Jane L. Hoxie

“ Papa laughed. "No, it's ever so much better than a dolly, for it's alive," he said.
"Oh, then it's a bird," cried the little girl.
But her papa only shook his head.
"Maybe it's a bunny, then," said Alice.
"No, no, you will never guess right," laughed papa, "so I will have to tell you. Just listen a moment," he said, as he held the basket close to Alice's ear.
The little girl stood on her tiptoes and fairly held her breath. Soon she heard a faint sound: "Meow! meow! meow!"
"It's a kitty! It's a kitty! Do open the basket quickly, papa," cried Alice, dancing up and down and clapping her hands. ”

“ Just as she was giving Rover a farewell pat, old Dobbin, harnessed to the farm wagon, came clattering up to the barn. "Here comes the best friend of all!" cried Ethel. "What should we do without Dobbin to carry the milk and the butter and the eggs to the city, to draw the wood and the coal that keep us warm, to help the farmer plow and harrow the ground in the springtime, to draw in the hay and the grain in the autumn, and to trot cheerfully along the country road when the children take a ride? ”

“ On looking up, Alice saw close beside her, not her friend the gaunt gray wolf, but a little child like herself. The boy placed his hand softly upon her arm; and with his great dark eyes looking straight into her own he said, "Why do you wonder, Alice?"
"Ah!" cried the girl crossly, "I wonder what is in this pail. Mamma has promised me a pretty red sash if I do but carry it safely to Grandfather Goodfield, who lives under the hill by the great dark forest yonder, but oh! it has grown so heavy and my feet have grown so tired. I must go quickly and I must not even peep inside. Just listen! ”

“ Soon Marleen wearied also of the stately house in which they now lived. "I am tired to death of this old doll and this empty house and this poor dress," she said. "I must have something to amuse me. Go, brother, to the fox and tell him that I must have one of every kind of toy in the whole world, and quickly, too."
"Be satisfied, dear sister," said Ludwig. "We are quite happy as we are."
"No, no, I will not be satisfied!" said Marleen. "You must do as I tell you;" and she gave her brother no peace until he went again into the forest. ”

“ Scarcely had the spindle touched the hand of the poor princess when a tiny stream of blood flowed from her little finger and she fell into a deep, deep sleep.
At that moment every one in the great palace fell fast asleep also. The king slept upon his golden throne; the queen slept in her royal parlor; the judges slept on the council benches. Fast asleep fell lords and ladies of the court. Even the flies slept on the walls, and the fires died down upon the palace hearths. The dogs slept in their kennels, and the horses in their stalls. ”

“ They named the little princess Briar Rose. The first fairy godmother gave her beauty. The second gave happiness. "Wisdom is my gift," said number three. "Grace shall be hers," cried four. "I give her wit," said five. The sixth godmother gave sympathy. The seventh gave wealth. The eighth said, "The princess shall have courage and shall be strong and brave." Number nine cried, "Health is hers as long as ever she may live." The tenth gave youth. "The Briar Rose shall love her people and she shall rule gently and where she goes joy shall go too," said number eleven. ”

“ She made ready the supper and set it before the old man; but, before satisfying her own hunger, she said, "The good animals are hungry too. I must first get food for them." So she placed a bundle of hay in front of the brindled cow and scattered wheat and barley for the cock and the hen and brought a fresh drink of water for all. Then she herself ate and was satisfied.
That night Alween slept soundly in the loft of the little hut, but not before she had seen the old man tucked snugly into his bed and fast asleep. ”

“ She had pointed shoes on her feet and a tassel in her cap.
"You shall go to the party!" said the queer little creature, stamping her foot on the floor. "You have always been a good child. You have as much right to go as your sisters. You shall go! and you shall wear a pretty dress and ride in a fine carriage too, so dry your eyes, my dear, and bring me the biggest yellow pumpkin you can find in the garden," said the fairy; for this little old woman was really a fairy.
The pumpkin was so large that Cinderella could hardly lift it. ”

“ Now as the two sisters Carla and Alween gathered berries in the forest one day not long after, Carla, in her eagerness to fill her pail with the biggest berries, strayed away just as her sister Indra had done. Alween was forced to return home alone, and it happened with Carla just as it had with her elder sister. She followed the light that shone from the cottage window, knocked at the door, entered, and saw the old man sitting and the animals lying by the fire. She too begged for food and a bed in which to sleep. ”

“ When Billy Bobtail and his friends went inside the little house they found it very comfortable.
"Hurrah! I shall sleep in the bed," said Billy Bobtail.
"Bow, wow, wow! I shall sleep under the bed," said the dog, "and guard my master."
"Wee, wee!" said the pig, "I shall sleep in the oven where it is nice and warm."
"Gobble, gobble, gobble!" "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" "Cut-cut-cut-cut-ka-dat-cut!" cried the turkey, the rooster, and the hen all together, "we shall roost high up on the mantelshelf." ”

“ Every day she licked their coats until they were smooth and shiny. When the kittens were big enough, Topsy brought them all the plump mice they could eat, and she let them tumble and scramble all over her, nip at her ears and play with her tail as much as ever they liked.
"Isn't Tarlequin real good, mamma," said Alice one day, as she saw her pet frolicking with the two kittens, "to let poor Topsy help bring up her babies?" ”

“ Alice often wondered how their mother, Topsy, ever told them apart.
"Now," said the little girl, "you have grown to be such big pussies that it is time you learned to work. You must earn your dinner. What do you say to that?"
"Meow! meow!" said Tipkins. "Meow! meow!" said Trotkins. "Meow! meow!" said Tipkins and Trotkins together. Which seemed to mean, "That we will, little mistress; only show us how."
Alice took a tiny bit of meat in her fingers and let one of the kittens smell of it; then she said very slowly, "Now, pussy, roll over." ”

“ Yes, because without this friend Ethel would miss her cup of milk at breakfast and the golden butter for her bread.
Ethel gave the white star on the cow's forehead a gentle pat and, looking into her great dark eyes, she said, "Surely you are my friend, Bossy." But the fairy said, "Come on, little girl, there are many more friends to see." So Ethel visited all the friendly animals,—the sheep with their woolly coats, the pigs in their sty, the chickens, the ducks and the geese in the barnyard, the pigeons in their home on the roof, the great clever collie in his kennel ”

“ If you are not, all your beautiful things will vanish and you will be left alone just a poor little, ragged cinder-maid."
Cinderella promised to remember. She thanked the fairy and drove quickly away. At last she reached the big house where the Prince was giving the party. There was music and dancing in the great hall, but when Cinderella walked in, everybody stopped dancing and looked at her. They said, "What a pretty girl! Who is she? Where did she come from? She must be a princess to wear such wonderful clothes! She has on such a fine dress, she must surely be a princess!" ”

“ The little mouse ran to Smith and cried, "Smith, Smith, give me key, that I may give Barn key, that Barn may give me hay, that I may give Cow hay, that Cow may give me milk, that I may give Cat milk, that Cat may give back my little long tail again!" ”

“ Things were so much better at home than they used to be. The tailor never scolded now, the grandmother was more cheerful than of old, the baby was less fretful, the house was always tidy; and because the tailor had more time for his work, now that the brownies helped, he could make more coats and could get more money, and the boys did not go hungry to bed as they used to do; but there was always bread and milk enough, and a great bowlful to spare that they set each night for the brownie. ”

“ But the little frogs only wiped the tears from their little bulgy eyes with their little, flat, green hands and went on with their piping: "Oh-he'll-die! Oh-he'll-die! Oh-he'll-die!"
The great frogs only wiped the tears from their great bulgy eyes with their great, flat, green hands and went on with their croaking: "Oh-he'll-drown! Oh-he'll-drown! ”

“ The prison was dark and cold and still; for the gray stone walls and the stone roof and floor shut out the sunlight and all the beautiful sights and sounds of the world. There was no one for the man to talk to, and there was no work for him to do. ”

“ Nearly all of the purely original stories are based upon some of the more vital motifs to be found in the best of our fairy lore.
Of the favorite childhood stories, "Billy Bobtail" is evidently founded upon "The Bremen Town-Musicians"; and, as it is given here, it is an adaptation of a story heard frequently during the writer's childhood. It will readily be seen that "Kid Would Not Go" is only another form of "The Old Woman and Her Pig," and that "Fox Lox" is identical with the tale of "Chicken Little." "The Wee, Wee Woman" is supposedly an adaptation of the old English story of "Teeny Weeny." ”

“ REWRITTEN STORIES BILLY BOBTAIL KID WOULD NOT GO FOX LOX THE WEE, WEE WOMAN THE LITTLE LONG TAIL ADAPTED STORIES THE BROWNIES THE FAIRY SHOES PICCIOLA CINDERELLA THE HUT IN THE FOREST THE SLEEPING PRINCESS DUNNY. Once there were three children, three brothers, who played together in the sunshine about their father's door. Now the youngest of them all was not as large and strong as his brothers; and for that reason they often teased him, saying: "You are not as tall as we. You cannot run as fast. See! we can jump farther and swing higher than you." ”

“ I expect that she will catch a great many mice with those big feet of hers, when she grows to be a cat."
Alice turned one of the funny front paws over. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven," she counted. "Yes, there are just seven toes here, but look, papa, there are not so many on her hind feet. I wonder if she is hungry. May I feed her, mamma?"
Mamma brought some milk, and soon Topsy seemed to feel quite at home. She lapped the milk with her little red tongue, until there was not a drop of it left in the saucer. ”

“ Smarting with pain the girl turned toward her home. Her little feet moved wearily, and the empty pail hung loosely on her arm. That night she cried herself to sleep in mother's arms, but the pretty red sash was never worn by Alice, except sometimes in her dreams.
THE LOST COMB. One day while Lesa was picking flowers in the wood the beautiful golden comb that she always wore fell out of her hair and was lost. She searched and she searched, but she could not find it. At last she began to cry, and she cried and she cried. ”

“ In spite of the disappointment at the fairy's present the festivities went merrily on and, when the party was over and the fairy bade her god-daughter good-bye, she said: "My little present is not quite as shabby as it looks. Those shoes will never wear out and, besides, the little feet that have them on can never go wrong. ”

“ Tommy built up a blazing fire, and, while the kettle was boiling, swept the untidy floor, while Johnnie dusted, placed his grandmother's chair, got the cradle ready for the baby and spread the table. Just as everything was in order they heard their father's footstep on the stairs. "Run!" whispered Tommy, "or he will see us." So the boys scampered away to their bed in the loft and pretended to be fast asleep when their father called them to breakfast. ”

“ Staff will not beat kid.
Kid will not go.
See, by the moonlight, it is almost midnight.
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago."
But the cat would not.
I went along a little way farther and met a dog.
"Dog, dog, bite cat!
Cat will not catch rat.
Rat will not gnaw grease.
Grease will not grease rope.
Rope will not hang ox.
Ox will not drink water.
Water will not quench fire.
Fire will not burn hatchet.
Hatchet will not hack staff.
Staff will not beat kid.
Kid will not go. ”

“ Dunny knew what he was saying, and, gathering moss and clay from the bank of the pond, he carefully stopped all the holes and cracks in the basket. Then filling it with water to the very brim, he carried it safely home to his father and did not lose even a single drop. So the pony was given to him, and his brothers never called him Dunny again.
LUDWIG AND MARLEEN. "Help me out! Help me out, little Ludwig!" cried a great red fox, caught fast in a trap in the woods. "Help me out, and it shall be well with you!" Now Ludwig loved the wild creatures of the forest ”