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. .. .. The Baldwin Lbray SK Ur'l *m' .Kn I, "" - We.1Z .._.- ..- -'-- , -' I W .'. "J ". i "71 ", ". ." ) *.V', " .' -'.-1-" .^^ - "e le....her.o.i'th oe ..'. .Page- 31 "Hldh t Pg 1 DIMPLE DOPP anib Otber gptoriei BY LAURA S. H. COOKE ILLUSTRATED ANDU CO. BOSTON JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY i881 Copyright, 1881, BY LAURA S. H. COOKE. All rights reserved. UNIVERSITY PRESS: JON WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE. TO LU AND KARL, TWO BONNY BOYS, TO WHOM ALL STORY-LAND IS BRIMFUL OF EAGER JOY, ETiLs ittle aooif IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED. CONTENTS. PAGE DIMPLE DOPP; OR, THE LITTLE BROWN HOUSE OVER THE WAY . ..... .11 CAT LORE . . . . . . . 55 KARL KRIEGER; OR, THE TANGLED-UP BOY. 95 ILLUSTRATIONS. DIMPLE DOPP. PAGE "HE LED HER OUT WITH ONE HAND ". . Frontispiece. "DIMPLE DOPP LOOKED OUT". . . . . .. 13 " WILL THE BLUE PRINCE GIVE ME HIS HAT ? . 19 "THERE WAS A GRAND CONSULTATION ".. ..... 29 "DOWN LONG FLIGHTS OF STAIRS, BETWEEN TWO GRIM SOLDIERS"........ ........... 36 "'THAT IS NOT SITTING DOWN,' SAID DIMPLE" . . 41 "THE LITTLE MAN BEGAN TO SING" ........ 47 "HE SHOOK HIS LITTLE FIST AT IT ". . . .. 53 CAT LORE. THE COTTAGE . . . . . . ... .57 "TO CATCH THE LAST GLIMPSE OF HER RETREATING FORM" ........ ....... 61 "SITTING IDLY ON THE BENCH CLOSE BY THE WELL" 68 "A NICE OLD CAT APPEARED AT THE WINDOW" . 71 X ILL USTRA TIONS. PAGE "LOOKING DOWN THUS ONE DAY" . . . . 81 "'Mow, Mow!' SIGHED THE Cow" . . . . 85 " A LARGE STRING OF CAT'S-EYE PEARLS" .. . 89 "BUT HE LINGERED ON THE ROSE-COVERED PORCH" .94 KARL KRIEGER. " AMUSED AT THE APPEARANCE OF HIS LITTLE CUS- TOMER". ... . . . . . . 103 "THE MAN CAUGHT HIM FIRMLY BY THE ARM" . . 109 "TO SAY THEIR PRAYERS AT HER KNEE" . . . 115 "HANS ON HIS WAY TO THE WOODS". .. .... 118 "THEY SAT DOWN ON A MOSSY LOG"... ..... . 121 "IT LOOKED LIKE A LITTLE FAIRY SNOW HOUSE" .. 128 "FILLS HIS PIPE, AND HANDS IT CAREFULLY TO HIM" 133 "BEGAN TO SHOUT AS LOUDLY AS HE COULD". . . 137 DIMPLE DOPP; OR, THE LITTLE BROWN HOUSE OVER THE WAt. DIMPLE DOPP. ONE morning, little Dimple SI; Dopp looked out of ii p the nursery window, Sand w wondered w hat he Should do all day long. T ruth to tell, Dimple had "jumped out of the Wrong end of the bed" an hour before, and there had been a great war in the nursery;- not a war of the roses, ", '' although two big ones were glowing on Dimple's cheeks Before peace was declared, - but it might have been called a civil war, although very uncivil. 14 DIMPLE DOPP. Midggie the parrot screamed, because D. D. threw his doll at nurse; dolly's head tum- bled off and fell in the wash-basin; D. D. grasped nurse by the apron and twisted it all around his head, so that she could not touch one curl with the comb; the apron-strings gave way, and D. D. tumbled on the floor and rolled over a stool, and raised an awful bump over his eye; and nurse gave in her verdict, that he got his head combed with a three-legged stool, and it served him right." And now there was a suspension of hostilities. Dimple Dopp had a plaster over one eye that made him see crooked; the dolly's head had been fished out of the wash-basin; the parrot was quietly eating a chestnut, and now and then throwing a sly glance at Dimple, as if asking him when he intended to get up another jolly row for her amuse- ment. Nurse put another log of wood on the fire, and swept the hearth clean, and shook out the rug; and Snowball, the old black cat, DIMPLE DOPP. 15 came and laid down upon it, and, after a yawn and a stretch, went purring off to sleep. Tib, the dog, looked in through the crack of the door, and, seeing that the doll did not fly around any more, and all was tranquil, came in and put up his nose for Dimple to pat; and then laid himself down on the other side of the fire, and went off to sleep in com- pany with Snowball. Nurse put a red ball in the heel of a stock- ing, and sat down to darn. The pendulum of the clock went tick . . tick! .. and nurse told a story of a bad boy who was hung in the trees by the hair ot his head, -" A very bad boy," she said; and added, that if he had been made to have his hair combed when a child, and kept out of tangles, such a fate would probably never have been his." Dimple fell into a pensive mood. He put his little fat face against the win- dow pane, and looked off over the mountains. 16 DIMPLE DOPP. Away off in the distance, Dimple could see the hills covered with trees, and the leaves red and brown, with spots of bright yellow, like a peep through the kaleidoscope that Santa Claus put in his stocking last Christ- mas. Nearer, there was a pretty park, with a brook running through it, full of bright peb- bles, and the water flashed and danced over them, as full of sparkle as Dimple himself, when turned out for a frolic. Then, best of all, there was a pretty rustic summer-house, with seats, and a flight of steps, leading down into the park, sur- mounted by a little brown bird house, - beautiful and perfect in proportions, with four gables, many piazzas, and a tower, - where the birds had flown in and out all summer, and taken airy flights from its summit. "Tick! tick!" went the clock, and Dimple grew every moment more quiet and pensive, and his little head began to wonder DIMPLE DOPP. 17 about that house, whether there were stairs going up, just inside the front door, if little fairy coaches ever drove up there at night, when nurse and all were asleep. Dimple laid himself back on the nursery lounge, and found he could just see the front door of the little house from where he lay. The sky looked blue above it, and a fleecy white cloud was floating by, like a great bird, with wide spreading wings, and.... suddenly the white cloud came quite down to the window, and crept in over Dimple, until he lost himself, and could not quite tell which was Dimple and which was cloud. .... In- deed, for a time he could not tell whether the cloud was dimpled, or Dimple was clouded! Just then, the carriage stopped at the door of the little brown house over the way. The footman jumped down and threw open the door; the horses pranced and threw a great deal of dust in the air, but the coach- man reined them in; and Dimple stepped out 2 "1 8 DIMPLE DOPP. in his best blue velvet suit, with his hat with a white ostrich plume and silver buckle. I wish I had let nurse curl my hair bet- ter this morning," he said to himself; "but never mind, no one will see my back when I go in, and as I am going to see the Princess, I can back out, as is proper at court." So Dimple went up the steps, and saw that, instead of the stairs going up just inside of the door, there was a spacious vestibule, opening into a grand hall, paved with mar- ble, in the centre of which there was a great fountain with a white basin, and a stained glass dome over it, where the water flashed out rosy in the sunlight, which streamed down upon it. A footman came up to Dimple, and, bowing to the ground, said, Will the Blue Prince give me his hat ? " Dimple resigned his hat, and followed the footman, thinking all the time it would have been better to have kept it on his head, as the feather would have helped to cover his hair. f i * i , IS I "'I i-- '' "'s"1 the -Bu :P ne gve m ha ' S I .- : ... - --. ' Will the Blue Prince give me his hat ?" Y( DIMPLE DOPP. 21 The footman showed him the way to a dressing-room, and, opening the door, ushered him into a beautiful apartment, the walls covered with gray satin and mirrors, and the chairs and sofas with blue. Wherever he turned, he saw a prince in blue velvet, with a white lace frill around his neck, and curling hair, a good deal tangled. "I wish I had let nurse comb my hair a little better this morning," thought he; "but never mind; after I have been dancing a little, the Princess will never know the dif- ference." In the window there was a great stand of plants, with sweet-smelling flowers, and hun- dreds of yellow butterflies were fluttering around them, hunting a sip of dew in their fresh cups. Dimple went near to seek a rose-bud for his button-hole, when lo the butterflies arose in a swarm, and alighted on Dimple's head, every one choosing the heart of a curl for his own little nest, while a long black darning- 22 DIMPLE DOPP. needle selected the topmost curl for a throne, and waved and flapped his great wings, until Dimple, getting a glimpse of himself in a mirror, caught hold of a door-knob, for fear they would fly away with him. Now, here is a snarl! said he to him- self; "if I had only brought a comb! " Just then some one knocked on the door, and two porters brought in a large trunk. The Prince's baggage," said they, and, kneeling down, they unlocked the trunk, threw open the lid, and, bowing to the ground, went out. Now, if nurse has only sent a comb !" thought Dimple, and advancing to the trunk, he peeped in. What was it ? A broad ivory something, studded with brass points, was all that was visible, filling the trunk to the top. What could it be ? Squeezing his hand down one side, he felt the shape of great long teeth, and he at last comprehended that it was a huge comb, but so heavy he could not move it. DIMPLE DOPP. 23 What should he do Suddenly he thought of prizing it out; and, with great labor in- serting the back of a chair between the trunk and the comb, he laid himself along the legs of the chair, and bore on with all his might. Whiz bang! The comb landed up in the big chandelier overhead, the chair turned topsy-turvy, and poor Dimple discovered with horror that he had a new bump on his head, and the back of his blue velvet coat was torn, showing his white linen shirt through the rent. The butterflies tried to fly away, but so many wings were entangled in the curls they fluttered in vain, and Dim- ple saw the reflection of a poor little Prince looking at him from the walls, with a fist in each eye, and a great fluttering of wings around his head, while the big darning-needle seemed to mock him from its airy perch. At this instant the band began to play, and two footmen came to say that the Princess was ready to receive the Blue Prince. 24 DIMPLE DOPP. Never mind," thought Dimple, it is well the tear in my coat is behind, like my tangled curls; perhaps I shall do very well after all." Thus thinking, he followed the footmen through long halls, smooth with polished marble floors, -so smooth Dimple could see his face looking up at him, every step he took. At last they arrived before the doors of the grand drawing-room, which were flung wide open at their approach. The Blue Prince from Dimpledom," was called out in a loud voice, and Dimple found himself in the pres- ence of the Princess and her court. The vast room was quite crowded with the attendants of the Princess, and her Prime Minister stood at her right hand. Dimple had no time to think of his head or his coat. He advanced slowly up the room; but as he approached, he detected a look of sur- prise on the faces of the Princess and her minister. They spoke together in low tones, DIMPLE DOPP. 25 but the Princess smiled encouragingly, and Dimple overheard her saying, just as he dropped upon one knee, "Butterfly dressing, probably all the fashion in Dimpledomr"; and she graciously extended her hand to be kissed. After this ceremony was concluded, the Princess sat down on her throne, and motioned Dimple to seat himself beside her, on a crimson velvet chair, with a high and curiously carved back; and she began a very pleasant conversation with him, glan- cing often at his head, with a radiant smile upon her lips, but continuing to converse so sweetly, that Dimple took courage, and be- gan talking also, and became quite ani- mated. And what a pretty little princess she was ! how gay and bright But Dimple could only see a little rosy mouth and white teeth; eyes so blue it made him think of looking out of the nursery window into the sky, when he looked down into them; and brown curls, all in beautiful order, as if the wind had 26 DIMPLE DOPP. never dared to frolic with them; and such a white fleecy dress floating around her, Dim- ple's head grew quite confused looking at her. The Princess told him nearly all her past life, and with other things confided to him that she was very fond of butterflies, and every summer, while in the country, she al- ways chased butterflies, while the court played croquet, and she thought it much the better amusement of the two. Again the band began to play, and the master of ceremonies came and explained to Dimple that he was expected to open the ball with the Princess. Dimple thought of the hole in his coat, but a glance from the Princess made him willing to brave any danger; and he took her by the hand, and began to rise from the chair, when something arrested him. He threw a glance over his shoulder, and oh horrors his hair had become entangled with the curious carving of the DIMPLE DOPP. 27 back of his chair, and he was held fast, a prisoner. He struggled to free himself, but no, lie was fast bound. If it had been only his curls, it would have been well; but the tangles were too complicated to come out with a pull, and every effort in that direction only seemed to make him more securely fast. Poor little prince! The Princess looked at him with grief, and even put out her royal hands to help untwist the snarls; but all in vain. What was to be done ? The band played, the ball waited to be opened, and the little Princess at last wept tears of disappointment so freely that the whole court was in danger of all the perils incurred by wet feet; but the hair was still untwisted. At last the Lord High Chamberlain be- thought him of a little yellow prince present, who had been almost forgotten, and he was brought forward to open the ball with the Princess. 28 DIMPLE DOPP. There was a grand consultation afterwards over the little Blue Prince and the condition of his hair. The court barber thought it was necessary to cut off all his hair; but the chair-back was so much in the way, it was found impossible to reach it. Then the court physician, being fond of surgery, gave as his opinion, that the hair was in such a maze of snarls it would be necessary to take the head off at once; but while poor Dimple was trembling with terror at the thought, the little Princess sent the court upholsterer, who immediately ordered instead, that the back of the chair should be cut off. So this was done, and poor Dimple was set free, only he had to carry the back of the chair under his arm, to keep the weight from pulling his head off. Never mind," thought he; "I can lead the Princess through the dance with one hand, but I wish I had let nurse comb my hair." S.... .. _. 1 "There was a grand consultation." DIMPLE DOPP. 31 By this time the little Princess had come back from dancing, and was so glad to see the Blue Prince free, that she began to talk so sweetly with him, and looked so kindly sorry for his past trouble, that he forgot all about it, and began to enjoy himself. When it was time for the Princess to dance again, he led her out with one hand, and managed to dance so gracefully, that, as the chair-back was gilded and in the form of a harp, he looked like a little fairy boy, with his butterflies, and his harp under his arm, and quite won the heart of the little Princess. Then afterwards there was a game of " Hide the Handkerchief," and the Princess gave Dimple her own handkerchief, a cob- web of lace, to hide, and they ran all over the halls and stairs; and he put the handker- chief in the cup of a lily that grew by the fountain, and there was a great shout when the Yellow Prince pulled it out. Then, as it was the turn of the Yellow Prince to hide it, and he did not like little 32 DIMPLE DOPP. Dimple because the Princess loved him so well, he slipped the handkerchief, when no one was looking, into the hole in Dimple's coat, and let them hunt for it for an hour. When every one was tired of looking, the Princess spied a corner peeping out from the hole; and then every one saw there was a hole, and some one started a whisper that the Blue Prince blushed when the Princess discovered her handkerchief, and added that it looked as if he was not honest. The court attendants began to look curi- ously at Dimple, and the Mistress of the Robes said to the Princess she had better not dance again with him, at least not that day. So the little Princess said she would not dance any more, and told Dimple to come and sit down on a bank of moss close by the fountain with her, taking pains to look care- fully first to see that there was nothing near to endanger Dimple's being again made a prisoner. DIMPLE DOPP. 33 In the smiles of the Princess, Dimple quite forgot his trouble and its source. The little maiden told him all her past court experiences, and that she did not like the Yellow Prince at all, and that blue was her favorite color; that she saw the naughty Yellow Prince hiding the handkerchief in his coat, but she did not find it at once, because she saw it was a hole, and thought it better not to draw the attention of the court that way, until she saw there was no other way to finish the game. In this confiding and pleasant chat, the little Princess quite forgot herself, and, lift- ing her hand, passed her fingers carelessly through the tangled maze of Dimple's curls, -the little golden rings were so pretty, and the butterflies looked so very tempting. Whether the wicked darning-needle pricked her, or it was the angry gleam of the Prime Minister's eyes, who had detected the action, I know not, but the court was startled by a piercing scream, and the little Princess 3 34 DIMPLE DOPP. started up frightened, but alas the hand was held fast ! Band after band of golden hair was tangled and twisted around all the pretty fingers, - in and out amongst the jewelled rings she wore, even around the bracelet on her wrist. Dimple pulled until the tears ran down his cheeks, and the Princess pulled until her hand was blue. The court physician de- clared this time the head should come off; but the Princess stamped both feet, and said she would lose her hand before she would allow it; and the lords and ladies all talked at once, and the Prime Minister raved terri- bly, until at last the court barber cut all the curls close on that side of Dimple's head and released the hand, but not without scraping half the skin from the fingers of the Princess, who tried hard not to cry, wondering audi- bly, while rubbing her smarting fingers, why they wore their hair so snarly in Dimpledom. But the Prime Minister said he believed the DIMPLE DOPP. 35 Blue Prince was an impostor; because, though it might be the fashion to wear the hair in an outlandish way in Dimpledom, still no prince of the blood ever came to court with a ragged coat before; and he had spoiled a chair, attempted to steal a hand- kerchief, and at last tried to possess him- self even of the rings on the Princess's fingers; and he should at once commit him to the lowest dungeon. At this, the Yellow Prince clapped his hands; but the little Princess screamed her- self hoarse, until the Prime Minister said she would be sent to bed if she continued. So she wiped her eyes, and, as Dimple was hur- ried sobbing past her, she held out her hand and gave him a chestnut, which comforted him a little, she looked so kindly at him at the same time. Then poor Dimple was hurried down long flights of stairs between two grim soldiers, who at last opened a door, and thrust him into a large room all paved with stone, with only one little window close 36 DIMPLE DOPP. up to the top of the wall, from which he could see very little. i , "Between two grim soldiers." "I didn't know the brown house had a dungeon," said Dimple; "but never mind; I won't be catching people and things in my hair any more down here." DIMPLE DOPP. 37 Just then some one unlocked the door, and a man came in with a big log of wood on his shoulder, and said that Her Royal Highness, the Princess Regent, had been praying the Prime Minister to let a fire be made in the dungeon, as it was apt to be damp, and the Minister had graciously con- sented." So he went to work and piled the fireplace full of logs, and made a rousing fire, which crackled and glowed, and threw out its warm light all around the dungeon, until Dimple felt almost comforted. He drew a chair to the hearth and sat down astride of it, with his face to the back, and began to think. He heard faintly the sound of the court band, playing high above in the halls, min- gled with the hum of voices and the splash- ing of fountains; and he wondered if the little Princess was still sad for him. Thinking. of the Princess made him re- member her chestnut, and he drew it from his pocket. It was a very pretty chestnut, very large, brown, and glossy. 38 DjIPL.E DOPP. That would be nice roasted," thought he, "and I am hungry now, I remember, but my hair has kept me so busy I forgot all about it." So saying, he kneeled down on the hearth and drew out a bed of hot ashes and cinders, and laid his chestnut down in the middle of it, and then went back to his chair, and fell to thinking again. Suddenly lie thought he heard a little surprised-like voice say, "How hot I am!" Dimple looked around, and jumped up and looked in all the corners, even up to the window; and then, not knowing where else to look, he got down and looked under his chair, and at last up the broad open chimney. "That sounded like the Princess's voice," he thought, "I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about her." So he resumed his chair and his musing. "Hotter than blazes!" cried out the same little voice again; and while Dim- DIMPLE DOPP. 39 pie, greatly amazed and almost frightened, was getting down from his chair, "Bang! whiz!"' went something. The ashes flew in the air, and the chestnut popped into the middle of the dungeon, and a funny little ball, tumbling out of it, unrolled itself into a quaint little figure, sparkling all over from head to foot, with a pointed cap on its head, pointed shoes on its feet, and two merry twinkling eyes looking out from its face. This small body walked around Dimple, and burst into a roar of laughter. "A pretty way to treat your friends, Mr. Frizzle Tumble! said he. "Do you roast all your acquaintances?" Then he began walking around Dimple again, laughing all the time. Dimple by this time was standing on his feet, and moved a step nearer his strange friend; when he pushed him back with little shouts of laughter, and, looking him all over, said, So you are a walker, are you? I thought you were a flyer. What in the 40 DIMPLE DOPP. world is all that top-rigging for ? "- and he pointed to the yellow wings still peeping out from the curls. Dimple put up his hands, and found that the big darning-needle was standing on end on the top of his head, and making frantic efforts to escape. "Oh!" said he, a little confused, "the Princess said it was the fashion to wear the hair that way in Dimpledom." "The Princess! said the little man, "I know all about her; I am her foster brother. She knew all the time it was only because you would n't have your hair combed, but she thought the Prime Minister was so stupid he would n't know; but he is getting too wise for her." And he added, "When a Prime Minister gets too wise to see through his Princess's eyes, he has to be suppressed; and the Princess intends to take his head off after his next truffle supper, if he sleeps soundly enough." "Oh, but that would be dreadful!" said Dimple, thinking all the time his little Prin- I -i .1. . 1? ^ '-Ii I " That isnotsitting-wn sd im e " "That is not sitting down,' said Dimple." Ij~ ci--i~-C DIMPLE DOPP. 43 cess could never be so cruel for a difference of opinion. "Would it? said the little man. "You don't know the ways of our Princess." Dimple was just going to ask more about those ways, when he noticed he could see the wall and the cracks between the stones through the little man, and cried out, "But I can see right through you!" "Can you though?" said the little man. "Not a bad thing in a friend; I will venture to say you cannot see through all your acquaintances." "N . .," said Dimple, "but I don't believe you can sit down." "Can't I, though?" said the little man; and seizing the chair on which Dimple had been sitting, he tossed it upside down, bal- anced it on the back, and perched himself upon the end of one of the legs. "That is not sitting down," said Dimple. "I call that sitting up!" "You're a pretty fellow," said the lit- 44 DIMPLE DOPP. tie man, splitting straws like a lawyer. You had better turn your attention to your own case, or they will have you hanged to- morrow, if you don't get your head out of that snarl,"- saying which, he turned the chair down, and gravely seated himself upon the stones. "But I can't," said Dimple; "I have tried until my head is full of little aches and pains." But, how did you get in such a way, Mr. Snarly Top ?" asked the little man, eying all the time the cause of Dimple's troubles. "No more names now," said Dimple, "and I will tell you the whole story." So Dimple began at the beginning, his unwillingness to have his hair combed, the flight of the butterflies, the complication of the chair, the Princess's fingers, telling all of it. "Come now," said the little man, "I like that, and I will help you. Let's make a night of it!" DIMPLE DOPP. 45 "If we let it alone, it will make a night of itself," said Dimple; there's the evening star in front of the window now." The little man threw a curious glance at Dimple; but seeing him quite grave, he hopped up and drew a table out from the wall, and, placing a chair at the head and another at the foot of it, gracefully seated Dimple in the chair at the head of the table. Then he began at the darning-needle, and, with much trouble and many pricks, he re- leased him from the fetters of silky hair, and set him on his feet on the table; when he immediately keeled over on his other end, and looked like a little decanter, half full of something clear and sparkling. Good said the little man, and immedi- ately began on the butterflies. One by one he released them from their golden bonds, and set them carefully on the table, when, by a manceuvre like that of the darning-needle, they turned into little goblets and plates. 46 DIMPLE DOPP. Then the little man took the chair-back in hand, and soon had it free, though not without some severe pulling and many "Ohs!" from Dimple. Quite out of breath at last, he leaned it against the wall, and seated himself opposite Dimple. "What will you take ? said the little man across the table. "Bread and milk," said Dimple. Straight ? said the little man. It never is straight," said Dimple; "mine is always full of lumps." Unsophisticated said the little man. "You promised not to call names any more," said Dimple; "and if you talk Latin I can't understand, for I have not begun it yet." "But how will you take your bread and milk ?" said the little man. "Scalded," said Dimple. So the little man set a bowl of bread and milk on the fire, and turned out a glass of something strong from the decanter, and DIMPLE DOPP. 47 drank it, after which he laughed louder than ever, and became very jolly. Then he turned over the decanter, and, as the darning-needle was on the other side of The little man began to sing." it, he set him to sewing up the rent in Dim- ple's coat. After which he drew his chair up to the harp and began to play. "Hollo !" said Dimple, "if I had known it was a harp, and had music in it, I would not have thought it so heavy to carry." 48 DIMPLE DOPP. The little man began to sing: - The harp that once through Tara's halls- " Stop !" cried Dimple; "if you had been trying to hide a tear in your coat as long as I have, you would n't introduce any such unpleasant subject in a song." The little man twinkled a look at Dimple and began again: - She wore a wreath of roses, the- " "No, no!" said Dimple, interrupting; "I could see very plainly they were daisies, as I sat beside her." Daft!" said the little man, and would have added something else, but was inter- rupted by a clear, bell-like voice, singing at the window: - Come, 0, come with me! the moon is beaming-" "Who is that?" cried Dimple, quite full of amazement, seeing a beautiful little boy no larger than himself, wearing a suit of DIMPLE DOPP. 49 silver mail, and seated astride moonbeam outside of the window. "That!" said the little man; "0, that is Mr. John Frost." "Any relation to Jack ? asked Dimple. "Second-cousin," said the little man; "and don't you think you ought to ask him to come in ? " Surely," said Dimple; and with that the little man climbed up the wall, putting his toes in the cracks between the stones until he reached the window and threw it open, - when in danced Mr. John Frost. He was a bright little thing, so full of glitter and sparkle that he seemed to fill all the room, and he caught the little man by the shoulders and turned him around so fast! Dimple had never seen anything like it in his life before, and it almost took away his breath looking on. "Hollo!" said Mr. John, stopping sud- denly before Dimple, "what's the matter with your head, Mr. Fuzzle Pate ?" 4 50 DIMPLE DOPP. "Oh," said Dimple, "it. wants combing, and my hair never curls well but in very cold weather " "I could curl it for you," said Frosty John, "but I must not stay long; I have not half finished work for the night." "And what do you do? asked Dimple. "Oh, I've been touching up the trees on the hills; you'll see how they look in the morning. And I have the brook to finish yet to-night; it's tired of running, and wants to. go into winter quarters." Oh, I hope you left the violets, close by the park wall !" said Dimple. Not I," said Frosty John; I detected a woodsy smell as I came by, and turned and gave them a kiss, and you should have seen them." "Oh!" said Dimple, "how could you? how naughty! Did they die ? " Die Yes, they just turned their leaves over their eyes and went off, easy as babies," said Frosty John, taking an icicle out of his pocket and beginning to smoke it. DIPLE DOPP. 51 He blew out great puffs of steam, that rose in heavy clouds, and then settled back over his silver mail, until it was all covered with a network of fleecy frost-lace, that was so sheeny and beautiful that little Dimple danced around him with delight. "Come to the fire," said he, "and share my bread and milk." But Frosty John shook his head until his white hair clattered. No, no said he; "if I were once to get in a melting mood, I should drown you out." With that, he spied the harp against the wall, and, as it suggested music, he began to whistle a strange wild music, like the wind in pine-trees. W- h - e - w - - it swept through the dungeon, and the butterfly dishes spread their wings and sailed upward to the remotest corner of the dungeon wall before it, and the darning-needle followed them swiftly; and Dimple began to shiver, and his hair to curl up so very tightly it made him cry out with the pain. And lie found himself 52 DIMPLE DOPP. gliding over the stone floor; now glittering and icy, before the cold blast; and the little man came gliding after him, and the table and chairs and harp after 'him, and the shovel and tongs after them, round and round; and the harder Frosty John whistled, the faster they moved. Lower and lower burned the fire, gleaming out fitfully now and then until it died out in blackness. Colder and colder blew the blast, until the fire-dogs and chimney were all hung with glittering icicles; and Frosty John danced and whistled on the backlog, and faster flew the table and chairs, Dimple and the little man, round and round. Colder and colder blew the blast, and and - "Why, Dimple, how hard you are breath- ing !" said Nurse, looking up from the heel of her stocking. "And I believe you will take cold lying by that window, the air comes in around it so." Dimple stood up quietly, and went and looked in the looking-glass. DIMPLE DOPP. 53 His eyes were quite heavy with sleeping, and the plaster was still sticking to the bump over one of them. He put his land up to his head, and found )' I \ i.! ) J/ i. ! : ] ` ^ ",, _"__ i ' i ii \'; ji) "He shook his little fist at it." it was in a pretty tumble; but all the curls were there still. Then he walked slowly to the window, 54 DIMPLE DOPP. and took a good look at the little brown house over the way. I believe he shook his little fist at it; but I came away just then to see another little boy I know, and so cannot be perfectly sure. CAT LORE. CAT LORE. "....... S' 1ji' I t lll 11 v" 1t --I I11, 1h 1-11111t r7 *t-l'tt;-i',"( ill n 'l 1r "-it>.- I llll ll '\t Sa wi,1-w anl11i hel t 1 ;o ,liiqh- t lr The e,**tta 'e_ w; a ]li'--ttY, 1-<* v''l l.ill ', w h,',.-.e r,-,,,t" '- ct. nlll 11i arlv t tl- .ihri11'i11, anill was almost hidden by clinging vines and sheltering trees. 58 CAT LORE. In front, the door was reached by a broad stone step, and behind the house sloped the old-fashioned garden, with borders of box and hedge of green, and broad, sunny walks, lined with beds of flowers and thickets of roses, a very wilderness of sweets. Across the back of the cottage ran a broad porch, shut in with lattice-work, over which the honeysuckles and roses twined, where humming-birds and butterflies flew in and out, and bees went buzzing from flower to flower all the day long. Here, upon the porch, when the frugal repasts were eaten and the work of the morning done, came Ruth and Hilda, the widow's two daughters, in fresh and pure garments, to pass the time in knitting and spinning. The little wheel stood before the window, with its spindle full of flax, and a low bench, which ran the length of the porch, furnished a resting-place for a sleek old gray cat, who often lay where a stray sunbeam crept in through the leaves. CAT LORE. 59 At one end of the porch was a well, whose mouth yawned wide and deep, and whose swinging bucket dripped ever with its cool and refreshing freight of limpid water. The widow (who had seen better days) was often sorely tried to find means to pro- vide for three, and yet retain unencumbered her treasured home, sole relic of other and more prosperous days. Her little store of money was often eked out with the bit of spinning done and the stockings knit after the drudgery of the day was over. But the widow had a sadder trial than want of money which caused her heart to ache. Of her two daughters, Hilda was the elder, and had been so beautiful in person from her infancy, that it was not until she was nearing maidenhood that her mother had been obliged to realize that she was most wilful and unlovely in mind and heart. She would yield to most terrible fits of rage, and was never known to do a kind act; but seemed only to think of her own ease 60 CAT LORE. and comfort, letting Ruth and her mother toil on, while she passed her time lying in the sunshine, reading some idle book not worth remembering, teasing the cat, or doing some other useless or wicked thing. Often, when told to finish a piece of knit- ting needed for market, she would slily break the yarn, and throw her ball down the well, pretending it had fallen in by accident; and thus she could sit idle while another was being prepared. Thus it came that the whole labor of pro- viding for the family fell upon Ruth and her mother. This daughter seemed to have been sent as a compensation for the other; for though exceedingly plain in appearance, almost to ugliness, she was of so lovely a disposition that, after being by her side for an hour, you could only say, What a dear, lovable girl! how good she is! It was Ruth who was always sent on visits of charity to poorer neighbors, with the little pail of soup or loaf CAT LORE. 61 of white bread; for, though poor herself, the good widow loved' to do a kindly act, and '' _.^,.,^ .., . 'it "To catch the last glimpse of her retreating form." often scrimped herself to help those more destitute. 62 CAT LORE. The old women loved to see the little plain-faced maiden in her gray cloak and bonnet; and would stand at the door after she had gone, or at the rustic gate, shading their eyes with their hands to catch the last glimpse of her retreating form. She was such a little, helpful, busy maiden, and would set her bucket or basket on the table, and take the broom from weak old hands and tidy up the floor; and lay fresh fagots on the hearth; and perhaps sit long enough by the fireside to read from the blessed Bible, until they said she was "eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame"; and many an old soul, very near heaven, sent up earnest prayers for her. Not so with Hilda the beautiful. Some- times her mother had attempted to send her to relieve some poor persons; but her conduct had been so rude and disrespectful, that only love for the good widow and gentle little sister at home had restrained them from turning her forcibly from the door. = q ; '- _- -- .- ,, , Sitting idly on the bench close by the well." 7" NA iI Jiii ''Sitting idly- on the bench close by the w-ell." CAT LORE. 65 One afternoon in summer, when there was a large basket of stockings to get ready for market, and some spinning to finish, the widow bade Ruth sit down to her wheel, and gave a piece of knitting to Hilda, who had been wilfully idle for several days, saying that both must be finished before night; and adding, "If any one drops a ball into the well, they shall go down and get it!" The widow went into the cottage, and Ruth began to make the little wheel go round. "Whir! whir! it sang under her nimble feet, while she glanced from time to time at her sister, sitting idly on the bench close by the well, pulling leaves from the roses within her reach. Even the cat, lying idly in the sunshine, now and then blinked and opened her sleepy eyes, seem- ingly wondering how far laziness and dis- obedience could be pursued. At last Hilda sprang up, broke her ball from her knitting-work, and went swiftly to the well and threw it in. It bounded from 5 66 CAT LORE. side to side, caught once on a mossy ledge and came near resting there, but rolled off and plunged into the far depths below. A faint, faint splash, a little murmuring as if the waters were whispering together, and then perfect silence. Ruth hid. her face in her hands and wept; but Hilda laughed mockingly, while the widow appeared at the cottage door. "I thought the wind was rising," she said. "Something sounded like distant music." And seeing the knitting lying tangled on the porch, she grasped her daughter by the arm. "0 unfortunate and wicked child!', she said. "Have you again dared to brave my sorrow and my anger? Must you be grievously and terribly punished, to bring you to repentance and goodness? Go down into the well, search and find the missing ball, or never let me see your face, perfect as it is, again." Ruth threw herself on her knees at her mother's feet, pleading for her sister, but in vain. CAT LORE. 67 "She must go down!" her mother said; and, leading her to the side of the well, she helped her over the stone curbing, and, laying her hands upon her head, she kissed her, saying, "Come back a better child, or come not back at all," -showing that even a mother's loving heart may be so pained and grieved that she would prefer living without her child, rather than to see it continue in disobedience and wickedness. And so Hilda began the descent of the well. It was of peculiar construction, and the stones were laid so irregularly that they fur- nished a good support for hands and feet; while here and there a mossy ledge was broad enough for Hilda to sit upon, and gain breath for her farther descent. So she travelled on, and on, and on. Looking up at last, she could only see the far blue sky with twinkling stars, and now and then a fleecy cloud floating over, like a white dove up there. At last, all light from above faded out, and darkness fell upon the 68 CAT LORE. poor child; but groping still on, light began at last to shine up from below, and soon she was at the bottom of the well. And lo! a fair and beautiful country lay spread out before her,-the loveliest she had ever seen. Just beneath the well was a pool of pure water, and floating on its surface her ball; but, like her old giddy self, she did not stop to regain it, but walked on to see the fair land before her. While coming down the well, Hilda had been more deeply touched than ever before in her life,-with fear at first, and afterwards, in the darkest part of the journey, with a yearn- ing for home, and the sister who had ever been so loving, and the mother she had so grieved. But on arriving in this wonderful and beautiful land she even forgot the errand for which she had been sent on this perilous journey, and the anxieties of those at home, thinking only of her own selfish enjoyment. So she wandered on, by fields of violets, and meadows of daisies, and groves white CAT LORE. 69 with orange blossoms, and over pathways whose pebbles seemed of jewels, so brightly they sparkled and glistened in the sunshine. At last she came to a spreading tree, and sat down to rest beneath its shade. Birds flew amongst its leaves, and its branches were bending almost to the ground with their load of great yellow fruit; and a sighing and shivering and moaning were audible; and the leaves rustled, and a voice murmured, "Shake me, fair maiden, shake me, or my boughs will break! Shake me !" But Hilda only laughed mockingly, and said, Then break if you must, I don't care." And as she fled away, the great tree groaned and swayed, and crash! it lay upon the ground. But Hilda was not quick enough to escape the penalty of her sins; for the end of one of the branches fell upon her foot, and, after an hour spent in crying and rubbing the bruised foot, she went limping on her way. Not long after, in passing a meadow, she 70 CA T LORE. saw a pure white cow, with large, gentle eyes, lying on the grass, whose bag was so heavy with milk she could not stand up; and she lowed in pitiful tones. Mow, mow! said the cow. Milk me, pretty maiden, or my bag will burst! Milk me! " "Milk you! Not I!" said Hilda. "Do you think my hands were made to milk old cows ?" And she picked up a stone and hit the poor cow on the head; and immediately the cow's bag burst, and there was a great rush of snow-white milk; and it came flow- ing and dashing along, almost lifting Hilda from her feet, until she ran and threw her- self upon a huge log that lay near. But the torrent of milk rushed on, covering the ground, the shrubs and fences, and at last Hilda on her log floated away on its snowy bosom, a river, foaming and dashing over the land. In peril for her life, too late Hilda bewailed her cruelty, and labored always to keep her position on the log, which bumped I i Apj S4r "A nice old cat appeared at the window." 4 CAT LORE. 73 against many obstacles in its course, until, wearied and worn, Hilda was at last dashed unconscious on the strand. Opening her eyes after many hours, she sat up, and found she was only bruised and very hungry, and going down to the stream, for the river had dwindled to a brook, she made a cup of her hand, and took a long drink of the sweet white milk. And now, refreshed, she again started on her way, arriving soon at a queer little house by the wayside. She knocked at the door, and immediately a nice old cat appeared at the window, in cap and spectacles, with her knitting in her hands. Meow," said she, in a kindly voice. "What do you want?" "I want to stay with you for a while," said Hilda. What can you do ? said the cat. "I can knit, and spin, and sew, and do all kinds of housework," said Hilda. The old cat took out one of her knitting- 74. CAT LORE. needles and slipped the end under her cap border to scratch her head, and was for a moment lost in deep thought, after which she said, "Come in, I will keep you"; and she opened the door wide, and Hilda walked in. Now, undoubtedly, you children have dreamed of old cat's houses, but have never seen one, unless in your dreams, so I will tell you all about this one. It was a quaint little dwelling, with low lattice windows, and diamond-shaped panes of glass. When you entered, it was like a museum, so full was it of curious and pretty things, the walls almost covered with the skins of bright birds, and the window cur- tains made of bat's wings, fringed with mice tails. Long strings of dried beetles and butterflies festooned the ceiling, a bunch of catnip hung in the chimney corner drying, and a bunch of fine plump robins hung in the opposite corner, ready to be cooked for supper. CAT LORE. 75 A little cat's cradle stood in one corner, lined with the skins of white mice, bordered with humming-birds' wings, in which lay cud- dled up, in round, soft balls, three lovely kit- tens, of which Mrs. Cat seemed very proud. "Spottie, the eldest," she told Hilda, "so called from its beautiful black and white coat." "Jettie, because of its glossy blackness; and little Waggletail was the baby and pet of the family." Mrs. Cat took Hilda around, and showed her most of her treasures, and then began tying on a clean cap. "I am going out to tea," she said, "and shall be gone several hours. During my absence you must scour the floor until it is as white as snow; wash the kettle clean, and make me some catnip soup; and then make me a fine savory robin stew, saving the giblets for Spottie and Jettie, who are just beginning to vary their milk diet. Then, when all this is done, take up my little 76 C.4,T LORE. kittens and wash and wipe them softly, and rock them to sleep again." Thus saying, Mrs. Cat took her knitting-work and walked out of the front door, intent on seeing her neighbor, Mrs. Gray, a fine Maltese. After she had gone, Hilda went to the window and looked after her until she was out of sight; then drew a low rustic chair (made of cat-tails from the brook and cush- ioned with their down) close to the hearth, and, drawing a novel from the pocket of her dress, began to read. A little hour-glass whose sands were of tiny mice teeth told the hours, and still Hilda read on, the floor unscoured, the din- ner uncooked, the kittens neglected. At last, starting up, she threw the catnip into the unwashed kettle, and hung it over the fire; flung the robins into the stewpan and set them on the hob, and again sat down to finish her book, and so read on. At last came a feeble "Meow!" from the cradle in the corner, which gradually in- CAT LORE. 77 creased to three "meows" in concert; and when some time had passed and no one rocked the cradle or attended to the baby kittens, they all set up such a kitten-wauling that Hilda in a passion threw down her book, caught up the kittens, and threw them out of the window. Then when silence reigned, she again sat down to her book. At last the latch was softly raised, and Mrs. Cat in her velvet shoes walked in. She looked at the floor. The water from the kettle had boiled over, and long, green puddles lay at her feet. She raised the lid, and found the kettle had boiled dry, while the fine bunch of catnip sent up a burnt, sickly odor. The stew had fared no better, and was reduced to a few dried lumps. The cat's eyes grew larger and larger until she turned to the cradle, and, finding it empty, she flew at Hilda and buried her claws in her beautiful face. Hilda's screams and the cat's dreadful wauls filled the house; 78 CAT LORE. and when at last she released the poor girl, to go and find her kittens, Hilda's face was a mass of scratches frightful to behold. She lay exhausted on the floor, while the kittens were being brought in and warmed and fed by the fire; then Mrs. Cat forced her to go out of the back door, which was very small, and composed of tar, and as she passed through covered her with the black, sticky substance, which clung to her hair in masses, and dripped from her garments. "Go home," screamed the cat, "and never be seen again in our country, or you shall be beaten with cat-o'-nine-tails until you are frightened into catalepsy, and caterpillars shall crawl over you; and you shall be thrown into the dark catacombs, and torn with wild-cats, until no cataplasm can cure you. Go!" And poor Hilda, still lame from the blow of the tree, and bruised from her voyage on the log, with bleeding face and tar-begrimed hair and garments, hurried home. CAT LORE. 79 Arriving at the well, she hurried, weak and exhausted, up the uneven and rugged way, until at last she gained the top, and fell fainting at her sister's feet. Ruth, in lier neat, gray gown, and snowy handkerchief crossed on her breast, sat sing- ing at her wheel, when this sad apparition fell at her feet; and it was some time before she could believe it was her once beautiful sister, so changed, so wretched. Once convinced, however, everything was laid aside to minister to her needs; and the good widow spent day and night in striving to remove from the hair, once so beautiful, all traces of tar, and heal the scarred face, trusting the lesson would bring repentance and reformation. To all questions regard- ing her stay in the well Hilda maintained a grave silence, until they forbore to trouble her, and left her to lie for days enveloped in healing salves, made by Ruth, while her beautiful hair was finally all shorn, to relieve her of the mass of tar clinging to it. 80 CAT LORE. And now Ruth, as before the return of her sister, sat alone on the pleasant porch, day after day, hurrying the little wheel to do its work, and again knitting until the needles clicked and darted in and out, striving to do double work to relieve her poor mother, who had scarcely smiled since the return of her sister. And as she spun and knit, her thoughts ever brooded over her sister's mis- fortune, and the mystery of the well. Sometimes she would get up from -her wheel, and spare a moment to go and lean over the curb and look down into its depths, where only cool mossy stones could be seen, and a faint shimmer of water--far, far below. Looking down thus one day, with her knitting in her hand, the ball slipped from her fingers and dropped into the well, land- ing on a projection below, while she strove by gently drawing on the yarn to regain it, but in vain. A sharp stone over which it passed cut the thread, and her despairing 'Jm- l -- _ -_ i , ooi d IT fil 77 4 Rr Lookig dow thusone dy.' CAT LORE. 83 eyes watched the ball as it bounded from side to side and was gone. Sobbing, she sought her mother and drew her to the side of the well, pointing at the knitting-work which lay on the porch be- side it. "My child, my child!" said the widow. "And you too have met with this misfor- tune; but I know it is a misfortune, and not a crime with you, who have never deceived or given me pain. Go seek the ball. As your sister went, so go you; but I shall count the hours until your return. And may all good spirits bring you safely to my arms again So saying, she embraced her child, and Ruth began her journey. After long and toilsome climbing, and many rests by the way, Ruth, as her sister, arrived in safety at the bottom of the well, to find with amazement and joy, instead of "a fearful cavern, as she had begun to dread, "a beautiful vision of hill and dale spread before her, and her ball, floating in company 84 CAT LORE. with that of her sister, on the bosom of the clear pool beneath the well. Carefully fishing them out, she dried them with her handkerchief, and put them safely in her pocket. Then she walked slowly on, trusting to find the cause of her sister's misfortune, and perhaps a remedy for her wounds. Thus walking she came to a wide-spread- ing tree, whose boughs were bending with their load of fruit; and the tree murmured through all its branches, Shake me, or my boughs will break And the little maiden hastened to get hold of the heavily laden branches, and tugged and shook with all her might, until the ground lay thick with golden fruit, luscious and ripe. And Ruth ate and refreshed herself; and then, filling her apron as full as she could carry it, con- tinued her journey, coming soon to where a lovely white cow, with mournful eyes, lay panting by the road-side. "Mow, mow!" sighed the cow. "Milk me, CAT LORE. 85 little maiden, or my bag will burst! And the little maiden kneeled down on the grass and milked the good cow; and then, rolling - "Mow, mow !" sighed the cow. a large leaf in the form of a cup, she filled it full, and took a long drink of the foaming milk. As she drank, her face became more beautiful, her skin more pure, and a new light came into her eyes. 86 CAT'LORE. Whether it was the light or a good deed done, shining through, or really the draught of new milk, I could not say; but she was more beautiful than her sister had ever been. And again she went happily on her way, and arrived quite fresh and bright at the old cat's house. Here she knocked very gently at the door, and Mrs. Cat came and looked at her long and gravely, from the window, over her spectacles. Meow, meow !" said the cat. You had better go away." "I want to stay a little," said Ruth. I am far away from home, and would like to help you if I can, to pay my way." I am afraid of strange girls," said the cat. " One did me a bad turn, only a week or so ago, and gave my kittens fits; and they have been delicate ever since." "But I will do my best," said Ruth; and looked so gently and pleadingly at the old cat that her heart relented. And she opened wide the door, and Ruth walked into the snug little room. CAT LORE. 87 Here, as before, the fire was crackling on the hearth, and the kittens lay cuddled in their soft white cradle, and the old cat showed them with pride to little Ruth, whose eyes sparkled at the pretty sight, while she stroked their soft coats. At last Mrs. Cat, who had been watching her children since Hilda left, began to think she could venture on another journey abroad, and again tied on her company cap, and took her knitting in her hand. I think I will go out to tea," she said. "I begin to feel the want of fresh air. While I am gone, you must scour the floor as white as snow, and then make me a tempting rat pie. You will find a fine one hanging behind the cellar door. And stew me the pair of bats in the dish on the pantry shelf. And then take up my kittens, wash them and curl their front hair, trim their whiskers, and put on clean ribbons, and let them play on the hearth." So saying, Mrs. Cat tripped over the door- sill, holding up her tail, and disappeared around the corner of the house. 88 CAT LORE. Ruth shut the door carefully to keep out the draught, and, going to the chimney-piece, turned the little hour-glass, whose pearly sands had just run through. Then she turned up and pinned the skirt of her dress behind her, put on the cat's long apron, which hung behind the pantry door, and began her work. Down on her knees she went, and any cat would have been hard to please indeed, who was not satisfied with the beautiful whiteness of the floor, in whose polish you could almost see your face re- flected, when Ruth had finished. Next, the rat pie was made, with white, puffy crust,- enough to tempt a king, or the king of cats; and then the bats were put on to stew with savory herbs, and an appetizing odor of them filled the room. Then the kittens were taken up, and han- dled so gently, not a "meow" disturbed the quiet of the scene; and just when they were frolicking and frisking on the hearth, in all the beauty of freshly dressed hair and new ril S I : III Q jl- A large s o s " A ae r c s p a. rls. -'L ] .,1 _ -= -- - "Alrg trn o atsey eal. CA T LORE. 91 ribbons, the latch was softly lifted, and Mrs. Cat in her velvet shoes stepped in. Ruth was seated on the hearth enjoying the frolic, her fair face lighted up with the sweet con- sciousness of duty done. The floor was so well polished that Mrs. Cat almost feared to put her paws upon it; the tempting pie sat on the table, and the odor of the stew made the cat's eyes snap. Advancing softly to the side of Ruth, she patted her gently with her paw, and said, "Best and most trusty of maidens, you will never repent having come to our country. Remain with me, and share my home, and all I have." "But I cannot," said Ruth; my mother would be very unhappy, and she could not live without me. I have staid too long al- ready, for she is getting too old to work, and I knit, and spin, and sew for her." "Good child," said the cat, as she hung a large string of cat's-eye pearls around her 92 CAT, LORE. neck; "keep these for my sake, and you shall go out of my golden door." So she led her to the side door, which was made of solid gold; and as she passed through, a shower of gold-dust fell upon her, and all her garments changed to cloth of gold, and glistened in the light. And her hair was full of the golden shower; and as she walked, it fell from her on the way. So she hurried home, Mrs. Cat walking with her as far as the pool, and seeing her safely on her journey up the well. And so she flashed out upon the widow and poor Hilda, who remained still a crip- ple, supported by pillows on the bench on the porch. At first, they were afraid; but soon learned that it was indeed little Ruth, fresh and bright as a rose, and dropping gold-dust from her hair and garments at every step; while the fruit she carried in her apron was found to be of priceless value, - every peach a topaz, every plum a sapphire, and every cherry a ruby, while the leaves CAT LORE. 93 were composed of emeralds, and the dew- drops that still glistened upon them proved to be diamonds of the first water. So our little Ruth was enabled to provide a princely fortune for her mother, and the best of medi- cal advice for her sister, who, I am sorry to say, remained a cripple for life. The fame of the well went through all the country, and the king's son, who had a taste for exploration, came with a company of his subjects to go down and examine the. marvellous country below; but, after toiling for days to reach the bottom, they only found a deep cavern, full of water, pure and limpid, but of great depth. So the young prince failed to find the marvellous country below; but he lingered long enough on the rose-covered porch above to see and love the sweetest rose of all, - the gentle Ruth, who became thus a Princess. The only proof of the story of the wonder- ful country once at the bottom of the well was the great wealth of Ruth and her family, 94 CAT, LORE. and the possession of the string of cat's-eye pearls, preserved with great care in the family of the Prinii", f-r nImv ..: i-" generations afterwzaril: :- as the possession, *I them was believ'l.! - to bring hapin e.,s and good fortune. Hilda was tend.-r- I l" - ly watched over with loving care, andgr:- w\ so gentle and ,,is through her aftlic - tion, and so char- itable, that she - was after- -: - wards known 'i' as "the good -i .. - Hilda ; while But he lingered on the rose-covered porch." Ruth lived for many years, adored by her husband, and be- loved by all. KARL IRIEGER; OR, THE TANGLED-UP BOY. KARL KRIEGER. K ARL, the little boy of whom I write, was a dear little fellow, about eight or nine years old, with big blue eyes and brown hair; and would have been greatly beloved by all, if it had not been for one thing. Now you all, every one of my little readers, I suppose, have known some boy or girl who was very nice, and you almost loved them; but there was some one thing that prevented you. Thus it was with little Karl. He looked very lovable; and often was so sweet and good that all the world might love him, but, again, no one'could even attempt it. He would get up in the morning and look cross and troubled; then, having begun wrong, he would go on, and if his nurse put 7 98 KARL KfREGER. on one shoe, he would say it hurt him; and when she had taken it off, he would say the other stocking was too tight; and then he would fight over being washed, and cry over having his hair combed; and so go on until his poor nurse was almost tired out. Then he would want to go down stairs to his breakfast; but by the time he had reached the nursery door, he would conclude to have his nurse bring it up, and sometimes mamma would have to come in and punish her boy; and even that would fail to make him good, and so mamma would call him her "tangled-up boy," and wonder what she should do to get the naughty snarls all out of him. Papa would take him on his knee and say, "It was a blessing he was not as snarled up bodily; for there would then be no way of getting the kinks out of him." But Karlie used to have some good and happy days in spite of all; and then his mamma would say that she hoped in time he would become a |