Year: 1871

FOR THE LITTLE ONES AT HOME.


In certain kingdom once lived a
poor miller who had very beautiful
daughter. She was, moreover, very
shrewd and clever; and the miller was
so vain and proud of her that he one
day told the king of the land that his
daughter could spin gold out of straw
Now the king was very fond of money,
and when he heard the miller's boast,
his greediness was raised, and he sent
for the girl to be brought before him.
Then he led her to a chamber where
there was great heap of straw, gave
her spinning-wheel, and said:


"All this must be spun into gold be-
fore morning, as you value your life.
II was in vain that the poor maiden
said she could do no such thing: the
chamber was locked and she was left
alone.


She sat down in one corner of the
room and began to bewail her hard fate
when suddenly the door opened, and a
droll-looking little man hobbled in and
said:


"Good morrow to you, my good lass,
what are you weeping for?"


"Alas," answered she, ~ must spin
this straw into gold, and I know not
how"


"What will you give me-" said the
little man, "to do it for you?'


"My necklace" replied the maiden.


He took her at her word, and sat
himself down to the wheel; round about
it went merlily, and the work was
quickly done, and the gold all spun.


When the king came and saw this,
he was greatly astonished and pleased
but his heart grew more greedy of gain,
and he shut up the miller's daug ghter
again, with fresh task


Then she knew not what to do, and
sat down once more to weep but the
little man soon opened the door and
said:


"What will you give me to do youl
task?"


"The ring on my finger" she said.


So her little friend took the ring, and
began to work at the wheel, till by the
morning all was done again.


The king was greatly delighted tc
see all this glittering treasure, but still
he had not enough; so he took the mil
lers daughter into much larger room
and said:


"All this must be spun tonight; and
if it is, you shall be my queen"


As soon as she was alone the dwarf
came in, and said;


"What will you give me 10 spin gold
for you this third time p


81 have nothing left, said she.


"Then say you will give me-" sale
the little man, "your first little chile
when you are queen


"That may never be-" thought the
miller's daughter. And as she knew nc
other way to get her task done, she sale
she would do what he asked, and he
spun once more the heap of gold. The
king came in the morning, and, finding
all he wanted, married her; so the mil
ler's daughter really became the queen


AT the birth of her first little chile
the queen was very glad, and forgot the
little man and what she had said =; but
one day he came into her chamber and
remidded her of it. Then she grievec
sorely at her misfortune, and offered hel
all the wealth of the kingdom in ex
change; but in vain, till at last her tear,
softened him, and he said:


81 will give you three days grace
and if during that time you tell me my
name, you shall keep your child


Now the queen lay awake all nigh
thinking Of all the odd names that sh'
had ever heard, and despatched messen
gers all over the land to seek after new
ones.


The next day the little man came
and she began with Timothy, Benjamin
jeremiah, and all the names she coult
remember; but to all of them he said
"That's not my name."


The second day she began with al
the comical names she could hear OF
Bandy-legs, Hunchback, Gro okshanks
and so on but the little gentleman still
said to every one Of them:


"Thats not my name.'


The third day one of the messenger
came back, and said;


81 can hear OF no other names; bu
yesterday as / was climbing high hill
among the trees of the forest, l saw
little hut, and before the hut burnt
lire, and round about the fire a fun