David Cory

“ The giant looked at the Magic Axe which had so nearly destroyed his forest, and then at Ned eating a stone with apparent relish.
"I will," he said, and humbly led the way to his monstrous cabin.
"Now listen," said Ned to the giant after they were fairly seated, "one of us must be the master, and the other the servant. If I can't do whatever you do, I am to be your slave; if you're not able to do whatever I do, you are to be mine."
"Agreed," said the giant. "I'd be tickled to death to have a little servant like you. It's too much work for me to think, and you have brains enough for [76] both. ”

“ The Princess threw her arms around her dear brother and hugged Ned, so great was her delight.
Ned ran over to his little friend, the Gnome, and thanked him again and again for his aid, and was about to lean out of the doorway to also thank the Fairy Queen when the Gnome restrained him.
"Not so fast, Ned, my boy! All is not yet over." [152]
"No, indeed," answered Ned, "we must rescue the giant."
"Aye, there's the rub," replied the Gnome. "How are we ever to get him in the bubble, either as a tree or as a giant?" ”

“ THE MAGIC AXE
Presently the Gnome turned to Ned and said:
"I must leave you for a time. But with the Fairy Queen's magic ring upon your finger, you will be safe from harm. Self reliance is what all boys should practise. Therefore, travel for a few days alone. At the end of that time I will join you." And with these words the Gnome disappeared.
For a moment Ned felt a wild desire to call him back. But with a shrug of his [54] shoulder, he put away the thought and bravely set out in search of further adventure. ”

“ The jackdaw hopped gravely past all this toward the chair of the Gnome King, who stretched out his sceptre, a tall bulrush of gold, and touched the jackdaw, who at once turned into a dwarf.
Making a low bow to the Gnome King, he turned to Ned and said:
"I was forced to take the form of a jackdaw for twenty years because I once said that gold was not as yellow as buttercups nor so bright as sunshine. This made the Gnomes angry, because their belief is that gold is the most beautiful thing in the world. My punishment is now over and I need never return to the earth again. ”

“ Carefully placing his Magic Axe on the ground, Ned shouted, "Chop, chop, chop!"
At once the axe began to chop, now [68] right, now left, and up and down, till the branches tumbled down on the giant's head like hail in autumn.
"Stop, stop!" cried the giant. "Don't destroy my forest. Who the mischief are you?"
"Sit down and I'll tell you the story of the famous Puss in Boots, who once killed a giant and gave his castle to his Master, the Lord of Carabas," said Ned.
"How could a cat kill a giant? You are making sport of me." ”

“ The hot air is pouring in upon us from a fiery furnace outside. Look here, my giant friend," she added, coming up to Ned, "if you want to see how we live you mustn't hold your mouth open with astonishment. Your breath is very hot to us little people!" ”

“ Ned followed the donkey-eared man into the cottage and sat down at the rude wooden table on which were spread black bread and beans.
"I have but humble fare to offer you," said the donkey-eared man, but his smile was a kind one as he helped Ned to the beans with a large wooden spoon. "But as I see you are a traveler, you no doubt have fared worse at times," and he smiled again in such a friendly way, that Ned took a great liking to him. ”

“ At once the wicked lord commenced to tell the biggest story he could imagine.
"I have a bull so large that a man can sit on each of his horns, and the two can't touch each other with a twenty foot pole."
"Oh, that's nothing," replied Ned. "At home on the farm we have a bull so [81] large that a servant sitting on one of his horns can't see the servant sitting on the other."
"You win," laughed the pretty princess, clapping her hands at Ned. Then the wicked lord went to his stable and saddling his best horse, rode away. ”

“ There was a golden bowl of smoking stew, a crystal goblet of wine, a golden dish of mashed potatoes and another of rice pudding.
And when the Magic Basket was covered with a damask napkin, it was handed to a dwarf messenger to take to the poor woodcutter's children, while all the little dwarfs stood around him and sang:
"In this basket they will find
[100] Food and drink of magic kind.
Never will it empty grow
And no hunger they shall know."
"Hereafter," said the Gnome King, looking kindly at Ned, "a bluebird shall be your companion and will show you many and curious things. ”

“ On came the wicked King and his castle attendants, who, seeing the predicament [154] of the giant, fitted arrows to their strong bows, preparing to shoot the hapless fellow.
"Blow the bubble larger!" shouted Ned. "Put the pipe in his mouth and tell him to blow like thunder."
The Gnome placed the pipestem between the lips of the giant and commanded him to blow for his life, and before an arrow left a bow the bubble widened sufficiently to enable the giant to crawl inside. Slamming the door shut the Gnome cried out exultingly: "We are safe!" ”

“ Ned's little companion lifted a goblin cup to catch the drops of delicious looking pink juice which began to drip slowly from the spigot when the Gnome carefully turned the handle.
"Careful, now," commanded the Gnome, as he handed the brimming goblet to Ned. "See that you spill not a drop of the precious nectar.
"Good, is it?" he inquired, seeing the sparkle in Ned's eyes and hearing the smack on his lips as the last drop disappeared. "Pretty good, eh?"
"Better'n soda water," replied Ned; "lots better." [29]
The little Gnome at the spigot smiled. "I grew the melon," he said with pride. ”

“ With that the mischievous Queen jumped quite unexpectedly on Ned's nose and gave it a sharp pinch.
"Don't cry," said the fairy in a cheery voice, the laughs falling from her like waterdrops [44] from the cascade just outside; "I only wanted to let you know what I could do; but I am ready to be as polite as you wish."
"May it please your highness," interposed the Gnome, who at this point squeezed himself through Ned's legs and entered the door, "to give my mortal friend a drop of your crystal nectar, in order that he may regain his boyish shape again?" ”

“ The Man with Ears like a Donkey invited Ned to eat with him.
[85]
MAGIC EARS
"Dear me," said the giant suddenly. "I've forgotten all about my errand. You and your Magic Axe have robbed me of my memory," and the big man scratched his hand and looked anxiously at Ned.
"What is it?"
"I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
"Go ahead," said Ned. "I can take care of myself. At any rate it is about [86] time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
"You are very kind," said the giant. "Here are your Magic Axe and your Magic Pickaxe. ”

“ As he finished speaking, he arose, disclosing a doorway in the trunk of the pine tree behind him.
At that moment, a beautiful dwarf maiden emerged therefrom, and, as if having heard the conversation, said: "He is no coward, father. See, he will shake hands with me!"
Ned put out his hand, but drew it back just in time to escape having the gold ring which the Fairy Queen had given him, slipped off his finger by the dwarf maiden. [106]
"Selfish mortal," she cried, "'tis nothing but a little gold band. ”

“ I am free!" And he almost cried with [118] delight, flinging his arms about Ned's sturdy form and patting the leg of the giant.
"Come, little bluebird, and let me thank you, too," he added, as the pretty bird circled in the air and alighted on Ned's shoulder. Indeed, it was a happy moment for all.
"And now," said Ned, "let us think of the best way to return to the castle, so that the princess may receive her long-lost brother."
"The easiest way is the best way," said the giant. ”

“ And since you remind me of one, a rooster you shall be," and in five short seconds the little prince was changed into a young gamecock.
"Out into the courtyard!" cried the King; "a castle is no chicken house," and the little prince found himself unceremoniously thrown under the big pine tree.
"Have pity!" cried the little princess. "Is there no pity for a little orphan princess?" ”

“ But next year I'm going to grow even a bigger one!"
"How do you make them grow so large?" inquired Ned, hoping he would be invited to have another glass of the juice.
"Not another drop!" said Ned's little friend. "A second goblet and you would be so hungry you could eat stones."
"Come with me," said the small Gnome guide. "We must eat."
Ned eagerly followed him, and they pressed forward at a rapid walk until they came to a queer little hut, from which issued a most delicious odor of sponge cake. ”

“ Put me in your knapsack and I will make you famous."
Picking up the axe, Ned placed it in his knapsack and set off once more. After a while, he came to a place where the road was hollowed out of a mass of solid rock, and here, in the distance, he heard a sharp noise like that of iron striking against stone.
"Some giant must be breaking rocks away up there," he said to himself, and climbed up the mountain. When he reached the top of the high rock, he found [55] a Magic Pickaxe, all alone by itself, digging away at the hard stone as if it were soft clay. ”

“ Give us all something to eat that we may [116] have strength to undertake this adventure."
The princess immediately ordered a great feast to be set before them, and when our three comrades had eaten their fill they once more set out upon their journey, with the prayers of the beautiful princess for their safety and successful return.
As they wound their way through the pleasant valley, every so often the little bluebird would sing her song, loud and sweet, and then would pause, with folded wing, to listen, as if expecting an answer. ”

“ After which Ned was invited to a great feast, and when that was over, he mounted the little donkey and rode away, with the three bags of gold hanging from each side of the saddle and a little gold ring on his finger, which the king's daughter gave him after washing her pretty face in water for the first time in many months.
But before Ned rode away, he put his Magic Axe and his Magic Pickaxe back in his knapsack, "for who can tell," he said to himself, "what need I may have of these two useful tools." ”

“ Every day he brought some kind of game, until by and by the king thought my Lord of Carabas a great man and Puss in Boots a most wonderful cat, which indeed he was."
"He was indeed," said the big giant, moving uneasily on the log on which he was sitting.
"Well, one day," continued Ned, "Puss in Boots bade his master bathe in the river, and leave the rest to him. Just then the King passed by. ”

“ All the woodcutters in the kingdom had tried to cut down this tree, but its bark was so tough that it turned the edge of every axe, and for every branch that was lopped off, two instantly grew in its place. At last the king had offered three bags of gold to anyone who would rid him of his troublesome oaktree. ”

“ Off flew the bluebird on her happy errand.
"Your Majesty," cried the Gnome, addressing the Fairy Queen, as she drew rein at the doorway of the soap bubble, "I would suggest that you touch with the [150] Magic Ring only the cage wherein is confined our friend Ned, instructing him, while still in the form of a cockatoo, to fly up to the topmost branch of the pine tree. Also for the Princess' brother, while he is still a gamecock, to do likewise. ”

“ You ought to know me well enough by this time to answer, since you've been reading about me for the last hour."
"Hello, yourself!" replied Ned, laughing in spite of himself, and rubbing his eyes again to make sure that it was not a picture from the book.
"Can't you see a fellow is sleepy after [13] reading so long a time? I didn't think you were coming out of the book to speak to me, you know."
"Neither did I," retorted the Gnome, with a funny wink. "I came from the forest to invite you to take a little journey with me through Gnomeland. ”

“ The Giant cannot understand how Ned can eat cheese.
[73]
MAGIC FOOD
"Puss in Boots, who had reached the castle in advance of the royal party, opened the door and said with a low bow to the wicked ogre:
"'I hear you have the power to change yourself into any animal.'
"'That is true,' answered the ogre, so pleased that at once he turned himself into a lion.
"'I doubt if you can become as small as a mouse,' said Puss in Boots. ”

“ But when she saw Ned, she smiled.
"Come in," she said, and Ned saw four small children staring curiously at him.
The room was very smoky, for there was no chimney to the rude hut. A hole in the roof let the smoke out, and there were no windows, for the father of these children was a poor peasant who made his living by gathering turpentine in the pine forest.
Ned sat down, while the girl went on with her work until the black beans were ready for supper, when she put them all in [91] a big wooden bowl, and invited Ned to join her and the four children. ”