TOM THUMB [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration] THE HISTORY OF TOM THUMB _AND OTHER STORIES_ [Illustration] _Profusely Illustrated_ THE HISTORY OF TOM THUMB In the days of King Arthur, Merlin, the famous enchanter, was out on ajourney, and stopped one day at the cottage of an honest ploughman toask for refreshment. The ploughman's wife brought him some milk in awooden bowl, and some brown bread on a wooden platter. Merlin could not help observing that, although everything within thecottage was particularly neat and in good order, the ploughman andhis wife had the most sorrowful air, so he questioned them about thecause of their distress, and learned that they were miserable becausethey had no children. The poor woman declared that she would be thehappiest creature in the world if she had but a son, although he wereno bigger than his father's thumb. Merlin was very much amused at thethought of a boy no bigger than a man's thumb; and as soon as hereturned home he sent for the Queen of the Fairies and related to herthe desire of the ploughman and his wife to have a son the size of hisfather's thumb. [Illustration] The Queen of the Fairies promised that their wish should be granted. And so it happened one day that the ploughman's wife had a sonexactly of the size of his father's thumb. While the mother wassitting up in bed, admiring the child, the Queen of the Fairiesappeared, and kissed the infant, giving it the name of Tom Thumb, andsummoned several fairies to clothe her little favorite. Tom never grew any bigger; but, as he grew older, he became verycunning and sly, which his mother did not sufficiently correct himfor; so that, when he was old enough to play with the boys forcherry-stones, and had lost all his own, he used to creep into theother boys' bags, fill his pockets, and come out again to play. Butone day, as he was getting out of a bag of cherry-stones, the boy towhom it belonged chanced to see him. [Illustration] "Ah, ah! my little Tom Thumb, " said the boy, "have I caught you atyour bad tricks at last? Now I will pay you off well for thieving. " Then drawing the string tight round his neck, and shaking the bagheartily, the cherry stones bruised Tom's limbs and body sadly, whichmade him beg to be let out, and promise never to be guilty of suchdoings any more. Shortly afterwards Tom's mother was making a batter pudding, and, thathe might see how she mixed it, he climbed up to the edge of the bowl, but his foot happening to slip he fell over head and ears into thebatter, and his mother not observing him, stirred him into the puddingand popped it all into the pot to boil. The hot water made Tom kickand struggle; and his mother, seeing the pudding jump up and down, thought it was bewitched. A tinker was going by just at the time, soshe gave him the pudding, and he put it into his budget and walkedaway. As soon as Tom could get the batter out of his mouth he began tocry aloud; this so frightened the poor tinker that he flung thepudding over the hedge. The pudding being broken by the fall Tom wasreleased, and walked home to his mother, who gave him a kiss and puthim to bed. Tom Thumb's mother once took him with her when she went to milk thecow; it being a very windy day, she tied him with a needleful ofthread to a thistle. The cow, liking his oak-leaf hat, took him andthe thistle up at one mouthful. While the cow was chewing the thistle, Tom, terrified at her great teeth, cried out, "Mother! mother!" [Illustration] "Where are you, Tommy, my dear Tommy?" said the mother. "Here, mother; here in the red cow's mouth. " The mother began to cry and wring her hands; but the cow, surprised atsuch odd noises in her throat, opened her mouth and let him drop out. His mother clapped him into her apron and ran home with him. [Illustration] Tom's father made him a whip of barley-straw to drive the cattle with, and one day in the field Tom slipped into a deep furrow. A ravenflying over picked him up with a grain of corn, and flew with him tothe top of the giant's castle by the seaside, where he left him. OldGrumbo, the giant, came out soon afterwards, to walk upon his terrace, and Tom, frightened out of his wits, managed to creep up his sleeve. Tom's motions made the giant uncomfortable, and with a jerk of hisarm, he threw him into the sea. A great fish then swallowed him. Thefish was soon after caught, and sent as a present to King Arthur. Whenit was cut open, everybody was delighted with little Tom Thumb, whowas found inside. He became the favorite of the whole court, and byhis merry pranks often amused the King and Queen. [Illustration] The King, when he rode on horseback, frequently took Tom in his hand;and if a shower of rain came on, the tiny dwarf used to creep into theKing's waistcoat pocket and sleep till the rain was over. The King nowquestioned him concerning his parents; and when Tom informed hismajesty they were very poor people, the King led him into histreasury, and told him he should pay them a visit and take with himas much money as he could carry. [Illustration] Tom soon got rested at his mother's house, but could not travelbecause it had rained; his mother therefore took him in her hand andcarried him back to King Arthur's court. There Tom entertained theKing and Queen and nobility at tilts and tournaments, at which heexerted himself so much that he brought on a fit of sickness. At thisjuncture the Queen of the Fairies came in a chariot drawn by flyingmice, and placing Tom by her side she drove through the air till theyarrived at her palace. After restoring him to health, the Queencommanded a fair wind, and, placing Tom before it, blew him straightback to the court of King Arthur. But just as Tom should have alightedin the courtyard, the cook happened to pass with the King's greatbowl of his favorite dish, furmenty, and poor Tom fell plump into themiddle of it, and splashed the hot furmenty into the cook's eyes. Downwent the bowl. "Oh, dear, " cried Tom. "Murder! murder!" bellowed thecook; and away ran the King's nice furmenty into the kennel. The cookwas a cross fellow and swore to the King that Tom had done it out ofsome evil design; so he was tried for high treason and sentenced to bebeheaded. When the judge delivered this dreadful sentence it happenedthat a miller was standing by with his mouth wide open, so Tom took agood spring and jumped down his throat, unperceived by all, even bythe miller himself. As Tom could not be found the court broke up, andaway went the miller to his mill. But Tom did not leave him long atrest, he began to roll and tumble about, so that the miller thoughthimself bewitched, and sent for a doctor. When the doctor came, Tombegan to dance and sing. The doctor was as much frightened as themiller, and sent in great haste for five more doctors. [Illustration] While all these were talking the miller began to yawn, and Tom, takingthe opportunity, made another bold jump and alighted on his feet inthe middle of the table. The miller, provoked to be thus tormented bysuch a little creature, caught hold of Tom and threw him out of thewindow into the river. A large salmon swimming by snapped him up in amoment. The salmon was soon caught and sold in the market to the steward of agreat lord. The grandee, thinking it an uncommonly fine fish, made apresent of it to the King, who ordered it to be dressed immediately. When the cook cut open the salmon he found poor Tom inside, and ranwith him directly to the King; but the King being busy, desired thathe might be brought another day. [Illustration] The cook was resolved to keep him safely this time, so clapped himinto a mouse-trap. There he was shut up for a whole week, when theKing sent for him, forgave him for throwing down the furmenty, andordered him new clothes, gave him a spirited mouse for a hunter, andknighted him. Thus dressed and mounted, he rode a hunting with the King andnobility. [Illustration] As they were riding by a farmhouse one day, a cat jumped from behindthe door, seized the mouse and little Tom, ran off with them both, and was just going to devour the mouse when Tom boldly drew his swordand attacked the cat with great spirit. The King and his nobles, seeing Tom in danger, went to his assistance, and one of the lordsbravely saved him just in time, but poor Tom was sadly scratched bythe claws of the cat. [Illustration: LICE. ] The Queen of the Fairies came and took him again to Fairyland, whereshe kept him some years; after which, dressing him in bright green, she sent him flying once more through the air to the earth. KingThunstone now reigned in the place of King Arthur. The people flockedfar and near to look at Tom Thumb, and the King, before whom he wascarried, asked him who he was and where he lived. Tom answered: "My name is Tom Thumb, From the fairies I come; When King Arthur shone, This court was my home. In me he delighted, By him I was knighted. Did you ever hear of Sir Thomas Thumb?" The King was so charmed with this address that he ordered a littlechair to be made, and also a palace of gold a span high, with a dooran inch wide, for little Tom to live in. He also gave him a coach, drawn by six small mice. This made the Queen angry, because she hadnot a new coach too; therefore, resolving to ruin Tom, she complainedto the King that he had behaved very insolently to her. The King sentfor him in a rage. Tom, to escape his fury, crept into a large, empty snail-shell, and there lay for some time, when, peeping out ofthe shell, he saw a fine butterfly on the ground. He ventured forthand got astride the butterfly, which took wing, and mounted into theair with little Tom on his back. Away he flew straight to the King'scourt. [Illustration: THE WOOD-CUTTER'S DAUGHTER. ] The King, Queen, and nobles all strove to catch the butterfly. Atlength poor Tom slipped from his seat, and fell into a sweet dishcalled white-pot, where he was found, almost drowned. The Queen vowedhe should be punished, and he was secured once more in a mouse-trap, when the cat, seeing something stir, and supposing it to be a mouse, patted the trap about till she broke it and set Tom at liberty. [Illustration] Soon afterwards a spider, taking poor Tom for a big fly, made aspring at him. Tom drew his sword and fought valiantly, but thespider's poisonous breath overcame him. King Thunstone and his whole court went into mourning for little TomThumb. They buried him under a rose-bush, and raised a nice, whitemarble monument over his grave. [Illustration] THE LION AND THE FOX There was once a fox who had never seen a lion; and so, when he saw alion for the first time, this fox was so scared that he did not knowwhat to do. The lion did him no harm: and the fox crept off out of the way, andran to his hole, and there hid. He stayed in his hole a long while, until he found he must go in search of food, and then he crept out. [Illustration] Ella and May are the girls you see on this page. Ella is older thanMay, and can read, but May cannot. But Ella is kind, and will read to May a long time, if May will do asshe is bid, and sit still on her lap. And Ella will show May how to read herself. [Illustration] In a country called Holland, storks are very kindly treated, for somany frogs live in the marshes there, that if the storks did not eatthem, the people would hardly know what to do. The storks are veryclever at catching the poor froggies; they snatch them up in theirlong bills, and go flying off, with their great wings spread and theirlong legs stretched out behind them, carrying off two or three atonce. CATCHING BLACKBIRDS. Two little boys were running through the meadows as hard as they couldgo. "What are you doing there?" said a man who was passing along. [Illustration] "Catching blackbirds?" said Willie. "Have you caught any?" said theman. "No, not yet, " said Willie. "But grandpa is going to give me fivedollars when I catch one. He wants one. " Willie's grandpa did happen to say to him that morning, "You catch mea blackbird, and I will give you five dollars. " He said it just out offun. He did not think that Willie would ever try to do it. [Illustration] THE DOG. Do you see the dog and the hen? The dog bit the hen, and she was mad. My dog bit a fox on the hip. One day the fox bit the dog on the lipand ran off. Tom and I had a gun, and we set off to get the fox; butthe sun was so hot we did not go far, but sat on the hay, and had fun. A LETTER TO FRANK. [Illustration] DEAR FRANK, --One day a rabbit came out of the woods to see if he couldfind any clover. Some boys saw him, and tried to catch him. He ranunder the barn; then came out, sprang through the fence, and so gotclear. [Illustration] I will tell you of a smart thing that my red cow does. When she goesfor a drink and finds the trough empty, she takes hold of the handlewith her horns, and pumps the water. While I was waiting for a train at the station, the other day, a boywith a little dog came in to wait also. The poor dog was afraid, andtried very hard to get away; but the boy held him fast by a stoutstring. [Illustration] There is one very selfish little chicken in my barn. When the otherchickens are just going to sleep, this selfish little chick pecksthem, and drives them down from the roost. He is very naughty, andwants the roost all to himself. [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration]