1869. 



2^W ENGLAND FARMER. 



203 



loutl^s* Scpitrtmenl. 



From the Riverside Magazine. 

 "TELL ME A STOBY." 



A little girl laid her doll to sleep ; 

 Covered her open eyes from sight : 

 "M.y dolly must very quiet keep," 

 She said; "I'm playing that it's night." 



Then c^ose to her mother's side she came, 

 Sajing, Mniih pleading voice and look, — 

 "Tt 11 me a story, won't you, please ? 

 A story that isn't in any boot." 



The mother smiled, and her needle drew 



Slower a moment : "Let me see ;'' 



Then, backward and forward, through and through, 



The needle glanced : "What shall it be ?" 



"O let it be any thing, mother df ar I 

 Something very pretty and nice ; 

 Something I never have heard before; 

 Something short : you can tell it twice." 



The mother shook her head, and the smile 

 Broke In a merry laugh, "You ask 

 For 'any thing,' yet it seems," she said, 

 "You really set me quite a task." 



Did you ever hear of the charmed lake ? 

 The Jrozen duck, and the frozen drake ? 

 The frozen trees that grew by its side ? 

 The frozen king, and the waiting bride ? 



The little boy, who, living alone 

 In a little hut of dull gray stone, 

 StrolLd into the woods one summer day, 

 And met with a merry woodland fay. 

 Who all in a laughing whisper, spake 

 The hidden charm of the frozen lake ? 



How the little boy, with courage true, 

 Did whatsoever there was to do ; 

 Killed a great giant, a lion flew; 

 Twice seventeen riddles guessed or knew: 

 Long sought a fountain that rippled far; 

 Stole a stray beam from a fallen star ; 

 Mounted a ladder that reached the sky; 

 Seized an eagle that, hurrying by, 

 Carryed him close to the burning sun. 

 Where finding, at last, his 1 ibors done. 

 He dropped at once witd the burning key 

 Before the king on his bended knee ? 



Lo 1 V/ide flew the frozen portals wide: 

 •Arise 1' cried the king; 'uncharmed, the bride 

 Awaits the one from ley thrall 

 With the burning key has freed us all 1' 



Now happily long, in pomp and state,' 

 The brave boy lives with his Icvely mate. 

 For, once on a time, the merry king 

 Melted away to a bubbling spring; • 

 The glittering crown that graced his head, 

 By the little boy was worn instead." 



Into her mother's face with a sigh, — 

 A sifih of pleasure, not of pain, — 

 The little girl looked wiih kindling eye, 

 "Tell me the story once again I" 



THE TROUT, THE CAT, AND THE 

 FOX. 



A FABLE. 



A fine, full-grown trout had for some time kept 

 bis station in a clear stream ; when, one morning, 

 a cat, extravagantly fond of fish, as cats are wont 

 to be, caught a glimpse of hin?, as he glided from 

 beneath an overhanging part of the bank, toward 

 tae middle of the river; and with this glimpse, 

 she resolved to spare no pains to capture him. As 

 she sat on the bank waiting for the return of the 



fish, and laying a plan for her enterprise, a fox 

 came up, and, saluting her, said, "Your servant, 

 'Mrs. Puss, a pleasant place this for taking the 

 morning air; and a notable place for fish, eh!" 

 "Good-morning, Mr. Reynard,' replied the cat; 

 "the place is, as you say, pleasant enough. As 

 for fish, you c«n judge for yourself whether there 

 are any in this part of the river. I do not deny 

 that near the falls, about four miles from here, 

 some very tine salmon and other tish also are to 

 be found." At this moment, very inappositely 

 for the cat's hint, the trout made his appearance ; 

 and the fox, looking significantly at her, said, 

 "The falls, madam ! perhaps this fine trout is on 

 his way tnither. It may be that you would like 

 the walk ; allow me the pleasure of accompanying 

 you ?" "I thank you, sir," replied the cat, "but 

 I am not disposed to walk so far at present. In- 

 deed, I hardly know whether I am quite well; I 

 think I will rest myself a little, and then return 

 home." "Whatever you may determine," re- 

 joined the fox, "I hope to be permitted to enjoy 

 your society and conversation ; and possibly I 

 may have the great gratification of preventing the 

 tedium which, were you left alone, your indispo- 

 sition might produce." In speaking thus, the 

 crafty fox had no doubt that the only indisposi- 

 tion which the cat was suffering, was an unwilling- 

 ness to allow him a share of her booty ; and he 

 was determined that, so far as management could 

 go, she should catch no fish that day without his 

 being a party to the transaction. As the trout 

 still continued in sight, he began to commend his 

 shape and color ; and the cat, seeing no way of 

 getting rid of him, finally agreed that they should 

 jointly try their skill and divide the spoil. Upon 

 this compact, they both went actively to work. 



They agreed first to try the following de- 

 vice. A small knob of earth, covered with rushes, 

 stood in the water close to the bank. Both the 

 fishers were to crouch behind these rushes ; the 

 fox was to move the water very gently with the 

 end of his long brush, and withdraw it so soon as 

 the trout's attention should have been drawn to 

 that point ; and the cat was to hold her right paw 

 underneath, and be ready, so soon as the tish 

 should come over it, to throw him out on the 

 bank. No sooner was the execution of this de- 



vice commenced, than It seemed likely to succeed. 

 The trout soon noticed the movement on the 

 water, and glided quickly toward the point where 

 it was made; but when he had arrived within 

 about twice his own length of it, he stopped, and 



