardener . then little lasse was frightened , and crept out on to the path . ' forgive me , dear gardener ! ' he said . ' i wanted to get some fine boats . ' ' well , i will this time , ' said the gardener . ' but another time little lasse must ask leave to go and look for boats in the pea bed . ' | what did lars sail around the world with ? | a pea - shell boat . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | there was once a little boy whose name was lars , and because he was so little he was called little lasse ; he was a brave little man , for he sailed round the world in a pea - shell boat . it was summer time , when the pea shells grew long and green in the garden . little lasse crept into the pea bed where the pea stalks rose high above his cap , and he picked seventeen large shells , the longest and straightest he could find . little lasse thought , perhaps , that no one saw him ; but that was foolish , for god sees everywhere . then the gardener came with his gun over his shoulder , and he heard something rustling in the pea bed . ' i think that must be a sparrow , ' he said . ' ras ! ras ! ' but no sparrows flew out , for little lasse had no wings , only two small legs . ' wait ! i will load my gun and shoot the sparrows , ' said the gardener . then little lasse was frightened , and crept out on to the path . ' forgive me , dear gardener ! ' he said . ' i wanted to get some fine boats . ' ' well , i will this time , ' said the gardener . ' but another time little lasse must ask leave to go and look for boats in the pea bed . ' | what did lars pick in the garden ? | seventeen large shells . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | there was once a little boy whose name was lars , and because he was so little he was called little lasse ; he was a brave little man , for he sailed round the world in a pea - shell boat . it was summer time , when the pea shells grew long and green in the garden . little lasse crept into the pea bed where the pea stalks rose high above his cap , and he picked seventeen large shells , the longest and straightest he could find . little lasse thought , perhaps , that no one saw him ; but that was foolish , for god sees everywhere . then the gardener came with his gun over his shoulder , and he heard something rustling in the pea bed . ' i think that must be a sparrow , ' he said . ' ras ! ras ! ' but no sparrows flew out , for little lasse had no wings , only two small legs . ' wait ! i will load my gun and shoot the sparrows , ' said the gardener . then little lasse was frightened , and crept out on to the path . ' forgive me , dear gardener ! ' he said . ' i wanted to get some fine boats . ' ' well , i will this time , ' said the gardener . ' but another time little lasse must ask leave to go and look for boats in the pea bed . ' | who saw lars pick seventeen large shells ? | the gardener . | local | character | explicit | ||
little-lasse | there was once a little boy whose name was lars , and because he was so little he was called little lasse ; he was a brave little man , for he sailed round the world in a pea - shell boat . it was summer time , when the pea shells grew long and green in the garden . little lasse crept into the pea bed where the pea stalks rose high above his cap , and he picked seventeen large shells , the longest and straightest he could find . little lasse thought , perhaps , that no one saw him ; but that was foolish , for god sees everywhere . then the gardener came with his gun over his shoulder , and he heard something rustling in the pea bed . ' i think that must be a sparrow , ' he said . ' ras ! ras ! ' but no sparrows flew out , for little lasse had no wings , only two small legs . ' wait ! i will load my gun and shoot the sparrows , ' said the gardener . then little lasse was frightened , and crept out on to the path . ' forgive me , dear gardener ! ' he said . ' i wanted to get some fine boats . ' ' well , i will this time , ' said the gardener . ' but another time little lasse must ask leave to go and look for boats in the pea bed . ' | why weren't there any sparrows that flew out ? | little lasse had no wings , only two small legs . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i will , ' answered lasse ; and he went off to the shore . then he opened the shells with a pin , split them carefully in two , and broke small little bits of sticks for the rowers ' seats . then he took the peas which were in the shells and put them in the boats for cargo . some of the shells got broken , some remained whole , and when all were ready lasse had twelve boats . but they should not be boats , they should be large warships . he had three liners , three frigates , three brigs and three schooners . the largest liner was called hercules , and the smallest schooner the flea . little lasse put all the twelve into the water , and they floated as splendidly and as proudly as any great ships over the waves of the ocean . and now the ships must sail round the world . the great island over there was asia ; that large stone africa ; the little island america ; the small stones were polynesia ; and the shore from which the ships sailed out was europe . the whole fleet set off and sailed far away to other parts of the world . the ships of the line steered a straight course to asia , the frigates sailed to africa , the brigs to america , and the schooners to polynesia . but little lasse remained in europe , and threw small stones out into the great sea . now , there was on the shore of europe a real boat , father 's own , a beautiful white - painted boat , and little lasse got into it . father and mother had forbidden this , but little lasse forgot . he thought he should very much like to travel to some other part of the world . | where did little lasse go after he talked to the gardener ? | the shore . | local | setting | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i will , ' answered lasse ; and he went off to the shore . then he opened the shells with a pin , split them carefully in two , and broke small little bits of sticks for the rowers ' seats . then he took the peas which were in the shells and put them in the boats for cargo . some of the shells got broken , some remained whole , and when all were ready lasse had twelve boats . but they should not be boats , they should be large warships . he had three liners , three frigates , three brigs and three schooners . the largest liner was called hercules , and the smallest schooner the flea . little lasse put all the twelve into the water , and they floated as splendidly and as proudly as any great ships over the waves of the ocean . and now the ships must sail round the world . the great island over there was asia ; that large stone africa ; the little island america ; the small stones were polynesia ; and the shore from which the ships sailed out was europe . the whole fleet set off and sailed far away to other parts of the world . the ships of the line steered a straight course to asia , the frigates sailed to africa , the brigs to america , and the schooners to polynesia . but little lasse remained in europe , and threw small stones out into the great sea . now , there was on the shore of europe a real boat , father 's own , a beautiful white - painted boat , and little lasse got into it . father and mother had forbidden this , but little lasse forgot . he thought he should very much like to travel to some other part of the world . | how did little lasse make the rowers' seats ? | opened the shells with a pin , split them carefully in two , and broke small little bits of sticks . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i will , ' answered lasse ; and he went off to the shore . then he opened the shells with a pin , split them carefully in two , and broke small little bits of sticks for the rowers ' seats . then he took the peas which were in the shells and put them in the boats for cargo . some of the shells got broken , some remained whole , and when all were ready lasse had twelve boats . but they should not be boats , they should be large warships . he had three liners , three frigates , three brigs and three schooners . the largest liner was called hercules , and the smallest schooner the flea . little lasse put all the twelve into the water , and they floated as splendidly and as proudly as any great ships over the waves of the ocean . and now the ships must sail round the world . the great island over there was asia ; that large stone africa ; the little island america ; the small stones were polynesia ; and the shore from which the ships sailed out was europe . the whole fleet set off and sailed far away to other parts of the world . the ships of the line steered a straight course to asia , the frigates sailed to africa , the brigs to america , and the schooners to polynesia . but little lasse remained in europe , and threw small stones out into the great sea . now , there was on the shore of europe a real boat , father 's own , a beautiful white - painted boat , and little lasse got into it . father and mother had forbidden this , but little lasse forgot . he thought he should very much like to travel to some other part of the world . | how many boats did little lasse have ? | twelve . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i will , ' answered lasse ; and he went off to the shore . then he opened the shells with a pin , split them carefully in two , and broke small little bits of sticks for the rowers ' seats . then he took the peas which were in the shells and put them in the boats for cargo . some of the shells got broken , some remained whole , and when all were ready lasse had twelve boats . but they should not be boats , they should be large warships . he had three liners , three frigates , three brigs and three schooners . the largest liner was called hercules , and the smallest schooner the flea . little lasse put all the twelve into the water , and they floated as splendidly and as proudly as any great ships over the waves of the ocean . and now the ships must sail round the world . the great island over there was asia ; that large stone africa ; the little island america ; the small stones were polynesia ; and the shore from which the ships sailed out was europe . the whole fleet set off and sailed far away to other parts of the world . the ships of the line steered a straight course to asia , the frigates sailed to africa , the brigs to america , and the schooners to polynesia . but little lasse remained in europe , and threw small stones out into the great sea . now , there was on the shore of europe a real boat , father 's own , a beautiful white - painted boat , and little lasse got into it . father and mother had forbidden this , but little lasse forgot . he thought he should very much like to travel to some other part of the world . | what did little lasse forget ? | not to get into his father 's boat . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i will , ' answered lasse ; and he went off to the shore . then he opened the shells with a pin , split them carefully in two , and broke small little bits of sticks for the rowers ' seats . then he took the peas which were in the shells and put them in the boats for cargo . some of the shells got broken , some remained whole , and when all were ready lasse had twelve boats . but they should not be boats , they should be large warships . he had three liners , three frigates , three brigs and three schooners . the largest liner was called hercules , and the smallest schooner the flea . little lasse put all the twelve into the water , and they floated as splendidly and as proudly as any great ships over the waves of the ocean . and now the ships must sail round the world . the great island over there was asia ; that large stone africa ; the little island america ; the small stones were polynesia ; and the shore from which the ships sailed out was europe . the whole fleet set off and sailed far away to other parts of the world . the ships of the line steered a straight course to asia , the frigates sailed to africa , the brigs to america , and the schooners to polynesia . but little lasse remained in europe , and threw small stones out into the great sea . now , there was on the shore of europe a real boat , father 's own , a beautiful white - painted boat , and little lasse got into it . father and mother had forbidden this , but little lasse forgot . he thought he should very much like to travel to some other part of the world . | what did little lasse's father own ? | a beautiful white - painted boat . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i shall row out a little way -- only a very little way , ' he thought . the pea - shell boats had travelled so far that they only looked like little specks on the ocean . ' i shall seize hercules on the coast of asia , ' said lasse , ' and then row home again to europe . ' he shook the rope that held the boat , and , strange to say , the rope became loose . ditsch , ratsch , a man is a man , and so little lasse manned the boat . now he would row -- and he could row , for he had rowed so often on the step sat home , when the steps pretended to be a boat and father 's big stick an oar . but when little lasse wanted to row there were no oars to be found in the boat . the oars were locked up in the boat - house , and little lasse had not noticed that the boat was empty . it is not so easy as one thinks to row to asia without oars . what could little lasse do now ? the boat was already some distance out on the sea , and the wind , which blew from land , was driving it still further out . lasse was frightened and began to cry . but there was no one on the shore to hear him . only a big crow perched alone in the birch tree ; and the gardener 's black cat sat under the birch tree , waiting to catch the crow . neither of them troubled themselves in the least about little lasse , who was drifting out to sea . | what did little lasse decide to do after he got into his father's boat ? | row out a little way . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i shall row out a little way -- only a very little way , ' he thought . the pea - shell boats had travelled so far that they only looked like little specks on the ocean . ' i shall seize hercules on the coast of asia , ' said lasse , ' and then row home again to europe . ' he shook the rope that held the boat , and , strange to say , the rope became loose . ditsch , ratsch , a man is a man , and so little lasse manned the boat . now he would row -- and he could row , for he had rowed so often on the step sat home , when the steps pretended to be a boat and father 's big stick an oar . but when little lasse wanted to row there were no oars to be found in the boat . the oars were locked up in the boat - house , and little lasse had not noticed that the boat was empty . it is not so easy as one thinks to row to asia without oars . what could little lasse do now ? the boat was already some distance out on the sea , and the wind , which blew from land , was driving it still further out . lasse was frightened and began to cry . but there was no one on the shore to hear him . only a big crow perched alone in the birch tree ; and the gardener 's black cat sat under the birch tree , waiting to catch the crow . neither of them troubled themselves in the least about little lasse , who was drifting out to sea . | why weren't there any oars to row with ? | the oars were locked up in the boat - house . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i shall row out a little way -- only a very little way , ' he thought . the pea - shell boats had travelled so far that they only looked like little specks on the ocean . ' i shall seize hercules on the coast of asia , ' said lasse , ' and then row home again to europe . ' he shook the rope that held the boat , and , strange to say , the rope became loose . ditsch , ratsch , a man is a man , and so little lasse manned the boat . now he would row -- and he could row , for he had rowed so often on the step sat home , when the steps pretended to be a boat and father 's big stick an oar . but when little lasse wanted to row there were no oars to be found in the boat . the oars were locked up in the boat - house , and little lasse had not noticed that the boat was empty . it is not so easy as one thinks to row to asia without oars . what could little lasse do now ? the boat was already some distance out on the sea , and the wind , which blew from land , was driving it still further out . lasse was frightened and began to cry . but there was no one on the shore to hear him . only a big crow perched alone in the birch tree ; and the gardener 's black cat sat under the birch tree , waiting to catch the crow . neither of them troubled themselves in the least about little lasse , who was drifting out to sea . | why was little lasse frightened ? | he did not have oars to row with . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i shall row out a little way -- only a very little way , ' he thought . the pea - shell boats had travelled so far that they only looked like little specks on the ocean . ' i shall seize hercules on the coast of asia , ' said lasse , ' and then row home again to europe . ' he shook the rope that held the boat , and , strange to say , the rope became loose . ditsch , ratsch , a man is a man , and so little lasse manned the boat . now he would row -- and he could row , for he had rowed so often on the step sat home , when the steps pretended to be a boat and father 's big stick an oar . but when little lasse wanted to row there were no oars to be found in the boat . the oars were locked up in the boat - house , and little lasse had not noticed that the boat was empty . it is not so easy as one thinks to row to asia without oars . what could little lasse do now ? the boat was already some distance out on the sea , and the wind , which blew from land , was driving it still further out . lasse was frightened and began to cry . but there was no one on the shore to hear him . only a big crow perched alone in the birch tree ; and the gardener 's black cat sat under the birch tree , waiting to catch the crow . neither of them troubled themselves in the least about little lasse , who was drifting out to sea . | what did little lasse want to do with his father's boat ? | seize hercules on the coast of asia , and then row home again to europe . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' i shall row out a little way -- only a very little way , ' he thought . the pea - shell boats had travelled so far that they only looked like little specks on the ocean . ' i shall seize hercules on the coast of asia , ' said lasse , ' and then row home again to europe . ' he shook the rope that held the boat , and , strange to say , the rope became loose . ditsch , ratsch , a man is a man , and so little lasse manned the boat . now he would row -- and he could row , for he had rowed so often on the step sat home , when the steps pretended to be a boat and father 's big stick an oar . but when little lasse wanted to row there were no oars to be found in the boat . the oars were locked up in the boat - house , and little lasse had not noticed that the boat was empty . it is not so easy as one thinks to row to asia without oars . what could little lasse do now ? the boat was already some distance out on the sea , and the wind , which blew from land , was driving it still further out . lasse was frightened and began to cry . but there was no one on the shore to hear him . only a big crow perched alone in the birch tree ; and the gardener 's black cat sat under the birch tree , waiting to catch the crow . neither of them troubled themselves in the least about little lasse , who was drifting out to sea . | how did little lasse know how to row ? | he had rowed so often on the step sat home , when the steps pretended to be a boat and father 's big stick an oar . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ah ! how sorry little lasse was now that he had been disobedient and got into the boat , when father and mother had so often forbidden him to do so ! now it was too late , he could not get back to land . perhaps he would be lost out on the great sea . what should he do ? when he had shouted until he was tired and no one heard him , he put his two little hands together and said , ' good god , do not be angry with little lasse . ' and then he went to sleep . for although it was daylight , old nukku matti was sitting on the shores of the ' land of nod , ' and was fishing for little children with his long fishing rod . he heard the low words which little lasse said to god , and he immediately drew the boat to himself and laid little lasse to sleep on a bed of rose leaves . then nukku matti said to one of the dreams , ' play with little lasse , so that he does not feel lonesome . ' it was a little dream - boy , so little , so little , that he was less than lasse himself ; he had blue eyes and fair hair , a red cap with a silver band , and white coat with pearls on the collar . he came to little lasse and said , ' would you like to sail round the world ? ' ' yes , ' said lasse in his sleep , ' i should like to . ' ' come , then , ' said the dream - boy , ' and let us sail in your pea - shell boats . you shall sail in hercules and i shall sail in the flea . ' | how was little lasse disobedient ? | he did not listen to his parents . | local | action | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ah ! how sorry little lasse was now that he had been disobedient and got into the boat , when father and mother had so often forbidden him to do so ! now it was too late , he could not get back to land . perhaps he would be lost out on the great sea . what should he do ? when he had shouted until he was tired and no one heard him , he put his two little hands together and said , ' good god , do not be angry with little lasse . ' and then he went to sleep . for although it was daylight , old nukku matti was sitting on the shores of the ' land of nod , ' and was fishing for little children with his long fishing rod . he heard the low words which little lasse said to god , and he immediately drew the boat to himself and laid little lasse to sleep on a bed of rose leaves . then nukku matti said to one of the dreams , ' play with little lasse , so that he does not feel lonesome . ' it was a little dream - boy , so little , so little , that he was less than lasse himself ; he had blue eyes and fair hair , a red cap with a silver band , and white coat with pearls on the collar . he came to little lasse and said , ' would you like to sail round the world ? ' ' yes , ' said lasse in his sleep , ' i should like to . ' ' come , then , ' said the dream - boy , ' and let us sail in your pea - shell boats . you shall sail in hercules and i shall sail in the flea . ' | how did little lasse feel after he was lost out on the great sea ? | scared . | local | feeling | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ah ! how sorry little lasse was now that he had been disobedient and got into the boat , when father and mother had so often forbidden him to do so ! now it was too late , he could not get back to land . perhaps he would be lost out on the great sea . what should he do ? when he had shouted until he was tired and no one heard him , he put his two little hands together and said , ' good god , do not be angry with little lasse . ' and then he went to sleep . for although it was daylight , old nukku matti was sitting on the shores of the ' land of nod , ' and was fishing for little children with his long fishing rod . he heard the low words which little lasse said to god , and he immediately drew the boat to himself and laid little lasse to sleep on a bed of rose leaves . then nukku matti said to one of the dreams , ' play with little lasse , so that he does not feel lonesome . ' it was a little dream - boy , so little , so little , that he was less than lasse himself ; he had blue eyes and fair hair , a red cap with a silver band , and white coat with pearls on the collar . he came to little lasse and said , ' would you like to sail round the world ? ' ' yes , ' said lasse in his sleep , ' i should like to . ' ' come , then , ' said the dream - boy , ' and let us sail in your pea - shell boats . you shall sail in hercules and i shall sail in the flea . ' | what did little lasse do after he was lost out on the great sea ? | prayed to god . | local | action | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ah ! how sorry little lasse was now that he had been disobedient and got into the boat , when father and mother had so often forbidden him to do so ! now it was too late , he could not get back to land . perhaps he would be lost out on the great sea . what should he do ? when he had shouted until he was tired and no one heard him , he put his two little hands together and said , ' good god , do not be angry with little lasse . ' and then he went to sleep . for although it was daylight , old nukku matti was sitting on the shores of the ' land of nod , ' and was fishing for little children with his long fishing rod . he heard the low words which little lasse said to god , and he immediately drew the boat to himself and laid little lasse to sleep on a bed of rose leaves . then nukku matti said to one of the dreams , ' play with little lasse , so that he does not feel lonesome . ' it was a little dream - boy , so little , so little , that he was less than lasse himself ; he had blue eyes and fair hair , a red cap with a silver band , and white coat with pearls on the collar . he came to little lasse and said , ' would you like to sail round the world ? ' ' yes , ' said lasse in his sleep , ' i should like to . ' ' come , then , ' said the dream - boy , ' and let us sail in your pea - shell boats . you shall sail in hercules and i shall sail in the flea . ' | who saved little lasse ? | old nukku matti . | local | character | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ah ! how sorry little lasse was now that he had been disobedient and got into the boat , when father and mother had so often forbidden him to do so ! now it was too late , he could not get back to land . perhaps he would be lost out on the great sea . what should he do ? when he had shouted until he was tired and no one heard him , he put his two little hands together and said , ' good god , do not be angry with little lasse . ' and then he went to sleep . for although it was daylight , old nukku matti was sitting on the shores of the ' land of nod , ' and was fishing for little children with his long fishing rod . he heard the low words which little lasse said to god , and he immediately drew the boat to himself and laid little lasse to sleep on a bed of rose leaves . then nukku matti said to one of the dreams , ' play with little lasse , so that he does not feel lonesome . ' it was a little dream - boy , so little , so little , that he was less than lasse himself ; he had blue eyes and fair hair , a red cap with a silver band , and white coat with pearls on the collar . he came to little lasse and said , ' would you like to sail round the world ? ' ' yes , ' said lasse in his sleep , ' i should like to . ' ' come , then , ' said the dream - boy , ' and let us sail in your pea - shell boats . you shall sail in hercules and i shall sail in the flea . ' | who played with little lasse ? | a little dream - boy . | local | character | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' i am so afraid that the whales would swallow us up , and the big dogs bite us . let us sail instead to another part of the world . ' ' very well , ' said the dream - boy with the red cap and the silver band ; ' it is not far to america'--and at the same moment they were there . the sun was shining and it was very warm . tall palm trees grew in long rows on the shore and bore coconuts in their top branches . men red as copper galloped over the immense green prairies and shot their arrows at the buffaloes , who turned against them with their sharp horns . an enormous cobra which had crept up the stem of a tall palm tree threw itself on to a little llama that was grazing at the foot . knaps ! it was all over the little llama . | why didn't little lasse want to land ? | he was so afraid that the whales would swallow them up , and the big dogs bite them . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
little-lasse | so they sailed away from the ' land of nod , ' and in a little while hercules and the flea were on the shores of asia away at the other end of the world , where the ice sea flows through behring straits into the pacific ocean . a long way off in the winter mist they could see the explorer nordenskiold with his ship vega trying to find an opening between the ice . it was so cold , so cold ; the great icebergs glittered strangely , and the huge whales now lived under the ice , for they could not make a hole through with their awkward heads . all around on the dreary shore there was snow and snow as far as the eye could see ; little grey men in shaggy skins moved about , and drove in small sledges through the snow drifts , but the sledges were drawn by dogs . | what did little lasse and the dream-boy do when they played with each other ? | sailed away from the land of nod . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' i am so afraid that the whales would swallow us up , and the big dogs bite us . let us sail instead to another part of the world . ' ' very well , ' said the dream - boy with the red cap and the silver band ; ' it is not far to america'--and at the same moment they were there . the sun was shining and it was very warm . tall palm trees grew in long rows on the shore and bore coconuts in their top branches . men red as copper galloped over the immense green prairies and shot their arrows at the buffaloes , who turned against them with their sharp horns . an enormous cobra which had crept up the stem of a tall palm tree threw itself on to a little llama that was grazing at the foot . knaps ! it was all over the little llama . | where did little lasse and the dream-boy go after little lasse did not want to land ? | america . | local | setting | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' i am so afraid that the buffaloes will butt us , and the great serpent eat us up . let us travel to another part of the world . ' ' very well , ' said the dream - boy with the white coat , ' it is only a little way to polynesia'--and then they were there . it was very warm there , as warm as in a hot bath in finland . costly spices grew on the shores : the pepper plant , the cinnamon tree , ginger , saffron ; the coffee plant and the tea plant . brown people with long ears and thick lips , and hideously painted faces , hunted a yellow - spotted tiger among the high bamboos on the shore , and the tiger turned on them and stuck its claws into one of the brown men . then all the others took to flight . | why didn't little lasse want to land in america ? | he was so afraid that the buffaloes would butt them , and the great serpent eat them up . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' i am so afraid that the buffaloes will butt us , and the great serpent eat us up . let us travel to another part of the world . ' ' very well , ' said the dream - boy with the white coat , ' it is only a little way to polynesia'--and then they were there . it was very warm there , as warm as in a hot bath in finland . costly spices grew on the shores : the pepper plant , the cinnamon tree , ginger , saffron ; the coffee plant and the tea plant . brown people with long ears and thick lips , and hideously painted faces , hunted a yellow - spotted tiger among the high bamboos on the shore , and the tiger turned on them and stuck its claws into one of the brown men . then all the others took to flight . | where did little lasse and the dream-boy go after little lasse did not want to land in america ? | polynesia . | local | setting | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' do n't you see the tiger away there by the pepper plant ? let us travel to another part of the world . ' ' we can do so , ' said the dream - boy with the blue eyes . ' we are not far from africa'--and as he said that they were there . they anchored at the mouth of a great river where the shores were as green as the greenest velvet . a little distance from the river an immense desert stretched away . the air was yellow ; the sun shone so hot , so hot as if it would burn the earth to ashes , and the people were as black as the blackest jet . they rode across the desert on tall camels ; the lions roared with thirst , and the great crocodiles with their grey lizard heads and sharp white teeth gaped up out of the river . | why didn't little lasse want to land in polynesia ? | he was worried about the tiger . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' do n't you see the tiger away there by the pepper plant ? let us travel to another part of the world . ' ' we can do so , ' said the dream - boy with the blue eyes . ' we are not far from africa'--and as he said that they were there . they anchored at the mouth of a great river where the shores were as green as the greenest velvet . a little distance from the river an immense desert stretched away . the air was yellow ; the sun shone so hot , so hot as if it would burn the earth to ashes , and the people were as black as the blackest jet . they rode across the desert on tall camels ; the lions roared with thirst , and the great crocodiles with their grey lizard heads and sharp white teeth gaped up out of the river . | where did little lasse and the dream-boy go after little lasse did not want to land in polynesia ? | africa . | local | setting | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' the sun would burn us , and the lions and the crocodiles would eat us up . let us travel to another part of the world . ' ' we can travel back to europe , ' said the dream - boy with the fair hair . and with that they were there . they came to a shore where it was all so cool and familiar and friendly . there stood the tall birch tree with its drooping leaves ; at the top sat the old crow , and at its foot crept the gardener 's black cat . not far away was a house which little lasse had seen before ; near the house there was a garden , and in the garden a pea bed with long pea shells . an old gardener with a green coat walked about and wondered if the cucumbers were ripe . fylax was barking on the steps , and when he saw little lasse he wagged his tail . old stina was milking the cows in the farmyard , and there was a very familiar lady in a check woollen shawl on her way to the bleaching green to see if the clothes were bleached . there was , too , a well - known gentleman in a yellow summer coat , with a long pipe in his mouth ; he was going to see if the reapers had cut the rye . a boy and a girl were running on the shore and calling out , ' little lasse ! come home for bread - and - butter ! ' ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy , and he blinked his blue eyes roguishly . ' come with me , and i shall ask mother to give you some bread - and - butter and a glass of milk , ' said little lasse . | why didn't little lasse want to land in africa ? | the sun would burn them , and the lions and the crocodiles would eat them up . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy . ' no , ' said little lasse . ' the sun would burn us , and the lions and the crocodiles would eat us up . let us travel to another part of the world . ' ' we can travel back to europe , ' said the dream - boy with the fair hair . and with that they were there . they came to a shore where it was all so cool and familiar and friendly . there stood the tall birch tree with its drooping leaves ; at the top sat the old crow , and at its foot crept the gardener 's black cat . not far away was a house which little lasse had seen before ; near the house there was a garden , and in the garden a pea bed with long pea shells . an old gardener with a green coat walked about and wondered if the cucumbers were ripe . fylax was barking on the steps , and when he saw little lasse he wagged his tail . old stina was milking the cows in the farmyard , and there was a very familiar lady in a check woollen shawl on her way to the bleaching green to see if the clothes were bleached . there was , too , a well - known gentleman in a yellow summer coat , with a long pipe in his mouth ; he was going to see if the reapers had cut the rye . a boy and a girl were running on the shore and calling out , ' little lasse ! come home for bread - and - butter ! ' ' shall we land here ? ' asked the dream - boy , and he blinked his blue eyes roguishly . ' come with me , and i shall ask mother to give you some bread - and - butter and a glass of milk , ' said little lasse . | what did little lasse want to give to the dream-boy ? | some bread - and - butter and a glass of milk . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | ' wait a little , ' said the dream - boy . and now little lasse saw that the kitchen door was open , and from within there was heard a low , pleasant frizzling , like that which is heard when one whisks yellow batter with a wooden ladle into a hot frying - pan . ' perhaps we should sail back to polynesia now ? ' said the happy dream - boy . ' no ; they are frying pancakes in europe just now , ' said little lasse ; and he wanted to jump ashore , but he could not . the dream - boy had tied him with a chain of flowers , so that he could not move . and now all the little dreams came about him , thousands and thousands of little children , and they made a ring around him and sang a little song : the world is very , very wide , little lasse , lasse , and though you 've sailed beyond the tide , you can never tell how wide it is on the other side , lasse , little lasse . you have found it cold and hot , little lasse , lasse ; but in no land is god not , lasse , little lasse . many men live there as here , but they all to god are dear , little lasse , lasse . when his angel is your guide , little lasse , lasse , then no harm can e'er betide , even on the other side where the wild beasts wander . but tell us now , whene'er you roam , do you not find the best is home of all the lands you 've looked upon , lasse , little lasse ? | what happened after little lasse tried to jump ashore ? | he was chained to the boat . | local | outcome resolution | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ' wait a little , ' said the dream - boy . and now little lasse saw that the kitchen door was open , and from within there was heard a low , pleasant frizzling , like that which is heard when one whisks yellow batter with a wooden ladle into a hot frying - pan . ' perhaps we should sail back to polynesia now ? ' said the happy dream - boy . ' no ; they are frying pancakes in europe just now , ' said little lasse ; and he wanted to jump ashore , but he could not . the dream - boy had tied him with a chain of flowers , so that he could not move . and now all the little dreams came about him , thousands and thousands of little children , and they made a ring around him and sang a little song : the world is very , very wide , little lasse , lasse , and though you 've sailed beyond the tide , you can never tell how wide it is on the other side , lasse , little lasse . you have found it cold and hot , little lasse , lasse ; but in no land is god not , lasse , little lasse . many men live there as here , but they all to god are dear , little lasse , lasse . when his angel is your guide , little lasse , lasse , then no harm can e'er betide , even on the other side where the wild beasts wander . but tell us now , whene'er you roam , do you not find the best is home of all the lands you 've looked upon , lasse , little lasse ? | why did the dream-boy tell little lasse to wait ? | the dream - boy wanted to chain him . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ' wait a little , ' said the dream - boy . and now little lasse saw that the kitchen door was open , and from within there was heard a low , pleasant frizzling , like that which is heard when one whisks yellow batter with a wooden ladle into a hot frying - pan . ' perhaps we should sail back to polynesia now ? ' said the happy dream - boy . ' no ; they are frying pancakes in europe just now , ' said little lasse ; and he wanted to jump ashore , but he could not . the dream - boy had tied him with a chain of flowers , so that he could not move . and now all the little dreams came about him , thousands and thousands of little children , and they made a ring around him and sang a little song : the world is very , very wide , little lasse , lasse , and though you 've sailed beyond the tide , you can never tell how wide it is on the other side , lasse , little lasse . you have found it cold and hot , little lasse , lasse ; but in no land is god not , lasse , little lasse . many men live there as here , but they all to god are dear , little lasse , lasse . when his angel is your guide , little lasse , lasse , then no harm can e'er betide , even on the other side where the wild beasts wander . but tell us now , whene'er you roam , do you not find the best is home of all the lands you 've looked upon , lasse , little lasse ? | why didn't little lasse want to go to polynesia ? | he wanted to eat pancakes . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
little-lasse | ' wait a little , ' said the dream - boy . and now little lasse saw that the kitchen door was open , and from within there was heard a low , pleasant frizzling , like that which is heard when one whisks yellow batter with a wooden ladle into a hot frying - pan . ' perhaps we should sail back to polynesia now ? ' said the happy dream - boy . ' no ; they are frying pancakes in europe just now , ' said little lasse ; and he wanted to jump ashore , but he could not . the dream - boy had tied him with a chain of flowers , so that he could not move . and now all the little dreams came about him , thousands and thousands of little children , and they made a ring around him and sang a little song : the world is very , very wide , little lasse , lasse , and though you 've sailed beyond the tide , you can never tell how wide it is on the other side , lasse , little lasse . you have found it cold and hot , little lasse , lasse ; but in no land is god not , lasse , little lasse . many men live there as here , but they all to god are dear , little lasse , lasse . when his angel is your guide , little lasse , lasse , then no harm can e'er betide , even on the other side where the wild beasts wander . but tell us now , whene'er you roam , do you not find the best is home of all the lands you 've looked upon , lasse , little lasse ? | what happened after little lasse could not move ? | all the little dreams came about him , thousands and thousands of little children , and they made a ring around him and sang a little song . | local | outcome resolution | explicit | ||
little-lasse | when the dreams had sung their song they skipped away , and nukku matti carried lasse back to the boat . he lay there for a long time quite still , and he still heard the frying - pan frizzling at home of the fire , the frizzling was very plain , little lasse heard it quite near him ; and so he woke up and rubbed his eyes . there he lay in the boat , where he had fallen asleep . the wind had turned , and the boat had drifted out with one wind and drifted in with another while little lasse slept , and what lasse thought was frizzling in a frying - pan was the low murmur of the waves as they washed against the stones on the shore . but he was not altogether wrong , for the clear blue sea is like a great pan in which god 's sun all day makes cakes for good children . little lasse rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around him . everything was the same as before ; the crow in the birch tree , the cat on the grass , and the pea - shell fleet on the shore . some of the ships had foundered , and some had drifted back to land . hercules had come back with its cargo from asia , the flea had arrived from polynesia , and the other parts of the world were just where they were before . little lasse did not know what to think . he had so often been in that grotto in the ' land of nod ' and did not know what tricks dreams can play . but little lasse did not trouble his head with such things ; he gathered together his boats and walked up the shore back to the house . | what did nukku matti do after the dreams sung their song ? | carried lasse back to the boat . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | when the dreams had sung their song they skipped away , and nukku matti carried lasse back to the boat . he lay there for a long time quite still , and he still heard the frying - pan frizzling at home of the fire , the frizzling was very plain , little lasse heard it quite near him ; and so he woke up and rubbed his eyes . there he lay in the boat , where he had fallen asleep . the wind had turned , and the boat had drifted out with one wind and drifted in with another while little lasse slept , and what lasse thought was frizzling in a frying - pan was the low murmur of the waves as they washed against the stones on the shore . but he was not altogether wrong , for the clear blue sea is like a great pan in which god 's sun all day makes cakes for good children . little lasse rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around him . everything was the same as before ; the crow in the birch tree , the cat on the grass , and the pea - shell fleet on the shore . some of the ships had foundered , and some had drifted back to land . hercules had come back with its cargo from asia , the flea had arrived from polynesia , and the other parts of the world were just where they were before . little lasse did not know what to think . he had so often been in that grotto in the ' land of nod ' and did not know what tricks dreams can play . but little lasse did not trouble his head with such things ; he gathered together his boats and walked up the shore back to the house . | what did little lasse still hear ? | the frying - pan frizzling at home of the fire . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | when the dreams had sung their song they skipped away , and nukku matti carried lasse back to the boat . he lay there for a long time quite still , and he still heard the frying - pan frizzling at home of the fire , the frizzling was very plain , little lasse heard it quite near him ; and so he woke up and rubbed his eyes . there he lay in the boat , where he had fallen asleep . the wind had turned , and the boat had drifted out with one wind and drifted in with another while little lasse slept , and what lasse thought was frizzling in a frying - pan was the low murmur of the waves as they washed against the stones on the shore . but he was not altogether wrong , for the clear blue sea is like a great pan in which god 's sun all day makes cakes for good children . little lasse rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around him . everything was the same as before ; the crow in the birch tree , the cat on the grass , and the pea - shell fleet on the shore . some of the ships had foundered , and some had drifted back to land . hercules had come back with its cargo from asia , the flea had arrived from polynesia , and the other parts of the world were just where they were before . little lasse did not know what to think . he had so often been in that grotto in the ' land of nod ' and did not know what tricks dreams can play . but little lasse did not trouble his head with such things ; he gathered together his boats and walked up the shore back to the house . | how did little lasse feel after he woke up ? | confused . | local | feeling | implicit | ||
little-lasse | when the dreams had sung their song they skipped away , and nukku matti carried lasse back to the boat . he lay there for a long time quite still , and he still heard the frying - pan frizzling at home of the fire , the frizzling was very plain , little lasse heard it quite near him ; and so he woke up and rubbed his eyes . there he lay in the boat , where he had fallen asleep . the wind had turned , and the boat had drifted out with one wind and drifted in with another while little lasse slept , and what lasse thought was frizzling in a frying - pan was the low murmur of the waves as they washed against the stones on the shore . but he was not altogether wrong , for the clear blue sea is like a great pan in which god 's sun all day makes cakes for good children . little lasse rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around him . everything was the same as before ; the crow in the birch tree , the cat on the grass , and the pea - shell fleet on the shore . some of the ships had foundered , and some had drifted back to land . hercules had come back with its cargo from asia , the flea had arrived from polynesia , and the other parts of the world were just where they were before . little lasse did not know what to think . he had so often been in that grotto in the ' land of nod ' and did not know what tricks dreams can play . but little lasse did not trouble his head with such things ; he gathered together his boats and walked up the shore back to the house . | what did little lasse do after he woke up ? | gathered together his boats and walked up the shore back to the house . | local | action | explicit | ||
little-lasse | his brother and sister ran to meet him , and called out from the distance , ' where have you been so long , lasse ? come home and get some bread - and - butter . ' the kitchen door stood open , and inside was heard a strange frizzling . the gardener was near the gate , watering the dill and parsley , the carrots and parsnips . ' well , ' he said , ' where has little lasse been so long ? ' little lasse straightened himself up stiff , and answered : ' i have sailed round the world in a pea - shell boat . ' ' oh ! ' said the gardener . he has forgotten dreamland . but you have not forgotten it ; you know that it exists . you know the beautiful grotto and the bright silver walls whose lustre never fades , the sparkling diamonds which never grow dim , the music which never ceases its low , soft murmur through the sweet evening twilight . the airy fairy fancies of happy dreamland never grow old ; they , like the glorious stars above us , are always young . perhaps you have caught a glimpse of their ethereal wings as they flew around your pillow . perhaps you have met the same dream - boy with the blue eyes and the fair hair , the one who wore the red cap with the silver band and the white coat with pearls on the collar . perhaps he has taken you to see all the countries of the world and the peoples , the cold waste lands and the burning deserts , the many coloured men and the wild creatures in the sea and in the woods , so that you may earn many things , but come gladly home again . yes , who knows ? perhaps you also have sailed round the wide world once in a pea - shell boat . | who ran to meet little lasse ? | his brother and sister . | local | character | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | in byegone days , in an old farmhouse which stood by a river , there lived a beautiful girl called maisie . she was tall and straight , with auburn hair and blue eyes , and she was the prettiest girl in all the valley . and one would have thought that she would have been the pride of her mother 's heart . but , instead of this , her mother used to sigh and shake her head whenever she looked at her . and why ? because , in those days , all men were sensible ; and instead of looking out for pretty girls to be their wives , they looked out for girls who could cook and spin , and who gave promise of becoming notable housewives . | where did maisie live ? | in an old farmhouse which stood by a river . | local | setting | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | in byegone days , in an old farmhouse which stood by a river , there lived a beautiful girl called maisie . she was tall and straight , with auburn hair and blue eyes , and she was the prettiest girl in all the valley . and one would have thought that she would have been the pride of her mother 's heart . but , instead of this , her mother used to sigh and shake her head whenever she looked at her . and why ? because , in those days , all men were sensible ; and instead of looking out for pretty girls to be their wives , they looked out for girls who could cook and spin , and who gave promise of becoming notable housewives . | who was tall and straight, with auburn hair and blue eyes, and she was the prettiest girl in all the valley ? | maisie . | local | character | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie 's mother had been an industrious spinster ; but , alas ! to her sore grief and disappointment , her daughter did not take after her . the girl loved to be out of doors , chasing butterflies and plucking wild flowers , far better than sitting at her spinning - wheel . so when her mother saw one after another of maisie 's companions , who were not nearly so pretty as she was , getting rich husbands , she sighed and said : " woe 's me , child , for methinks no brave wooer will ever pause at our door while they see thee so idle and thoughtless . " but maisie only laughed . | why did her mother use to sigh and shake her head whenever she looked at maisie ? | maisie was not a good spinster . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | in byegone days , in an old farmhouse which stood by a river , there lived a beautiful girl called maisie . she was tall and straight , with auburn hair and blue eyes , and she was the prettiest girl in all the valley . and one would have thought that she would have been the pride of her mother 's heart . but , instead of this , her mother used to sigh and shake her head whenever she looked at her . and why ? because , in those days , all men were sensible ; and instead of looking out for pretty girls to be their wives , they looked out for girls who could cook and spin , and who gave promise of becoming notable housewives . | what did men look for in girls to be their wives ? | girls who could cook and spin , and who gave promise of becoming notable housewives . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie 's mother had been an industrious spinster ; but , alas ! to her sore grief and disappointment , her daughter did not take after her . the girl loved to be out of doors , chasing butterflies and plucking wild flowers , far better than sitting at her spinning - wheel . so when her mother saw one after another of maisie 's companions , who were not nearly so pretty as she was , getting rich husbands , she sighed and said : " woe 's me , child , for methinks no brave wooer will ever pause at our door while they see thee so idle and thoughtless . " but maisie only laughed . | why was the mother disappointed in her daughter ? | her daughter did not take after her . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie 's mother had been an industrious spinster ; but , alas ! to her sore grief and disappointment , her daughter did not take after her . the girl loved to be out of doors , chasing butterflies and plucking wild flowers , far better than sitting at her spinning - wheel . so when her mother saw one after another of maisie 's companions , who were not nearly so pretty as she was , getting rich husbands , she sighed and said : " woe 's me , child , for methinks no brave wooer will ever pause at our door while they see thee so idle and thoughtless . " but maisie only laughed . | what did maisie love to do instead of sitting at her spinning-wheel ? | be out of doors , chasing butterflies and plucking wild flowers . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie 's mother had been an industrious spinster ; but , alas ! to her sore grief and disappointment , her daughter did not take after her . the girl loved to be out of doors , chasing butterflies and plucking wild flowers , far better than sitting at her spinning - wheel . so when her mother saw one after another of maisie 's companions , who were not nearly so pretty as she was , getting rich husbands , she sighed and said : " woe 's me , child , for methinks no brave wooer will ever pause at our door while they see thee so idle and thoughtless . " but maisie only laughed . | why was her mother getting frustrated at maisie when she saw her companions ? | her mother saw one after another of maisie 's companions , who were not nearly so pretty as she was , getting rich husbands . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . | what did maisie's mother want her to do because she would not marry ? | learn to be a nun . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . | how did maisie's mother feel when she did not care about getting married ? | angry . | local | feeling | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . | what did maisie do after her mother wanted her to become a nun ? | tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . | how did maisie feel when her mother decided she needed to go to the nunnery ? | sad . | local | feeling | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . | why did maisie start sitting at her spinning-wheel ? | she did not want to go to the nunnery . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . | why did maisie make slow progress at her spinning-wheel ? | she was so little accustomed to work . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . | how much yarn did maisie spin ? | half a hank of yarn . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | the next day it was even worse , for her arms ached so much she could only work very slowly . that night she cried herself to sleep ; and next morning , seeing that it was quite hopeless to expect to get her task finished , she threw down her distaff in despair , and ran out of doors . near the house was a deep dell , through which ran a tiny stream . maisie loved this dell , the flowers grew so abundantly there . this morning she ran down to the edge of the stream , and seated herself on a large stone . it was a glorious morning , the hazel trees were newly covered with leaves , and the branches nodded over her head , and showed like delicate tracery against the blue sky . the primroses and sweet - scented violets peeped out from among the grass , and a little water wagtail came and perched on a stone in the middle of the stream , and bobbed up and down , till it seemed as if he were nodding to maisie , and as if he were trying to say to her , " never mind , cheer up . " | why did maisie work slowly the next day ? | her arms ached so much . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | the next day it was even worse , for her arms ached so much she could only work very slowly . that night she cried herself to sleep ; and next morning , seeing that it was quite hopeless to expect to get her task finished , she threw down her distaff in despair , and ran out of doors . near the house was a deep dell , through which ran a tiny stream . maisie loved this dell , the flowers grew so abundantly there . this morning she ran down to the edge of the stream , and seated herself on a large stone . it was a glorious morning , the hazel trees were newly covered with leaves , and the branches nodded over her head , and showed like delicate tracery against the blue sky . the primroses and sweet - scented violets peeped out from among the grass , and a little water wagtail came and perched on a stone in the middle of the stream , and bobbed up and down , till it seemed as if he were nodding to maisie , and as if he were trying to say to her , " never mind , cheer up . " | how did maisie feel about spinning all day ? | frustrated . | local | feeling | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | at last her mother grew really angry , and one bright spring morning she laid down three heads of lint on the table , saying sharply , " i will have no more of this dallying . people will say that it is my blame that no wooer comes to seek thee . i can not have thee left on my hands to be laughed at , as the idle maid who would not marry . so now thou must work ; and if thou hast not these heads of lint spun into seven hanks of thread in three days , i will e'en speak to the mother at st . mary 's convent , and thou wilt go there and learn to be a nun . " now , though maisie was an idle girl , she had no wish to be shut up in a nunnery ; so she tried not to think of the sunshine outside , but sat down soberly with her distaff . but , alas ! she was so little accustomed to work that she made but slow progress ; and although she sat at the spinning - wheel all day , and never once went out of doors , she found at night that she had only spun half a hank of yarn . the next day it was even worse , for her arms ached so much she could only work very slowly . that night she cried herself to sleep ; and next morning , seeing that it was quite hopeless to expect to get her task finished , she threw down her distaff in despair , and ran out of doors . near the house was a deep dell , through which ran a tiny stream . maisie loved this dell , the flowers grew so abundantly there . this morning she ran down to the edge of the stream , and seated herself on a large stone . it was a glorious morning , the hazel trees were newly covered with leaves , and the branches nodded over her head , and showed like delicate tracery against the blue sky . the primroses and sweet - scented violets peeped out from among the grass , and a little water wagtail came and perched on a stone in the middle of the stream , and bobbed up and down , till it seemed as if he were nodding to maisie , and as if he were trying to say to her , " never mind , cheer up . " | what will maisie do when she was tired of spinning yarn ? | throw down her distaff in despair , and run out of doors . | summary | prediction | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | the next day it was even worse , for her arms ached so much she could only work very slowly . that night she cried herself to sleep ; and next morning , seeing that it was quite hopeless to expect to get her task finished , she threw down her distaff in despair , and ran out of doors . near the house was a deep dell , through which ran a tiny stream . maisie loved this dell , the flowers grew so abundantly there . this morning she ran down to the edge of the stream , and seated herself on a large stone . it was a glorious morning , the hazel trees were newly covered with leaves , and the branches nodded over her head , and showed like delicate tracery against the blue sky . the primroses and sweet - scented violets peeped out from among the grass , and a little water wagtail came and perched on a stone in the middle of the stream , and bobbed up and down , till it seemed as if he were nodding to maisie , and as if he were trying to say to her , " never mind , cheer up . " | where did maisie go to after she wanted a break from spinning yarn ? | a deep dell . | local | setting | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | but the poor girl was in no mood that morning to enjoy the flowers and the birds . instead of watching them , as she generally did , she hid her face in her hands , and wondered what would become of her . she rocked herself to and fro , as she thought how terrible it would be if her mother fulfilled her threat and shut her up in the convent of st . mary , with the grave , solemn - faced sisters , who seemed as if they had completely forgotten what it was like to be young , and run about in the sunshine , and laugh , and pick the fresh spring flowers . " oh , i could not do it , i could not do it , " she cried at last . " it would kill me to be a nun . " " and who wants to make a pretty wench like thee into a nun ? " asked a queer , cracked voice quite close to her . | why wasn't the poor girl in the mood that morning to enjoy the flowers and the birds ? | she could not spin yarn well . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | but the poor girl was in no mood that morning to enjoy the flowers and the birds . instead of watching them , as she generally did , she hid her face in her hands , and wondered what would become of her . she rocked herself to and fro , as she thought how terrible it would be if her mother fulfilled her threat and shut her up in the convent of st . mary , with the grave , solemn - faced sisters , who seemed as if they had completely forgotten what it was like to be young , and run about in the sunshine , and laugh , and pick the fresh spring flowers . " oh , i could not do it , i could not do it , " she cried at last . " it would kill me to be a nun . " " and who wants to make a pretty wench like thee into a nun ? " asked a queer , cracked voice quite close to her . | what did maisie do instead of watching the flowers and the birds ? | hid her face in her hands , and wondered what would become of her . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | but the poor girl was in no mood that morning to enjoy the flowers and the birds . instead of watching them , as she generally did , she hid her face in her hands , and wondered what would become of her . she rocked herself to and fro , as she thought how terrible it would be if her mother fulfilled her threat and shut her up in the convent of st . mary , with the grave , solemn - faced sisters , who seemed as if they had completely forgotten what it was like to be young , and run about in the sunshine , and laugh , and pick the fresh spring flowers . " oh , i could not do it , i could not do it , " she cried at last . " it would kill me to be a nun . " " and who wants to make a pretty wench like thee into a nun ? " asked a queer , cracked voice quite close to her . maisie jumped up , and stood staring in front of her as if she had been moonstruck . for , just across the stream from where she had been sitting , there was a curious boulder , with a round hole in the middle of it -- for all the world like a big apple with the core taken out . maisie knew it well ; she had often sat upon it , and wondered how the funny hole came to be there . it was no wonder that she stared , for , seated on this stone , was the queerest little old woman that she had ever seen in her life . indeed , had it not been for her silver hair , and the white mutch with the big frill that she wore on her head , maisie would have taken her for a little girl , she wore such a very short skirt , only reaching down to her knees . | how did maisie feel when she heard a queer,cracked voice quite close to her ? | scared . | summary | feeling | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie jumped up , and stood staring in front of her as if she had been moonstruck . for , just across the stream from where she had been sitting , there was a curious boulder , with a round hole in the middle of it -- for all the world like a big apple with the core taken out . maisie knew it well ; she had often sat upon it , and wondered how the funny hole came to be there . it was no wonder that she stared , for , seated on this stone , was the queerest little old woman that she had ever seen in her life . indeed , had it not been for her silver hair , and the white mutch with the big frill that she wore on her head , maisie would have taken her for a little girl , she wore such a very short skirt , only reaching down to her knees . | what did maisie see sitting on the boulder ? | the queerest little old woman that she had ever seen in her life . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | " and who wants to make a pretty wench like thee into a nun ? more likely that some gallant gentleman should want to make a bride of thee . " " oh , no , " answered maisie , " my mother says no gentleman would look at me because i can not spin . " " nonsense , " said the tiny woman . " spinning is all very well for old folks like me -- my lips , as thou seest , are long and ugly because i have spun so much , for i always wet my fingers with them , the easier to draw the thread from the distaff . no , no , take care of thy beauty , child ; do not waste it over the spinning - wheel , nor yet in a nunnery . " " if my mother only thought as thou dost , " replied the girl sadly ; and , encouraged by the old woman 's kindly face , she told her the whole story . " well , " said the old dame , " i do not like to see pretty girls weep ; what if i were able to help thee , and spin the lint for thee ? " | why did the old dame help maisie ? | she did not like to see pretty girls weep . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | the next day it was even worse , for her arms ached so much she could only work very slowly . that night she cried herself to sleep ; and next morning , seeing that it was quite hopeless to expect to get her task finished , she threw down her distaff in despair , and ran out of doors . near the house was a deep dell , through which ran a tiny stream . maisie loved this dell , the flowers grew so abundantly there . this morning she ran down to the edge of the stream , and seated herself on a large stone . it was a glorious morning , the hazel trees were newly covered with leaves , and the branches nodded over her head , and showed like delicate tracery against the blue sky . the primroses and sweet - scented violets peeped out from among the grass , and a little water wagtail came and perched on a stone in the middle of the stream , and bobbed up and down , till it seemed as if he were nodding to maisie , and as if he were trying to say to her , " never mind , cheer up . " " and who wants to make a pretty wench like thee into a nun ? more likely that some gallant gentleman should want to make a bride of thee . " " oh , no , " answered maisie , " my mother says no gentleman would look at me because i can not spin . " " nonsense , " said the tiny woman . " spinning is all very well for old folks like me -- my lips , as thou seest , are long and ugly because i have spun so much , for i always wet my fingers with them , the easier to draw the thread from the distaff . no , no , take care of thy beauty , child ; do not waste it over the spinning - wheel , nor yet in a nunnery . " " if my mother only thought as thou dost , " replied the girl sadly ; and , encouraged by the old woman 's kindly face , she told her the whole story . " well , " said the old dame , " i do not like to see pretty girls weep ; what if i were able to help thee , and spin the lint for thee ? " | what will happen after maisie fails to spin yarn well ? | she will meet someone who will spin yarn for her . | summary | prediction | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | " and who wants to make a pretty wench like thee into a nun ? more likely that some gallant gentleman should want to make a bride of thee . " " oh , no , " answered maisie , " my mother says no gentleman would look at me because i can not spin . " " nonsense , " said the tiny woman . " spinning is all very well for old folks like me -- my lips , as thou seest , are long and ugly because i have spun so much , for i always wet my fingers with them , the easier to draw the thread from the distaff . no , no , take care of thy beauty , child ; do not waste it over the spinning - wheel , nor yet in a nunnery . " " if my mother only thought as thou dost , " replied the girl sadly ; and , encouraged by the old woman 's kindly face , she told her the whole story . " well , " said the old dame , " i do not like to see pretty girls weep ; what if i were able to help thee , and spin the lint for thee ? " maisie thought that this offer was too good to be true ; but her new friend bade her run home and fetch the lint ; and i need not tell you that she required no second bidding . when she returned she handed the bundle to the little lady , and was about to ask her where she should meet her in order to get the thread from her when it was spun , when a sudden noise behind her made her look round . she saw nothing ; but what was her horror and surprise when she turned back again , to find that the old woman had vanished entirely , lint and all . | what will maisie's new friend tell her to do ? | run home and fetch the lint . | summary | prediction | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie thought that this offer was too good to be true ; but her new friend bade her run home and fetch the lint ; and i need not tell you that she required no second bidding . when she returned she handed the bundle to the little lady , and was about to ask her where she should meet her in order to get the thread from her when it was spun , when a sudden noise behind her made her look round . she saw nothing ; but what was her horror and surprise when she turned back again , to find that the old woman had vanished entirely , lint and all . | what happened after maisie handed the flint to the little lady ? | the old woman had vanished entirely . | local | outcome resolution | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie thought that this offer was too good to be true ; but her new friend bade her run home and fetch the lint ; and i need not tell you that she required no second bidding . when she returned she handed the bundle to the little lady , and was about to ask her where she should meet her in order to get the thread from her when it was spun , when a sudden noise behind her made her look round . she saw nothing ; but what was her horror and surprise when she turned back again , to find that the old woman had vanished entirely , lint and all . she rubbed her eyes , and looked all round , but she was nowhere to be seen . the girl was utterly bewildered . she wondered if she could have been dreaming , but no that could not be , there were her footprints leading up the bank and down again , where she had gone for the lint , and brought it back , and there was the mark of her foot , wet with dew , on a stone in the middle of the stream , where she had stood when she had handed the lint up to the mysterious little stranger . what was she to do now ? what would her mother say when , in addition to not having finished the task that had been given her , she had to confess to having lost the greater part of the lint also ? she ran up and down the little dell , hunting amongst the bushes , and peeping into every nook and cranny of the bank where the little old woman might have hidden herself . it was all in vain ; and at last , tired out with the search , she sat down on the stone once more , and presently fell fast asleep . when she awoke it was evening . the sun had set , and the yellow glow on the western horizon was fast giving place to the silvery light of the moon . she was sitting thinking of the curious events of the day , and gazing at the great boulder opposite , when it seemed to her as if a distant murmur of voices came from it . | why was maisie utterly bewildered ? | the old woman was nowhere to be seen . | summary | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | she rubbed her eyes , and looked all round , but she was nowhere to be seen . the girl was utterly bewildered . she wondered if she could have been dreaming , but no that could not be , there were her footprints leading up the bank and down again , where she had gone for the lint , and brought it back , and there was the mark of her foot , wet with dew , on a stone in the middle of the stream , where she had stood when she had handed the lint up to the mysterious little stranger . what was she to do now ? what would her mother say when , in addition to not having finished the task that had been given her , she had to confess to having lost the greater part of the lint also ? she ran up and down the little dell , hunting amongst the bushes , and peeping into every nook and cranny of the bank where the little old woman might have hidden herself . it was all in vain ; and at last , tired out with the search , she sat down on the stone once more , and presently fell fast asleep . when she awoke it was evening . the sun had set , and the yellow glow on the western horizon was fast giving place to the silvery light of the moon . she was sitting thinking of the curious events of the day , and gazing at the great boulder opposite , when it seemed to her as if a distant murmur of voices came from it . | how did maisie know that she was not dreaming ? | she saw her footprints . | local | action | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | she rubbed her eyes , and looked all round , but she was nowhere to be seen . the girl was utterly bewildered . she wondered if she could have been dreaming , but no that could not be , there were her footprints leading up the bank and down again , where she had gone for the lint , and brought it back , and there was the mark of her foot , wet with dew , on a stone in the middle of the stream , where she had stood when she had handed the lint up to the mysterious little stranger . what was she to do now ? what would her mother say when , in addition to not having finished the task that had been given her , she had to confess to having lost the greater part of the lint also ? she ran up and down the little dell , hunting amongst the bushes , and peeping into every nook and cranny of the bank where the little old woman might have hidden herself . it was all in vain ; and at last , tired out with the search , she sat down on the stone once more , and presently fell fast asleep . when she awoke it was evening . the sun had set , and the yellow glow on the western horizon was fast giving place to the silvery light of the moon . she was sitting thinking of the curious events of the day , and gazing at the great boulder opposite , when it seemed to her as if a distant murmur of voices came from it . | why was maisie worried that her flint was gone ? | she did not finish her task and she had to tell her mother she lost her lint . | local | causal relationship | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | with one bound she crossed the stream , and clambered on to the stone . she was right . someone was talking underneath it , far down in the ground . she put her ear close to the stone , and listened . the voice of the queer little old woman came up through the hole . " ho , ho , my pretty little wench little knows that my name is habetrot . " full of curiosity , maisie put her eye to the opening , and the strangest sight that she had ever seen met her gaze . she seemed to be looking through a telescope into a wonderful little valley . the trees there were brighter and greener than any that she had ever seen before and there were beautiful flowers , quite different from the flowers that grew in her country . the little valley was carpeted with the most exquisite moss , and up and down it walked her tiny friend , busily engaged in spinning . | who was the little old woman ? | habetrot . | local | character | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie thought that this offer was too good to be true ; but her new friend bade her run home and fetch the lint ; and i need not tell you that she required no second bidding . when she returned she handed the bundle to the little lady , and was about to ask her where she should meet her in order to get the thread from her when it was spun , when a sudden noise behind her made her look round . she saw nothing ; but what was her horror and surprise when she turned back again , to find that the old woman had vanished entirely , lint and all . she rubbed her eyes , and looked all round , but she was nowhere to be seen . the girl was utterly bewildered . she wondered if she could have been dreaming , but no that could not be , there were her footprints leading up the bank and down again , where she had gone for the lint , and brought it back , and there was the mark of her foot , wet with dew , on a stone in the middle of the stream , where she had stood when she had handed the lint up to the mysterious little stranger . what was she to do now ? what would her mother say when , in addition to not having finished the task that had been given her , she had to confess to having lost the greater part of the lint also ? she ran up and down the little dell , hunting amongst the bushes , and peeping into every nook and cranny of the bank where the little old woman might have hidden herself . it was all in vain ; and at last , tired out with the search , she sat down on the stone once more , and presently fell fast asleep . when she awoke it was evening . the sun had set , and the yellow glow on the western horizon was fast giving place to the silvery light of the moon . she was sitting thinking of the curious events of the day , and gazing at the great boulder opposite , when it seemed to her as if a distant murmur of voices came from it . | what will maisie do when the little old woman disappears ? | run up and down the little dell , hunting amongst the bushes , and peeping into every nook the little dell , hunting amongst the bushes , and peeping into every nook herself . | summary | prediction | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | with one bound she crossed the stream , and clambered on to the stone . she was right . someone was talking underneath it , far down in the ground . she put her ear close to the stone , and listened . the voice of the queer little old woman came up through the hole . " ho , ho , my pretty little wench little knows that my name is habetrot . " full of curiosity , maisie put her eye to the opening , and the strangest sight that she had ever seen met her gaze . she seemed to be looking through a telescope into a wonderful little valley . the trees there were brighter and greener than any that she had ever seen before and there were beautiful flowers , quite different from the flowers that grew in her country . the little valley was carpeted with the most exquisite moss , and up and down it walked her tiny friend , busily engaged in spinning . | where did the little old woman hide ? | in the ground . | local | setting | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | she was not alone , for round her were a circle of other little old women , who were seated on large white stones , and they were all spinning away as fast as they could . occasionally one would look up , and then maisie saw that they all seemed to have the same long , thick lips that her friend had . she really felt very sorry , as they all looked exceedingly kind , and might have been pretty had it not been for this defect . one of the spinstresses sat by herself , and was engaged in winding the thread , which the others had spun , into hanks . maisie did not think that this little lady looked so nice as the others . she was dressed entirely in grey , and had a big hooked nose , and great horn spectacles . she seemed to be called slantlie mab , for maisie heard habetrot address her by that name , telling her to make haste and tie up all the thread , for it was getting late , and it was time that the young girl had it to carry home to her mother . | who were seated on large white stones, and they were all spinning away as fast as they could ? | little old women . | local | character | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie did not quite know what to do , or how she was to get the thread , for she did not like to shout down the hole in case the queer little old woman should be angry at being watched . however , habetrot , as she had called herself , suddenly appeared on the path beside her , with the hanks of thread in her hand . " oh , thank you , thank you , " cried maisie . " what can i do to show you how thankful i am ? " " nothing , " answered the fairy . " for i do not work for reward . only do not tell your mother who span the thread for thee . " | what did habetrot ask maisie to do after she finished spinning the thread ? | not tell her mother who spun the thread for her . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | it was now late , and maisie lost no time in running home with the precious thread upon her shoulder . when she walked into the kitchen she found that her mother had gone to bed . she seemed to have had a busy day , for there , hanging up in the wide chimney , in order to dry , were seven large black puddings . the fire was low , but bright and clear ; and the sight of it and the sight of the puddings suggested to maisie that she was very hungry , and that fried black puddings were very good . flinging the thread down on the table , she hastily pulled off her shoes , so as not to make a noise and awake her mother ; and , getting down the frying - pan from the wall , she took one of the black puddings from the chimney , and fried it , and ate it . still she felt hungry , so she took another , and then another , till they were all gone . then she crept upstairs to her little bed and fell fast asleep . | how many black puddings did maisie eat ? | seven . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | it was now late , and maisie lost no time in running home with the precious thread upon her shoulder . when she walked into the kitchen she found that her mother had gone to bed . she seemed to have had a busy day , for there , hanging up in the wide chimney , in order to dry , were seven large black puddings . the fire was low , but bright and clear ; and the sight of it and the sight of the puddings suggested to maisie that she was very hungry , and that fried black puddings were very good . flinging the thread down on the table , she hastily pulled off her shoes , so as not to make a noise and awake her mother ; and , getting down the frying - pan from the wall , she took one of the black puddings from the chimney , and fried it , and ate it . still she felt hungry , so she took another , and then another , till they were all gone . then she crept upstairs to her little bed and fell fast asleep . | why did maisie eat all of the black puddings ? | she was very hungry , and that fried black puddings were very good . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | maisie did not quite know what to do , or how she was to get the thread , for she did not like to shout down the hole in case the queer little old woman should be angry at being watched . however , habetrot , as she had called herself , suddenly appeared on the path beside her , with the hanks of thread in her hand . " oh , thank you , thank you , " cried maisie . " what can i do to show you how thankful i am ? " " nothing , " answered the fairy . " for i do not work for reward . only do not tell your mother who span the thread for thee . " | how did maisie feel when habetrot completed spinning the thread ? | happy . | local | feeling | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | it was now late , and maisie lost no time in running home with the precious thread upon her shoulder . when she walked into the kitchen she found that her mother had gone to bed . she seemed to have had a busy day , for there , hanging up in the wide chimney , in order to dry , were seven large black puddings . the fire was low , but bright and clear ; and the sight of it and the sight of the puddings suggested to maisie that she was very hungry , and that fried black puddings were very good . flinging the thread down on the table , she hastily pulled off her shoes , so as not to make a noise and awake her mother ; and , getting down the frying - pan from the wall , she took one of the black puddings from the chimney , and fried it , and ate it . still she felt hungry , so she took another , and then another , till they were all gone . then she crept upstairs to her little bed and fell fast asleep . next morning her mother came downstairs before maisie was awake . in fact , she had not been able to sleep much for thinking of her daughter 's careless ways , and had been sorrowfully making up her mind that she must lose no time in speaking to the abbess of st . mary 's about this idle girl of hers . what was her surprise to see on the table the seven beautiful hanks of thread , while , on going to the chimney to take down a black pudding to fry for breakfast , she found that every one of them had been eaten . she did not know whether to laugh for joy that her daughter had been so industrious , or to cry for vexation because all her lovely black puddings -- which she had expected would last for a week at least -- were gone . in her bewilderment she sang out : " my daughter 's spun se'en , se'en , se'en , my daughter 's eaten se'en , se'en , se'en , and all before daylight . " | what will happen when her mother sees the thread ? | she will be surprised . | summary | prediction | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | next morning her mother came downstairs before maisie was awake . in fact , she had not been able to sleep much for thinking of her daughter 's careless ways , and had been sorrowfully making up her mind that she must lose no time in speaking to the abbess of st . mary 's about this idle girl of hers . what was her surprise to see on the table the seven beautiful hanks of thread , while , on going to the chimney to take down a black pudding to fry for breakfast , she found that every one of them had been eaten . she did not know whether to laugh for joy that her daughter had been so industrious , or to cry for vexation because all her lovely black puddings -- which she had expected would last for a week at least -- were gone . in her bewilderment she sang out : " my daughter 's spun se'en , se'en , se'en , my daughter 's eaten se'en , se'en , se'en , and all before daylight . " | what did maisie's mother think about ? | her daughter 's careless ways , and had been sorrowfully making up her mind that she must lose no time in speaking to the abbess of st . mary 's about this idle girl of hers . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | next morning her mother came downstairs before maisie was awake . in fact , she had not been able to sleep much for thinking of her daughter 's careless ways , and had been sorrowfully making up her mind that she must lose no time in speaking to the abbess of st . mary 's about this idle girl of hers . what was her surprise to see on the table the seven beautiful hanks of thread , while , on going to the chimney to take down a black pudding to fry for breakfast , she found that every one of them had been eaten . she did not know whether to laugh for joy that her daughter had been so industrious , or to cry for vexation because all her lovely black puddings -- which she had expected would last for a week at least -- were gone . in her bewilderment she sang out : " my daughter 's spun se'en , se'en , se'en , my daughter 's eaten se'en , se'en , se'en , and all before daylight . " | what will maisie's mother see on the table when she wakes up ? | seven beautiful hanks of thread . | summary | prediction | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | now i forgot to tell you that , about half a mile from where the old farmhouse stood , there was a beautiful castle , where a very rich young nobleman lived . he was both good and brave , as well as rich ; and all the mothers who had pretty daughters used to wish that he would come their way , some day , and fall in love with one of them . but he had never done so , and everyone said , " he is too grand to marry any country girl . one day he will go away to london town and marry a duke 's daughter . " well , this fine spring morning it chanced that this young nobleman 's favourite horse had lost a shoe , and he was so afraid that any of the grooms might ride it along the hard road , and not on the soft grass at the side , that he said that he would take it to the smithy himself . so it happened that he was riding along by maisie 's garden gate as her mother came into the garden singing these strange lines . | where did the very rich young nobleman live ? | a beautiful castle . | local | setting | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | now i forgot to tell you that , about half a mile from where the old farmhouse stood , there was a beautiful castle , where a very rich young nobleman lived . he was both good and brave , as well as rich ; and all the mothers who had pretty daughters used to wish that he would come their way , some day , and fall in love with one of them . but he had never done so , and everyone said , " he is too grand to marry any country girl . one day he will go away to london town and marry a duke 's daughter . " well , this fine spring morning it chanced that this young nobleman 's favourite horse had lost a shoe , and he was so afraid that any of the grooms might ride it along the hard road , and not on the soft grass at the side , that he said that he would take it to the smithy himself . so it happened that he was riding along by maisie 's garden gate as her mother came into the garden singing these strange lines . | what did the rich young nobleman want to do instead of marrying any country girl ? | go away to london town and marry a duke 's daughter . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | now i forgot to tell you that , about half a mile from where the old farmhouse stood , there was a beautiful castle , where a very rich young nobleman lived . he was both good and brave , as well as rich ; and all the mothers who had pretty daughters used to wish that he would come their way , some day , and fall in love with one of them . but he had never done so , and everyone said , " he is too grand to marry any country girl . one day he will go away to london town and marry a duke 's daughter . " well , this fine spring morning it chanced that this young nobleman 's favourite horse had lost a shoe , and he was so afraid that any of the grooms might ride it along the hard road , and not on the soft grass at the side , that he said that he would take it to the smithy himself . so it happened that he was riding along by maisie 's garden gate as her mother came into the garden singing these strange lines . | why did the rich young nobleman take his horse to the smithy himself ? | this young nobleman 's favourite horse had lost a shoe , and he was so afraid that any of the grooms might ride it along the hard road , and not on the soft grass at this side . | local | causal relationship | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | now i forgot to tell you that , about half a mile from where the old farmhouse stood , there was a beautiful castle , where a very rich young nobleman lived . he was both good and brave , as well as rich ; and all the mothers who had pretty daughters used to wish that he would come their way , some day , and fall in love with one of them . but he had never done so , and everyone said , " he is too grand to marry any country girl . one day he will go away to london town and marry a duke 's daughter . " well , this fine spring morning it chanced that this young nobleman 's favourite horse had lost a shoe , and he was so afraid that any of the grooms might ride it along the hard road , and not on the soft grass at the side , that he said that he would take it to the smithy himself . so it happened that he was riding along by maisie 's garden gate as her mother came into the garden singing these strange lines . he stopped his horse , and said good - naturedly , " good day , madam ; and may i ask why you sing such a strange song ? " maisie 's mother made no answer , but turned and walked into the house ; and the young nobleman , being very anxious to know what it all meant , hung his bridle over the garden gate , and followed her . she pointed to the seven hanks of thread lying on the table , and said , " this hath my daughter done before breakfast . " then the young man asked to see the maiden who was so industrious , and her mother went and pulled maisie from behind the door , where she had hidden herself when the stranger came in ; for she had come downstairs while her mother was in the garden . | why did the rich young nobleman stop his horse ? | maisie 's mother sang a stange song . | summary | causal relationship | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | next morning her mother came downstairs before maisie was awake . in fact , she had not been able to sleep much for thinking of her daughter 's careless ways , and had been sorrowfully making up her mind that she must lose no time in speaking to the abbess of st . mary 's about this idle girl of hers . what was her surprise to see on the table the seven beautiful hanks of thread , while , on going to the chimney to take down a black pudding to fry for breakfast , she found that every one of them had been eaten . she did not know whether to laugh for joy that her daughter had been so industrious , or to cry for vexation because all her lovely black puddings -- which she had expected would last for a week at least -- were gone . in her bewilderment she sang out : " my daughter 's spun se'en , se'en , se'en , my daughter 's eaten se'en , se'en , se'en , and all before daylight . " | how did maisie's mother feel when she saw maisie's thread ? | happy . | local | feeling | implicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | he stopped his horse , and said good - naturedly , " good day , madam ; and may i ask why you sing such a strange song ? " maisie 's mother made no answer , but turned and walked into the house ; and the young nobleman , being very anxious to know what it all meant , hung his bridle over the garden gate , and followed her . she pointed to the seven hanks of thread lying on the table , and said , " this hath my daughter done before breakfast . " then the young man asked to see the maiden who was so industrious , and her mother went and pulled maisie from behind the door , where she had hidden herself when the stranger came in ; for she had come downstairs while her mother was in the garden . | what did maisie's mother do when the rich young nobleman asked why she sang such a strange song ? | made no answer , but turned and walked into the house . | local | action | explicit | ||
habetrot-the-spinstress | he stopped his horse , and said good - naturedly , " good day , madam ; and may i ask why you sing such a strange song ? " maisie 's mother made no answer , but turned and walked into the house ; and the young nobleman , being very anxious to know what it all meant , hung his bridle over the garden gate , and followed her . she pointed to the seven hanks of thread lying on the table , and said , " this hath my daughter done before breakfast . " then the young man asked to see the maiden who was so industrious , and her mother went and pulled maisie from behind the door , where she had hidden herself when the stranger came in ; for she had come downstairs while her mother was in the garden . | what did maisie's mother show to the rich young nobleman ? | maisie 's thread . | local | action | implicit |