The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-11-29
TALE OF THE SELFISH GIANT.

TALE OF THE SELFISH GIANT.
Every afternoon as they were coming
from school, the children used to 90 and
play in the Giants garden.
One day the Giant came back. He
had been to visit his friend, the Cornish
ogre, and had stayed with him for seven
years. When he arrived he saw the
children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing there ?" he cried
in very gruff voice, and the children
ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden, "
said the Giant; "any one can under
stand that, and will allow nobody to
play in it but myself"
So he built high wall around it and
put up a notice. board "Trespassers
will be prosecuted"
He was very selfish giant.
The poor children had now nowhere
to play. They tried to play on the road
but the road was very dirty aud full of
hard stones, and they did not like it.
Then the spring came, and all over the
country there were little blossoms and
little birds. Only in the garden of the
Selfish Giant it was still winter. The
birds did not care to sing in II, as there
were no children, and the trees forgot
to blossom. Once beautiful flower put
its head out from the grass, but when it
saw the notice board it was 80 sorry for
the children that it slipped back into
the ground again, and went of to sleep.
The only people who were pleased were
the Snow and the Frost.
Spring has forgotten this garden" !"
they cried, 80 we will live here all the
year round" The Snow covered up the
grass with her great white cloak, and
the Frost painted all the trees silver.
Then they invited the North Wind to
stay with them, and he came. be was
wrapped in furs, and he roared all day
about the garden and blew the chimney
pots down.
81 cannot understand why the Spring
is so late in coming" said the Selfish
Giant, as he sat at the window and
looked out at his cold white garden, II
hope there will be a change in the
weather.
But the Spring never came, nor the
summer. The Autumn gave golden
fruit to every garden, but to the Giants
garden she gave none. ''He is too sell
fish, she said So it was always VIM
ter there, and the North Wind, and the
Hail and the Frost and the Snow danced
about through the trees.
cone morning the Giant was lying
awake in bed when he heard some love
ly music. 1t sounded so sweet to his
ears that he thought must be the Kings
musicians passing by. 1t was really only
a little iInnet singing outside his WIN
dow, bmt it was so long since he had
heard bird sing in his garden that 1t
seemed to him to be the most beautiful
music in the world. Then the Hail
stopped dancing over his head, and the
North Wind ceased roaring, and deli
cous perfume came to him through the
open casemate. II believe the Spring
has come at last" said the Giant, and he
out of bed and looked out.
What did he see
He saw most wonderful sight.
Through little hole in the wall the
had crept in, and they were
sitting in the branches of the trees. In
every tree that he could see there was
little child. And the trees were so glad |
to have the children back that they had
covered themselves with blossoms, and
were waving their arms gently above
the childrens heads. The birds were
flying about twittering with delight and
the flowers were looking up through the
green grass and laughing. 1t was a
lovely scene, only in one corner it was
still Winter. 1t was the farthest corner
of the garden, and in it was standing
L. h., ln ANAL fbot hl |
could not reach up to the branches OF
the tree, and he was wandering all about
1t, crying hittorly. The moor tree was
still quite covered with Frost and Snow,
and the North Wind was blowing and
roaring above it. "Climh up! little boy"
said the Tree, and it bent its branches
down as low as 1t could, but the boy was
too tiny.
And the Giants heart melted as he
looked out. How selfish have been!'
he said; "now l know why the Spring
would not come here, | will put that
poor little boy on the top of the tree, and
then | will knock down the wall, and
my garden shall be the chlldren's play
ground for ever and ever"
He was really very sorry for what he
had done. So he crept down stairs and
opened the front door very softly, and
went out into the garden. But when
the children saw him they were 50
frightened that they were so frightened
that they all ran away and the garden
became Winter again, Only the little
boy did not run, for his eyes were so full
of tears that he did not see the Giant
And the Giant stole up behind
him and took him gently in his hand,
and put him up into the tree. And the
tree broke at once into blossoms, ana
the little birds came and sang on it, and
the little boy stretched out his two arms
and flung them around the Giants neck,
and kissed him. And the other cbil.
dren, when they saw that the Giant was
not wicked any longer, came running
back, and with them came the Spring.
1T is your garden now, little chill
dren." said the Giant and he took a
great axe and knocked down the wall.
And when the people were going tDI
market at IL o'clock they found the
Giant playing with the children in the
most beautiful garden they had ever
seen.
All day long they played, and in the
evening they came to the Giant to bid
him goo1-by. ,.,
And where is your little companiOnI' ~
he said; 1.-The little boy | put into the
tree"
The Giant loved him the most because
he had kissed him.
1--WE don't know" answered the chill
dren; "he has gone away
You must tell him to be sure and
come here tomorrow" said the Giant.
But the children said they did not know
where he lived. and had never seen him
before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Years went over, and the Giant grew
very old and feeble He could not play