Ida Coe

“ In place of her old shoes were glass slippers that had been made by the fairies. They were the very prettiest little slippers in the world.
Never had Cinderella been so happy!
"Now you may go to the ball, but do not fail to leave before midnight," said the Fairy Godmother.
"If you stay until the clock strikes twelve," added the Fairy Godmother, "your coach will again become a pumpkin; your horses will be mice; your coachman will be a rat; your footmen will be lizards, and your beautiful dress will become rags." ”

“ THE BEAVERS' LODGE
Big Chief had traveled a long distance through the forest. At last he reached the shore of a lake.
He was very tired, so he sat down upon a rock to rest.
Suddenly a large beaver came up from the water and stood before Big Chief.
"Who are you, that you dare to enter my kingdom?" demanded the beaver.
"I am Big Chief," replied the Indian. "The Great Spirit has given me power over all the animals. Who are you?"
"I am Master Beaver. All the beavers follow me and obey my commands. We are busy people. We always have plenty to do." ”

“ One morning as the fair and gentle Callisto was gathering wild flowers in a field, she was suddenly changed into a bear. Then she was driven into a forest near by.
"You shall live in this forest forever! A cave under the rocks shall be your home!" exclaimed Juno.
Although she had the form of a bear, Callisto was still a woman at heart. She feared all the animals that she met.
The hunting dogs frightened her, and she would hide in terror from the hunters.
One day a young man was hunting in the forest. Callisto recognized him at once as her son Arcas. ”

“ Now beyond the level shore where the fishes had been playing tag, there were cliffs and rocks. Some of the rocks rose straight out of the water, others sloped toward the sandy beach.
High above the rest towered the great, black rock. The fishes climbed to the top Then, one after another, they followed the leader, each gliding head foremost down the rock. It was fine sport!
Then the fishes formed a circle and danced, while Fin-fin slid down the rock alone.
Again and again he climbed to the top and slid down, as swiftly as an arrow glides from the bow. ”

“ Jupiter, king of heaven and earth, saw that she was very fair.
One day as Diana was walking through the forest, Jupiter met her and spoke to her, saying, "Fair Diana, hereafter you shall be called Queen of the Woods."
Diana, followed by her maids the wood nymphs, often wandered through the forest. She took care of the deer and all helpless creatures, but she hunted fierce animals.
Apollo, also, grew to be fair and strong.
Jupiter bestowed many gifts upon the youth. He gave Apollo a pair of swans and a golden chariot, so that the boy could go anywhere, on land or sea. ”

“ One day he said to himself, "Am I going to die on this island?"
Then the fox began to sing softly. Seals, walruses, porpoises, and whales swam near the island.
"What are you singing about?" asked the sea people.
"This is what I am singing about," said the fox. "Are there more large animals in the waters of the sea, or on dry land?"
"Certainly there are more animals in the waters of the sea than on dry land," replied the sea people.
"Well, then, prove it to me!" said the fox. "Come up to the surface of the water and form a raft that will reach from this island to the mainland. ”

“ The princess refused to become the bride of one so small and so ugly as the cobbler.
"What shall I do?" asked the king. "A king should never break his promise."
Then the princess whispered to the king, "Try to take the little man's girdle from him. He will then lose his power."
So the king said to the cobbler, "You may have the hand of the princess if you will give your girdle to me." ”

“ The Rich Brother was stingy.
It was winter. The wind howled down the chimney, and the snow almost covered the hut in which the Poor Brother lived.
"We cannot starve," said the Poor Brother to his wife. "I will ask my brother to help us."
Now it annoyed the Rich Brother to have the Poor Brother ask for help. When the Poor Brother asked for bread, the Rich Brother said angrily, "Here, take this ham and go to the dwarfs. They will boil it for you."
So the Poor Brother started out, with the ham under his arm, to find the home of the dwarfs. ”

“ With a cry of alarm she fled from the ball room, dropping one of her glass slippers in her haste.
The prince hurried after her, but by the time he reached the royal courtyard the beautiful maiden had disappeared.
As Cinderella arrived at her own gate, the coach became a pumpkin; the horses became mice; the coachman became a rat and the footmen lizards. ”

“ Then the Magician hurried out of the city. When he was alone, he rubbed the magic lamp, and the Genie stood before him.
"What is thy will, master?" said he.
"I command thee to carry the palace of Aladdin, with the Princess inside, to Africa," said the Magician.
Instantly the palace disappeared.
The Sultan looked out of his window the next morning. No palace was to be seen.
"This has been done by magic!" the Sultan exclaimed.
He sent his soldiers to bring Aladdin home in chains. They met him riding back from the hunt. They carried him to the Sultan. ”

“ One night the clouds hung low in the sky.
"There will be snow before morning," said Eagle Eye.
Then the great chief hauled his canoe up the river bank. He made a shelter with branches of trees. Here he slept through the night.
In the morning, the ground was covered with snow.
"The Great Spirit is kind," said Eagle Eye. "Now I shall see the footprints of some of the animals, and I can follow them."
Soon he found the footprints of deer that had been to the river to drink. Eagle Eye followed the footprints for many miles. At last he found where the animals lived. ”

“ The king and queen saw the old witch who had not been invited to the party.
"I will tell you what shall happen to this little wonder," said the witch. "She will cut her finger with a spindle before she is fifteen years old, and then she will die!"
The old witch shook her black stick at the princess. ”

“ He smiled at the girl and said, "Listen, and I will tell you the story of the water lilies."
This is the story the little man told:
Once there was a star in the heavens, it shone more brightly than any of the other stars. An Indian youth watched it for many nights. Each night it seemed to move nearer to the earth.
One night the young man had a strange dream. In his dream a beautiful maiden appeared before him and spoke to him. Her words were like music. She said that she was the star that shone so brightly in the heavens. She loved the birds and the flowers, and the people of the earth. ”

“ Cinderella was sitting by the kitchen fire in her rags.
"Do you not wish that you had been to the ball?" asked the sisters. "There was a wonderful princess there. The prince would dance with no one else." ”

“ See here--bread and butter, some potatoes, ham and eggs. But where are the children?"
"They have gone to the woods to gather strawberries," replied Gertrude.
"It is growing dark. Hansel and Gretel should have been here long ago," said Peter anxiously.
The wife began to prepare supper. The husband went to the door of the cottage and looked out into the darkness.
"Alas, my children!" cried Peter. "I fear that the terrible Witch of the Forest may find them, and that we shall never see them again!" ”

“ At the palace the Sultan greeted Aladdin joyfully and ordered the wedding feast to be prepared at once.
But Aladdin said, "Not so, your Majesty. I will not marry the Princess until I have built her a palace."
Then he returned home and once more summoned the Slave of the Lamp.
"Build the finest palace in the world," ordered Aladdin. "Let the walls be of marble set with precious stones. In the center build a great hall whose walls shall be of silver and gold, lighted by great windows on each side. These windows are to be set with diamonds and rubies. Depart! ”

“ CINDERELLA
Once upon a time, there was a proud, selfish woman who had three daughters. The youngest was prettier than her sisters, and they were jealous of her beauty. They made her do all the housework, while they went to parties and balls.
The girl washed the dishes and swept the floors. She tended the fire and fed the parrot whose cage hung by the kitchen window. She spent so much time among the ashes and cinders, that her sisters called her Cinderella.
Now it happened that the king was to give a ball, in honor of the young prince. Cinderella's mother and sisters were invited. ”

“ At first he could not teach it to say a word, but at last when he came back to his tent from a day on the island, the parrot called, "Robin, Robin Crusoe! Poor Robin Crusoe, where have you been?"
One morning, as Crusoe started for his canoe, a strange thing happened. He was walking along, and what do you suppose he saw? The print of a man's foot in the sand! The sight made him cold all over. He looked around. ”

“ The pilot cried, "The camels smell water and grass. An oasis is near!"
Before long they could see palm trees, with their spreading leaves waving in the soft breeze.
Joyfully they rested during the day. The camels drank freely from the cool spring. The men filled the great leather bottles with fresh water. In the evening, refreshed and happy, the men continued the journey.
So they traveled night after night, resting during the heat of the day. At last, one morning the pilot said, "We shall soon reach the end of our journey." ”

“ Long, long ago, a tribe of Indians lived on a beautiful island in the Great Lakes.
An enemy attacked the Indians, and they were driven from home. They wandered far away and settled on the shore of a small lake.
Brave Heart, a strong and powerful Indian, remained to guard the beautiful island.
One morning Brave Heart stepped into his canoe. He was planning to paddle around the island. The canoe glided swiftly along by the tall trees that grew near the water.
At last Brave Heart had gone beyond the trees. He saw a vast plain. He paddled to the shore and drew his canoe up the beach. ”

“ You will come to three great halls.
"Pass through the halls, but be careful to touch nothing, not even the walls, for if you do, you will certainly die. When you have passed through the halls, you will reach a garden of fruit trees. In a niche in the garden wall, you will see a lighted lamp. Put out the light, pour the oil from the bowl, and bring the lamp to me."
Then the Magician placed a magic ring upon Aladdin's finger, to guard him, and commanded him to go at once in search of the lamp. ”

“ Red Fox went back and told the other animals what White Rabbit was doing.
Pretty soon White Rabbit came out of the woods. He was all ready to put on the antlers and begin the race for the great prize.
"Oh, no!" said Judge Bear. "We cannot allow you to enter the great race. You are too fond of gnawing twigs. You may keep on gnawing twigs instead of trying for the prize."
So little White Rabbit was not allowed to run for the prize.
Red Fox placed the horns upon the head of the deer and said, "It is your turn to try to win the race." ”

“ Once in a while, Hans would shoot a deer. The deer meat would serve as food for his family during many days.
One day Hans was watching his sheep while they grazed on the mountain side. Suddenly a deer appeared. Its spreading antlers glittered in the morning sunlight with wonderful brightness.
The deer bounded across the pasture to the rocks higher up the mountain. Hans followed quickly, hoping to approach near enough to shoot an arrow.
From rock to rock, higher and higher, Hans followed the deer, until at last they were at the summit of the mountain. ”

“ The reward was to be a pair of great antlers. Each animal was to carry the antlers on his head, while running the race. The animal that should win, would have the antlers for his own.
A path through the woods was chosen for the race course. There were many bushes and brambles along the way.
All the animals gathered at the place of meeting. They chose Black Bear to be judge of the race. It was decided that the rabbit and the deer alone should try for the prize.
"They are the best runners. None of the rest of us could hope to win," said the other animals. ”

“ Welcome prince and princess gay,
Elf and fay and sprite at play,
Dancing till the dawn of day.
Then hasten all, ye children dear!
To enter the Realm of Wonderland!
No giant or genie need cause you alarm,
Treasures they'll give, and keep away harm,
For ALADDIN'S LAMP is the hidden charm.
ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP
Aladdin was a poor boy who lived in a city of Persia. His mother was a widow. She supported herself by weaving mats.
One day Aladdin was playing in the street. A tall, dark man stood watching him. When the game was finished, the man beckoned to Aladdin to come to him. ”

“ All the dishes and pans were soon filled. Then the porridge and herrings began to flow over the kitchen floor into the yard.
The Rich Brother tried to stop the Mill. He turned and twisted and screwed the handle, but he could not stop it, for he did not know the magic words.
At last he waded through the porridge across the fields to the mowers, crying, "Help! Help!"
When he told the mowers about the Mill, they said, "Ask your brother to stop the Mill, or we shall be drowned in porridge."
Then the Rich Brother ran to the Poor Brother's house, crying and shouting for help. ”