Parker Hoysted Fillmore

“ LONGSHANKS, GIRTH, AND KEEN
THE STORY OF THREE WONDERFUL SERVING MEN
LONGSHANKS, GIRTH, AND KEEN
THERE was once an aged king who had an only son. One day he called the prince to him and said: “My dear son, you know that ripe fruit falls in order to make room for other fruit. This my old head is like ripe fruit and soon the sun will no longer shine upon it. Now before I die I should like to see you happily married. Get you a wife, my son.” ”

“ Two hundred miles from here is a mountain, in the mountain is a rock, in the rock a precious stone. That stone is the princess. If Longshanks will carry me over there we’ll get her.”
Longshanks put Keen on his shoulder, stretched himself out until he was able to go twenty miles at a stride, and off he went. Keen fixed his glowing eyes on the mountain and the mountain crumbled. Then the rock that was inside the mountain broke into a thousand pieces and there was the precious stone glittering among the pieces.
They picked it up and carried it back to the prince. ”

“ In a short time he filled the whole plain until it looked as though a mountain had fallen upon it.
When the plain was entirely covered, he stopped expanding, heaved a deep breath that shook the forest trees, and returned to his natural size.
“You made me run for my life!” the prince said. “I tell you I don’t meet a fellow like you every day! By all means join me.”
They went across the plain and as they neared the rocks they met a man whose eyes were bandaged with a handkerchief.
“Master,” said Longshanks, “there is my other comrade. ”