The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-02
TALE OF THE SELFISH GIANT.
A Charming Fairy Tale With n Moral 70,
both Sexes.

both Sexes.
Every afternoon as they were coming from
school, the children used to go ana play in tie
Giants garden.
One day the Giant came hack. lie had been to
| visit his friend the Cornish orge, and had stayed
with him for seven years. When he arrived he saw
the children playing in the garden.
what are you doing there2" he cried is a very
grntf voice, and the children away.
| MY own garden is my own garden" said the
giant; ANYONE can. understand that and | will
allow nobody to play in /; but myself" So he built
high wall all around it and put up notice
board
| "Trespassers will be prosecuted"
| He was very selfish giant
The poor children had now nowhere to play.
| They tried to play the road, but the road was
very duty and fun 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 1t was still winter
The birds did not care to sing in il 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 noticeboard it sorry for the
children that it slipped back into the ground again.
and went OFF TO sleep. The only people who Mere
| pleased were the Snow and tile Frost "Spring has
forgotten this garden, they cried, we viii 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
| NOIll W ina 10 kluV WIN tnem' ana lie came. lie
was wrapped in furs and he roared all day about
the garden and blew the chimney.pots down.
II can not understand why the Spring is 80 late in
! coming" said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the
window and looked out at his cold white garden; az
| 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. "ae is too
| selfsh,' she said So it was always Winter there,
and the North Wind, and the Hail and the Frost,
| and the Snow danced about through the trees
| One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed
| when he heard some lovely music 1t sounded so
| sweet to his ears that hs thought 1t must be the
| Kings musicians passing by. 1t was really only
little innet singing outside his window, but 1t was
so long since he had heard bir> sing in his garden
that it 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
| delicious perfume came TO him through the open
casemate. 81 believe the Spring has at last"
said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and
| looked out.
| What did he see?
| He saw q most wonderful sight. Through a little
hole In the wall the children had crept in and they
were sitting in the branches of the In every
tree that he could see there was little child And
| the trees were SO glad TO have the children back
again that they had covered themselves with llos-
SONS, and were waving their gently above the
chldren's heads The birds were flying about twt-
tering with delight, and the flowers were looking
up through the green grass and laughing. 1t was a
lovely scene, only In corner it was still Winter
1t was the farthest Of the garden and liz It
was standing little boy He was so small that he
could not reach up to the branches of the tree and
he was wandering oil round IT, crying bitterly The
poor tree was still quite covered with Frost and
Snow and the North Wind was blowing and roar
ing above it. "Clmb up little boy said the Tree
and 1t bent its branches down as low as it could but
the boy was too tiny.
l.. Aud the Giants heart melted as he looked out.
f'How selfish have been !" he said now know
why the Spring would not come here. will put
that poor little boy the top of the tree and then
1 will knock down the wall and my garden shall be
the children's playground for ever aud ever" He
was really very sorry for what he had done.
So he crept down stairs and opened the front door
quite softly, and went out into the garden. But
when the children saw him 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 full of tears that he did see the
Giant coming. 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 bios
SONS. and the birds came and sang on It, and the
little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them
round the Giants neck, and kissed him. And the
other children, when they saw that the Giant was
not wicked any longer, came running back and
with them came the Spring ut is your garden
now, little children" said the Giant, and he took
great axe and knocked down the wall And when
the people were going TO market at u o'clock they
found the Giant playing with the children in the
most beautiful garden they had ever seem
ALI day long they played, and in the evening they
came to the Giant to bid him goodbye.
'But where is your little companion2' he said:
"the boy put into the tree" The Giant loved him
the best because he had kissed him.
1--WE don't know" answered the children; che
has gone away"
you must tell him to be sure and come here TO-
morrow" 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 about any more, so be sat
in huge armchair, and watched the children at
their games and admired his garden ~ have
many beautiful flowers" he said "but the children
are the most beautiful flowers of all.'
One Winter morning he looked out of his window
as he was dressing. lie did not hate the Winter
now, for he knew that 1t was merely the Spring
asleep, and that the flowers were resting.
Suddenly be rubbed his eyes in wonder and
looked and looked II certainly was q marvellous
sight. In the farthest corner Of the garden was a
tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its
branches were ell golden, and silver fruit hung
down from them, and underneath IL stood the little
boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great Joy. and out IN
to the garden. lie hsstened across the grass, and
came near to the child. And when he came quite
close his face grew red with anger. and he said
"who hath dared to wound thee?' For on the
palms Of the child'a hands were the prints Of two
nails, and the prints Of two nails were the little
feet
''Who hath dared to wound thee2' cried the Giant;
"tell me, that mny take III. big sword and Stay
him."
NAY p answered the child; ''but these are the
wounds Of love"
"Who art thou?' said the Giant. and strange awe
fell on him, and he knelt before the little child
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to
him; "You let me play once In your garden today
vi plal with IN 10 nQTlen. which ia
Paradise"
Aud when the children ran in that afternoon they
found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all
covered with white blossoms. OSCAR WILDE.
o.
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CORRESPONDENCE
bob" Arkadephja, Ala. The "taehelor's hall
Is onein hill" now, as Rev Gam Jones says and