Page:Stories and story-telling (1915).djvu/241

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cloak; and so he sat on the top of the Wishing-Gate till the South Wind brought him home, and never knew it. Ugh! Bah!" And away went the fairy godmother up the chimney in such deep disgust that she did not even stop for her mouse-skin cloak.

Louise E. Chollet


THE GOLDEN PEARS

There was once a poor peasant of Bürs who had nothing in the world but three sons, and a pear-tree that grew in front of his cottage. But the pears were very fine, and the Kaiser was fond of the fruit, so he said to his sons, one day, that he would send the Kaiser a basket as a present. "Perhaps," said he, "if the fruit please him he may help me and mine."

He plaited a krattle, or basket, and lined it with fresh leaves. Then he gathered the finest pears from the tree, large ones as yellow as gold, and laid them on the green leaves.

"Take these to the Kaiser," said he to his eldest son, "and see that thou dost not let anyone rob thee of them by the way."

"Leave that to me, father," said the boy, "I know how to take care of my own. It isn't much anyone will get out of me by asking. I'll have my answer, I can tell you." So he closed up the mouth