“ He stood trembling in every limb, for he knew that the Giant of Loch Lein hunted in the wood for boys just as the boys hunted for game. Many a lad had been seized by the terrible creature, taken to his castle in the heart of the forest, and had never returned to his parents. [Pg 125]
"Who are you?" again roared the giant.
"I am the son of the King of Erin," replied the boy, trying to be brave.
"I have been waiting for you a long time," said the giant with a laugh that sounded like a thunder clap. "I have never eaten a real prince, although I have heard that their meat is very tender." ”

“ It was now the beginning of summer, and each day the sun blazed more fiercely. One morning the heat was so great that the stone-cutter could scarcely breathe, and he deter [Pg 4] mined he would stop at home till the evening. He was rather dull, for he had never learned how to amuse himself, and was peeping through the closed blinds to see what was going on in the street, when a little carriage passed by, drawn by servants dressed in blue and silver. In the carriage sat a prince, and over his head a golden umbrella was held, to protect him from the sun's rays. ”

“ He will stamp with his feet, but do not be frightened. When he scolds you, do not listen, but keep on creeping before him. What will happen, you will see later. Now we must go."
Princess Mary struck the ground with her small foot, the earth opened, and they went down into King Koshchey's underground kingdom. They came to the palace. It was built of precious stones and shone under the ground brighter than the earthly sun. Boldly the prince entered. King Koshchey sat upon his throne wearing a glittering crown, his eyes shone like emeralds. ”

“ The prince, to his utter surprise, saw that the stables were thatched with downy bird feathers, no two of them alike.
"You are a wonder," he said, grasping her hands in gratitude.
"Not at all," she replied. "How could the birds work for you while you stood there blowing that terrible whistle? ”

“ Yellow Lily tossed her curls and laughed merrily, saying: "Father has a soft bed for you in a deep tank; but do not worry, for I will help you."
They passed in silence through the stone gates of the Castle of Spikes. The great stone courts, balconies, and battlements were quite deserted. Yellow Lily took the prince into the kitchen, which was the largest one he had ever seen. The floor was made of white cobblestones, and a brass caldron boiled over the flames in the great fireplace. Yellow Lily hid the prince behind a curtain in one corner of the room. ”

“ Then she went on till she met the goat. "O, goat, goat of mine, have you seen this maid of mine, with my tig, with my tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned since I was a maid?"
The goat said: "Do you think I have nothing to do only watch your maids for you? You can go somewhere else and look for information."
Then she went on till she came to the lime-kiln. "O, lime-kiln, lime-kiln of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with my tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned since I was a maid?" ”

“ The prince would have liked to marry Yellow Lily, but the king said that he must choose a princess whose rank was equal to his own. In despair the prince told Glic to select him a wife soon or he would go roaming again and never return.
"I have found a suitable lady," said Glic. "Her father is the King of Loch Lein, the kingdom that is next to ours. Her father is powerful, her family is famous, her wealth cannot be counted, and she is as beautiful as the Queen of the Fairies." ”

“ But the little kids knew it was the wolf by the hoarse voice.
"We will not open the door," cried they; "you are not our mother, she has a delicate and sweet voice, and your voice is hoarse; you must be the wolf." ”

“ Then when Jack stopped his menagerie, the king took himself and the menagerie within the castle. He was washed and combed, and dressed in a suit of silk and satin, with all kinds of gold and silver ornaments, and then was led before the king's daughter. And true enough she confessed that a handsomer and finer fellow than Jack she had never seen, and she was very willing to be his wife.
Jack sent for his poor old mother and brought her to the wedding, which lasted nine days and nine nights, every night better than the other. All the lords and ladies and gentry of Ireland were at the wedding. ”

“ But he was not long dead, when an old hag came begging to the house one day and stole the long leather bag filled with gold and silver, and went away out of the country with it, no one knew where.
So from that day, the widow woman and her three daughters were poor, and she had a hard struggle to live and to bring up her three daughters.
But when they were grown up, the eldest said one day: "Mother, I'm a young woman now, and it's a shame for me to be here doing nothing to help you or myself. Bake me a bannock and cut me a callop, till I go away to push my fortune." ”

“ Then the king said, "There is nothing above my daughter; therefore he has made the highest jump that can be made: to do this, one must have a good mind and the Toy-goose has shown that he has a good mind. He has a mind of his own!" ”

“ So they became merry and talkative again until it was time for the giant to arrive. Then Yellow Lily went to her tower and the prince took his stand at the castle gate holding the crow's egg.
"You are certainly a magician!" gasped the giant when he saw the prince. "I cannot take your head, lest a worse fate befall me. Go home at once. Do not linger here a minute."
The prince wanted to bid farewell to Yellow Lily, but of course, that was impossible, so he hastened home as fast as he could.
When he reached the Palace of Erin, the king, the queen, old Glic, and all the court ran out to greet him. ”

“ The child who is brought up entirely on fact, loses the joys and fine feeling offered to him through the imagery of great minds. To deprive him of fairy tales, myths and legends as given through the medium of story-telling, is to keep from him a knowledge of the fairies, gods and heroes so frequently alluded to by authors and poets of the world's literature. ”

“ In a second Princess Mary, together with Prince Ivan and the steed, turned into a wild dark forest. In that forest there were numberless paths, and a horse with two riders seemed to gallop through it. Now the chase came by the fresh track to the forest. They saw the riders and ran after them. The forest reached as far as King Koshchey's underground kingdom. ”

“ What must not a poor old man have suffered in that severe weather and climate, whom I saw on a bleak common in Poland lying on the road helpless, shivering, and hardly having the wherewithal to cover his nakedness? ”

“ Remember whenever you are in need, to say three times: 'Knight Invisible, come to my help!'" The swan flew away as soon as it had finished speaking, and the prince looked after it, then continued his journey.
He crossed many high mountains, traversed deep rivers, passed foreign countries, and at last he came to a great desert, where there was nothing to see but sky and sand. No man lived there, no animal's voice was ever heard, no vegetable ever grew there ”

“ When people are too well off they always begin to long for something new. And so it came to pass, that the Bird while out one day, met a fellow-bird, to whom he told of the excellence of his household arrangements. But the other Bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton, who did all the hard work while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it. For, when the Mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest until it was [Pg 161] time to set the table. ”

“ Listening to stories from books is the natural approach to reading from books and is the first step toward the acquisition of culture," says one believer in story-telling. Another adds "What is more pleasing than an increasing acquaintance with stories of the imagination, for of fact we shall learn more, anon." ”

“ As soon as the lid was closed, Yellow Lily rushed to her father's side, seized the slumber-pin, [Pg 145] and threw it upon the floor. The giant gave a roar and fell sprawling upon the cobblestones.
"Who woke me up?" he growled, trying to gain his feet.
"I did, dear father," said the girl meekly. "You would have slept forever had I not pulled the slumber-pin from your grasp. It is very late."
"You are a good, trustworthy daughter," said the giant. "I will get you something pretty."
He went to the tank and commanded the prince to get out of his nice, soft bed. ”

“ This man is my bridegroom, sent to me by God, for he is your savior, and the real prince. And that one who calls himself a prince, is a traitor; a false and dishonest man." Then the princess told everything she knew and said: "Let him show some proof that he really is a prince."
The false prince gave to the king the note, which was given to him in the well. The king opened it and read aloud: "The bearer of this note, the false and untrue servant of [Pg 16] Prince Kindhearted, asks for pardon and expects a just punishment. The note was given to him in the well by Prince Kindhearted." ”

“ Do not worry if they come to the capital. To-morrow morning not one enemy will be left in your land." In the evening he went out of the palace, called his servant and said to him: "Listen, my dear! Go out to the city walls, drive away the foreign troops, and for this service I will return to you your note, by which you denied your kingdom and swore to be my servant."
The honest Prince Kindhearted put on his knightly armor, mounted his steed, went out to the city walls and called in a loud voice: "Knight Invisible! ”

“ One ran under the table, the second got into the bed, the third into the oven, [Pg 85] the fourth in the kitchen, the fifth in the cupboard, the sixth under the sink, and the seventh in the clock-case. But the wolf found them all, and gave them short shrift; one after the other he swallowed down, all but the youngest, who was hid in the clock-case. And so the wolf, having got what he wanted, strolled forth into the green meadows, and laying himself down under a tree, he fell asleep.
Not long after, the mother goat came back from the wood; and oh! what a sight met her eyes! ”

“ After hearing what the hare said, the lion went to the foot of the vilva tree, and saw the spot where the hare had been lying beneath the shade of the palm tree, and the ripe vilva fruit that fell on the palm leaf, and having carefully ascertained that the earth had not broken up, he placed the hare on his back and with the speed of a lion soon came again to the herd of beasts. ”

“ Birds would be as good friends to people as dogs are, if people did not frighten them so. But say no more. I hear father drinking at the spring two miles away, and he will be here in four minutes."
She drew her skirts closely about her and with a sweet smile hastened into the castle. [Pg 148]
"Who thatched that roof?" shouted the giant as soon as he arrived.
"My own strength did it," said the prince humbly, feeling that he had not told a falsehood, for Yellow Lily was even more than strength to him. ”

“ And she told a tale, which made the feathers of the other hens stand on end, and the cock's comb fall down flat. It is quite true!
But we will begin at the beginning; and that took place in a poultry-yard in another part of the town. The sun went down, and the fowls jumped up on their perch to roost. There was a Hen, with white feathers and short legs, who laid eggs regularly and was a respectable hen in every way; as she flew up on to the roost she pecked herself with her beak, and a little feather fell from her.
"There it goes!" said she; "the more I peck myself the handsomer I grow!" ”

“ The Toy-goose said nothing; and people thought it was because he knew all the more; the house-dog sniffed at him with his nose, and assured them the Toy-goose was of good family. The old councilor, who had three orders given him for holding his tongue, said that the Toy-goose was a prophet; for one could see on his back if there would be a severe or mild winter, and that was more than [Pg 121] one could see on the back of the man who writes the almanacs. ”