No More Learning

Just before the party broke up, and they went
away, the bear proposed that they should sit
down and chat awhile. Then he suggested that
they should form a sort of a club, and have a
meeting every week in the old woods. He said
his sister would learn how to play some new
pieces, especially dance music, and he thought
they could have a fine time together. This they
all thought would be great fun, and so they de-
cided to meet each Tuesday at five o'clock for
a good old frolic.
The Monks' Victory.
The pale moon never shed her light nor the
stars never twinkled over a more sorrowful spot
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? 200 The Monks' Victory.
than the little village of Thimble Top. Every-
thing was once so bright and liappy, and care
and trouble were strangers, but now they had
come among the villagers as most unwelcome
guests, and there they seemed to mean to
Btay.
The trouble was caused by Diddle Dee, a
wicked, merciless tyrant, who captured little
children, and put them to cruel tortures. He
lived in a mighty castle, so strongly barred and
bolted that no one could enter. There was
scarcely a house in the village but had suffered
from the ravages of this dreadful Diddle Dee.
Mothers, who thought they watched their little
ones most carefully, turned their backs but for
an instant, and the child was gone -- and not a
trace could be four>>d of the thief or the captive.
How hei bore the child off to his castle without
being seen by a soul, was a mystery no one
could solve. Matters kept growing worse and
worse, and no help could be found.
But one day two pious monks visited the vil-
lage on a pilgrimage. As they rode through the
streets, news of the sad goings on reached their
ears and filled their hearts with deep sorrow.
They were wise, as they were good, and the;^
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? The Monks' Victory. 201
went straiglit to work to find some way out of
tlie difficulty.
"We will go boldly to Diddle Dee/' said one
of the monks, "and see if our sacred calling will
not have some weight with him. "
I^ow it happened that Diddle Dee dreaded
nothing so much as the ill will of these holy
men, so when they rode up to the castle, he re-
ceived them very graciously. The two monks
dismounted, tied their beasts to a couple of trees,
and entered the house of Diddle Dee. In the
room into which he led them burned a bright
fire, and over the fire swung an enormous kettle
filled with water.
"A boiling pot for the helpless little ones,"
thought one of the fathers, "but it has served its
day for that use -- only one more victim shall
ever fill it, and that is Diddle Dee himself. "
With that he laid hold of the wicked fellow,
and with the aid of his brother monk, plunged
him into the pot.
The water was hot, and Diddle Dee screamed
for mercy, but the monks paid no heed to him
until he was scared almost to death.
^^lSTow," said the monk who had seized him,
"are you willing to promise to leave this country
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? 202 The Monks' Victory.
and your wicked work forever? We will take
you to a place where you can do much good,
and perhaps blot out some of your wicked past. "
Diddle Dee v/as only too glad to promise any-
thing, and when he was lifted out of the pot,
stood before the fathers a humbled and sadder
man.
The monks tied Diddle Dee to his own iron
bed, for they had no wish to lose their prize.
Then they locked around to see what they could
find. Quantities of good things filled the larder,
and they soon had the air heavy with the de-
licious odor of cooking food. When all was
finished, one of the monks rode to the village to
tell the anxious villagers of their victory, and to
bid them celebrate the event with them in feast-
ing. The feast which the monks had prepared
was truly wonderful and surpassed anything that
had ever been held in the village before. It
was indeed an occasion for great joy, since now
the village was free from the ravages of this
teiTible creature, whose evil deeds had made life
almost a burden, especially to those who had
little ones in their families; therefore it is not
surprising that the monks found people so ready
to accept their invitations. Everybody came,
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? The Brownies' Kind Deed. 203
old and young, and the place was crowded.
Speeches were made, thanks were offered, and
cheer after cheer went up for the brave, good
monks. Happiness once more reigned in the
village, and Diddle Dee found that good deeds
brought more satisfaction than cruelties. This
was a great victory, and the people never forgot
the kindness of the monks.
The Brownies' Kind Deed.
Little Peter, one of the Brownies, had
perched himself on the trunk of a fallen tree to
think. His tiny, round face did not wear its
usual smile, and his bright, black eyes had a
worried look. Young Toby Tumble, passing
through the wood<5, saw
his little friend, Peter,
and scrambled up along-
side of him. "You look
blue, little Peter," said
he, ^^lave things gone
wrong with you? Tell
me what the matter is,
and maybe I can help
you. "
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? 204 The Brownies' Kind Deed.
"You are very kind,'^ said little Peter, ''but it
is not about myself I feel so grieved, but about
the Widow Good and her two little children. To-
morrow is Christmas, you know, and I heard her
say that she had nothing for them, so there is no
prospect of a good time at the Good cottage. "
Toby Tumble was looking grave himself by
this time, and he sat with his face buried in his
tiny hands. "I have it,'' said he, "they'll do it,
I'm sure," and he clapped his hands in glee.
*'Do what? " said Peter. "Help us, to be sure.
"We will call all the Brownies together, tell them
all about the matter, and I am sure that neither
Widow Good or her little ones will want for
anything to make up a Christmas dinner. "
^o time was to be lost in carrying out their
plans, and so they hastened out to find their
comrades. Of course the good Brownies were
all glad to help them, for they delight to help
good people.
Their first movement was to borrow a large
basket from Greengoods, the grocer. The
Brownies had no money, so they decided to fill
the basket from the shop, and pay the master in
work, for Brownies, you know, are very clever
creatures, and can turn a hand at anything. The
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? 2o6 The Brownies' Kind Deed.
little fellows could scarcely move the basket
when filled, but all worked together, and by and
by they had it mounted on sticks, and then, ^Ye
or six on a side, they bore it along very com-
fortably.
How proud they felt as they looked at this
well-filled basket! As they went along, they
could see peeping from the covering of the
basket, links of sausage, a fish, and the black
feet of the big turkey that was to be such a treat
to the children on the morrow.
They were very tired when they reached tho
widow's house, so they sat down to rest until
morning. When light came, and all the busy
little fellows had hidden themselves where they
could see and not be seen, Toby Tumble knocked
at the door. He had only just time to run out
of sight himself, when the "vvidow opened it.
The Brownies had worked hard, but they felt
fully rewarded when they saw the joy and happi-
ness on the poor woman's face, and they decided
that they would remember her again the next
year, and that they would fully repay the grocer
for all his goods, and would do it so quickly and
thoroughly that he would never miss them.
You may be sure the widow was very happy
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? A Pair of Pets. itoj
wherL she unpacked that basket, and found all
the good things, for she felt that now she could
give her children a little pleasure on Christmas
day. She could not imagine who it could be
that had remembered her and her little ones,
but her little son Kob said he was sure it was
the Brownies.
A Pair of Pets.
BR0W^^ Peggy, the horse, did not like the
strange yelping and squealing that disturbed her
rest. It seemed to come from right beneath the
feed box, and she feared to move, lest she should
tread on the cause of all the noise, for she knew
by the sound that it was alive. The stable was
too dark to see, and she had to wait until Michael
came and threw open the great doors. Then
Peggy stepped back in her stall, and looking
down, she saw, huddled close together, four of
the cutest little brown puppies you ever saw.
They twisted around and around, and rolled over
each other in the most restless manner.
When Michael came with Peggy's breakfast,
he too heard the queer noise, and looking over
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? 2o8 A Pair of Pets.
the feed box, he spied the little strangers. "Well,
if you are not about as cute and cunning as any-
thing I ever saw/' said he. "I shall keep one of
you little chaps, and I think it will be you, old
fellow, for I like your snowy nose. " So spoke
Michael, as he leaned over and picked up one
of the tiny puppies, the tip of whose nose was
snowy white.
Michael had some little brothers and sisters at
home, and so one day, when the puppies were
old enough to leave their mother, and he was
ready for his homeward walk, he remembered
the little white nosed pup, and thought how
much the children would enjoy playing with it,
so puppy was tucked away in Michael's pocket
and taken to l\is new quarters, where his happy
new life began. The children were delighted
with their new playmate, and did all in their
power to make him welcome.
They had another pet, that had held full swa;y
before the puppy came, and that was a little red
pig. He was always a very tiny pig, and had
grown so little that he still looked like a baby
pig, although many months had gone by sinc^
his entrance into the world.
Piggy did not like the idea of a rival, ancj
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? Jack, the Giant of the Sea. 209
behaved very cross and ugly, but the children,
scolded him, and talked to him, and by and by,
when he had gotten over his pouting, he visited
the little dog, and before very long they were
the best friends in the world.
Jack, the Giant of the Sea.
Many, many years ago there lived a great and
powerful giant, whose name was Jack. He was
as tall as some of the houses in the village where
he made his home, and so strong and powerful
that the earth trembled when he walked. His
cane was the trunk of a tree which he had torn
up by the roots and stripped of its branches. Do
you wonder the people trembled with fear even
at his name? His home was not built of wood
or bricks, like ours. He lived in a cave down by
the sea, and against this cave the waves beat daj'
and night. Old Jack loved to hear them surge
against his rocky home, and he would chuckle
with delight when a heavy storm sent the break-
ers dashing over his cave. "Ha, ha! " roared he,
"more fun for old Jack. The fishermen will
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? 2IO Jack, the Giant of the Sea.
think that the fury of the waves carried off their
nets, but this old chap knows better; he knows
who stole their nets full of fish and carried them
home on his back. It was old Jack. Ha, ha, ha! ''
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? Jack, the Giant of the Sea. 211
By and by this old giant grew so wicked that
he would watch from the door of his cave until
he saw the fishing boats near the shore. Then
into the water he would plunge, and boldly grab
a net filled with the labor of a long, hard night,
throw it over his back, and bear it to his cave,
and the poor fishermen could do nothing but
work bravely to save their own lives.
The fishermen suffered from the bold, bad
deeds of this mcked Jack, but they were not the
only ones. "Fish is good food," said Jack, ^'but
sometimes I relish a good fat ox. " Then it was
that he would leave his cave, and with his long,
powerful strides hasten to the fields where the
cattle were grazing. It took him no time to
throw an ox over his shoulder and bear it away
to his cave. When he wanted a change, he
would pick up a sheep and bear it home in one
hand. One day Jack made up his mind to go
fishing. "A fine fish I'll have for my supper,"
said he. A tall sappling served him for a pole,
and a rope that had been tied to a cow he had
stolen the night before answered for a line, and
he made his hook from a huge bolt, bending i-
into shape with his strong fingers. He 50ci#
pulled in a large salmon, and threw out his lin^
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? 212 Jack, the Giant of the Sea.
for another trial. Presently he felt something
pull on the line. He had never before felt such
^ tug, and he felt that whatever there was at the
pther end of the line, it was pulling him more
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? Jack, the Giant of the Sea,
213
strongly than he could pull it. Before he could
save himself, a huge sea monster rose above the
^J
1 . ^^. C' ^
ri? ^
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? 214 A Thanksgiving Tale.
surface of tlie water, and jerked him from the
rock, and drew him out faster and faster into the
sea. The people of the village rushed to the
shore, and cheered long and loud when they
saw Jack in such a sorry plight. They never
saw him again, for the waves and the monster
bore him away farther and still farther, until at
last he was lost to sight. If he did not drown,
we hope he learned to be a better giant
A Thanksgiving Tale.
Old UjS-cle ISTathan Howe and his wife
Debby lived in a tiny farm house, painted white.
The shutters were green, and in summer a rose
climbed up the sides of the house, almost cover-
ing this little dwelling place with its leaves and
dark red roses. People driving by leaned from
their carriages to take a peep at Uncle Xathan's
cottage, and they smiled, as though pleased with
the sight that had rewarded their efforts.
But now the bloom had left the rose, and the
leaves had fallen one by one, until only a few
yellow stragglers lingered.
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? A Thanksgiving Tale. 215
Uncle Nathan and Aunt Debby, as everybody
called them, lived all alone in their tiny white
house, for they had neither kith nor kin to share
it with them. Thanksgiving Day was drawing
near, and Aunt Debby was busy making pump-
kin pies, and plum pudding, frying doughnuts,
and revelling in cooking to her heart's content.
"Such a pile of stuff," thought she, "for two old
people to get rid of. Of course I shall send
some to the minister, and some to Dr. Brown,
but then there will be enough left to feed a big
family. " And this last idea set Aunt Debby to
thinking harder than ever.
When Uncle Nathan came in to his dinner,
he found his good wife with a very thoughtful
face.
"How does the poultry look, Nathan? " said
she. Uncle Nathan smiled at the question, for
the poultry fell to his care, and Aunt Debby
never bothered about it.
"What is in the air now, old wife? " said he,
somewhat surprised.
"Answer my question, and I'll tell you," she
replied.
Now was Uncle Nathan's turn to look grave.
"They are looJdn' poorly, Debby," said he,
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? 2i6 A Thanksgiving Tale.
"poorer than I ever saw 'em lookin' afore. But
there is a prime young gobbler and a duck or
two, as pretty as you'd want to see. "
'Now I'll tell you a secret. These wise fowls
had determined not to be the victims of Uncle
! N^athan's axe, and furnish somebody's Thanks-
giving dinner, so they had gone without the food
Uncle Nathan scattered for them for so long
that now they were the weakest, sickest, most
miserable looking things you could imagine.
But there was a wilful young turkey and a pair
of silly ducks, who said they had no fear of the
axe, and could keep away from it.
"That's plenty," said Aunt Debby, when she
had heard of the gobbler and two ducks. "ISTow
I'll tell you my plans. I've cooked more than
enough for us two, Xathan, and I want to ask
the Widow Love and her six children here to
Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner will do them
all good, and I calculate we will get enough
happiness out of it to last us a week.
"And my three best fowls are for poor Widow
Love and her sLx youngsters, hey? Well, I call
that a pretty good disposal to make of them,
old wife, and I guess if you can make enough
pies and puddings and cakes to fill 'em up, I
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? Fiddle-Cum-Fee . 217
can do my part with the poultry and garden
stuff. "
And so the thing was settled, and when milk-
ing was done that night, Uncle l^athan and Aunt
Debby stepped across to the widow's, to ask if
they were willing to come. To be sure they
were, and there never was a more joyful Thanks-
giving than this. They all ate till they could
hardly move, and went home tired and sleepy,
but very happy.
Fiddle-Cum-Fee.
A LONG, long time ago there was a little vil-
lage called Harmony. It lay between two tall
mountains that sheltered it from the storms and
tempests that swept over the neighboring towns.
A beautiful stream flowed into the valley below,
watering the earth and causing it to be very
fertile. The grass grew very green and beautiful
in this tiny village, and the fruit and flowers
were larger and more abundant than anywhere
around. The people loved their homes, and
spared no pains or time in making them as beau-
tiful as they possibly could.
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? 2l8
Fiddle-Cum-Fee,
But one day sorrow came to the village. Old
Fiddle-Cum-Fee had heard of the beauties of
the village of Harmony, and had left his home
some hundred miles away to visit this much-
talked-of place. Fiddle-Cum-Fee was a great
and powerful giant, feared and dreaded by all
who heard of him. He started off one morning
bright and early, so as to reach the village while
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? Fiddle-Cum-Fee. 219
tHe day was yet young, and lie could do tliis
easily, for lie wore shoes that carried him many
miles at a single stride. Most of the villagers
were seated at their tables, quietly enjoying their
morning meal, when, all of a sudden, the tables
commenced to rock, plates jumped up and down,
cups danced in the saucers, and even the houses
seemed to tremble and shake. The people looked
at each other in silence, feeling sure that an
earth-quake had come to destroy their little vil-
lage, and perhaps bring death to many of them.
Then they all rushed to their doors, and looked
out, and then hastened out of doors, and were
terrified to see the terrible giant coming through
the street. It was his great weight that was
shaking the village, and his mighty laugh, when
he saw the fear and wonder of the people,
sounded like a great clap of thunder, *'Good
people," said he, as he halted in the center of
the town, "I am Fiddle-Cum-Fee; use me well,
and I will be your friend, but use me badly, and
you will see how Fiddle-Cum-Fee can repay your
bad treatment. I am tired of my mountain
home, and need a change. Your village seems
to suit my purpose, so I am come to dwell among
you until such time as it seems best to me to go
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? 220 Fiddle- Cum- Fee.
away. I have had nothing to eat as yet this
morning, so bring on your very best meat, your
whitest bread, your choicest fowl and finest fruit,
and I will give you a show of a fine healthy
appetite. If some one will play sweet music,
the time will pass more pleasantly/' Almost
paralyzed mth fear, the people hurried away to
do his bidding, while Fiddle-Cum-Fee seated
himself under an apple tree, for no house could
possibly hold him. It seemed as though the ter-
rible monster would never get enough, and all
were kept busy satisfying his demands. Break-
fast over, Fiddle-Cum-Fee wandered back to the
mountain side to take a nap, for he felt smoth-
ered in the little village. When he was gone,
the people put their heads together, and tried to
think of some way in which they could get rid
of him, for they kncAV that they could never
supply his w^ants. Plan after plan was suggested
and discussed, and at last they decided to cook
him a great kettle full of soup. Their idea was
to prepare a fine lot of soup, place in it a drug,
the fumes of which would overpower him as he
leaned over to eat. When he became drowsy,
they intended to pitch him over into the soup,
and scald him to death. Then they w^ould put
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? Fiddle-Cum-Fee.
221
him on a raft, and set him adrift on the stream,
letting the current bear him off to sea. Some
of the kinder-hearted people could not bear to
do this cruel act, even to so great an enemy, and
so thej finally persuaded the rest to rig up a
monstrous balloon, and when he was drowsy
from the effects of the drug, they fastened him
in a basket and sent him up. Higher and higher
the balloon rose, until, finally, it was lost to
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? 222 The Back Yard Party.
sight Then suddenly they saw it appear again,
and they saw it coming nearer and nearer to
the earth. They were greatly frightened for
fear it would drop on the land, but a favoring
breeze bore it out to sea, and presently it sunk,
never to be seen again.
The Back Yard Party.
Mrs. Mouse laid down her pen and breathed
a sigh of relief. She had been busily at work
getting out invitations for a grand garden party
in the back yard, and now she had finished. The
field mice, the mice at the bam and wagon house,
and of course the house mice, all were invited.
Mrs. Mouse hoped that everything might be
pleasant. The mice at the house were rather in-
clined to hold themselves a little above the field
mice, why she could not tell, for she was quite
sure one family was as good as the other, and
she had no wish to slight either.
Mrs. Mouse felt all of a flutter when the night
of the party arrived. She had allowed her four
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? The Back Yard Party. 223
little daughters to stay up for a while and see
part of the fun, if they would promise to be
good. Very nice and proper they looked stand-
ing side by side with their little arms folded.
The first to arrive was the mouse who lived in
the parlor cup-board. She was very grand in-
deed in her high-topped bonnet. Grandmother
Skipper and her yoimgest grandchild came next,
and after them came Lady ISTewly-^Ved and her
husband. On they came, one after the other,
until quite a large, merry crowd had gathered
in the back yard.