[Illustration: Flying out of the sky they came bringing cheeses]

DUTCH FAIRY TALES FOR

YOUNG FOLKS

By

WILLIAM ELLIOT GRIFFIS

_Author of "The Firefly's Lovers, " "The Unmannerly Tiger, " "BraveLittle Holland, " "Bonnie Scotland, " etc. _

CONTENTS

THE ENTANGLED MERMAID

THE BOY WHO WANTED MORE CHEESE

THE PRINCESS WITH TWENTY PETTICOATS

THE CAT AND THE CRADLE

PRINCE SPIN HEAD AND MISS SNOW WHITE

THE BOAR WITH THE GOLDEN BRISTLES

THE ICE KING AND HIS WONDERFUL GRANDCHILD

THE ELVES AND THEIR ANTICS

THE KABOUTERS AND THE BELLS

THE WOMAN WITH THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX CHILDREN

THE ONI ON HIS TRAVELS

THE LEGEND OF THE WOODEN SHOE

THE CURLY-TAILED LION

BRABO AND THE GIANT

THE FARM THAT RAN AWAY AND CAME BACK

SANTA KLAAS AND BLACK PETE

THE GOBLINS TURNED TO STONE

THE MOULDY PENNY

THE GOLDEN HELMET

WHEN WHEAT WORKED WOE

WHY THE STORK LOVES HOLLAND

THE ENTANGLED MERMAID

Long ago, in Dutch Fairy Land, there lived a young mermaid who was veryproud of her good looks. She was one of a family of mere or lake folksdwelling not far from the sea. Her home was a great pool of water thatwas half salt and half fresh, for it lay around an island near the mouthof a river. Part of the day, when the sea tides were out, she splashedand played, dived and swam in the soft water of the inland current. Whenthe ocean heaved and the salt water rushed in, the mermaid floated andfrolicked and paddled to her heart's content. Her father was agray-bearded merryman and very proud of his handsome daughter. He ownedan island near the river mouth, where the young mermaids held theirpicnics and parties and received the visits of young merrymen. 

Her mother and two aunts were merwomen. All of these were sober folksand attended to the business which occupies all well brought up mermaidsand merrymen. This was to keep their pool clean and nice. No frogs, toads or eels were allowed near, but in the work of daily housecleaning, the storks and the mermaids were great friends. 

All water-creatures that were not thought to be polite and well behavedwere expected to keep away. Even some silly birds, such as loons andplovers and all screaming and fighting creatures with wings, were warnedoff the premises, because they were not wanted. This family of merryfolks liked to have a nice, quiet time by themselves, without any rudefolks on legs, or with wings or fins from the outside. Indeed theywished to make their pool a model, for all respectable mermaids andmerrymen, for ten leagues around. It was very funny to see the old daddymerman, with a switch made of reeds, shooing off the saucy birds, suchas the sandpipers and screeching gulls. For the bullfrogs, too big forthe storks to swallow, and for impudent fishes, he had a whip made ofseaweed. 

Of course, all the mermaids in good society were welcome, but youngmermen were allowed to call only once a month, during the week when themoon was full. Then the evenings were usually clear, so that when theparty broke up, the mermen could see their way in the moonlight to swimhome safely with their mermaid friends. For, there were sea monstersthat loved to plague the merefolk, and even threatened to eat them up!The mermaids, dear creatures, had to be escorted home, but they feltsafe, for their mermen brothers and daddies were so fierce that, exceptsharks, even the larger fish, such as porpoises and dolphins were afraidto come near them. 

One day daddy and the mother left to visit some relatives near theisland of Urk. They were to be gone several days. Meanwhile, theirdaughter was to have a party, her aunts being the chaperones. 

The mermaids usually held their picnics on an island in the midst of thepool. Here they would sit and sun themselves. They talked about thefashions and the prettiest way to dress their hair. Each one had apocket mirror, but where they kept these, while swimming, no mortal everfound out. They made wreaths of bright colored seaweed, orange andblack, blue, gray and red and wore them on their brows like coronets. Or, they twined them, along with sea berries and bubble blossoms, amongtheir tresses. Sometimes they made girdles of the strongest and knottedthem around their waists. 

Every once in a while they chose a queen of beauty for their ruler. Theneach of the others pretended to be a princess. Their games and sportsoften lasted all day and they were very happy. 

Swimming out in the salt water, the mermaids would go in quest ofpearls, coral, ambergris and other pretty things. These they would bringto their queen, or with them richly adorn themselves. Thus the MermaidQueen and her maidens made a court of beauty that was famed wherevermermaids and merrymen lived. They often talked about human maids. 

"How funny it must be to wear clothes, " said one. 

"Are they cold that they have to keep warm?" It was a little chit of amermaid, whose flippers had hardly begun to grow into hands, that askedthis question. 

"How can they swim with petticoats on?" asked another. 

"My brother heard that real men wear wooden shoes! These must botherthem, when on the water, to have their feet floating, " said a third, whose name was Silver Scales. "What a pity they don't have flukes likeus, " and then she looked at her own glistening scaly coat in admiration. 

"I can hardly believe it, " said a mermaid, that was very proud of herfine figure and slender waist. "Their girls can't be half as pretty aswe are. "

"Well, I should like to be a real woman for a while, just to try it, andsee how it feels to walk on legs, " said another, rather demurely, as ifafraid the other mermaids might not like her remark. 

They didn't. Out sounded a lusty chorus, "No! No! Horrible! What anidea! Who wouldn't be a mermaid?"

"Why, I've heard, " cried one, "that real women have to work, wash theirhusband's clothes, milk cows, dig potatoes, scrub floors and take careof calves. Who would be a woman? Not I"--and her snub nose--since itcould not turn up--grew wide at the roots. She was sneering at the ideathat a creature in petticoats could ever look lovelier than one inshining scales. 

"Besides, " said she, "think of their big noses, and I'm told, too, thatgirls have even to wear hairpins. "

At this--the very thought that any one should have to bind up theirtresses--there was a shock of disgust with some, while others clappedtheir hands, partly in envy and partly in glee. 

But the funniest things the mermaids heard of were gloves, and theylaughed heartily over such things as covers for the fingers. Just forfun, one of the little mermaids used to draw some bag-like seaweed overher hands, to see how such things looked. 

One day, while sunning themselves in the grass on the island, one oftheir number found a bush on which foxgloves grew. Plucking these, shecovered each one of her fingers with a red flower. Then, flopping overto the other girls, she held up her gloved hands. Half in fright andhalf in envy, they heard her story. 

After listening, the party was about to break up, when suddenly a youngmerman splashed into view. The tide was running out and the stream low, so he had had hard work to get through the fresh water of the river andto the island. His eyes dropped salt water, as if he were crying. Helooked tired, while puffing and blowing, and he could hardly get hisbreath. The queen of the mermaids asked him what he meant by comingamong her maids at such an hour and in such condition. 

At this the bashful merman began to blubber. Some of the mergirls puttheir hands over their mouths to hide their laughing, while they winkedat each other and their eyes showed how they enjoyed the fun. To have amerman among them, at that hour, in broad daylight, and crying, was toomuch for dignity. 

"Boo-hoo, boo-hoo, " and the merman still wept salt water tears, as hetried to catch his breath. At last, he talked sensibly. He warned theQueen that a party of horrid men, in wooden shoes, with pickaxes, spadesand pumps, were coming to drain the swamp and pump out the pool. He hadheard that they would make the river a canal and build a dyke thatshould keep out the ocean. 

"Alas! alas!" cried one mermaid, wringing her hands. "Where shall we gowhen our pool is destroyed? We can't live in the ocean all the time. "Then she wept copiously. The salt water tears fell from her great roundeyes in big drops. 

"Hush!" cried the Queen. "I don't believe the merman's story. He onlytells it to frighten us. It's just like him. "

In fact, the Queen suspected that the merman's story was all a sham andthat he had come among her maids with a set purpose to run off withSilver Scales. She was one of the prettiest mermaids in the company, butvery young, vain and frivolous. It was no secret that she and the mermanwere in love and wanted to get married. 

So the Queen, without even thanking him, dismissed the swimmingmessenger. After dinner, the company broke up and the Queen retired toher cave to take a long nap! She was quite tired after entertaining somuch company. Besides, since daddy and mother were away, and there wereno beaus to entertain, since it was a dark night and no moon shining onthe water, why need she get up early in the morning?

So the Mermaid Queen slept much longer than ever before. Indeed, it wasnot till near sunset the next day that she awoke. Then, taking her comband mirror in hand, she started to swim and splash in the pool, in orderto smooth out her tresses and get ready for supper. 

But oh, what a change from the day before! What was the matter? Allaround her things looked different. The water had fallen low and thepool was nearly empty. The river, instead of flowing, was as quiet as apond. Horrors! when she swam forward, what should she see but a dyke andfences! An army of horrid men had come, when she was asleep, and built adam. They had fenced round the swamp and were actually beginning to digsluices to drain the land. Some were at work, building a windmill tohelp in pumping out the water. 

The first thing she knew she had bumped her pretty nose against the dam. She thought at once of escaping over the logs and into the sea. When shetried to clamber over the top and get through the fence, her hair got soentangled between the bars that she had to throw away her comb andmirror and try to untangle her tresses. The more she tried, the worsebecame the tangle. Soon her long hair was all twisted up in the timber. In vain were her struggles to escape. She was ready to die with fright, when she saw four horrid men rush up to seize her. She attempted towaddle away, but her long hair held her to the post and rails. Hermodesty was so dreadfully shocked that she fainted away. 

When she came to herself, she found she was in a big long tub. A crowdof curious little girls and boys were looking at her, for she was onshow as a great curiosity. They were bound to see her and get theirmoney's worth in looking, for they had paid a stiver (two cents)admission to the show. Again, before all these eyes, her modesty was soshocked that she gave one groan, flopped over and died in the tub. 

Woe to the poor father and mother at Urk! They came back to find theirold home gone. Unable to get into it, they swam out to sea, neverstopping till they reached Spitzbergen. 

What became of the body of the Mermaid Queen?

Learned men came from Leyden to examine what was now only a specimen, and to see how mermaids were made up. Then her skin was stuffed, andglass eyes put in, where her shining orbs had been. After this, her bodywas stuffed and mounted in the museum, that is, set up above a glasscase and resting upon iron rods. Artists came to Leyden to make picturesof her and no fewer than nine noblemen copied her pretty form andfeatures into their coats of arms. Instead of the Mermaid's Pool is nowa cheese farm of fifty cows, a fine house and barn, and a family ofpink-cheeked, yellow-haired children who walk and play in wooden shoes. 

So this particular mermaid, all because of her entanglement in thefence, was more famous when stuffed than when living, while all heryoung friends and older relatives were forgotten. 

THE BOY WHO WANTED MORE CHEESE

Klaas Van Bommel was a Dutch boy, twelve years old, who lived where cowswere plentiful. He was over five feet high, weighed a hundred pounds, and had rosy cheeks. His appetite was always good and his motherdeclared his stomach had no bottom. His hair was of a color half-waybetween a carrot and a sweet potato. It was as thick as reeds in a swampand was cut level, from under one ear to another. 

Klaas stood in a pair of timber shoes, that made an awful rattle when heran fast to catch a rabbit, or scuffed slowly along to school over thebrick road of his village. In summer Klaas was dressed in a rough, bluelinen blouse. In winter he wore woollen breeches as wide as coffee bags. They were called bell trousers, and in shape were like a couple ofcow-bells turned upwards. These were buttoned on to a thick warm jacket. Until he was five years old, Klaas was dressed like his sisters. Then, on his birthday, he had boy's clothes, with two pockets in them, ofwhich he was proud enough. 

Klaas was a farmer's boy. He had rye bread and fresh milk for breakfast. At dinner time, beside cheese and bread, he was given a plate heapedwith boiled potatoes. Into these he first plunged a fork and then dippedeach round, white ball into a bowl of hot melted butter. Very quicklythen did potato and butter disappear "down the red lane. " At supper, hehad bread and skim milk, left after the cream had been taken off, with asaucer, to make butter. Twice a week the children enjoyed a bowl ofbonnyclabber or curds, with a little brown sugar sprinkled on the top. But at every meal there was cheese, usually in thin slices, which theboy thought not thick enough. When Klaas went to bed he usually fellasleep as soon as his shock of yellow hair touched the pillow. In summertime he slept till the birds began to sing, at dawn. In winter, when thebed felt warm and Jack Frost was lively, he often heard the cowstalking, in their way, before he jumped out of his bag of straw, whichserved for a mattress. The Van Bommels were not rich, but everything wasshining clean. 

There was always plenty to eat at the Van Bommels' house. Stacks of ryebread, a yard long and thicker than a man's arm, stood on end in thecorner of the cool, stone-lined basement. The loaves of dough were putin the oven once a week. Baking time was a great event at the VanBommels' and no men-folks were allowed in the kitchen on that day, unless they were called in to help. As for the milk-pails and pans, filled or emptied, scrubbed or set in the sun every day to dry, and thecheeses, piled up in the pantry, they seemed sometimes enough to feed asmall army. 

But Klaas always wanted more cheese. In other ways, he was a good boy, obedient at home, always ready to work on the cow-farm, and diligent inschool. But at the table he never had enough. Sometimes his fatherlaughed and asked him if he had a well, or a cave, under his jacket. 

Klaas had three younger sisters, Trintjé, Anneké and Saartjé; which isDutch for Kate, Annie and Sallie. These, their fond mother, who lovedthem dearly, called her "orange blossoms"; but when at dinner, Klaaswould keep on, dipping his potatoes into the hot butter, while otherswere all through, his mother would laugh and call him her Buttercup. Butalways Klaas wanted more cheese. When unusually greedy, she twitted himas a boy "worse than Butter-and-Eggs"; that is, as troublesome as theyellow and white plant, called toad-flax, is to the farmer--verypretty, but nothing but a weed. 

One summer's evening, after a good scolding, which he deserved well, Klaas moped and, almost crying, went to bed in bad humor. He had teasedeach one of his sisters to give him her bit of cheese, and this, addedto his own slice, made his stomach feel as heavy as lead. 

Klaas's bed was up in the garret. When the house was first built, one ofthe red tiles of the roof had been taken out and another one, made ofglass, was put in its place. In the morning, this gave the boy light toput on his clothes. At night, in fair weather, it supplied air to hisroom. 

A gentle breeze was blowing from the pine woods on the sandy slope, notfar away. So Klaas climbed up on the stool to sniff the sweet pinyodors. He thought he saw lights dancing under the tree. One beam seemedto approach his roof hole, and coming nearer played round the chimney. Then it passed to and fro in front of him. It seemed to whisper in hisear, as it moved by. It looked very much as if a hundred fire-flies hadunited their cold light into one lamp. Then Klaas thought that thestrange beams bore the shape of a lovely girl, but he only laughed athimself at the idea. Pretty soon, however, he thought the whisper becamea voice. Again, he laughed so heartily, that he forgot his moping andthe scolding his mother had given him. In fact, his eyes twinkled withdelight, when the voice gave this invitation:

"There's plenty of cheese. Come with us. "

To make sure of it, the sleepy boy now rubbed his eyes and cocked hisears. Again, the light-bearer spoke to him: "Come. "

Could it be? He had heard old people tell of the ladies of the wood, that whispered and warned travellers. In fact, he himself had often seenthe "fairies' ring" in the pine woods. To this, the flame-lady wasinviting him. 

Again and again the moving, cold light circled round the red tile roof, which the moon, then rising and peeping over the chimneys, seemed toturn into silver plates. As the disc rose higher in the sky, he couldhardly see the moving light, that had looked like a lady; but the voice, no longer a whisper, as at first, was now even plainer:

"There's plenty of cheese. Come with us. "

"I'll see what it is, anyhow, " said Klaas, as he drew on his thickwoolen stockings and prepared to go down-stairs and out, without wakinga soul. At the door he stepped into his wooden shoes. Just then the catpurred and rubbed up against his shins. He jumped, for he was scared;but looking down, for a moment, he saw the two balls of yellow fire inher head and knew what they were. Then he sped to the pine woods andtowards the fairy ring. 

What an odd sight! At first Klaas thought it was a circle of bigfire-flies. Then he saw clearly that there were dozens of prettycreatures, hardly as large as dolls, but as lively as crickets. Theywere as full of light, as if lamps had wings. Hand in hand, they flittedand danced around the ring of grass, as if this was fun. 

Hardly had Klaas got over his first surprise, than of a sudden he felthimself surrounded by the fairies. Some of the strongest among them hadleft the main party in the circle and come to him. He felt himselfpulled by their dainty fingers. One of them, the loveliest of all, whispered in his ear:

"Come, you must dance with us. "

Then a dozen of the pretty creatures murmured in chorus:

"Plenty of cheese here. Plenty of cheese here. Come, come!"

Upon this, the heels of Klaas seemed as light as a feather. In a moment, with both hands clasped in those of the fairies, he was dancing in highglee. It was as much fun as if he were at the kermiss, with a row ofboys and girls, hand in hand, swinging along the streets, as Dutch maidsand youth do, during kermiss week. 

Klaas had not time to look hard at the fairies, for he was too full ofthe fun. He danced and danced, all night and until the sky in the eastbegan to turn, first gray and then rosy. Then he tumbled down, tiredout, and fell asleep. His head lay on the inner curve of the fairy ring, with his feet in the centre. 

Klaas felt very happy, for he had no sense of being tired, and he didnot know he was asleep. He thought his fairy partners, who had dancedwith him, were now waiting on him to bring him cheeses. With a goldenknife, they sliced them off and fed him out of their own hands. How goodit tasted! He thought now he could, and would, eat all the cheese he hadlonged for all his life. There was no mother to scold him, or daddy toshake his finger at him. How delightful!

But by and by, he wanted to stop eating and rest a while. His jaws weretired. His stomach seemed to be loaded with cannon-balls. He gasped forbreath. 

But the fairies would not let him stop, for Dutch fairies never gettired. Flying out of the sky--from the north, south, east and west--theycame, bringing cheeses. These they dropped down around him, until thepiles of the round masses threatened first to enclose him as with awall, and then to overtop him. There were the red balls from Edam, thepink and yellow spheres from Gouda, and the gray loaf-shaped ones fromLeyden. Down through the vista of sand, in the pine woods, he looked, and oh, horrors! There were the tallest and strongest of the fairiesrolling along the huge, round, flat cheeses from Friesland! Any one ofthese was as big as a cart wheel, and would feed a regiment. The fairiestrundled the heavy discs along, as if they were playing with hoops. Theyshouted hilariously, as, with a pine stick, they beat them forward likeboys at play. Farm cheese, factory cheese, Alkmaar cheese, and, to crownall, cheese from Limburg--which Klaas never could bear, because of itsstrong odor. Soon the cakes and balls were heaped so high around himthat the boy, as he looked up, felt like a frog in a well. He groanedwhen he thought the high cheese walls were tottering to fall on him. Then he screamed, but the fairies thought he was making music. They, notbeing human, do not know how a boy feels. 

At last, with a thick slice in one hand and a big hunk in the other, hecould eat no more cheese; though the fairies, led by their queen, standing on one side, or hovering over his head, still urged him to takemore. 

At this moment, while afraid that he would burst, Klaas saw the pile ofcheeses, as big as a house, topple over. The heavy mass fell inwardsupon him. With a scream of terror, he thought himself crushed as flat asa Friesland cheese. 

But he wasn't! Waking up and rubbing his eyes, he saw the red sun risingon the sand-dunes. Birds were singing and the cocks were crowing allaround him, in chorus, as if saluting him. Just then also the villageclock chimed out the hour. He felt his clothes. They were wet with dew. He sat up to look around. There were no fairies, but in his mouth was abunch of grass which he had been chewing lustily. 

Klaas never would tell the story of his night with the fairies, nor hashe yet settled the question whether they left him because thecheese-house of his dream had fallen, or because daylight had come. 

THE PRINCESS WITH TWENTY PETTICOATS

Long, long ago, before ever a blue flax-flower bloomed in Holland, andwhen Dutch mothers wore wolf-skin clothes, there was a little princess, very much beloved by her father, who was a great king, or war chief. Shewas very pretty and fond of seeing herself. There were no metal mirrorsin those days, nor any looking glass. So she went into the woods andbefore the pools and the deep, quiet watercourses, made reflection ofher own lovely face. Of this pleasure she never seemed weary. 

Yet sometimes this little princess was very naughty. Then her temper wasnot nearly so sweet as her face. She would play in the sand and rollaround in the woods among the leaves and bushes until her curls were alltangled up. When her nurse combed out her hair with a stone comb--for noother kinds were then known--she would fret and scold and often stampher foot. When very angry, she called her nurse or governess an"aurochs, "--a big beast like a buffalo. At this, the maid put up herhands to her face. "Me--an aurochs! Horrible!" Then she would feel herforehead to see if horns were growing there. 

The nurse--they called her "governess, " as the years went on--grew tiredof the behavior of the bad young princess. Sometimes she went and toldher mother how naughty her daughter was, even to calling her an aurochs. Then the little girl only showed her bad temper worse. She rolled amongthe leaves all the more and mussed up her ringlets, so that thegoverness could hardly comb them out smooth again. 

It seemed useless to punish the perverse little maid by boxing her ears, pinching her arm, or giving her a good spanking. They even tried toimprove her temper by taking away her dinner, but it did no good. 

Then the governess and mother went together to her father. When theycomplained of his daughter to the king, he was much worried. He couldfight strong men with his club and spear, and even giants with his swordand battle-axe; but how to correct his little daughter, whom he loved ashis own eyes, was too much for him. He had no son and the princess washis only child, and the hopes of the family all rested on her. The kingwondered how she would govern his people, after he should die, and shebecame the queen. Yet he was glad for one thing: that, with all hernaughtiness, she was, like her father, always kind to animals. Her petwas a little aurochs calf. Some hunters had killed the mother of thepoor little thing in winter time. So the princess kept the creature warmand it fed out of her hand daily. 

It was in gloom and with a sad face that the king walked in the woods, thinking how to make a sweet-tempered lady out of his petulant daughter, who was fast growing up to be a tall, fine-looking woman. 

Now when the king had been himself a little boy, he was very kind to allliving creatures, wild and tame, dumb and with voice--yes, even to thetrees in the forest. When a prince, the boy would never let the axe mencut down an oak until they first begged pardon of the fairy that livedin the tree. 

There was one big oak, especially, which was near the mansion of hisfather, the king. It was said that the doctors found little babies inits leafy branches, and brought them to their mothers. The prince-boytook great care of this tree. He was taught by a wise man to cut off thedead limbs, keep off the worms, and warn away all people seeking tobreak off branches--even for Yule-tide, which came at our Christmastime. 

Once when some hunters had chased a young she-aurochs, with her twocalves, into the king's park, the prince, though he was then only a boy, ran out and drove the rough fellows away. Then he sheltered and fed theaurochs family of three, until they were fresh and fat. After this hesent a skilled hunter to imitate the sound of an aurochs mother, to callthe aurochs father to the edge of the woods. He then let them all gofree, and was happy to see the dumb brutes frisking together. 

Now that the boy-prince was grown to be a man and had long been king, and had forgotten all about the incident of his earlier years, he wasone day walking in the forest. 

Suddenly a gentle breeze arose and the leaves of the old oak tree beganfirst to rustle and then to whisper. Soon the words were clear, and thespirit in the oak said:

"I have seen a thousand years pass by, since I was an acorn plantedhere. In a few moments I shall die and fall down. Cut my body intostaves. Of these make a wooden petticoat, like a barrel, for yourdaughter. When her temper is bad, let her put it on and wear it untilshe promises to be good. "

The king was sad at the thought of losing the grand old tree, underwhich he had played as a boy and his fathers before him. His countenancefell. 

"Cheer up, my friend, " said the oak, "for something better shall follow. When I pass away, you will find on this spot a blue flower growing. Where the forest was shall be fields, on which the sun shines. Then, ifyour daughter be good, young women shall spin something prettier thanwooden petticoats. Watch for the blue flower. Moreover, " added the voiceof the tree, "that I may not be forgotten, do you take, henceforth, asyour family name Ten Eyck" (which, in Dutch, means "at the oak "). 

At this moment, a huge aurochs rushed into the wood. Its long hair andshaggy mane were gray with age. The king, thinking the beast would lowerhis horns and charge at him, drew his sword to fight the mighty brutethat seemed to weigh well-nigh a ton. 

But the aurochs stopped within ten feet of the king and bellowed; but, in a minute or two, the bellowing changed to a voice and the king heardthese good words:

"I die with the oak, for we are brothers, kept under an enchantment fora thousand years, which is to end in a few moments. Neither a tree noran aurochs can forget your kindness to us, when you were a prince. Assoon as our spirits are released, and we both go back to our home in themoon, saw off my right horn and make of it a comb for use on yourdaughter's curls. It will be smoother than stone. "

In a moment a tempest arose, which drove the king for shelter behindsome rocks hard by. After a few minutes, the wind ceased and the sky wasclear. The king looked and there lay the oak, fallen at full length, andthe aurochs lay lifeless beside it. 

Just then, the king's woodmen, who were out--thinking their mastermight be hurt--drew near. He ordered them to take out the right horn ofthe aurochs and to split up part of the oak for slaves. The next day, they made a wooden petticoat and a horn comb. They were such noveltiesthat nearly every woman in the kingdom came to see them. 

After this, the king called himself the Lord of the Land of Ten Eyck, and ever after this was his family name, which all his descendants bore. Whenever the princess showed bad temper, she was forced to wear thewooden petticoat. To have the boys and girls point at her and make funof her was severe punishment. 

But a curious thing took place. It was found that every time the maidcombed the hair of the princess she became gentler and more sweettempered. She often thanked her governess and said she liked to have hercurls smoothed with the new comb. She even begged her father to let herown one and have the comb all to herself. It was not long before shesurprised her governess and her parents by combing and curling her ownhair. In truth, such a wonderful change came over the princess that shedid not often have to wear the wooden petticoat, and after a year ortwo, not at all. So the gossips nearly forgot all about it. 

One summer's day, as the princess was walking in the open, sunny space, where the old oak had stood, she saw a blue flower. It seemed asbeautiful as it was strange. She plucked it and put it in her hair. Whenshe reached home, her old aunt, who had been in southern lands, declaredit to be the flower of the flax. 

During that spring, millions of tiny green blades sprang up where theforest had been, and when summer came, the plants were half a yard high. The women learned how to put the stalks in water and rot the coarse, outer fibre of the flax. Then they took the silk-like strands from theinside and spun them on their spinning-wheels. Then they wove them intopretty cloth. 

This, when laid out on the grass, under the sunshine, was bleachedwhite. The flax thread was made first into linen, and then into lace. 

"Let us name the place Groen-e'-veld" (Green Field), the happy peoplecried, when they saw how green the earth was where had been the darkforest. So the place was ever after called the Green Field. 

Now when the princess saw what pretty clothes the snow white linen made, she invented a new style of dress. The upper garment, or "rok, " that is, the one above the waist, she called the "boven rok" and the lower one, beneath the waist, her "beneden rok. " In Dutch "boven" means above and"beneden" means beneath. By and by, when, at the looms, more of thebeautiful white linen was woven, she had a new petticoat made and put iton. She was so delighted with this one that she wanted more. One afterthe other, she belted them around her waist, until she had on twentypetticoats at a time. Proud she was of her skirts, even though they madeher look like a barrel. When her mother, and maids, and all the women ofGroen-é-veld, young and old, saw the princess set the fashion, they allfollowed. It was not always easy for poor girls, who were to be married, to buy as many as twenty petticoats. But, as it was the fashion, everybride had to obey the rule. It grew to be the custom to have at leasttwenty; for only this number was thought proper. 

So, a new rule, even among the men, grew up. A betrothed young man, orhis female relatives assisting him, was accustomed to make a present ofone or more petticoats to his sweetheart to increase her wardrobe. 

Thus the fashion prevailed and still holds among the women of the coast. Fat or thin, tall or short, they pile on the petticoats and swing theirskirts proudly as they walk or go to market, sell their fish, cry "freshherring" in the streets, or do their knitting at home, or in front oftheir houses. In some parts of the country, nothing makes a girl sohappy as to present her with a new petticoat. It is the fashion to havea figure like a barrel and wear one's clothes so as to look like a smallhogshead. 

By and by, the men built a dam to get plenty of water in winter for therotting of the flax stalks. The linen industry made the people rich. Intime, a city sprang up, which they called Rotterdam, or the dam wherethey rotted the flax. 

And, because where had been a forest of oaks, with the pool and rivulet, there was now a silvery stream flowing gently between verdant meadows, they made the arms and seal of the city green and white, two of theformer and one of the latter; that is, verdure and silver. To this day, on the arms and flags of the great city, and on the high smoke-stacks ofthe mighty steamers that cross the ocean, from land to land, one seesthe wide, white band between the two broad stripes of green. 

[Illustration: ON AND ON THE RAGING FLOOD BORE THEM UNTIL DARK NIGHT CAMEDOWN]

THE CAT AND THE CRADLE

In the early ages, when our far-off ancestors lived in the woods, ateacorns, slept in caves, and dressed in the skins of wild animals, theyhad no horses, cows or cats. Their only pets and helpers were dogs. Themen and the dogs were more like each other than they are now. 

However, they knew about bees. So the women gathered honey and from itthey made mead. Not having any sugar, the children enjoyed tasting honeymore than anything else, and it was the only sweet thing they had. 

By and by, cows were brought into the country and the Dutch soil beinggood for grass, the cows had plenty to eat. When these animalsmultiplied, the people drank milk and learned to make cheese and butter. So the Dutch boys and girls grew fat and healthy. 

The oxen were so strong that they could pull logs of wood or draw aplough. So, little by little, the forests were cut down and grassymeadows, full of bright colored flowers, took their place. Houses werebuilt and the people were rich and happy. 

Yet there were still many cruel men and bad people in the land. Sometimes, too, floods came and drowned the cattle and covered thefields with sand, or salt water. In such times, food was very scarce. Thus it happened that not all the babies born could live, or everylittle child be fed. The baby girls especially were often left to die, because war was common and only boys, that grew into strong warriors, were wanted. 

It grew to be a custom that families would hold a council and decidewhether the baby should be raised or not. But if any one should give theinfant even a tiny drop of milk, or food of any kind, it was allowed tolive and grow up. If no one gave it milk or honey, it died. No matterhow much a mother might love her baby, she was not allowed to put milkto its lips, if the grandmother or elders forbade it. The young bride, coming into her husband's home, always had to obey his mother, for shewas now as a daughter and one of the family. All lived together in onehouse, and the grandmother ruled all the women and girls that were underone roof. 

This was the way of the world, when our ancestors were pagans, and notalways as kind to little babies as our own mothers and fathers are now. Many times was the old grandmother angry, when her son had taken a wifeand a girl was born. If the old woman expected a grandson, who shouldgrow up and be a fighter, with sword and spear, and it turned out to bea girl, she was mad as fire. Often the pretty bride, brought into thehouse, had a hard time of it, with her husband's mother, if she did notin time have a baby boy. In those days a "Herman, " a "War Man" and"German" were one and the same word. 

Now when the good missionaries came into Friesland, one of the first ofthe families to receive the gospel was one named Altfrid. With hisbride, who also became a Christian, Altfrid helped the missionary tobuild a church. By and by, a sweet little baby was born in the familyand the parents were very happy. They loved the little thing sent fromGod, as fathers and mothers love their children now. 

But when some one went and told the pagan grandmother that the new babywas a girl instead of a boy, the old woman flew into a rage and wouldhave gone at once to get hold of the baby and put it to death. Herlameness, however, made her move slowly, and she could not find hercrutch; for the midwife, who knew the bad temper of the grandmother, hadpurposely hid it. The old woman was angry, because she did not want anymore females in the big house, where she thought there were already toomany mouths to fill. Food was hard to get, and there were not enough warmen to defend the tribe. She meant to get the new baby and throw it tothe wolves. The old grandmother was a pagan and still worshipped thecruel gods that loved fighting. She hated the new religion, because ittaught gentleness and peace. 

But the midwife, who was a neighbor, feared that the old woman wasmalicious and she had hid her crutch. This she did, so that if the babywas a girl, she could save its life. The midwife was a good woman, whohad been taught that the Great Creator loves little girls as well asboys. 

So when the midwife heard the grandmother storm and rave, while huntingfor her crutch, she ran first to the honey jar, dipped her forefinger init and put some drops of honey on the baby's tongue. Then she passed itout the window to some women friends, who were waiting outside. She knewthe law, that if a child tasted food, it must be allowed to live. 

The kind women took the baby to their home and fed it carefully. A holewas drilled in the small end of a cow's horn and the warm milk, freshfrom the cow, was allowed to fall, drop by drop, into the baby's mouth. In a few days the little one was able to suck its breakfast slowly outof the horn, while one of the girls held it. So the baby grew biggerevery day. All the time it was carefully hidden. 

The foolish old grandmother was foiled, for she could never find outwhere the baby girl was, which all the time was growing strong andplump. Her father secretly made her a cradle and he and the babe'smother came often to see their child. Every one called her Honig-je', orLittle Honey. 

Now about this time, cats were brought into the country and the childrenmade such pets of them that some of the cows seemed to be jealous of theattentions paid to Pussy and the kittens. These were the days when cowsand people all lived under one long roof. The children learned to tellthe time of day, whether it was morning, noon or night by looking intothe cats' eyes. These seemed to open and shut, very much as if they haddoors. 

The fat pussy, which was brought into the house where Honig-je' was, seemed to be very fond of the little girl, and the two, the cat and thechild, played much together. It was often said that the cat loved thebaby even more than her own kittens. Every one called the affectionateanimal by the nickname of Dub-belt-je', which means Little Double;because this puss was twice as loving as most cat mothers are. When herown furry little babies were very young, she carried them from one placeto another in her mouth. But this way, of holding kittens, she nevertried on the baby. She seemed to know better. Indeed, Dub-belt-je' oftenwondered why human babies were born so naked and helpless; for at an agewhen her kittens could feed themselves and run about and play with theirtails and with each other, Honig-je' was not yet able to crawl. 

But other dangers were in store for the little girl. One day, when themen were out hunting, and the women went to the woods to gather nuts andacorns, a great flood came. The waters washed away the houses, so thateverything floated into the great river, and then down towards the sea. 

What had, what would, become of our baby? So thought the parents ofHonig-je', when they came back to find the houses swept away and no signof their little daughter. Dub-belt-je' and her kittens, and all thecows, were gone too. 

Now it had happened that when the flood came and the house crashed down, baby was sound asleep. The cat, leaving its kittens, that were nowpretty well grown up, leaped up and on to the top of the cradle and thetwo floated off together. Pretty soon they found themselves left alone, with nothing in sight that was familiar, except one funny thing. Thatwas a wooden shoe, in which was a fuzzy little yellow chicken hardlyfour days old. It had been playing in the shoe, when the floods cameand swept it off from under the very beak of the old hen, that, with allher other chicks, was speedily drowned. 

On and on, the raging flood bore baby and puss, until dark night camedown. For hours more they drifted until, happily, the cradle was sweptinto an eddy in front of a village. There it spun round and round, andmight soon have been borne into the greater flood, which seemed to roarlouder as the waters rose. 

Now a cat can see sometimes in the night, better even than in the day, for the darker it becomes, the wider open the eyes of puss. In brightsunshine, at noon, the inside doors of the cat's eyes close to a narrowslit, while at night these doors open wide. That is the reason why, inthe days before clocks and watches were made, the children could tellabout the time of day by looking at the cat's eyes. Sometimes they namedtheir pussy Klok'-oog, which means Clock Eye, or Bell Eye, for bellclocks are older than clocks with a dial, and because in Holland thebells ring out the hours and quarter hours. 

Puss looked up and saw the church tower looming up in the dark. At onceshe began to meouw and caterwaul with all her might. She hoped that someone in one of the houses near the river bank might catch the sound. Butnone seemed to hear or heed. At last, when Puss was nearly dead withhowling, a light appeared at one of the windows. This showed that someone was up and moving. It was a boy, who was named Dirck, after thesaint Theodoric, who had first, long ago, built a church in the village. Then Puss opened her mouth and lungs again and set up a regularcat-scream. This wakened all her other relatives in the village andevery Tom and Kitty made answer, until there was a cat concert of meouwsand caterwauls. 

The boy heard, rushed down-stairs, and, opening the door, listened. Thewind blew out his candle, but the brave lad was guided by the soundwhich Pussy made. Reaching the bank, he threw off his wooden klomps, plunged into the boiling waters, and, seizing the cradle, towed itashore. Then he woke up his mother and showed her his prize. The waythat baby laughed and crowed, and patted the horn of milk, and kicked upits toes in delight over the warm milk, which was brought, was a joy tosee. Near the hearth, in the middle of the floor, Dub-belt-je', thepuss, was given some straw for a bed and, after purring joyfully, wassoon, like the baby, sound asleep. 

Thus the cat warned the boy, and the boy saved the baby, that was verywelcome in a family where there were no girls, but only a boy. WhenHonig-je' grew up to be a young woman, she looked as lovely as aprincess and in the church was married to Dirck! It was the month ofApril and all the world was waking to flowers, when the weddingprocession came out of the church and the air was sweet with the openingof the buds. 

Before the next New Year's day arrived, there lay in the same cradle, and put to sleep over the same rockers, a baby boy. When they broughthim to the font, the good grandmother named him Luid-i-ger. He grew upto be the great missionary, whose name in Friesland is, even today, after a thousand years, a household word. He it was who drove out badfairies, vile enchanters, wicked spirits and terrible diseases. Best ofall, he banished "eye-bite, " which was the name the people gave towitchcraft. Luid-i-ger, also, made it hard for the naughty elves andsprites that delude men. 

After this, it was easy for all the good spirits, that live in kindhearts and noble lives, to multiply and prosper. The wolves were drivenaway or killed off and became very few, while the cattle and sheepmultiplied, until everybody could have a woollen coat, and there was acow to every person in the land. 

But the people still suffered from the floods, that from time to timedrowned the cattle and human beings, and the ebb tides, that carriedeverything out to sea. Then the good missionary taught the men how tobuild dykes, that kept out the ocean and made the water of the riversstay between the banks. The floods became fewer and fewer and at lastrarely happened. Then Santa Klaas arrived, to keep alive in the heartsof the people the spirit of love and kindness and good cheer forever. 

At last, when nearly a hundred years had passed away, Honig-je', oncethe girl baby, and then the dear old lady, who was kind to everybody andprepared the way for Santa Klaas, died. Then, also, Dub-belt-je' thecat, that had nine lives in one, died with her. They buried the old ladyunder the church floor and stuffed the pussy that everybody, kittens, boys, girls and people loved. By and by, when the cat's tail and furfell to pieces, and ears tumbled off, and its glass eyes dropped out, askilful artist chiselled a statue of Dub-belt-je', which still standsover the tomb in the church. Every year, on Santa Klaas day, Decembersixth, the children put a new collar around its neck and talk about thecat that saved a baby's life. 

PRINCE SPIN HEAD AND MISS SNOW WHITE

Long, long ago, before the Romans came into the land and when thefairies ruled in the forest, there was a maiden who lived under an oaktree. When she was a baby they called her Bundlekin. She had fourbrothers, who loved their younger sister very dearly and did everythingthey could to make her happy. Her fat father was a famous hunter. Whenhe roamed the woods, no bear, wolf, aurochs, roebuck, deer, or biganimal of any kind, could escape from his arrows, his spear, or hispit-trap. He taught his sons to be skilful in the chase, but also to bekind to the dumb creatures when captured. Especially when the motherbeast was killed, the boys were always told to care for the cubs, whelpsand kittens. As for the smaller animals, foxes, hares, weasels, rabbitsand ermine, these were so numerous, that the father left the business ofhunting them to the lads, who had great sport. 

The house under the oak tree was always well provided with meat andfurs. The four brothers brought the little animals, which they took inthe woods, to make presents to their sister. So there was always aplenty of pets, bear and wolf cubs, wildcats' kittens and baby aurochsfor the girl to play with. Every day, while the animals were so young asto be fed on milk, she enjoyed frolicking with the four-footed babies. When they grew bigger, she romped and sported with them, as if she andthey were equal members of the same family. The older brother watchedcarefully, so that the little brutes, as they increased in size, shouldnot bite or claw his sister, for he knew the fierce nature that was inwild creatures. Yet the maiden had wonderful power over these beasts ofthe forest, whether little or big. She was not very much afraid of themand often made them run, by looking at them hard in the eye. 

While the girl made a pet of the animals, her parents made a pet of her. The mother prepared the skins of the wolves and bears, until these werevery soft, keeping the fur on, to make rugs for the floor, and wintercoats for her children. The hides of the aurochs sufficed for rougheruse, but from what had once been the clothes of the fawn, the weasel, the rabbit, and the ermine, garments were made that were smooth enoughto suit a baby's tender flesh. The forest folk wrapped their infants inswaddling hands made of these dressed pelts. After feeding the darling, a mother hung her baby up, warmly covered, to a tree branch. The cradle, which was a furry bag, was made of the same material and swung in thewind. 

Bundlekin usually fell asleep right after she had had her breakfast. When she woke up crowing, the squirrels were playing all around her. Sheeven learned to watch the spiders, spinning their houses of silk, without being afraid. When Bundlekin grew up, she always called thiscurious creature, that could make silk, Spin Head. She jokingly calledit her lover, in remembrance of baby days. 

It was funny to see how deft the mother was with her needles, fashionedfrom bone, and her rough thread, which was made of the intestines of thedeer. From her own childhood in the woods, Bundlekin's mother had beenused to this kind of dressmaking. Now, when her daughter had grown, frombabyhood and through her teens, to be a lovely maiden, fair of face andstrong of limb, her sweet, unselfish parent was equal to new tasks. Tothe soft leather coats, made from the skins of fawns, martens, andweasels, she added trimmings of snow white ermine. Caps and mittens, cloaks for the body, and coverings for the feet, were fashioned to fitneatly. Fringes, here and there, were put on them, until her girl lookedlike a king's daughter. In summer, the skins of birds and their feathersclothed her lightly, and with many and rich colors, while the forestflowers decked her hair. 

In winter, in her white forest robes, the maiden, except for her rosyface and sparkling eyes, seemed as if she might have been born of thesnow, or was a daughter of the northern ice god at Ulrum. And becauseshe was so lovely, her parents changed her baby name and called herDri'-fa, which means Snow White. 

Yet, though no other girl in Gelderland equalled, and none, not even theprincesses, excelled Snow White in beauty of face, form, or raiment, themaiden was not happy, even though many lovers came to her and offered tomarry her. Some, as proof of their skill as hunters, brought the finestfurs the forest furnished. Others showed their strength or fleetness offoot. Some bargained with the kabouters, or fairies of the mines, tobring them shining ore or precious gems which they offered to SnowWhite. Others, again, went afar to get strange wonders, amber andambergris, from the seashores of the far north to please her. One finefellow, who had been in the south and was proud of his travels, told herof what he had seen in the great cities, and offered her a necklace ofpearls. 

But all was in vain. Every lover went away sorrowful, for Snow Whitewearied of them and sent each one home, disappointed. 

Last of all, among the lovers came a strange looking one, named SpinHead, resembling a spider, promising a secret worth more than furs, gold, gems, or necklace; but the mother, seeing the ugly creature, droveit off with hard words. 

So the months and years passed, until her father feared he would notlive to see his daughter a wife. 

But one day, when all in the household were absent, the leaves of theoak tree rustled loudly. There was no wind, and Snow White, surprised, strained her ears to find out what this might mean. Soon she could makeout these words:

"When the spider, that you called Spin Head, comes to make love to you, listen to him. He is the wisest being in all the forest. He knows thefuture. He will tell you a secret. I shall pass away, but what heteaches you shall live. "

Then the leaves of the oak ceased to rustle and all was quiet and stillagain. 

While wondering what this message might mean, down came the real spidershe had named Spin Head. He lowered himself from a tree branch, highabove on a silken thread. The creature sat down on the log beside themaiden; but she was not in the least startled and did not scream nor runaway. Indeed, she spoke to the spider as an old friend:

"Well, playmate of my babyhood, what have you to tell me?"

"I came to offer you my love. You need not marry me yet, but if you willlet me spin a web in your room, I shall live there, and, by and by, reward you. Let me be in your sight always, and you will not be sorryfor it. "

The maiden had no sooner agreed than a terrible tempest uprooted the oakand levelled the trees of the forest. In a moment more, a new and verybeautiful house rose up out of the ground. It was as noble to look at asa palace. Near by was a garden, and one day when she walked in it, outof it sprang a blue flower, almost under her feet. 

"Choose the best room for your own self, " said Spin Head, "and then showme my corner. After a hundred days, if you treat me kindly, I shallreveal the secret of that blue flower. "

Dri'-fa, the maiden, chose the sunniest room, and gave Spin Head thebest corner, near the window and close to the ceiling. At once he beganto weave a shining web for his own house. She wondered at such finework, which no human weaver could excel, and why she was not able tospin silk out of her head, nor even with her fingers, like her strangelover. But the oak had promised that Spin Head would reveal a secret, and she was curious to know what it was. Like all girls, she was in ahurry to have the secret. To ease her impatience, Dri'-fa looked on, while Spin Head was thus busy at making his dwelling place, with shiningthreads which he spun out, never ceasing. She was so intent uponwatching him that night came down before she noticed that her room wasnot furnished. There was not even a bed to sleep on. 

Spin Head looked at her closely and then spoke with a deep voice, like aman's:

"Ah, I know, you want a bed, and pretty things for your room. "

In another moment, soft furs lined the floor, and soon all that Dri'-fahad possessed in the forest for comfort she had now, and more. Lost inwonder as she was, in a few minutes she was fast asleep. 

She dreamed she wore a dress of some strange, new, white fabric, such asher people had never seen before. Instead of being close in texture, like the skin of an animal, it was as open work, full of thousands oflittle holes, yet strongly held together. It was light and gauzy, like asilvery spider's web on the summer grass before sunrise, when pearlywith dewdrops. 

The hundred days were passing swiftly by, and Spin Head and Snow Whitehad become fast friends. Each lived in a different world--a world withina world. She was waiting for the secret he would tell her. She bravelyresolved not to be impatient, but let Spin Head speak first. 

One day, when autumn had come and she was lonely, she sauntered out intothe garden. The chill winds were blowing and the leaves falling, tillthey covered the ground like a yellow carpet. One fell into her hand, asif it bore words of friendly greeting. Yet, though she waited, not oneof the millions of them brought a message to her! Never a word had sheever heard from her parents and brothers! The blue flower had long agofallen away and there was nothing in its place but a hard, rough, blackstalk. Then she said to herself:

"Is there anything in this ugly stick? How will Spin Head reveal hissecret?" Never had she been so cast down. 

Again the tempest howled. All the winds of heaven seemed to have brokenloose. Many a sturdy oak lay prostrate. The leaves darkened the air, sothat Snow White could see nothing. Then there was a great calm. The maidcleared her sight, and lo! there, beside her, stood a youth, morebeautiful than any of her brothers, or her lovers, or any man she hadever seen. He was dressed in fine white clothing, excelling in itstexture any skin of fawn, or animal of the forest. Instead of beingleather, however soft, it seemed woven of a multitude of threads. In hishand he held the black stalk of what had been the blue flower. 

"I am Spin Head, " he said. "The hundred days are over. The spell isbroken and my deliverance from enchantment has come. I bring to you, asmy gift, this ugly stalk, on which the blue flower bloomed. "

Between surprise at the change of Spin Head from a spider to a handsomeyouth, and disappointment at such a present offered her, Snow White wasdumb. She could hardly draw her breath. Was that all?

"Break it open, " said Spin Head. 

Splitting the stalk from end to end, the maiden was surprised to findinside many long silky fibres, almost as fine as the strands in aspider's web. She pulled them out and her eyes danced with joy. 

"Plant the seed and let the blue flowers blossom by the million, " saidthe youth. "Then gather the stalks and, from the fibres, weave themtogether and make this. The black rod is a sceptre of wealth. "

Then, separating the delicate strands one by one, Spin Head wove themtogether. The result was a rich robe, of a snow white fabric, never seenin the forest. It was linen. 

Snow White clapped her hands with joy. 

"'Tis for your wedding dress, if you will marry me, " said Spin Head. 

Snow White's cheeks blushed red, but she looked at him and her eyes said"yes. "

"Wait, " said Spin Head. "I'll make you a bridal veil. "

Once more his fingers wrought wonders. He produced yards of a gauzy, open work stuff. He made it float in the air first. Then he threw itover her head. It trailed down her back and covered her rosy face. Itwas lace. 

Happily married, they left the forest and travelled into the land wherethe blue flax flowers made a new sky on the earth. Soon on the map menread the names of cities unknown before. At a time when Europe had nosuch masses of happy people, joyous in their toil, Courtrai, Tournay, Ypres, Ghent, and Bruges told what the blue flower of the flax had donefor the country. More than gold, gems, or the wealth of forest or mine, was the gift of Spin Head to Snow White, for the making of Belgic Land. 

THE BOAR WITH THE GOLDEN BRISTLES

Long, long ago, there were brave fighters and skilful hunters inHolland, but neither men nor women ever dreamed that food was to be gotout of the ground, but only from the trees and bushes, such as berries, acorns and honey. They thought the crust of the earth was too hard to bebroken up for seed, even if they knew what grain and bread were. Theysupposed that what nature provided in the forest was the only food formen. Besides this, they made their women do all the work and cook theacorns and brew the honey into mead, while they went out to fish andhunt and fight. 

So the fairies took pity on the cold, northern people, who lived whereit rained and snowed a great deal. They held a council and agreed thatit was time to send down to the earth an animal, with tusks, to tear upthe ground. Then the people would see the riches of the earth and learnwhat soil was. They would be blessed with farms and gardens, barns andstalls, hay and grain, horses and cattle, wheat and barley, pigs andclover. 

Now there were powerful fairies, of a certain kind, who lived in a HappyLand far, far away, who had charge of everything in the air and water. One of them was named Fro, who became lord of the summer sunshine andwarm showers, that make all things grow. It was in this bright regionthat the white elves lived. 

It was a pretty custom in fairy-land that when a fairy baby cut itsfirst tooth, the mother's friends should make the little one some prettypresent. 

When Nerthus, the mother of the infant Fro, looked into its mouth andsaw the little white thing that had come up through the baby's gums, shewent in great glee and told the glad news to all the other fairies. Itwas a great event and she tried to guess what present her wonderfulboy-baby should receive. 

There was one giant-like fairy as strong as a polar bear, who agreed toget, for little Fro, a creature that could put his nose under the sodand root up the ground. In this way he would show men what the earth, just under its surface, contained, without their going into mines andcaverns. 

One day this giant fairy heard two stout dwarfs talking loudly in theregion under the earth. They were boasting as to which could beat theother at the fire and bellows, for both were blacksmiths. One was theking of the dwarfs, who made a bet that he could excel the other. So heset them to work as rivals, while a third dwarf worked the bellows. Thedwarf-king threw some gold in the flames to melt; but, fearing he mightnot win the bet, he went away to get other fairies to help him. He toldthe bellows dwarf to keep on pumping air on the fire, no matter whatmight happen to him. 

So when one giant fairy, in the form of a gadfly, flew at him, and bithim in the hand, the bellows-blower did not stop for the pain, but kepton until the fire roared loudly, as to make the cavern echo. Then allthe gold melted and could be transformed. As soon as the dwarf-king cameback, the bellows-blower took up the tongs and drew out of the fire aboar having golden bristles. 

This fire-born golden boar had the power of travelling through the airas swiftly as a streak of lightning. It was named Gullin, or Golden, andwas given to the fairy Fro, and he, when grown, used the wonderfulcreature as his steed. All the other good fairies and the elvesrejoiced, because men on the earth would now be helped to do greatthings. 

Even more wonderful to tell, this fire-born creature became the fatherof all the animals that have tusks and that roam in the woods. A tusk isa big tooth, of which the hardest and sharpest part grows, long andsharp, outside of the mouth and it stays there, even when the mouth isshut. 

When Gullin was not occupied, or being ridden by Fro on his errands overthe world, he taught his sons, that is, the wild boars of the forest, how to root up the ground and make it soft for things to grow in. Thenhis master Fro sent the sunbeams and the warm showers to make theturned-up earth fruitful. 

To do this, the wild boars were given two long tusks, as pointed asneedles and sharp as knives. With one sweep of his head a boar could ripopen a dog or a wolf, a bull or a bear, or furrow the earth like aploughshare. 

Now there were several cousins in the Tusk family. The elephant on land, and the walrus and narwhal in the seas; but none of these could ploughground, but because the boar's tusks grew out so long and were so sharp, and hooked at the end, it could tear open the earth's hard crust androot up the ground. This made a soil fit for tender plants to grow in, and even the wild flowers sprang up in them. 

All this, when they first noticed it, was very wonderful to humanbeings. The children called one to the other to come and see the unusualsight. The little troughs, made first by the ripping of the boar'stusks, were widened by rooting with their snouts. These were welcomed bythe birds, for they hopped into the lines thus made, to feed on theworms. So the birds, supposing that these little gutters in the groundwere made especially for them, made great friends with the boars. Theywould even perch near by, or fly to their backs, and ride on them. 

As for the men fathers, when they looked at the clods and the looseearth thus turned over, they found them to be very soft. So the womenand girls were able to break them up with their sticks. Then the seeds, dropped by the birds that came flying back every spring time, fromfar-away lands, sprouted. It was noticed that new kinds of plants grewup, which had stalks. In the heads or ears of these were a hundredfoldmore seeds. When the children tasted them, they found, to their delight, that the little grains were good to eat. They swallowed them whole, theyroasted them at the fire, or they pounded them with stones. Then theybaked the meal thus made or made it into mush, eating it with honey. 

For the first time people in the Dutch world had bread. When they addedthe honey, brought by the bees, they had sweet cakes with mead. Then, saving the seeds over, from one summer to another, they in the springtime planted them in the little trenches made by the animal's tusks. Then the Dutch words for "boar" and "row" were put together, meaningboar row, and there issued, in time, our word "furrow. "

The women were the first to become skilful in baking. In the beginningthey used hot stones on which to lay the lump of meal, or flour andwater, or the batter. Then having learned about yeast, which "raised"the flour, that is, lifted it up, with gas and bubbles, they made realbread and cakes and baked them in the ovens which the men had made. Whenthey put a slice of meat between upper and lower layers of bread, theycalled it "broodje, " that is, little bread; or, sandwich. In time, instead of one kind of bread, or cake, they had a dozen or twentydifferent sorts, besides griddle cakes and waffles. 

Now when the wise men of the mark, or neighborhood, saw that the womendid such wonderful things, they put their heads together and said one tothe other:

"We are quite ready to confess that fairies, and elves, and even thekabouters are smarter than we are. Our women, also, are certainlywonderful; but it will never do to let the boars think that they knowmore than we do. They did indeed teach us how to make furrows, and thebirds brought us grain; but we are the greater, for we can hunt and killthe boars with our spears. 

"Although they can tear up the sod and root in the ground with tusk andsnout, they cannot make cakes, as our women can. So let us see if wecannot beat both the boars and birds, and even excel our women. We shallbe more like the fairies, if we invent something that will outshine themall. "

So they thought and planned, and, little by little, they made theplough. First, with a sharp stick in their hands, the men scratched thesurface of the ground into lines that were not very deep. Then theynailed plates of iron on those sticks. Next, they fixed this iron-shodwood in a frame to be pulled forward, and, by and by, they addedhandles. Men and women, harnessed together, pulled the plough. Indeed itwas ages before they had oxen to do this heavy work for them. At lastthe perfect plough was seen. It had a knife in front to cut the clods, acoulter, a beam, a mould board and handles, and, after a while, a wheelto keep it straight. Then they set horses to draw it. 

Fro the fairy was the owner, not only of the boar with the goldenbristles, but also of the lightning-like horse, Sleipnir, that couldride through fire and water with the speed of light. Fro also owned themagic ship, which could navigate both land and sea. It was so veryelastic that it could be stretched out to carry a host of warriors overthe seas to war, or fold up like a lady's handkerchief. With this flyingvessel, Fro was able to move about like a cloud and also to change likethem. He could also appear, or disappear, as he pleased, in one place oranother. 

By and by, the wild boars were all hunted to death and disappeared. Yetin one way, and a glorious one also, their name and fame were kept inmen's memories. Brave knights had the boar's head painted on theirshields and coats of arms. When the faith of the Prince of Peace madewars less frequent, the temples in honor of Fro were deserted, but theyule log and the revels, held to celebrate the passing of the MotherNight, in December, that is, the longest one of the year, were changedfor the Christmas festival. 

Then again, the memory of man's teacher of the plough was still keptgreen; for the boar was remembered as the giver, not only of nourishingmeat, but of ideas for men's brains. Baked in the oven, and madedelightful to the appetite, served on the dish, with its own savoryodors; withal, decorated with sprigs of rosemary, the boar's head wasbrought in for the great dinner, with the singing of Christmas carols. 

THE ICE KING AND HIS WONDERFUL GRANDCHILD

In the far-off ages, all the lands of northern Europe were one, for thedeep seas had not yet separated them. Then our forefathers thought thatfairies were gods. They built temples in their honor, and prayed tothem. Then, in the place where is now the little town of Ulrum inFriesland was the home of the spirit in the ice, Uller. That is whatUlrum means, the home of the good fairy Uller. 

Uller was the patron of boys and girls. They liked him, because heinvented skates and sleds and sleighs. He had charge of things in winterand enjoyed the cold. He delighted also in hunting. Dressed in thickfurs, he loved to roam over the hills and through the forests, seekingout the wolf, the bear, the deer, and the aurochs. His bow and arrowswere terrible, for they were very big and he was a sure shot. Being thepatron of archery, hunters always sought his favor. The yew tree wassacred to Uller, because the best bows were made from its wood. No onecould cut down a yew tree without angering Uller. 

Nobody knew who Uller's father was, and if he knew himself, he did notcare to tell any one. He would not bestow many blessings upon mankind;yet thousands of people used to come to Ulrum every year to invoke hisaid and ask him to send a heavy fall of snow to cover the ground. Thatmeant good crops of food for the next year. The white snow, lying thickupon the ground, kept back the frost giants from biting the earth toohard. Because of deep winter snows, the ground was soft during the nextsummer. So the seed sprouted more easily and there was plenty to eat. 

When Uller travelled over the winter snow, to go out on hunting trips, he strapped snow-shoes on his feet. Because these were shaped like awarrior's shield, Uller was often called the shield-god. His protectionwas especially invoked by men who fought duels with sword or spear, which were very common in early days; or by soldiers or hunters, whowished to be very brave, or had engaged in perilous ventures. 

Now when Uller wanted a wife to marry him, he made love to Skadi, because she was a huntress and liked the things which he liked. So theynever had a quarrel. She was very strong, fond of sports, and of chasingthe wild animals. She wore a short skirt, which allowed freedom ofmotion to her limbs. Then she ranged over the hills and valleys withwonderful swiftness. So rapid were her movements that many peoplelikened her to the cold mountain stream, that leaps down from the highpeaks and over the rocks, foaming and dashing to the lowlands. They gavethe same name to both this fairy woman and the water, because they wereso much alike. 

Indeed Skadi was very lovely to look at. It was no wonder that many ofthe gods, fairies and men fell in love with her. It is even said thatshe had had several husbands before marrying Uller. When you look at herpictures, you will see that she was as pretty as bright winter itself, when Jack Frost clothes the trees with white and makes the cheeks of thegirls so rosy. She wore armor of shining steel, a silver helmet, shortwhite skirts and white fur leggings. Her snow-shoes were of the hue ofwinter. Besides a glittering spear, she had a bow and sharp arrows. These were held in a silver quiver slung over her shoulders. Altogether, she looked like winter alive. She loved to live in the mountains, andhear the thunders of cataracts, the crash of avalanches, the moaning ofthe winds in the pine forests. Even the howling of wolves was music inher ears. She was afraid of nothing. 

Now from such a father and mother one would expect wonderful children, yet very much like their parents. It turned out that the offspring ofUller and Skadi were all daughters. To them--one after another--weregiven the names meaning Glacier, Cold, Snow, Drift, Snow Whirl, and SnowDust, the oldest being the biggest and hardiest. The others were indegree softer and more easily influenced by the sun and the wind. Theyall looked alike, so that some people called them the Six White Sisters. 

Yet they were all so great and powerful that many considered themgiantesses. It was not possible for men to tame them, for they did verymuch as they pleased. No one could stop their doings or drive them away, except Woden, who was the god of the sun. Yet in winter, even he leftoff ruling the world and went away. During that time, that is, duringseven months, Uller took Woden's throne and governed the affairs of theworld. When summer came, Uller went with his wife up to the North Pole;or they lived in a house, on the top of the Alps. There they could huntand roam on their snow-shoes. To these cold places, which the wholefamily enjoyed, their daughters went also and all were very happy so farabove the earth. 

Things went on pleasantly in Uller's family so long as his daughterswere young, for then the girls found enough to delight in at their dailyplay. But when grown up and their heads began to be filled with notionsabout the young giants, who paid visits to them, then the familytroubles began. 

[Illustration: YET ALL THE TIME HE WAS CALLING ON HUMAN BEINGS TO HARNESSHIM TO WHEELS]

There was one young giant fairy named Vuur, who came often to see allsix of Uller's daughters, from the youngest to the oldest. Yet no onecould tell which of them he was in love with, or could name the girl heliked best; no, not even the daughters themselves. His character and hisqualities were not well known, for he put on many disguises and appearedin many places. It was believed, however, that he had already done agood deal of mischief and was likely to do more, for he loveddestruction. Yet he often helped the kabouter dwarfs to do great things;so that showed he was of some use. In fact he was the fire fairy. Hekept on, courting all the six sisters, long after May day came, and helengthened his visits until the heat turned the entire half dozen ofthem into water. So they became one. 

At this, Uller was so angry at Vuur's having delayed so long beforepopping the question, and at his daughters' losing their shapes, that hemade Vuur marry them all and at once, they taking the name of Regen. 

Now when the child of Vuur and Regen was born, it turned out to be, inbody and in character, just what people expected from such a father andmother. It was named in Dutch, Stoom. It grew fast and soon showed thatit was as powerful as its parents had been; yet it was much worse, whenshut up, than when allowed to go free in the air. Stoom loved to do allsorts of tricks. In the kitchen, it would make the iron kettle lid flopup and down with a lively noise. If it were confined in a vessel, whether of iron or earthenware, when set over the fire, it would blowthe pot or kettle all to pieces, in order to get out. Thinking itself agreat singer, it would make rather a pleasant sound, when its mother letit come out of a spout. Yet it never obeyed either of its parents. Whenthey tried to shut up Stoom inside of anything, it always escaped with aterrible sound. In fact, nothing could long hold it in, without anexplosion. 

Sometimes Stoom would go down into the bowels of the earth and turn on astream of water so as to meet the deep fires which are ever burning fardown below us. Then there would come an awful earthquake, because Stoomwanted to get out, and the earth crust would not let him, but tried tohold him down. Sometimes Stoom slipped down into a volcano's mouth. Thenthe mountain, in order to save itself from being choked, had to spitStoom out, and this always made a terrible mess on the ground, and mencalled it lava. Or, Stoom might stay down in the crater as a guest, andquietly come out, occasionally, in jets and puffs. 

Even when Jack Frost was around and froze the pipes in the house, orturned the water of the pots, pans, kettles and bottles into solid ice, Stoom behaved very badly. If the frozen kettles, or any other closedvessel were put over the stove, or near the fire, and the ice melted atthe bottom too fast, Stoom would blow the whole thing up. In this way, he often put men's lives in danger and made them lose their property. 

No one seemed to know how to handle this mischievous fairy. Not one manon earth could do anything with him. So they let him have his own way. Yet all the time, though he was enjoying his own tricks and lively fun, he was, with his own voice, calling on human beings to use him properly, and harness him to wheels; for he was willing to be useful to them, andwas all ready to pull or drive, lift or lower, grind or pump, as theneed might be. 

As long as men did not treat him properly and give him the right to getout into the air, after he had done his work, Stoom would explode, blowup and destroy everything. He could be made to sing, hiss, squeal, whistle, and make all kinds of sounds, but, unless the bands that heldhim in were strong enough, or if Vuur got too hot, or his mother wouldnot give him drink enough, when the iron pipes were red with heat, hewould lose his temper and explode. He had no respect for bad orneglected boilers, or for lazy or careless firemen and engineers. 

Yet properly harnessed and treated well, and fed with the food such ashis mother can give, and roused by his father's persuasion, Stoom isgreater than any giant or fairy that ever was. He can drive a ship, alocomotive, a submarine, or an aeroplane, as fast as Fro's boar, horseor ship. Everybody to-day is glad that Stoom is such a good servant andfriend all over the world. 

THE ELVES AND THEIR ANTICS

The elves are the little white creatures that live between heaven andearth. They are not in the clouds, nor down in the caves and mines, likethe kabouters. They are bright and fair, dwelling in the air, and in theworld of light. The direct heat of the sun is usually too much for them, so they are not often seen during the day, except towards sunset. Theylove the silvery moonlight. There used to be many folks, who thoughtthey had seen the beautiful creatures, full of fun and joy, dancing handin hand, in a circle. 

In these old days, long since gone by, there were more people than thereare now, who were sure they had many times enjoyed the sight of theelves. Some places in Holland show, by their names, where this kind offairies used to live. These little creatures, that looked as thin asgauze, were very lively and mischievous, though they often helped honestand hard working people in their tasks, as we shall see. But first andmost of all, they were fond of fun. They loved to vex cross people andto please those who were bonnie and blithe. They hated misers, but theyloved the kind and generous. These little folks usually took theirpleasure in the grassy meadows, among the flowers and butterflies. Onbright nights they played among the moonbeams. 

There were certain times when the elves were busy, in such a way as tomake men and girls think about them. Then their tricks were generally inthe stable, or in the field among the cows. Sometimes, in the kitchen ordairy, among the dishes or milk-pans, they made an awful mess for themaids to clean up. They tumbled over the churns, upset the milk jugs, and played hoops with the round cheeses. In a bedroom they made thingslook as if the pigs had run over them. 

When a farmer found his horse's mane twisted into knots, or two cowswith their tails tied together, he said at once, "That's the work ofelves. " If the mares did not feel well, or looked untidy, their ownerswere sure the elves had taken the animals out and had been riding themall night. If a cow was sick, or fell down on the grass, it was believedthat the elves had shot an arrow into its body. The inquest, held onmany a dead calf or its mother, was, that it died from an "elf-shot. "They were so sure of this, that even when a stone arrow head--such asour far-off ancestors used in hunting, when they were cave men--waspicked up off the ground, it was called an "elf bolt, " or "elf-arrow. "

Near a certain village named Elf-berg or Elf Hill, because there were somany of the little people in that neighborhood, there was one very oldelf, named Styf, which means Stiff, because though so old he stood upstraight as a lance. Even more than the young elves, he was famous forhis pranks. Sometimes he was nicknamed Haan-e'-kam or Cock's Comb. Hegot this name, because he loved to mock the roosters, when they crowed, early in the morning. With his red cap on, he did look like a rooster. Sometimes he fooled the hens, that heard him crowing. Old Styf lovednothing better than to go to a house where was a party indoors. All thewooden shoes of the twenty or thirty people within, men and women, girlsand boys, would be left outside the door. All good Dutch folks step outof their heavy timber shoes, or klomps, before they enter a house. It isalways a curious sight, at a country church, or gathering of people at aparty, to see the klomps, big and little, belonging to baby boys andgirls, and to the big men, who wear a number thirteen shoe of wood. Onewonders how each one of the owners knows his own, but he does. Each pairis put in its own place, but Old Styf would come and mix them all uptogether, and then leave them in a pile. So when the people came out togo home, they had a terrible time in finding and sorting out theirshoes. Often they scolded each other; or, some innocent boy was blamedfor the mischief. Some did not find out, till the next day, that theyhad on one foot their own, and on another foot, their neighbor's shoe. It usually took a week to get the klomps sorted out, exchanged, and theproper feet into the right shoes. In this way, which was a special trickwith him, this naughty elf, Styf, spoiled the temper of many people. 

Beside the meadow elves, there were other kinds in Elfin Land; someliving in the woods, some in the sand-dunes, but those calledStaalkaars, or elves of the stall, were Old Styf's particular friends. These lived in stables and among the cows. The Moss Maidens, that coulddo anything with leaves, even turning them into money, helped Styf, forthey too liked mischief. They teased men-folks, and enjoyed nothingbetter than misleading the stupid fellows that fuddled their brains withtoo much liquor. 

Styf's especially famous trick was played on misers. It was this. Whenhe heard of any old fellow, who wanted to save the cost of candles, hewould get a kabouter to lead him off in the swamps, where the sootyelves come out, on dark nights, to dance. Hoping to catch these lightsand use them for candles, the mean fellow would find himself in a swamp, full of water and chilled to the marrow. Then the kabouters would laughloudly. 

Old Styf had the most fun with another stingy fellow, who always scoldedchildren when he found them spending a penny. If he saw a girl buyingflowers, or a boy giving a copper coin for a waffle, he talked roughlyto them for wasting money. Meeting this miser one day, as he was walkingalong the brick road, leading from the village, Styf offered to pay theold man a thousand guilders, in exchange for four striped tulips, thatgrew in his garden. The miser, thinking it real silver, eagerly took themoney and put it away in his iron strong box. The next night, when hewent, as he did three times a week, to count, and feel, and rub, andgloat, over his cash, there was nothing but leaves in a round form. These, at his touch, crumbled to pieces. The Moss Maidens laugheduproariously, when the mean old fellow was mad about it. 

But let no one suppose that the elves, because they were smarter thanstupid human beings, were always in mischief. No, no! They did, indeed, have far more intelligence than dull grown folks, lazy boys, or carelessgirls; but many good things they did. They sewed shoes for poorcobblers, when they were sick, and made clothes for children, when themother was tired. When they were around, the butter came quick in thechurn. 

When the blue flower of the flax bloomed in Holland, the earth, inspring time, seemed like the sky. Old Styf then saw his opportunity todo a good thing. Men thought it a great affair to have even coarse linentow for clothes. No longer need they hunt the wolf and deer in theforest, for their garments. By degrees, they learned to make finerstuff, both linen for clothes and sails for ships, and this fabric theyspread out on the grass until the cloth was well bleached. When takenup, it was white as the summer clouds that sailed in the blue sky. Allthe world admired the product, and soon the word "Holland" was less thename of a country, than of a dainty fabric, so snow white, that it wasfit to robe a queen. The world wanted more and more of it, and the Dutchlinen weaver grew rich. Yet still there was more to come. 

Now, on one moonlight night in summer, the lady elves, beautifulcreatures, dressed in gauze and film, with wings to fly and with feetthat made no sound, came down into the meadows for their fairy dances. But when, instead of green grass, they saw a white landscape, theywondered, Was it winter?

Surely not, for the air was warm. No one shivered, or was cold. Yetthere were whole acres as white as snow, while all the old fairy rings, grass and flowers were hidden. 

They found that the meadows had become bleaching grounds, so that thecows had to go elsewhere to get their dinner, and that this white areawas all linen. However, they quickly got over their surprise, for elvesare very quick to notice things. But now that men had stolen a march onthem, they asked whether, after all, these human beings had moreintelligence than elves. Not one of these fairies but believed that menand women were the inferiors of elves. 

So, then and there, began a battle of wits. 

"They have spoiled our dancing floor with their new invention; so weshall have to find another, " said the elfin queen, who led the party. 

"They are very proud of their linen, these men are; but, without thespider to teach them, what could they have done? Even a wild boar caninstruct these human beings. Let us show them, that we, also, can doeven more. I'll get Old Styf to put on his thinking cap. He'll addsomething new that will make them prouder yet. "

"But we shall get the glory of it, " the elves shouted in chorus. Thenthey left off talking and began their dances, floating in the air, untilthey looked, from a distance, like a wreath of stars. 

The next day, a procession of lovely elf maidens and mothers waited onStyf and asked him to devise something that would excel the invention oflinen; which, after all, men had learned from the spider. 

"Yes, and they would not have any grain fields, if they had not learnedfrom the wild boar, " added the elf queen. 

Old Styf answered "yes" at once to their request, and put on his redthinking cap. Then some of the girl elves giggled, for they saw that hedid, really, look like a cock's comb. "No wonder they called himHaan-e'-kam, " said one elf girl to the other. 

Now Old Styf enjoyed fooling, just for the fun of it, and he taught allthe younger elves that those who did the most work with their hands andhead, would have the most fun when they were old. 

First of all, he went at once to see Fro, the spirit of the goldensunshine and the warm summer showers, who owned two of the mostwonderful things in the world. One was his sword, which, as soon as itwas drawn out of its sheath, against wicked enemies, fought of its ownaccord and won every battle. Fro's chief enemies were the frost giants, who wilted the flowers and blasted the plants useful to man. Fro wasabsent, when Styf came, but his wife promised he would come next day, which he did. He was happy to meet all the elves and fairies, and they, in turn, joyfully did whatever he told them. Fro knew all the secrets ofthe grain fields, for he could see what was in every kernel of both thestalks and the ripe ears. He arrived, in a golden chariot, drawn by hiswild boar which served him instead of a horse. Both chariot and boardrove over the tops of the ears of wheat, and faster than the wind. 

The Boar was named Gullin, or Golden Bristles because of its sunshinycolor and splendor. In this chariot, Fro had specimens of all thegrains, fruits, and vegetables known to man, from which Styf couldchoose, for these he was accustomed to scatter over the earth. 

When Styf told him just what he wanted to do, Fro picked out a sheaf ofwheat and whispered a secret in his ear. Then he drove away, in a burstof golden glory, which dazzled even the elves, that loved the brightsunshine. These elves were always glad to see the golden chariot comingor passing by. 

Styf also summoned to his aid the kabouters, and, from these ugly littlefellows, got some useful hints; for they, dwelling in the dark caverns, know many secrets which men used to name alchemy, and which they nowcall chemistry. 

Then Styf fenced himself off from all intruders, on the top of a bright, sunny hilltop, with his thinking cap on and made experiments for sevendays. No elves, except his servants, were allowed to see him. At the endof a week, still keeping his secret and having instructed a dozen or soof the elf girls in his new art, he invited all the elves in the LowCountries to come to a great exhibition, which he intended to give. 

What a funny show it was! On one long bench, were half a dozen washtubs;and on a table, near by, were a dozen more washtubs; and on a longertable not far away were six ironing boards, with smoothing irons. Astove, made hot with a peat fire, was to heat the irons. Behind the tubsand tables, stood the twelve elf maidens, all arrayed in shining whitegarments and caps, as spotless as snow. One might almost think they werewhite elves of the meadow and not kabouters of the mines. The wonder wasthat their linen clothes were not only as dainty as stars, but that theyglistened, as if they had laid on the ground during a hoar frost. 

Yet it was still warm summer. Nothing had frozen, or melted, and therosy-faced elf-maidens were as dry as an ivory fan. Yet they resembledthe lilies of the garden when pearly with dew-drops. 

When all were gathered together, Old Styf called for some of thecompany, who had come from afar, to take off their dusty andtravel-stained linen garments and give them to him. These were passedover to the trained girls waiting to receive them. In a jiffy, they werewashed, wrung out, rinsed and dried. It was noticed that thoseelf-maidens, who were standing at the last tub, were intently expectingto do something great, while those five elf maids at the table took offthe hot irons from the stove. They touched the bottom of the flat-ironswith a drop of water to see if it rolled off hissing. They kept theireyes fixed on Styf, who now came forward before all and said, in a loudvoice:

"Elves and fairies, moss maidens and stall sprites, one and all, beholdour invention, which our great friend Fro and our no less helpfulfriends, the kabouters, have helped me to produce. Now watch me proveits virtues. "

Forthwith he produced before all a glistening substance, partly inpowder, and partly in square lumps, as white as chalk. He easily brokeup a handful under his fingers, and flung it into the fifth tub, whichhad hot water in it. After dipping the washed garments in the whitegummy mass, he took them up, wrung them out, dried them with his breath, and then handed them to the elf ironers. In a few moments, these heldup, before the company, what a few minutes before had been only dustyand stained clothes. Now, they were white and resplendent. No fuller'searth could have bleached them thus, nor added so glistening a surface. 

It was starch, a new thing for clothes. The fairies, one and all, clapped their hands in delight. 

"What shall we name it?" modestly asked Styf of the oldest gnomepresent. 

"Hereafter, we shall call you Styf Sterk, Stiff Starch. " They alllaughed. 

Very quickly did the Dutch folks, men and women, hear and make use ofthe elves' invention. Their linen closets now looked like piles of snow. All over the Low Countries, women made caps, in new fashions, of lace orplain linen, with horns and wings, flaps and crimps, with quilling andwith whirligigs. Soon, in every town, one could read the sign "Hiermangled men" (Here we do ironing). 

In time, kings, queens and nobles made huge ruffs, often so big thattheir necks were invisible, and their heads nearly lost from sight, inrings of quilled linen, or of lace, that stuck out a foot or so. Worldlypeople dyed their starch yellow; zealous folk made it blue; but moderatepeople kept it snowy white. 

Starch added money and riches to the nation. Kings' treasuries becamefat with money gained by taxes laid on ruffs, and on the cargoes ofstarch, which was now imported by the shipload, or made on the spot, inmany countries. So, out of the ancient grain came a new spirit thatworked for sweetness and beauty, cleanliness, and health. From a usefulsubstance, as old as Egypt, was born a fine art, that added to the sumof the world's wealth and pleasure. 

THE KABOUTERS AND THE BELLS

When the young queen Wilhelmina visited Brabant and Limburg, they amusedher with pageants and plays, in which the little fellows calledkabouters, in Dutch, and kobolds in German, played and showed off theirtricks. Other small folk, named gnomes, took part in the tableaux. Thekabouters are the dark elves, who live in forests and mines. The whiteelves live in the open fields and the sunshine. 

The gnomes do the thinking, but the kabouters carry out the work ofmining and gathering the precious stones and minerals. They are short, thick fellows, very strong and are strenuous in digging out coal andiron, copper and gold. When they were first made, they were so ugly, that they had to live where they could not be seen, that is, in the darkplaces. The grown imps look like old men with beards, but no one everheard of a kabouter that was taller than a yardstick. As for the babies, they are hardly bigger than a man's thumb. The big boys and girls, inthe kabouter kingdom, are not much over a foot high. 

[Illustration: THE MASTER OF THE CHOIR TRIED AGAIN AND AGAIN]

What is peculiar about them all is, that they help the good and wisepeople to do things better; but they love to plague and punish the dullfolks, that are stupid, or foolish or naughty. In impish glee, they lurethe blockheads, or in Dutch, the "cheese-heads, " to do worse. 

A long time ago, there were no church spires or bells in the land of theDutch folks, as there are now by the thousands. The good teachers fromthe South came into the country and taught the people to have bettermanners, finer clothes and more wholesome food. They also persuaded themto forget their cruel gods and habits of revenge. They told of theFather in Heaven, who loves us all, as his children, and forgives uswhen we repent of our evil doings. 

Now when the chief gnomes and kabouters heard of the newcomers in theland, they held a meeting and said one to the other:

"We shall help all the teachers that are good and kind, but we shallplague and punish the rough fellows among them. "

So word was sent to all little people in the mines and hills, instructing them how they were to act and what they were to do. 

Some of the new teachers, who were foreigners, and did not know thecustoms of the country, were very rude and rough. Every day they hurtthe feelings of the people. With their axes they cut down the sacredtrees. They laughed scornfully at the holy wells and springs of water. They reviled the people, when they prayed to great Woden, with his blackravens that told him everything, or to the gentle Freya, with her whitedoves, who helped good girls to get kind husbands. They scolded thechildren at play, and this made their fathers and mothers feelmiserable. This is the reason why so many people were angry and sullen, and would not listen to the foreign teachers. 

Worse than this, many troubles came to these outsiders. Their bread wassour, when they took it out of the oven. So was the milk, in their pans. Sometimes they found their beds turned upside down. Gravel stonesrattled down into their fireplaces. Their hats and shoes were missing. In fact, they had a terrible time generally and wanted to go back home. When the kabouter has a grudge against any one, he knows how to plaguehim. 

But the teachers that were wise and gentle had no trouble. Theypersuaded the people with kind words, and, just as a baby learns to eatother food at the table, so the people were weaned away from cruelcustoms and foolish beliefs. Many of the land's folk came to listen tothe teachers and helped them gladly to build churches. 

More wonderful than this, were the good things that came to these kindteachers, they knew not how. Their bread and milk were always sweet andin plenty. They found their beds made up and their clothes kept clean, gardens planted with blooming flowers, and much hard work done for them. When they would build a church in a village, they wondered how it wasthat the wood and the nails, the iron necessary to brace the beams, andthe copper and brass for the sacred vessels, came so easily and inplenty. When, on some nights, they wondered where they would get food toeat, they found, on waking up in the morning, that there was alwayssomething good ready for them. Thus many houses of worship were built, and the more numerous were the churches, the more did farms, cows, grainfields, and happy people multiply. 

Now when the gnomes and kabouters, who like to do work for pleasantpeople, heard that the good teachers wanted church bells, to call thepeople to worship, they resolved to help the strangers. They would makenot only a bell, or a chime, but, actually a carillon, or concert ofbells to hang up in the air. 

The dark dwarfs did not like to dig metal for swords or spears, or whatwould hurt people; but the church bells would guide travellers in theforest, and quiet the storms, that destroyed houses and upset boats andkilled or drowned people, besides inviting the people to come and prayand sing. They knew that the good teachers were poor and could not buybells in France or Italy. Even if they had money, they could not getthem through the thick forests, or over the stormy seas, for they weretoo heavy. 

When all the kabouters were told of this, they came together to work, night and day, in the mines. With pick and shovel, crowbar and chisel, and hammer and mallet, they broke up the rocks containing copper andtin. Then they built great roaring fires, to smelt the ore into ingots. They would show the teachers that the Dutch kabouters could make bells, as well as the men in the lands of the South. These dwarfish people arejealous of men and very proud of what they can do. 

It was the funniest sight to see these short legged fellows, with tinycoats coming just below their thighs, and little red caps, looking likea stocking and ending in a tassel, on their heads, and in shoes that hadno laces, but very long points. They flew around as lively as monkeys, and when the fire was hot they threw off everything and worked muchharder and longer than men do. 

Were they like other fairies? Well, hardly. One must put away all hisusual thoughts, when he thinks of kabouters. No filmy wings on theirbacks! No pretty clothes or gauzy garments, or stars, or crowns, orwands! Instead of these were hammers, pickaxes, and chisels. But howdiligent, useful and lively these little folks, in plain, coarse coatsand with bare legs, were! In place of things light, clean and easy, thekabouters had furnaces, crucibles and fires of coal and wood. 

Sometimes they were grimy, with smoke and coal dust, and the sweat randown their faces and bodies. Yet there was always plenty of water in themines, and when hard work was over they washed and looked plain buttidy. Besides their stores of gold, and silver, and precious stones, which they kept ready, to give to good people, they had tools with whichto tease or tantalize cruel, mean or lazy folks. 

Now when the kabouter daddies began the roaring fires for the making ofthe bells, the little mothers and the small fry in the kabouter worldcould not afford to be idle. One and all, they came down from off theearth, and into the mines they went in a crowd. They left off teasingmilkmaids, tangling skeins of flax, tearing fishermen's nets, tyingknots in cows' tails, tumbling pots, pans and dishes, in the kitchen, orhiding hats, and throwing stones down the chimneys onto the fireplaces. They even ceased their fun of mocking children, who were calling thecows home, by hiding behind the rocks and shouting to them. Instead ofthese tricks, they saved their breath to blow the fires into a blast. Everybody wondered where the "kabs" were, for on the farms and in townnothing happened and all was as quiet as when a baby is asleep. 

For days and weeks underground, the dwarfs toiled, until their skins, already dark, became as sooty as the rafters in the houses of ourancestors. Finally, when all the labor was over, the chief gnomes wereinvited down into the mines to inspect the work. 

What a sight! There were at least a hundred bells, of all sizes, like asin a family; where there are daddy, mother, grown ups, young sons anddaughters, little folk and babies, whether single, twins or triplets. Big bells, that could scarcely be put inside a hogshead, bells thatwould go into a barrel, bells that filled a bushel, and others a peck, stood in rows. From the middle, and tapering down the row, were scoresmore, some of them no larger than cow-bells. Others, at the end, were sosmall, that one had to think of pint and gill measures. 

Besides all these, there were stacks of iron rods and bars, bolts, nuts, screws, and wires and yokes on which to hang the bells. 

One party of the strongest of the kabouters had been busy in the forest, close to a village, where some men, ordered to do so by a foreignteacher, had begun to cut down some of the finest and most sacred of thegrand old trees. They had left their tools in the woods; but the "kabs, "at night, seized their axes and before morning, without making anynoise, they had levelled all but the holy trees. Those they spared. Then, the timber, all cut and squared, ready to hold the bells, wasbrought to the mouth of the mine. 

Now in Dutch, the name for bell is "klok. " So a wise and gray-beardedgnome was chosen by the high sounding title of klokken-spieler, or bellplayer, to test the bells for a carillon. They were all hung, forpractice, on the big trestles, in a long row. Each one of these frameswas called a "hang, " for they were just like those on which fishermen'snets were laid to dry and be mended. 

So when all were ready, washed, and in their clean clothes, every one ofthe kabouter families, daddies, mothers, and young ones, were ranged inlines and made to sing. The heavy male tenors and baritones, the femalesopranos and contraltos, the trebles of the little folks, and thesqueaks of the very small children, down to the babies' cooing, were allheard by the gnomes, who were judges. The high and mightyklokken-spieler, or master of the carillon, chose those voices with besttone and quality, from which to set in order and regulate the bells. 

It was pitiful to see how mad and jealous some of the kabouters, bothmale and female, were, when they were not appointed to the first row, inwhich were some of the biggest of the males, and some of the fattest ofthe females. Then the line tapered off, to forty or fifty young folks, including urchins of either sex, down to mere babies, that could hardlystand. These had bibs on and had to be held up by their fond mothers. Each one by itself could squeal and squall, coo and crow lustily; but, at a distance, their voices blended and the noise they made sounded likea tinkle. 

All being ready, the old gnome bit his tuning fork, hummed a moment, andthen started a tune. Along the line, at a signal from the chief gnome, they started a tune. 

In the long line, there were, at first, booms and peals, twanging andclanging, jangling and wrangling, making such a clangor that it soundedmore like an uproar than an opera. The chief gnome was almostdiscouraged. 

But neither a gnome nor a kabouter ever gives up. The master of thechoir tried again and again. He scolded one old daddy, for singing toolow. He frowned at a stalwart young fellow, who tried to drown out allthe rest with his bull-like bellow. He shook his finger at a kaboutergirl, that was flirting with a handsome lad near her. He cheered up thelittle folks, encouraging them to hold up their voices, until finally hehad all in order. Then they practiced, until the master gnome thought hehad his scale of notation perfect and gave orders to attune the bells. To the delight of all the gnomes, kabouters and elves, that had beeninvited to the concert, the rows of bells, a hundred or more, fromboomers to tinklers, made harmony. Strung one above the other, theycould render merriment, or sadness, in solos, peals, chimes, cascadesand carillons, with sweetness and effect. At the low notes the babiescalled out "cow, cow;" but at the high notes, "bird, bird. "

So it happened that, on the very day that the bishop had his greatchurch built, with a splendid bulb spire on the top, and all nicelyfurnished within, but without one bell to ring in it, that the kaboutersplanned a great surprise. 

It was night. The bishop was packing his saddle bags, ready to take ajourney, on horseback, to Rheims. At this city, the great caravans fromIndia and China ended, bringing to the annual fair, rugs, spices, gems, and things Oriental, and the merchants of Rheims rolled in gold. Herethe bishop would beg the money, or ask for a bell, or chimes. 

Suddenly, in the night, while in his own house, there rang out music inthe air, such as the bishop had never heard in Holland, or in any of theseventeen provinces of the Netherlands. Not even in the old lands, France, or Spain, or Italy, where the Christian teachers, builders andsingers, and the music of the bells had long been heard, had such aflood of sweet sounds ever fallen on human ears. Here, in these northernregions, rang out, not a solo, nor a peal, nor a chime, nor even acascade, from one bell, or from many bells; but, a long programme ofrichest music in the air--something which no other country, however richor old, possessed. It was a carillon, that is, a continued mass of realmusic, in which whole tunes, songs, and elaborate pieces of such length, mass and harmony, as only a choir of many voices, a band of music, or anorchestra of many performers could produce. 

To get this grand work of hanging in the spire done in one night, andbefore daylight, also, required a whole regiment of fairy toilers, whomust work like bees. For if one ray of sunshine struck any one of thekabouters, he was at once petrified. The light elves lived in thesunshine and thrived on it; but for dark elves, like the kabouters, whose home was underground, sunbeams were as poisoned arrows bringingsure death; for by these they were turned into stone. Happily the taskwas finished before the eastern sky grew gray, or the cocks crowed. While it was yet dark, the music in the air flooded the earth. Thepeople in their beds listened with rapture. 

"Laus Deo" (Praise God), devoutly cried the surprised bishop. "It soundslike a choir of angels. Surely the cherubim and seraphim are here. Nowis fulfilled the promise of the Psalmist: 'The players on instrumentsshall be there. '"

So, from this beginning, so mysterious to the rough, unwise and stupidteachers, but, by degrees, clearer to the tactful ones, who were kindand patient, the carillons spread over all the region between theforests of Ardennes and the island in the North Sea. The Netherlandsbecame the land of melodious symphonies and of tinkling bells. No town, however poor, but in time had its carillon. Every quarter of an hour, the sweet music of hymn or song, made the air vocal, while at thestriking of the hours, the pious bowed their heads and the workmen heardthe call for rest, or they took cheer, because their day's toil wasover. At sunrise, noon, or sunset, the Angelus, and at night the curfewsounded their calls. 

It grew into a fashion, that, on stated days, great concerts were given, lasting over an hour, when the grand works of the masters of music wererendered and famous carillon players came from all over the Netherlands, to compete for prizes. The Low Countries became a famous school, inwhich klokken-spielers (bell players) by scores were trained. Thus nokingdom, however rich or great, ever equalled the Land of the Carillon, in making the air sweet with both melody and harmony. 

Nobody ever sees a kabouter nowadays, for in the new world, when thewoods are nearly all cut down, the world made by the steam engine, andtelegraph, and wireless message, the automobile, aeroplane andsubmarine, cycle and under-sea boat, the little folks in the mines andforests are forgotten. The chemists, miners, engineers and learned menpossess the secrets which were once those of the fairies only. Yet theartists and architects, the clockmakers and bellfounders, who lovebeauty, remember what their fathers once thought and believed. That isthe reason why, on many a famous clock, either in front of the dial ornear the pendulum, are figures of the gnomes, who thought, and thekabouters who wrought, to make the carillons. In Teuton lands, wheretheir cousins are named kobolds, and in France where they are calledfée, and in England brownies, they have tolling and ringing of bells, with peals, chimes and cascades of sweet sound; but the Netherlands, still, above all others on earth, is the home of the carillon. 

THE WOMAN WITH THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX CHILDREN

Long, long ago, before the oldest stork was young and big deer andlittle fawns were very many in the Dutch forests, there was a pond, famous for its fish, which lay in the very heart of Holland, with woodsnear by. Hunters came with their bows and arrows to hunt the stags. Or, out of the bright waters, boys and men in the sunshine drew out the fishwith shining scales, or lured the trout, with fly-bait, from theirhiding places. In those days the fish-pond was called the Vijver, andthe woods where the deer ran, Rensselaer, or the Deer's Lair. 

So, because the forests of oak, and beech, and alder trees were so fine, and game on land and in water so plentiful, the lord of the country camehere and built his castle. He made a hedge around his estate, so thatthe people called the place the Count's Hedge; or, as we say, The Hague. 

Even to-day, within the beautiful city, the forests, with their grandold trees, still remain, and the fish-pond, called the Vijver, is thereyet, with its swans. On the little island, the fluffy, downy cygnets areborn and grow to be big birds, with long necks, bent like an arch. Inanother part of the town, also, with their trees for nesting, and theirpond for wading, are children of the same storks, whose fathers andmothers lived there before America was discovered. 

By and by, many people of rank and fortune came to The Hague, for itssociety. They built their grand houses at the slope of the hill, not faraway from the Vijver, and in time a city grew up. 

It was a fine sight to see the lords and ladies riding out from thecastle into the country. The cavalcade was very splendid, when they wenthawking. There were pretty women on horseback, and gentlemen in velvetclothes, with feathers in their hats, and the horses seemed proud tobear them. The falconers followed on foot, with the hunting birdsperched on a hoop, which the man inside the circle carried round him. Each falcon had on a little cap or hood, which was fastened over itshead. When this was taken off, it flew high up into the air, on its huntfor the big and little birds, which it brought down for its masters. There were also men with dogs, to beat the reeds and bushes, and drivethe smaller birds from shelter. The huntsmen were armed with spears, lest a wild boar, or bear, should rush out and attack them. It wasalways a merry day, when a hawking party, in their fine clothes and gaytrappings, started out. 

There were huts, as well as palaces, and poor people, also, at TheHague. Among these, was a widow, whose twin babies were left withoutanything to eat--for her husband and their father had been killed in thewar. Having no money to buy a cradle, and her babies being too young tobe left alone, she put the pair of little folks on her back and went outto beg. 

Now there was a fine lady, a Countess, who lived with her husband, theCount, near the Vijver. She was childless and very jealous of otherwomen who were mothers and had children playing around them. On thisday, when the beggar woman, with her two babies on her back, came along, the grand lady was in an unusually bad temper. For all her prettyclothes, she was not a person of fine manners. Indeed, she often actedmore like a snarling dog, ready to snap at any one who should speak toher. Although she had cradles and nurses and lovely baby clothes allready, there was no baby. This spoiled her disposition, so that herhusband and the servants could hardly live with her. 

One day, after dinner, when there had been everything good to eat anddrink on her table, and plenty of it, the Countess went out to walk infront of her house. It was the third day of January, but the weather wasmild. The beggar woman, with her two babies on her back and their armsround her neck, crying with hunger, came trudging along. She went intothe garden and asked the Countess for food or an alms. She expectedsurely, at least a slice of bread, a cup of milk, or a small coin. 

But the Countess was rude to her and denied her both food and money. Sheeven burst into a bad temper, and reviled the woman for having twochildren, instead of one. 

"Where did you get those brats? They are not yours. You just broughtthem here to play on my feelings and excite my jealousy. Begone!"

But the poor woman kept her temper. She begged piteously and said: "Forthe love of Heaven, feed my babies, even if you will not feed me. "

"No! they are not yours. You're a cheat, " said the fine lady, nursingher rage. 

"Indeed, Madame, they are both my children and born on one day. Theyhave one father, but he is dead. He was killed in the war, while servinghis grace, your husband. "

"Don't tell me such a story, " snapped back the Countess, now in a fury. "I don't believe that any one, man or woman, could have two children atonce. Away with you, " and she seized a stick to drive off the poorwoman. 

Now, it was the turn of the beggar to answer back. Both had lost theirtemper, and the two angry women seemed more like she-bears robbed oftheir whelps. 

"Heaven punish you, you wicked, cruel, cold-hearted woman, " cried themother. Her two babies were almost choking her in their eagerness forfood. Yet their cries never moved the rich lady, who had bread and goodthings to spare, while their poor parent had not a drop of milk to givethem. The Countess now called her men-servants to drive the beggar away. This they did, most brutally. They pushed the poor woman outside thegarden gate and closed it behind her. As she turned away, the poormother, taking each of her children by its back, one in each hand, heldthem up before the grand lady and cried out loudly, so that all heardher:

"May you have as many children as there are days in the year. "

Now with all her wrath burning in her breast, what the beggar womanreally meant was this: It was the third of January, and so there werebut three days in the year, so far. She intended to say that, instead ofhaving to care for two children, the Countess might have the trouble ofrearing three, and all born on the same day. 

But the fine lady, in her mansion, cared nothing for the beggar woman'swords. Why should she? She had her lordly husband, who was a count, andhe owned thousands of acres. Besides, she possessed vast riches. In hergreat house, were ten men-servants and thirty-one maid-servants, together with her rich furniture, and fine clothes and jewels. The loftybrick church, to which she went on Sundays, was hung with the coats ofarms of her famous ancestors. The stone floor, with its great slabs, wasso grandly carved with the crests and heraldry of her family, that towalk over these was like climbing a mountain, or tramping across aploughed field. Common folks had to be careful, lest they should stumbleover the bosses and knobs of the carved tombs. A long train of herservants, and tenants on the farms followed her, when she went toworship. Inside the church, the lord and lady sat, in high seats, onvelvet cushions and under a canopy. 

By the time summer had come, according to the fashion in all good Dutchfamilies, all sorts of pretty baby clothes were made ready. There weresoft, warm, swaddling bands, tiny socks, and long white linen dresses. Abaptismal blanket, covered with silk, was made for the christening, anddaintily embroidered. Plenty of lace, and pink and blue ribbons--pinkfor a girl and blue for a boy--were kept at hand. And, because theremight be twins, a double set of garments was provided, besides babybathtubs and all sorts of nice things for the little stranger orstrangers--whether one or two--to come. Even the names were chosen--onefor a boy and the other for a girl. Would it be Wilhelm or Wilhelmina?

It was real fun to think over the names, but it was hard to choose outof so many. At last, the Countess crossed off all but forty-six; or thefollowing; nearly every girl's name ending in _je_, as in our"Polly, " "Sallie. "

 _Girls_ _Boys_

 Magtel Catharyna Gerrit Gysbert Nelletje Alida Cornelis Jausze Zelia Annatje Volkert Myndert Jannetje Christina Kilian Adrian Zara Katrina Johannes Joachim Marytje Bethje Petrus Arendt Willemtje Eva Barent Dirck Geertruy Dirkje Wessel Nikolaas Petronella Mayken Hendrik Staats Margrieta Hilleke Teunis Gozen Josina Bethy Wouter Willemtje Japik Evert

But before the sun set on the expected day, it was neither one boy norone girl, nor both; nor were all the forty-six names chosen sufficient;for the beggar woman's wish had come true, in a way not expected. Therewere as many as, and no fewer children than, there were days in theyear; and, since this was leap year, there were three hundred andsixty-six little folks in the house; so that other names, besides theforty-six, had to be used. 

Yet none of these wee creatures was bigger than a mouse. Beginning atdaylight, one after another appeared--first a girl and then a boy; sothat after the forty-eighth, the nurse was at her wit's end, to givethem names. It was not possible to keep the little babies apart. Thethirty-one servant maids of the mansion were all called in to help insorting out the girls from the boys; but soon it seemed hopeless to tryto pick out Peter from Henry, or Catalina from Annetje. After an hour ortwo spent at the task, and others coming along, the women found that itwas useless to try any longer. It was found that little Piet, Jan andKlaas, Hank, Douw and Japik, among the boys; and Molly, Mayka, Lena, Elsje, Annatje and Marie were getting all mixed up. So they gave up theattempt in despair. Besides, the supply of pink and blue ribbons hadgiven out long before, after the first dozen or so were born. As forthe, baby clothes made ready, they were of no use, for all the garmentswere too big. In one of the long dresses, tied up like a bag, one mightpossibly, with stuffing, have put the whole family of three hundred andsixty-six brothers and sisters. 

It was not likely such small fry of human beings could live long. So, the good Bishop Guy, of Utrecht, when he heard that the beggar woman'scurse had come true, in so unexpected a manner, ordered that the babiesshould be all baptized at once. The Count, who was strict in his ideasof both custom and church law, insisted on it too. 

So nothing would do but to carry the tiny infants to church. How to getthem there, was a question. The whole house had been rummaged to providethings to carry the little folks in: but the supply of trays, and mincepie dishes, and crocks, was exhausted at the three hundred and sixtiethbaby. So there was left only a Turk's Head, or round glazed earthendish, fluted and curved, which looked like the turban of a Turk. Henceits name. Into this, the last batch of babies, or extra six girls, werestowed. Curiously enough, number 366 was an inch taller than the others. To thirty house maids was given a tray, for each was to carry twelvemannikins, and one the last six, in the Turk's Head. Instead of richsilk blankets a wooden tray, and no clothes on, must suffice. 

In the Groote Kerk, or Great Church, the Bishop was waiting, with hisassistants, holding brass basins full of holy water, for thechristening. All the town, including the dogs, were out to see what wasgoing on. Many boys and girls climbed up on the roofs of the one-storyhouses, or in the trees to get a better view of the curiousprocession--the like of which had never been seen in The Hague before. Neither has anything like it ever been seen since. 

So the parade began. First went the Count, with his captains and thetrumpeters, blowing their trumpets. These were followed by themen-servants, all dressed in their best Sunday clothes, who had thecrest and arms of their master, the Count, on their backs and breasts. Then came on the company of thirty-one maids, each one carrying a tray, on which were twelve mannikins, or minikins. Twenty of these trays wereround and made of wood, lined with velvet, smooth and soft; but ten wereof earthenware, oblong in shape, like a manger. In these, every year, were baked the Christmas pies. 

At first, all went on finely, for the outdoor air seemed to put thebabies asleep and there was no crying. But no sooner were they insidethe church, than about two hundred of the brats began wailing andwhimpering. Pretty soon, they set up such a squall that the Count feltashamed of his progeny and the Bishop looked very unhappy. 

To make matters worse, one of the maids, although warned of the danger, stumbled over the helmet of an old crusader, carved in stone, that rosesome six inches or so above the floor. In a moment, she fell and laysprawling, spilling out at least a dozen babies. "Heilige Mayke" (HolyMary!), she cried, as she rolled over. "Have I killed them?"

Happily the wee ones were thrown against the long-trained gown of an oldlady walking directly in front of her, so that they were unhurt. Theywere easily picked up and laid on the tray again, and once more the linestarted. 

Happily the Bishop had been notified that he would not have to call outthe names of all the infants, that is, three hundred and sixty-six; forthis would have kept him at the solemn business all day long. It hadbeen arranged that, instead of any on the list of the chosen forty-six, to be so named, all the boys should be called John, and all the girlsElizabeth; or, in Dutch, Jan and Lisbet, or Lizbethje. Yet even to say"John" one hundred and eighty times, and "Lisbet" one hundred andeighty-six times, nearly tired the old gentleman to death, for he wasfat and slow. 

So, after the first six trays full of wee folks had been sprinkled, oneat a time, the Bishop decided to "asperse" them, that is, shake, from amop or brush, the holy water, on a tray full of babies at one time. Sohe called for the "aspersorium. " Then, clipping this in the basin ofholy water, he scattered the drops over the wee folk, until all, eventhe six extra girl babies in the Turk's Head, were sprinkled. Probably, because the Bishop thought a Turk was next door to a heathen, he droppedmore water than usual on these last six, until the young ones squealedlustily with the cold. It was noted, on the contrary, that the littlefolks in the mince pie dishes were gently handled, as if the good manhad visions of Christmas coming and the good things on the table. 

Yet it was evident that such tiny people could not bear what healthybabies of full size would think nothing of. Whether it was because ofthe damp weather, or the cold air in the brick church, or too muchexcitement, or because there were not three hundred and sixty-sixnurses, or milk bottles ready, it came to pass that every one of the weecreatures died when the sun went down. 

Just where they were buried is not told, but, for hundreds of years, there was, in one of The Hague churches, a monument in honor of theselittle folks, who lived but a day. It was graven with portraits in stoneof the Count and Countess and told of their children, as many as thedays of the year. Near by, were hung up the two basins, in which theholy water, used by the Bishop, in sprinkling the babies, was held. Theyear, month and day of the wonderful event were also engraved. Many andmany people from various lands came to visit the tomb. The guide booksspoke of it, and tender women wept, as they thought how three hundredand sixty-six little cradles, in the Count's castle, would have looked, had each baby lived. 

THE ONI ON HIS TRAVELS

Across the ocean, in Japan, there once lived curious creatures calledOnis. Every Japanese boy and girl has heard of them, though one has notoften been caught. In one museum, visitors could see the hairy leg of aspecimen. Falling out of the air in a storm, the imp had lost his limb. It had been torn off by being caught in the timber side of a well curb. The story-teller was earnestly assured by one Japanese lad that hisgrandfather had seen it tumble from the clouds. 

Many people are sure that the Onis live in the clouds and occasionallyfall off, during a peal of thunder. Then they escape and hide down in awell. Or, they get loose in the kitchen, rattle the dishes around, andmake a great racket. They behave like cats, with a dog after them. Theydo a great deal of mischief, but not much harm. There are even some oldfolks who say that, after all, Onis are only unruly children, thatbehave like angels in the morning and act like imps in the afternoon. Sowe see that not much is known about the Onis. 

Many things that go wrong are blamed on the Onis. Foolish folks, such asstupid maid-servants, and dull-witted fellows, that blunder a good deal, declare that the Onis made them do it. Drunken men, especially, thatstumble into mud-holes at night, say the Onis pushed them in. Naughtyboys that steal cake, and girls that take sugar, often tell fibs totheir parents, charging it on the Onis. 

The Onis love to play jokes on people, but they are not dangerous. Thereare plenty of pictures of them in Japan, though they never sat for theirportraits, but this is the way they looked. 

Some Onis have only one eye in their forehead, others two, and, once ina while, a big fellow has three. There are little, short horns on theirheads, but these are no bigger than those on a baby deer and never growlong. The hair on their heads gets all snarled up, just like a littlegirl's that cries when her tangled tresses are combed out; for the Onismake use of neither brushes nor looking glasses. As for their faces, they never wash them, so they look sooty. Their skin is rough, like anelephant's. On each of their feet are only three toes. Whether an Onihas a nose, or a snout, is not agreed upon by the learned men who havestudied them. 

No one ever heard of an Oni being higher than a yardstick, but they areso strong that one of them can easily lift two bushel bags of rice atonce. In Japan, they steal the food offered to the idols. They can livewithout air. They like nothing better than to drink both the rice spiritcalled saké, and the black liquid called soy, of which only a few drops, as a sauce on fish, are enough for a man. Of this sauce, the Dutch, aswell as the Japanese, are very fond. 

Above all things else, the most fun for a young Oni is to get into acrockery shop. Once there, he jumps round among the cups and dishes, hides in the jars, straddles the shelves and turns somersaults over thecounter. In fact, the Oni is only a jolly little imp. The Japanesegirls, on New Year's eve, throw handfuls of dried beans in every room ofthe house and cry, "In, with good luck; and out with you, Onis!" Yetthey laugh merrily all the time. The Onis cannot speak, but they canchatter like monkeys. They often seem to be talking to each other ingibberish. 

Now it once happened in Japan that the great Tycoon of the countrywanted to make a present to the Prince of the Dutch. So he sent all overthe land, from the sweet potato fields in the south to the seal andsalmon waters in the north, to get curiosities of all sorts. Theproducts of Japan, from the warm parts, where grow the indigo and thesugar cane, to the cold regions, in which are the bear and walrus, weresent as gifts to go to the Land of Dykes and Windmills. The Japanese hadheard that the Dutch people like cheese, walk in wooden shoes, eat withforks, instead of chopsticks, and the women wear twenty petticoatsapiece, while the men sport jackets with two gold buttons, and folksgenerally do things the other way from that which was common in Japan. 

Now it chanced that while they were packing the things that were piledup in the palace at Yedo, a young Oni, with his horns only half grown, crawled into the kitchen, at night, through the big bamboo water pipenear the pump. Pretty soon he jumped into the storeroom. There, theprecious cups, vases, lacquer boxes, pearl-inlaid pill-holders, writingdesks, jars of tea, and bales of silk, were lying about, ready to be putinto their cases. The yellow wrappings for covering the pretty things ofgold and silver, bronze and wood, and the rice chaff, for the packing ofthe porcelain, were all at hand. What a jolly time the Oni did have, intumbling them about and rolling over them! Then he leaped like a monkeyfrom one vase to another. He put on a lady's gay silk kimono and wrappedhimself around with golden embroidery. Then he danced and played thegame of the Ka-gu'-ra, or Lion of Korea, pretending to make love to agirl-Oni. Such funny capers as he did cut! It would have made a catlaugh to see him. It was broad daylight, before his pranks were over, and the Dutch church chimes were playing the hour of seven. 

Suddenly the sound of keys in the lock told him that, in less than aminute, the door would open. 

Where should he hide? There was no time to be lost. So he seized somebottles of soy from the kitchen shelf and then jumped into the bigbottom drawer of a ladies' cabinet, and pulled it shut. 

"Namu Amida" (Holy Buddha!), cried the man that opened the door. "Whohas been here? It looks like a rat's picnic. "

However, the workmen soon came and set everything to rights. Then theypacked up the pretty things. They hammered down the box lids and beforenight the Japanese curiosities were all stored in the hold of a swift, Dutch ship, from Nagasaki, bound for Rotterdam. After a long voyage, thevessel arrived safely in good season, and the boxes were sent on to TheHague, or capital city. As the presents were for the Prince, they weretaken at once to the pretty palace, called the House in the Wood. Therethey were unpacked and set on exhibition for the Prince and Princess tosee the next day. 

When the palace maid came in next morning to clean up the floor and dustthe various articles, her curiosity led her to pull open the drawer ofthe ladies' cabinet; when out jumped something hairy. It nearlyfrightened the girl out of her wits. It was the Oni, which rushed offand down stairs, tumbling over a half dozen servants, who were sittingat their breakfast. All started to run except the brave butler, whocaught up a carving knife and showed fight. Seeing this, the Oni randown into the cellar, hoping to find some hole or crevice for escape. All around, were shelves filled with cheeses, jars of sour-krout, pickled herring, and stacks of fresh rye bread standing in the corners. But oh! how they did smell in his Japanese nostrils! Oni, as he was, henearly fainted, for no such odors had ever beaten upon his nose, when inJapan. Even at the risk of being carved into bits, he must go back. Soup into the kitchen again he ran. Happily, the door into the gardenstood wide open. 

Grabbing a fresh bottle of soy from the kitchen shelf, the Oni, with ahop, skip and jump, reached outdoors. Seeing a pair of klomps, or woodenshoes, near the steps, the Oni put his pair of three toes into them, tokeep the dogs from scenting its tracks. Then he ran into the fields, hiding among the cows, until he heard men with pitchforks coming. Atonce the Oni leaped upon a cow's back and held on to its horns, whilethe poor animal ran for its life into its stall, in the cow stable, hoping to brush the monster off. 

The dairy farmer's wife was at that moment pulling open her bureaudrawer, to put on a new clean lace cap. Hearing her favorite cow moo andbellow, she left the drawer open and ran to look through the pane ofglass in the kitchen. Through this, she could peep, at any minute, tosee whether this or that cow, or its calf, was sick or well. 

Meanwhile, at the House in the Wood, the Princess, hearing the maidscream and the servants in an uproar, rushed out in her embroideredwhite nightie, to ask who, and what, and why, and wherefore. Alldifferent and very funny were the answers of maid, butler, cook, valetand boots. 

The first maid, who had pulled open the drawer and let the Oni get out, held up broom and duster, as if to take oath. She declared:

"It was a monkey, or baboon; but he seemed to talk--Russian, I think. "

"No, " said the butler. "I heard the creature--a black ram, running onits hind legs; but its language was German, I'm sure. "

The cook, a fat Dutch woman, told a long story. She declared, on honor, that it was a black dog like a Chinese pug, that has no hair. However, she had only seen its back, but she was positive the creature talkedEnglish, for she heard it say "soy. "

The valet honestly avowed that he was too scared to be certain ofanything, but was ready to swear that to his ears the words utteredseemed to be Swedish. He had once heard sailors from Sweden talking, andthe chatter sounded like their lingo. 

Then there was Boots, the errand boy, who believed that it was theDevil; but, whatever or whoever it was, he was ready to bet a week'swages that its lingo was all in French. 

Now when the Princess found that not one of her servants could speak orunderstand any language but their own, she scolded them roundly inDutch, and wound up by saying, "You're a lot of cheese-heads, all ofyou. "

Then she arranged the wonderful things from the Far East, with her owndainty hands, until the House in the Wood was fragrant with Orientalodors, and soon it became famous throughout all Europe. Even when hergrandchildren played with the pretty toys from the land of Fuji andflowers, of silk and tea, cherry blossoms and camphor trees, it was notonly the first but the finest Japanese collection in all Europe. 

Meanwhile, the Oni, in a strange land, got into one trouble afteranother. In rushed men with clubs, but as an Oni was well used to seeingthese at home, he was not afraid. He could outrun, outjump, or outclimbany man, easily. The farmer's vrouw (wife) nearly fainted when the Onileaped first into her room and then into her bureau drawer. As he didso, the bottle of soy, held in his three-fingered paw, hit the wood andthe dark liquid, as black as tar, ran all over the nicely starchedlaces, collars and nightcaps. Every bit of her quilled and crimpedhear-gear and neckwear, once as white as snow, was ruined. 

"Donder en Bliksem" (thunder and lightning), cried the vrouw. "There'smy best cap, that cost twenty guilders, utterly ruined. " Then shebravely ran for the broomstick. 

The Oni caught sight of what he thought was a big hole in the wall andran into it. Seeing the blue sky above, he began to climb up. Now therewere no chimneys in Japan and he did not know what this was. The sootnearly blinded and choked him. So he slid down and rushed out, only tohave his head nearly cracked by the farmer's wife, who gave him a whackof her broomstick. She thought it was a crazy goat that she wasfighting. She first drove the Oni into the cellar and then bolted thedoor. 

An hour later, the farmer got a gun and loaded it. Then, with his hiredman he came near, one to pull open the door, and the other to shoot. What they expected to find was a monster. 

But no! So much experience, even within an hour, of things unknown inJapan, including chimneys, had been too severe for the poor, lonely, homesick Oni. There it lay dead on the floor, with its three fingersheld tightly to its snout and closing it. So much cheese, zuur kool(sour krout), gin (schnapps), advocaat (brandy and eggs), cows' milk, both sour and fresh, wooden shoes, lace collars and crimped neckwear, with the various smells, had turned both the Oni's head and his stomach. The very sight of these strange things being so unusual, gave the Onifirst fright, and then a nervous attack, while the odors, such as hadnever tortured his nose before, had finished him. 

The wise men of the village were called together to hold an inquest. After summoning witnesses, and cross-examining them and studying thestrange creature, their verdict was that it could be nothing less than a_Hersen Schim_, that is, a spectre of the brain. They meant by thisthat there was no such animal. 

However, a man from Delft, who followed the business of a knickerbocker, or baker of knickers, or clay marles, begged the body of the Oni. Hewanted it to serve as a model for a new gargoyle, or rain spout, for theroof of churches. Carved in stone, or baked in clay, which turns red andis called terra cotta, the new style of monster became very popular. Theknickerbocker named it after a new devil, that had been expelled by theprayers of the saints, and speedily made a fortune, by selling it tostone cutters and architects. So for one real Oni, that died and wasburied in Dutch soil, there are thousands of imaginary ones, made ofbaked clay, or stone, in the Dutch land, where things, more funny thanin fairy-land, constantly take place. 

The dead Japanese Oni serving as a model, which was made into a watergutter, served more useful purposes, for a thousand years, than ever hehad done, in the land where his relations still live and play theirpranks. 

THE LEGEND OF THE WOODEN SHOE

In years long gone, too many for the almanac to tell of, or for clocksand watches to measure, millions of good fairies came down from the sunand went into the earth. There, they changed themselves into roots andleaves, and became trees. There were many kinds of these, as theycovered the earth, but the pine and birch, ash and oak, were the chiefones that made Holland. The fairies that lived in the trees bore thename of Moss Maidens, or Tree "Trintjes, " which is the Dutch pet namefor Kate, or Katharine. 

The oak was the favorite tree, for people lived then on acorns, whichthey ate roasted, boiled or mashed, or made into meal, from whichsomething like bread was kneaded and baked. With oak bark, men tannedhides and made leather, and, from its timber, boats and houses. Underits branches, near the trunk, people laid their sick, hoping for helpfrom the gods. Beneath the oak boughs, also, warriors took oaths to befaithful to their lords, women made promises, or wives joined hand inhand around its girth, hoping to have beautiful children. Up among itsleafy branches the new babies lay, before they were found in the cradleby the other children. To make a young child grow up to be strong andhealthy, mothers drew them through a split sapling or young tree. Evenmore wonderful, as medicine for the country itself, the oak had power toheal. The new land sometimes suffered from disease called the _val_(or fall). When sick with the _val_, the ground sunk. Then people, houses, churches, barns and cattle all went down, out of sight, and werelost forever, in a flood of water. 

But the oak, with its mighty roots, held the soil firm. Stories of deadcities, that had tumbled beneath the waves, and of the famous Forest ofReeds, covering a hundred villages, which disappeared in one night, wereknown only too well. 

Under the birch tree, lovers met to plight their vows, and on its smoothbark was often cut the figure of two hearts joined in one. In summer, the forest furnished shade, and in winter warmth from the fire. In thespring time, the new leaves were a wonder, and in autumn the pigs grewfat on the mast, or the acorns, that had dropped on the ground. 

So, for thousands of years, when men made their home in the forest, andwanted nothing else, the trees were sacred. 

But by and by, when cows came into the land and sheep and horsesmultiplied, more open ground was needed for pasture, grain fields andmeadows. Fruit trees, bearing apples and pears, peaches and cherries, were planted, and grass, wheat, rye and barley were grown. Then, insteadof the dark woods, men liked to have their gardens and orchards open tothe sunlight. Still, the people were very rude, and all they had ontheir bare feet were rough bits of hard leather, tied on through theirtoes; though most of them went barefooted. 

The forests had to be cut down. Men were so busy with the axe, that in afew years, the Wood Land was gone. Then the new "Holland, " with itspeople and red roofed houses, with its chimneys and windmills, and dykesand storks, took the place of the old Holt Land of many trees. 

Now there was a good man, a carpenter and very skilful with his tools, who so loved the oak that he gave himself, and his children after him, the name of Eyck, which is pronounced Ike, and is Dutch for oak. When, before his neighbors and friends, according to the beautiful Dutchcustom, he called his youngest born child, to lay the corner-stone ofhis new house, he bestowed upon her, before them all, the name ofNeeltje (or Nellie) Van Eyck. 

The carpenter daddy continued to mourn over the loss of the forests. Heeven shed tears, fearing lest, by and by, there should not one oak treebe left in the country. Moreover, he was frightened at the thought thatthe new land, made by pushing back the ocean and building dykes, mightsink down again and go back to the fishes. In such a case, all thepeople, the babies and their mothers, men, women, horses and cattle, would be drowned. The Dutch folks were a little too fast, he thought, inwinning their acres from the sea. 

One day, while sitting on his door-step, brooding sorrowfully, a MossMaiden and a Tree Elf appeared, skipping along, hand in hand. They cameup to him and told him that his ancestral oak had a message for him. Then they laughed and ran away. Van Eyck, which was now the man's fullfamily name, went into the forest and stood under the grand old oaktree, which his fathers loved, and which he would allow none to cutdown. 

Looking up, the leaves of the tree rustled, and one big branch seemed tosweep near him. Then it whispered in his ear:

"Do not mourn, for your descendants, even many generations hence, shallsee greater things than you have witnessed. I and my fellow oak treesshall pass away, but the sunshine shall be spread over the land and makeit dry. Then, instead of its falling down, like acorns from the trees, more and better food shall come up from out of the earth. Where greenfields now spread, and the cities grow where forests were, we shall cometo life again, but in another form. When most needed, we shall furnishyou and your children and children's children, with warmth, comfort, fire, light, and wealth. Nor need you fear for the land, that it willfall; for, even while living, we, and all the oak trees that are left, and all the birch, beech, and pine trees shall stand on our heads foryou. We shall hold up your houses, lest they fall into the ooze and youshall walk and run over our heads. As truly as when rooted in the soil, will we do this. Believe what we tell you, and be happy. We shall turnourselves upside down for you. "

"I cannot see how all these things can be, " said Van Eyck. 

"Fear not, my promise will endure. "

The leaves of the branch rustled for another moment. Then, all wasstill, until the Moss Maiden and Trintje, the Tree Elf, again, hand inhand, as they tripped along merrily, appeared to him. 

"We shall help you and get our friends, the elves, to do the same. Now, do you take some oak wood and saw off two pieces, each a foot long. Seethat they are well dried. Then set them on the kitchen table to-night, when you go to bed. " After saying this, and looking at each other andlaughing, just as girls do, they disappeared. 

Pondering on what all this might mean, Van Eyck went to his wood-shedand sawed off the oak timber. At night, after his wife had cleared offthe supper table, he laid the foot-long pieces in their place. 

When Van Eyck woke up in the morning, he recalled his dream, and, beforehe was dressed, hurried to the kitchen. There, on the table, lay a pairof neatly made wooden shoes. Not a sign of tools, or shavings could beseen, but the clean wood and pleasant odor made him glad. When heglanced again at the wooden shoes, he found them perfectly smooth, bothinside and out. They had heels at the bottom and were nicely pointed atthe toes, and, altogether, were very inviting to the foot. He tried themon, and found that they fitted him exactly. He tried to walk on thekitchen floor, which his wife kept scrubbed and polished, and thensprinkled with clean white sand, with broomstick ripples scored in thelayers, but for Van Eyck it was like walking on ice. After slipping andbalancing himself, as if on a tight rope, and nearly breaking his noseagainst the wall, he took off the wooden shoes, and kept them off, whileinside the house. However, when he went outdoors, he found his new shoesvery light, pleasant to the feet and easy to walk in. It was not so muchlike trying to skate, as it had been in the kitchen. 

At night, in his dreams, he saw two elves come through the window intothe kitchen. One, a kabouter, dark and ugly, had a box of tools. Theother, a light-faced elf, seemed to be the guide. The kabouter at oncegot out his saw, hatchet, auger, long, chisel-like knife, and smoothingplane. At first, the two elves seemed to be quarrelling, as to whoshould be boss. Then they settled down quietly to work. The kaboutertook the wood and shaped it on the outside. Then he hollowed out, frominside of it, a pair of shoes, which the elf smoothed and polished. Thenone elf put his little feet in them and tried to dance, but he onlyslipped on the smooth floor and flattened his nose; but the other fellowpulled the nose straight again, so it was all right. They waltzedtogether upon the wooden shoes, then took them off, jumped out thewindow, and ran away. 

When Van Eyck put the wooden shoes on, he found that out in the fields, in the mud, and on the soft soil, and in sloppy places, this sort offoot gear was just the thing. They did not sink in the mud and the man'sfeet were comfortable, even after hours of labor. They did not "draw"his feet, and they kept out the water far better than leather possiblycould. 

When the Van Eyck vrouw and the children saw how happy Daddy was, theyeach one wanted a pair. Then they asked him what he called them. 

"Klompen, " said he, in good Dutch, and klompen, or klomps, they are tothis day. 

"I'll make a fortune out of this, " said Van Eyck. "I'll set up aklomp-winkel (shop for wooden shoes) at once. "

So, going out to the blacksmith's shop, in the village, he had the manwho pounded iron fashion for him on his anvil, a set of tools, exactlylike those used by the kabouter and the elf, which he had seen in hisdream. Then he hung out a sign, marked "Wooden blocks for shoes. " Hemade klomps for the little folks just out of the nursery, for boys andgirls, for grown men and women, and for all who walked out-of-doors, inthe street or on the fields. 

Soon klomps came to be the fashion in all the country places. It wasgood manners, when you went into a house, to take off your wooden shoesand leave them at the door. Even in the towns and cities, ladies worewooden slippers, especially when walking or working in the garden. 

Klomps also set the fashion for soft, warm socks, and stockings madefrom sheep's wool. Soon, a thousand needles were clicking, to put a softcushion between one's soles and toes and the wood. Women knitted, evenwhile they walked to market, or gossiped on the streets. Theklomp-winkels, or shops of the shoe carpenters, were seen in everyvillage. 

When rich beyond his day-dreams, Van Eyck had another joyful nightvision. The next day, he wore a smiling countenance. Everybody, who methim on the street, saluted him and asked, in a neighborly way:

"Good-morning, Mynheer Bly-moe-dig (Mr. Cheerful). How do you sailto-day?"

That's the way the Dutch talk--not "how do you do, " but, in their waterycountry, it is this, "How do you sail?" or else, "Hoe gat het u al?"(How goes it with you, already?)

Then Van Eyck told his dream. It was this: The Moss Maiden and Trintje, the wood elf, came to him again at night and danced. They were livelyand happy. 

"What now?" asked the dreamer, smilingly, of his two visitors. 

[Illustration: The kabouter took the wood and shaped it on the inside. ]

He had hardly got the question out of his mouth, when in walked akabouter, all smutty with blacksmith work. In one hand, he grasped histool box. In the other, he held a curious looking machine. It was a biglump of iron, set in a frame, with ropes to pull it up and let it falldown with a thump. 

"What is it?" asked Van Eyck. 

"It's a Hey" (a pile driver), said the kabouter, showing him how to useit. "When men say to you, on the street, to-morrow, 'How do you sail?'laugh at them, " said the Moss Maiden, herself laughing. 

"Yes, and now you can tell the people how to build cities, with mightychurches with lofty towers, and with high houses like those in otherlands. Take the trees, trim the branches off, sharpen the tops, turnthem upside down and pound them deep in the ground. Did not the ancientoak promise that the trees would be turned upside down for you? Did theynot say you could walk on top of them?"

By this time, Van Eyck had asked so many questions, and kept the elvesso long, that the Moss Maiden peeped anxiously through the window. Seeing the day breaking, she and Trintje and the kabouter flew away, soas not to be petrified by the sunrise. 

"I'll make another fortune out of this, also, " said the happy man, who, next morning, was saluted as Mynheer Blyd-schap (Mr. Joyful). 

At once, Van Eyck set up a factory for making pile drivers. Sending meninto the woods, who chose the tall, straight trees, he had theirbranches cut off. Then he sharpened the trunks at one end, and thesewere driven, by the pile driver, down, far and deep, into the ground. Soa foundation, as good as stone, was made in the soft and spongy soil, and well built houses uprose by the thousands. Even the lofty walls ofchurches stood firm. The spires were unshaken in the storm. 

Old Holland had not fertile soil like France, or vast flocks of sheep, producing wool, like England, or armies of weavers, as in the Belgiclands. Yet, soon there rose large cities, with splendid mansions andtown halls. As high towards heaven as the cathedrals and towers in otherlands, which had rock for foundation, her brick churches rose in theair. On top of the forest trees, driven deep into the sand and clay, dams and dykes were built, that kept out the ocean. So, instead of theold two thousand square miles, there were, in the realm, in the courseof years, twelve thousand, rich in green fields and cattle. Then, forall the boys and girls that travel in this land of quaint customs, Holland was a delight. 

THE CURLY-TAILED LION

Once upon a time, some Dutch hunters went to Africa, hoping to capture awhole family of lions. In this they succeeded. With a pack of hounds andplenty of aborigines to poke the jungle with sticks, they drove a bigmale lion, with his wife and four whelps, out of the undergrowth into acircle. In the centre, they had dug a pit and covered it over withsticks and grass. Into this, the whole lion family tumbled. Then, bynets and ropes, the big, fierce creatures and the little cubs werelifted out. They were put in cages and brought to Holland. The babylions, no bigger than pug dogs, were as pretty and harmless as kittens. The sailors delighted to play with them. 

Now lions, even before one was ever seen among the Dutch, enjoyed agreat reputation for strength, courage, dignity and power. It wasbelieved that they had all the traits of character supposed to belong tokings, and which boys like to possess. Many fathers had named their sonsLeo, which is Latin for lion. Dutch daddies had their baby boyschristened with the name of Leeuw, which is their word for the king ofbeasts. 

Before lions were brought from the hot countries into colder lands, thebear and wolf were most admired; because, besides possessing plenty offur, as well as great claws and terrible teeth, they had great courage. For these reasons, many royal and common folks had taken the wolf andbear as namesakes for their hopeful sons. 

But the male lion could make more noise than wolves, for he could roar, while they could only howl. He had a shaggy mane and a very long tail. This had a nail at the end, for scratching and combing out his hair, when tangled up. If he were angry, the mighty brute could stick out hisred tongue, curled like a pump handle, and nearly half a yard long. 

So the lion was called the king of beasts, and the crowned rulers andknights took him as their emblem. They had pictures of the huge creaturepainted on their flags, shields and armor. Sometimes they stuck a goldor brass lion on their iron war hats, which they called helmets. Noknight was allowed to have more than one lion on his shield, but kingsmight have three or four, or even a whole menagerie of meat-eatingcreatures. These painted or sculptured lions were in all sorts ofaction, running, walking, standing up and looking behind or before. 

Now there was a Dutch artist, who noticed what funny fellows kings were, and how they liked to have all sorts of beasts and birds of prey, andsea creatures that devour, on their banners. There were dragons, two-headed eagles, boars with tusks, serpents with fangs, hawks, griffins, wyverns, lions, dragons and dragon-lions, besides horses withwings, mermaids with scaly tails, and even night mares that went flyingthrough the dark. With such a funny variety of beast, bird, and fish, some wondered why there were not cows with two tails, cats with twonoses, rams with four horns, and creatures that were half veal and halfmutton. He noticed that kings did not care much for tame, quiet, peaceable, or useful creatures, such as oxen or horses, doves or sheep;but only for those brutes that hunt and kill the more defencelesscreatures. 

Since, then, kings of the country must have a lion, the artist resolvedto make a new one. He would have some fun, at any rate. 

So as painter or sculptor select men and women to pose for them in theirstudy as their heroes and heroines, and just as they picture plumplittle boys and girls as cherubs and angels, so the Dutchman would makeof the cubs and the father beast of prey his models for coats of arms. 

Poor lions! They did not know, but they soon found out how tiresome itwas to pose. They must hold their paws up, down, sideways or behind, according as they were told. They must stand or kneel, for a long time, in awkward positions. They must stick out their tongues to full length, walk on their hind legs, twist their necks, to one side or the other, look forward or backward, and in many tiresome ways do just as they wereordered. They must also make of their tails every sort of use, whetherto wrap around posts or bundles, to stick out of their cage, or putbetween their legs, as they ran away, or to whisk them around, as theyroared; or hoist them up high when rampant. 

In some cases, they were expected, even, to put on spectacles, andpretend to be reading, to hold in their paws books and scrolls, or townarms, or shop signs. They must pose, not only as companions of Daniel, in the lions' den at Babylon, which was proper; but also to sit, ascompanion of St. Mark, and even to stand on their legs on the top of ahigh column, without falling off. 

In a word, this artist belonged to the college of heralds, and heintroduced the king of beasts into Dutch heraldry. 

So from that day forth, the life of that family of African lions, fromthe daddy to the youngest cub, was made a burden. When at home in thejungle and even in the cage, the father lion's favorite position wasthat of lolling on one side, with his paws stretched out, and halfasleep and all day, until he went out, towards dark, to hunt. Now, hemust stand up, nearly all day. Daddy lion had to do most of the posing, until the poor beast's front legs and paws were weary with standing solong. Moreover, the hair was all worn off his body at the place where hehad to sit on the hard wooden floor. He must do all this, on penalty ofbeing punched with a red hot poker, if he refused. A charcoal furnaceand long andirons were kept near by, and these were attended to by aDutch boy. Or, it might be that the whole family of lions were notallowed to have any dinner till Daddy obeyed and did what he was told, though often with a snarl or a roar. 

First, Leo must rise upon his hind legs and look in front of him. Thisposture was not hard, for in his native jungle, he had often thusobtained a breakfast of venison for his wife and family. But oh, tostand a half hour on two legs only, when he had four, and would gladlyhave used all of them, was hard. Yet this was the position, called "thelion rampant, " which kings liked best. 

But the king's uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, and his wife'srelations generally, every one of them, wanted a lion on his or herstationery and pocket handkerchiefs, as well as on their shields andflags. So the old lion was tortured--the hot poker being always insight--and he was made to take a great variety of positions. The artistcalled out to Leo, just as a driver says to his cart horse, "whoa, " "getup, " "golong, " etc. When he yelled in this fashion, the lion had toobey. 

Pretty soon lions in heraldry, on flags, armor, town arms, family crestsand city seals became all the fashion. The whole country went lion-mad. There were lions carved in stone, wood and iron, and every sort andkind, possible or impossible. Some of them seemed to be engaged in avariety of tricks, as if they belonged to a circus, or were having aholiday. They laughed, giggled, yawned, stuck out their tongues, heldboards for hotels, bundles for the shopkeepers, or barrels for beerhalls, and made excellent shop signs, which the boys and girls enjoyedlooking at. 

Mrs. Leo was not in much demand, for Mr. Leo did not approve of hiswife's appearing in public. She was kept busy in taking care of hercubs. Daddy Lion had to do multiple work for his family, until the cubswere grown. Yet long before this time had come, their Dad had died andbeen stuffed for a museum. How this first king of beasts in theNetherlands came to his untimely end was on this wise. 

Not satisfied with posing Leo in every posture, and with all possiblegestures, his master, the artist, wanted him to look "heraldical"; thatis, like some of the mythical beasts that were combinations of any andall creatures having fins, fur, feathers, or scales, such as the dragonor griffin. One day, he attempted to make out of a live lion a fancifulcreature of curlicues and curliewurlies. So he strapped the lion down, and used a curling iron on his mane until he looked like a bearded bullof Babylon. Then he combed out, and, with curl papers, twisted the longline of hair, which is seen in front of Leo's stomach. In like manner, he treated the bunches of hair that grow over the animal's kneepans andelbows. Last of all, he took a hair brush, and smoothed out the tuft, atthe end of the animal's long tail. Then the artist made a picture of himin this condition, all curled and rich in ringlets, like a dandy. 

By this time, the father of the lion family looked as if he had come outfresh from a hairdresser's parlor. Indeed, Mrs. Leo was so struck withher husband's appearance, that she immediately licked her cubs all over, until their fur shone, so they should look like their father. Then, having used her tongue as a comb, to make her own skin smooth andglossy, she completed the job by using the nail in her tail, to do thefinishing work. Altogether, this was the curliest family of lions everseen, and Daddy Leo appeared to be the funniest curly-headed andcurly-bodied lion ever seen. In fact he was all curls, from head totail. 

Notwithstanding all his pains, the artist was not yet satisfied with hisjob. He wanted a circle of long hair to grow in the middle of the lion'stail. His curly lion should beat all creation, and in this way heproceeded. 

His own daughter, being a young lady and having some trouble of thethroat, the doctor had ordered medicine for the girl, charging her notto spill any drops of the liquid on her face, or clothes. 

But, in giving the dose, either the mother, or the daughter, wascareless. At that very moment the cat ran across the room, after themouse, and just as she held the spoon to her mouth, Puss got twisted inher skirts. So most of the medicine splashed upon her upper lip and thenran down to her chin, on either side of her mouth. She laughed over thespill, wiped off the liquid, and thought no more of the matter. 

But a week later, she was astonished. On waking, she looked in theglass, only to shrink back in horror. On her face had grown bothmoustaches and a beard. True, both were rather downy, but still theywere black; and, until the barber came, and shaved off the growth, shewas a bearded woman. Yet, strange to tell, after one or two shaves bythe barber, no more hair grew again on her face, which was smooth again. 

"By Saint Servatus! I'll make a fortune on this, " cried the artist, whenhe saw his daughter's hairy face. 

So, he sold his secret to a druggist, and this man made an ointment, giving it a Chinese name, meaning "beard-grower. " This wonderfulmedicine, as his sign declared, would "force the growth of luxuriantmoustaches and a beard, on the smoothest face of any young man, " whoshould buy and apply it. 

Soon the whole town rang with the news of the wonderful discovery. Thedruggist sold out his stock, in two days, to happy purchasers. Otheryoung fellows, that wanted to outrival their companions, had to wait afortnight for the new medicine to be made. By that time, a full crop ofdowny hair had come out on the cheeks and chin and upper lip of many ayouth. Some, who had been trying for years to raise moustaches, in orderduly to impress the girls, to whom they were making love, were nowjubilant. In several cases, a lover was able to cut out his rival andwin the maid he wanted. Several courtings were hastened and becamegenuine matches, because a face, long very smooth, and like a desert asto hair, bore a promising crop. Beard and cheeks had at last mettogether. So the new medicine was called a "match-maker. "

The artist rubbed his hands in glee, at the prospect of a fortune. Heargued that if the wonderful ointment made beards for men, it must begood for lions also. So again, Daddy Lion was coerced by the threat ofthe hot poker. Then his tail was seized, and, by means of a rope, tiedto a post on one side of the cage, he was held fast. Then the artistanointed about six inches of the middle of the smooth tail with themagic liquid. For fear the lion might lick it off, the poor beast washeld in this tiresome position for a whole week, so that he could notturn round, and he nearly died of fatigue. 

But it happened to the lion's tail, as it did with the young men'schins, cheeks and upper lips. A beard did indeed grow, but once shavedoff--and many did shave, thinking to promote greater growth--no morehair ever appeared again. The ointment forced a downy growth but itkilled the roots of the hair. 

A worse fate befell the lion. A crop of hair, perhaps an inch longerthan common, grew out. But this time, the bad medicine, which haddeceived men, and was unfit for lions, struck in. 

From this cause, added to nervous prostration, old Leo fell dead. Aslion fathers go, he was a good one, and his widow and children mournedfor him. He had never once, however hungry, tried to eat up his cubs, which was something in his favor. 

Soon after these exploits, the old artist died also. His son, hearingthere was still a demand, among kings, for lions, and those especiallywith centre curls in their tails, took the most promising of the whelpsand petted and fed him well. In the seventh year, when his mane andelbow and knee hair had grown out, this cub was mated to a young lionessof like promise. When, of this couple, a male whelp was born, it wasfound that in due time its knees, elbows, tail-tuft, and the front ofits body were all rich in furry growth. In the middle of its tail, also, thick ringlets, several inches long, were growing. Evidently, the hairtonic had done some good. So this one became the father of all thecurly-tailed lions in the Netherlands. Not only was this lion, thusdistinguished for so novel an ornament, copied into heraldry, but itadorned many city seals and town arms. In time, the lion of theNetherlands was pictured with a crown on its head, a sword in its righthand, a bundle of seven arrows--in token of a union of sevenstates--and, still later, the new Order of the Netherlands Lion wasfounded. The original curly lion, with long hair in the middle of itstail, boasts of a long line of descendants that are proud of theirancestor. 

BRABO AND THE GIANT

Ages ago, when the giants were numerous on the earth, there lived a bigfellow named Antigonus. That was not what his mother had called him, butsome one told him of a Greek general of that name; so he took this forhis own. He was rough and cruel. His castle was on the Scheldt River, where the city of Antwerp now stands. Many ships sailed out of Franceand Holland, down this stream. They were loaded with timber, flax, iron, cheese, fish, bread, linen, and other things made in the country. It wasby this trade that many merchants grew rich, and their children hadplenty of toys to play with. The river was very grand, deep, and wide. The captains of the ships liked to sail on it, because there was nodanger from rocks, and the country through which it flowed was sopretty. 

So every day, one could see hundreds of white-sailed craft movingtowards the sea, or coming in from the ocean. Boys and girls came downto stand in their wooden shoes on the banks, to see the vessels movingto and fro. The incoming ships brought sugar, wine, oranges, lemons, olives and other good things to eat, and wool to make warm clothes. Often craftsmen came from the wonderful countries in the south to tellof the rich cities there, and help to build new and fine houses, andsplendid churches, and town halls. So all the Belgian people were happy. 

But one day, this wicked giant came into the country to stop the shipsand make them pay him money. He reared a strong castle on the riverbanks. It had four sides and high walls, and deep down in the earth weredark, damp dungeons. One had to light a candle to find his way to thehorrid places. 

What was it all for? The people wondered, but they soon found out. Thegiant, with a big knotted club, made out of an oak tree, strode throughthe town. He cried out to all the people to assemble in the great opensquare. 

"From this day forth, " he roared, "no ship, whether up or down theriver, shall pass by this place, without my permission. Every captainmust pay me toll, in money or goods. Whoever refuses, shall have bothhis hands cut off and thrown into the river. 

"Hear ye all and obey. Any one caught in helping a ship go by withoutpaying toll, whether it be night, or whether it be day, shall have histhumbs cut off and be put in the dark dungeon for a month. Again I say, Obey!"

With this, the giant swung and twirled his club aloft and then broughtit down on a poor countryman's cart, smashing it into flinders. This wasdone to show his strength. 

So every day, when the ships hove in sight, they were hailed from thegiant's castle and made to pay heavy toll. Poor or rich, they had tohand over their money. If any captain refused, he was brought ashore andmade to kneel before a block and place one hand upon the other. Then thegiant swung his axe and cut off both hands, and flung them into theriver. If a ship master hesitated, because he had no money, he was castinto a dungeon, until his friends paid his ransom. 

Soon, on account of this, the city got a bad name. The captains fromFrance kept in, and the ship men from Spain kept out. The merchantsfound their trade dwindling, and they grew poorer every day. So some ofthem slipped out of the city and tried to get the ships to sail in thenight, and silently pass the giant's castle. 

But the giant's watchers, on the towers, were as wide awake as owls andgreedy as hawks. They pounced on the ship captains, chopped off theirhands and tossed them into the river. The townspeople, who were found onboard, were thrown into the dungeons and had their thumbs cut off. 

So the prosperity of the city was destroyed, for the foreign merchantswere afraid to send their ships into the giant's country. The reputationof the city grew worse. It was nicknamed by the Germans Hand Werpen, orHand Throwing; while the Dutchmen called it Antwerp, which meant thesame thing. The Duke of Brabant, or Lord of the land, came to the bigfellow's fortress and told him to stop. He even shook his fist under thegiant's huge nose, and threatened to attack his castle and burn it. ButAntigonus only snapped his fingers, and laughed at him. He made hiscastle still stronger and kept on hailing ships, throwing some of thecrews into dungeons and cutting off the hands of the captains, until thefish in the river grew fat. 

Now there was a brave young fellow named Brabo, who lived in theprovince of Brabant. He was proud of his country and her flag of yellow, black and red, and was loyal to his lord. He studied the castle well andsaw a window, where he could climb up into the giant's chamber. 

Going to the Duke, Brabo promised if his lord's soldiers would storm thegates of the giant's castle, that he would seek out and fight theruffian. While they battered down the gates, he would climb the walls. "He's nothing but a 'bulle-wak'" (a bully and a boaster), said Brabo, "and we ought to call him that, instead of Antigonus. "

The Duke agreed. On a dark night, one thousand of his best men-at-armswere marched with their banners, but with no drums or trumpets, oranything that could make a noise and alarm the watchmen. 

Reaching a wood full of big trees near the castle, they waited tillafter midnight. All the dogs in the town and country, for five milesaround, were seized and put into barns, so as not to bark and wake thegiant up. They were given plenty to eat, so that they quickly fellasleep and were perfectly quiet. 

At the given signal, hundreds of men holding ship's masts, or treetrunks, marched against the gates. They punched and pounded and at lastsmashed the iron-bound timbers and rushed in. After overcoming thegarrison, they lighted candles, and unlocking the dungeons, went downand set the poor half-starved captives free. Some of them pale, haggardand thin as hop poles, could hardly stand. About the same time, the barndoors where the dogs had been kept, were thrown open. In full cry, aregiment of the animals, from puppies to hounds, were at once out, barking, baying, and yelping, as if they knew what was going on andwanted to see the fun. 

But where was the giant? None of the captains could find him. Not one ofthe prisoners or the garrison could tell where he had hid. 

But Brabo knew that the big fellow, Antigonus, was not at all brave, butreally only a bully and a coward. So the lad was not afraid. Some of hiscomrades outside helped him to set up a tall ladder against the wall. Then, while all the watchers and men-at-arms inside, had gone away todefend the gates, Brabo climbed into the castle, through a slit in thethick wall. This had been cut out, like a window, for the bow-and-arrowmen, and was usually occupied by a sentinel. Sword in hand, Brabo madefor the giant's own room. Glaring at the youth, the big fellow seizedhis club and brought it down with such force that it went through thewooden floor. But Brabo dodged the blow and, in a trice, made a sweepwith his sword. Cutting off the giant's head, he threw it out thewindow. It had hardly touched the ground, before the dogs arrived. Oneof the largest of these ran away with the trophy and the big, hairynoddle of the bully was never found again. 

But the giant's huge hands! Ah, they were cut off by Brabo, who stood onthe very top of the highest tower, while all below looked up andcheered. Brabo laid one big hand on top of the other, as the giant usedto do, when he cut off the hands of captains. He took first the righthand and then the left hand and threw them, one at a time, into theriver. 

A pretty sight now revealed the fact that the people knew what had beengoing on and were proud of Brabo's valor. In a moment, every house inAntwerp showed lighted candles, and the city was illuminated. Issuingfrom the gates came a company of maidens. They were dressed in white, but their leader was robed in yellow, red, and black, the colors of theBrabant flag. They all sang in chorus the praises of Brabo their hero. 

"Let us now drop the term of disgrace to the city--that of theHand-Throwing and give it a new name, " said one of the leading men ofAntwerp. 

"No, " said the chief ruler, "let us rather keep the name, and, more thanever, invite all peaceful ships to come again, 'an-'t-werf' (at thewharf), as of old. Then, let the arms of Antwerp be two red hands abovea castle. "

"Agreed, " cried the citizens with a great shout. The Duke of Brabantapproved and gave new privileges to the city, on account of Brabo'sbravery. So, from high to low, all rejoiced to honor their hero, whowas richly rewarded. 

After this, thousands of ships, from many countries, loaded or unloadedtheir cargoes on the wharves, or sailed peacefully by. Antwerp excelledall seaports and became very rich again. Her people loved their nativecity so dearly, that they coined the proverb "All the world is a ring, and Antwerp is the pearl set in it. "

To this day, in the great square, rises the splendid bronze monument ofBrabo the Brave. The headless and handless hulk of the giant Antigonuslies sprawling, while on his body rests Antwerp castle. Standing overall, at the top, is Brabo high in air. He holds one of the hands ofAntigonus, which he is about to toss into the Scheldt River. 

No people honor valor more than the Belgians. Themselves are to-day, asof old, among the bravest. 

THE FARM THAT RAN AWAY AND CAME BACK

There was once a Dutchman, who lived in the province called Drenthe. Because there was a row of little trees on his farm, his name was RyerVan Boompjes; that is, Ryer of the Little Trees. After a while, he movedto the shore of the Zuyder Zee and into Overijssel. Overijssel meansover the Ijssel River. There he bought a new farm, near the village ofBlokzyl. By dyking and pumping, certain wise men had changed ten acres, of sand and heath, into pasture and land for plowing. They surrounded iton three sides with canals. The fourth side fronted on the Zuyder Zee. Then they advertised, in glowing language, the merits of the new landand Ryer Van Boompjes bought it and paid for his real estate. He was asproud as a popinjay of his island and he ruled over it like a Czar or aKaiser. 

A few years before, Ryer had married a "queezel, " as the Dutch calleither a nun, or a maid who is no longer young. At this date, when ourstory begins, he had four blooming, but old-fashioned children, withgood appetites. They could eat cabbage and potatoes, rye bread andcheese, by the half peck, and drink buttermilk by the quart. Inaddition, Ryer owned four horses, six cows, two dogs, some roosters andhens, a flock of geese, two dozen ducks, and a donkey. 

Yet although Ryer was rich, as wealth is reckoned in Drenthe, whence hehad come, he was greedy for more. He skimped the food of his animals. Somuch did he do this, that his neighbors declared that they had seen himput green spectacles on his cows and the donkey. Then he mixed strawsand shavings with the hay to make the animals think they were eatingfresh grass. 

When he ploughed, he drove his horses close to the edge next to thewater, so as to make use of every half inch of land. When sometimes bitsof fen land, from his neighbor's farms, got loose and floated on thewater, Ryer felt he was in luck. He would go out at night, grapple theboggy stuff and fasten it to his own land. 

After this had happened several times, and Ryer had added a half acre tohis holdings, his greed possessed him like a bad fairy. He began tosteal the land on the other side of the Zuyder Zee. In the course oftime, he became a regular land thief. Whenever he saw, or heard of, afloating bit of territory, he rowed his boat after it by night. Beforemorning, aided by wicked helpers, who shared in the plunder, and were inhis pay, he would have the bog attached to his own farm. 

All this time, he hardly realized that his ill-gotten property, nowincreased to twelve acres or more, was itself a very shaky bit of realestate. In fact, it was not real at all. His wife one day told him so, for she knew of her mean husband's trickery. 

About this time, heavy rains fell, for many days, and without ceasing, until all the region was reduced to pulp and the country seemed afloat. The dykes appeared ready to burst. Thousands feared that the land had anattack of the disease called val (fall) and that the soil would sinkunder the waves as portions of the realm had done before, in days longgone by. 

Yet none of this impending trouble worried Ryer, whose greed grew bywhat it fed upon. In fact, the first day the sun shone again, quicklydrying up parts of his farm, he had two horses harnessed up for work. Then he drove them so near the edge of the ditch that plough, man, andhorses tumbled, and down they went, into the shiny mess of mud andwater. 

At this moment, also, the water, from below the bottom of the ZuyderZee, welled up, in a great wave, like a mushroom, and the whole ofRyer's soggy estate was on the point of breaking loose and seemed readyto float away. 

The stingy fellow, as he fell overboard, bumped his head so hard on theplough beam, that he lay senseless for a half hour. He would certainlyhave been drowned, had not Pete, his stout son, who was not far away, and had seen the tumble, ran to the house, launched a boat and rowedquickly to the spot, where he had last seen his father. Grabbing hisdaddy by the collar, he hauled him, half dead, into the boat. Betweenhis bump and his fright, and the cold bath, old Ryer was a long timecoming to his wits. With filial piety, Pete kept on rubbing the paternalhands and restoring the circulation. 

All this, however, took a long time, even an hour or more. When hisfather was able to sit up and talk, Pete started to row back to thelittle wharf in front of his home. 

But where was it, --the farm, with the house and fields? Whither had theygone? Ryer was too mystified to get his bearings, but Pete knew thepoints of the compass. Yet his father's farm was not there. He looked atthe shore of Overijssel, which he had left. Instead of the old, straightlines of willow trees, with the church spire beyond, there was a hollowand empty place. It looked as if a giant, as big as the world itself, had bitten out a piece of land and swallowed it down. Dumbfounded, father and son looked, the one at the other, but said nothing, for therewas nothing to say. 

Meanwhile, what had become of the farm and "the Queezel, " as theneighbors still called her--that is, the mother with the children. Thesegood people soon saw that they were floating off somewhere. The mainlandwas every moment receding further into the distance. In fact, the farmwas moving from Overijssel northward, towards Friesland. One by one, thechurch spires of the village near by faded from sight. 

But when the wind changed from south to west, they seemed as if on aship, with sails set, and to be making due west, for North Holland. Theyounger children, so far from being afraid, clapped their hands in glee. They thought it great fun to ferry across the big water, which they hadso long seen before their eyes. Their stingy father had never owned acarriage, or allowed the horses to be ridden. He always made his familywalk to church. Whether it were to the sermon, in the morning, or tohear the catechism expounded by the Domine, in the afternoon, all thefamily had to tramp on their wooden shoes there and back. 

As for the floating farm, the cows could not understand it. They mooedpiteously, while the donkey brayed loudly. At night, and day after day, no one could attend properly to the animals, to see that they were fedand given water. One always sees a big tub in the middle of a Dutchpasture field. Neither ducks, nor geese, nor chickens minded it in theleast, but the thirsty cattle and horses, at the end of the first day, had drunk the tub dry. None of the dumb brutes, even if they had notbeen afraid of being drowned, could drink from the Zuyder Zee, for itwas chiefly sea water, that is, salt, or at least brackish. 

Occasionally this errant farm, that had thus broken loose, passed byfishermen, who wondered at so much land thus adrift. Yet they feared tohail, and go on board, lest the owners might think them intruding. Others thought it none of their business, supposing some crazy fellowwas using his farm as a ship, to move his lands, goods and household, and thus save expense. In some of the villages, the runaway farm wasdescried from the tops of the church towers. Then, it furnished asubject for chat and gossip, during three days, to the women, as theymilked the cows, or knitted stockings. To the men, also, while theysmoked, or drank their coffee, it was a lively topic. 

"There were real people on it and a house and stables, " said the sextonof a church, who declared that he had seen this new sort of a flyingDutchman. It was the usual sight--"cow, dog, and stork, " and then hequoted the old Dutch proverb. 

At last, after several days, and when Ryer and his son were nearlyfinished, with fatigue and fright, in trying to row their boat to catchup with the runaway farm, they finally reached a village across theZuyder Zee, in North Holland, where rye bread and turnips satisfiedtheir hunger and they had waffles for dessert. Their small change wentquickly, and then the two men were at their wit's end to know whatfurther to do. 

By this time, out on the floating farm, the mother and children werewild with fear of starving. All the food for the cattle had been eatenup, the dog had no meat, the cat no milk, and the stork had run out ofits supply of frogs. There was no sugar or coffee, and neither rye norcurrant-bread, or sliced sausage or wafer-thin cheese for any one; butonly potatoes and some barley grain. Happily, however, in driftingwithin sight of the village of Osterbeek, the mother and the childrennoticed that the east wind was freshening. Soon they descried the topsof the church towers of North Holland. The smell of cows and cheese andof burning peat fires from the chimneys made both animals and humanbeings happy, as the wind blew the island westward to the village. 

Curiously enough, this was the very place at which, by hard rowing, Ryerand Pete had also arrived. Father and son were sitting in the hotelparlor, with their eyes down on the sandy floor, wondering how they wereto pay for their next sandwich and coffee, for their money was all gone. 

At that moment, a small boy clattered over the bricks in his klomps. Hekicked these off, at the door, and rushed into the room. He had on hisyellow baggy trousers and his hair, of the same color, was cut levelwith his ears. Half out of breath, he announced the coming, afloat, ofwhat looked like a combination of farm and menagerie. A house, a woman, some girls, a dog, a cat, and a stork were on it and afloat. 

At once, old man Ryer, still stiff from his long, cold bath, hobbledout, and Pete ran before him. Yes, it was mother, the children and allthe animals! For the first time in his life, the mean old sinner felthis heart thumping, in grateful emotion, under his woolen jacket, withits two gold buttons. Something like real religion had finally oozed outfrom under his crusted soul. 

A whole convoy of boys, fishermen, farmers, and a fat vrouw or two, volunteered to go out and tow the runaway farm to the village wharf. They succeeded in grappling the float and held it fast by ropes tied toa horse post. 

That night all were happy. The farm was made fast by another rope putround the town pump. Then the villagers all went to bed. They were happyin having rescued a runaway farm, and they expected a good "loon"(reward) from the rich old Ryer, who, in the barroom, had talked bigabout his wealth. 

As for the Van Boompjes, in order to save a landlord's bill for beds, they slept in their house, on board the farm, amid the lowing of theircattle that called out, in their own way, for more fodder; while thepeople in the village wondered at roosters crowing out on the water, andevidently the barn-yard birds were frightened. 

And so they were; for, before midnight, when all other creatures wereasleep, and not even a mouse was stirring on land, whether hard fast, orfloating, the west wind rose mightily and blew to a terrific gale. 

In a moment, the tow lines, that held the vagrant farm to the villagepump and horse post, snapped. The Van Boompjes estate left the wharf andwas driven, at a furious rate, across the Zuyder Zee. For several hours, like a ship under full sail, it was pushed westward by the wind. Yet sosoundly did all sleep, man and wife, children and hens, that noneawakened during this strange voyage. Even the roosters, after theirfirst concert, held in their voices. 

Suddenly, and as straight as if steered by a skilled pilot, the VanBoompjes farm, now an accomplished traveller, after its many adventures, shot into its old place. This took place with such violence, that RyerVan Boompjes and his wife were both thrown out of bed. The cows wereknocked over in the stable. The dog barked, supposing some one hadkicked him. One old rooster, jostled off his perch, set up a tremendouscrowing, that brought some of the early risers out to rub their eyes andsee what was going on. 

"Hemel en aard, bliksem en regen" (Heaven and earth, lightning andrain), they cried, "the old farm is back in its place. "

In fact, the Van Boompjes real estate was snugly fitted once more to themainland, and again in the niche it had left. It had struck so hard, that a ridge of raised sod, five inches high, marked the place ofjunction. At least twenty fishes and wriggling eels were smashed in thecollision. 

From that day forth the conscience of Van Boompjes returned, and heactually became an honest man. He sawed off, from time to time, portionsof his big farm, and returned them home, with money paid as interest, tothe owners. He found out all the mynheers, whose bits of land haddrifted off. He sent a tidy sum of gold to the village in North Holland, where his farm had been moored, for a few hours. With a good conscience, he went to church and worshipped. His action, at each of the twocollections, which Dutch folks always take up on Sundays, was noticedand praised as a sure and public sign of the old sinner's truerepentance. When the deacons, with their white gloves on, poked underhis nose their black velvet bags, hung at the end of fishing poles, tenfeet long, this man, who had been for years a skinflint, dropped in asilver coin each time. 

On the farm, all the animals, from duck to stork, and from dog to ox, now led happier lives. In the family, all declared that the behavior ofthe farm and the wind of the Zuyder Zee had combined to make a new manand a delightful father of old Van Boompjes. He lived long and happilyand died greatly lamented. 

SANTA KLAAS AND BLACK PETE

Who is Santa Klaas? How did he get his name? Where does he live? Did youever see him?

These are questions, often asked of the storyteller, by little folks. 

Before Santa Klaas came into the Netherlands, that is, to Belgium andHolland, he was called by many names, in the different countries inwhich he lived, and where he visited. Some people say he was born inMyra, many hundred years ago before the Dutch had a dyke or a windmill, or waffles, or wooden shoes. Others tell us how, in time of famine, thegood saint found the bodies of three little boys, pickled in a tub, at amarket for sale, and to be eaten up. They had been salted down to keeptill sold. The kind gentleman and saint, whose name was Nicholas, restored these three children to life. It is said that once he lost histemper, and struck with his fist a gentleman named Arius; but thestory-teller does not believe this, for he thinks it is a fib, made uplong afterward. How could a saint lose his temper so?

Another story they tell of this same Nicholas was this. There were threelovely maidens, whose father had lost all his money. They wantedhusbands very badly, but had no money to buy fine clothes to get marriedin. He took pity on both their future husbands and themselves. So hecame to the window, and left three bags of gold, one after the other. Thus these three real girls all got real husbands, just as the novelstell us of the imaginary ones. They lived happily ever afterward, andnever scolded their husbands. 

By and by, men who were goldsmiths, bankers or pawnbrokers, made a signof these three bags of gold, in the shape of balls. Now they hang themover their shop doors, two above one. This means "two to one, you willnever get it again"--when you put your ring, furs, or clothes, or watch, or spoons, in pawn. 

It is ridiculous how many stories they do tell of this good man, Nicholas, who was said to be what they call a bishop, or inspector, whogoes around seeing that things are done properly in the churches. It wasbecause the Reverend Mr. Nicholas had to travel about a good deal, thatthe sailors and travellers built temples and churches in his honor. Totravel, one must have a ship on the sea and a horse on the land, or areindeer up in the cold north; though now, it is said, he comes toHolland in a steamship, and uses an automobile. 

On Santa Klaas eve, each of the Dutch children sets out in the chimneyhis wooden shoe. Into it, he puts a whisp of hay, to feed thetraveller's horse. When St. Nicholas first came to Holland, he arrivedin a sailing ship from Spain and rode on a horse. Now he arrives in abig steamer, made of steel. Perhaps he will come in the future byaeroplane. To fill all the shoes and stockings, the good saint must havean animal to ride. Now the fast white horse, named Sleipnir, was readyfor him, and on Sleipnir's back he made his journeys. 

How was Santa Klaas dressed?

His clothes were those of a bishop. He wore a red coat and his cap, higher than a turban and called a mitre, was split along two sides andpointed at the top. In his hands, he held a crozier, which was a staffborrowed from shepherds, who tended sheep; and with the crozier hehelped the lambs over rough places; but the crozier of Santa Klaas wastipped with gold. He had white hair and rosy cheeks. For an old man, hewas very active, but his heart and feelings never got to be one dayolder than a boy's, for these began when mother love was born andfather's care was first in the world, but it never grows old. 

When Santa Klaas travelled up north to Norway and into the icy coldregions, where there were sleighs and reindeer, he changed his clothes. Instead of his red robe, he wears a jacket, much shorter and trimmedwith ermine, white as snow. Taking off his mitre, he wears a cap of furalso, and has laid aside his crozier. In the snow, wheels are no good, and runners are the best for swift travel. So, instead of his whitehorse and a wagon, he drives in a sleigh, drawn by two stags with largehorns. In every country, he puts into the children's stockings hung up, or shoes set in the fireplace, something which they like. In Greenland, for example, he gives the little folks seal blubber, and fish hooks. Sohis presents are not the same in every country. However, for naughtyboys and girls everywhere, instead of filling shoes and stockings, hemay leave a switch, or pass them by empty. 

When Santa Klaas travels, he always brings back good things. Now when hefirst came to New Netherland in America, what did he find to take backto Holland?

Well, it was here, on our continent, that he found corn, potatoes, pumpkins, maple sugar, and something to put in pipes to smoke; besidesstrange birds and animals, such as turkeys and raccoons, in addition tomany new flowers. What may be called a weed, like the mullein, forexample, is considered very pretty in Europe, where they did not havesuch things. There it is called the American Velvet Plant, or the King'sCandlestick. 

But, better than all, Santa Klaas found a negro boy, Pete, who becameone of the most faithful of his helpers. At Utrecht, in Holland, thestudents of the University give, every year, a pageant representingSanta Klaas on his white horse, with Black Pete, who is always on handand very busy. Black Pete's father brought peanuts from Africa toAmerica, and sometimes Santa Klaas drops a bagful of these, as a greatcuriosity, into the shoes of the Dutch young folks. 

Santa Klaas was kept very busy visiting the homes and the public schoolsin New Netherland; for in these schools all the children, girls as wellas boys, and not boys only, received a free education. In later visitshe heard of Captain Kidd and his fellow pirates, who wore striped shirtsand red caps, and had pigtails of hair, tied in eel skins, and hangingdown their backs. These fellows wore earrings and stuck pistols in theirbelts and daggers at their sides. Instead of getting their goldhonestly, and giving it to the poor, or making presents to the children, the pirates robbed ships. Then, as 'twas said, they buried theirtreasure. Lunatics and boys that read too many novels, have ever sincebeen digging in the land to find Captain Kidd's gold. 

Santa Klaas does not like such people. Moreover, he was just as good tothe poor slaves, as to white children. So the colored people loved thegood saint also. Their pickaninnies always hung up their stockings onthe evening of December sixth. 

Santa Klaas filled the souls of the people in New Netherland so full ofhis own spirit, that now children all over the United States, and thoseof Americans living in other countries, hang up their stockings and lookfor a visit from him. 

In Holland, Black Pete was very loyal and true to his master, carryingnot only the boxes and bundles of presents for the good children, butalso the switches for bad boys and girls. Between the piles of prettythings to surprise good children, on one side, and the boxes of birchand rattan, the straps and hard hair-brush backs for naughty youngsters, Pete holds the horn of plenty. In this are dolls, boats, trumpets, drums, balls, toy houses, flags, the animals in Noah's Ark, buildingblocks, toy castles and battleships, story and picture books, littlelocomotives, cars, trains, automobiles, aeroplanes, rocking horses, windmills, besides cookies, candies, marbles, tops, fans, lace, and morenice things than one can count. 

Pete also takes care of the horse of Santa Klaas, named Sleipnir, whichgoes so fast that, in our day, the torpedo and submarine U-boats arenamed after him. This wonderful animal used to have eight feet, forswiftness. That was when Woden rode him, but, in course of time, four ofhis legs dropped off, so that the horse of Santa Klaas looks less like acentipede and more like other horses. Whenever Santa Klaas walks, Petehas to go on foot also, even though the chests full of presents for thechildren are very heavy and Pete has to carry them. 

Santa Klaas cares nothing about rich girls or poor girls, for all thekinds of boys he knows about or thinks of are good boys and bad boys. Ayoungster caught stealing jam out of the closet, or cookies from thekitchen, or girls lifting lumps of sugar out of the sugar bowl, oreating too much fudge, or that are mean, stingy, selfish, or have badtempers, are considered naughty and more worthy of the switch than ofpresents. So are the boys who attend Sunday School for a few weeksbefore Christmas, and then do not come any more till next December. These Santa Klaas turns over to Pete, to be well thrashed. 

[Illustration: Santa Klaas and Black Pete. ]

In Holland, Pete still keeps on the old dress of the time of NewNetherland. He wears a short jacket, with wide striped trousers, inseveral bright colors, shoes strapped on his feet, a red cap and a ruffaround his neck. Sometimes he catches bad boys, to put them in a bag fora half hour, to scare them; or, he shuts them up in a dark closet, orsends them to bed without any supper. Or, instead of allowing themeleven buckwheat cakes at breakfast, he makes them stop at five. WhenSanta Klaas leaves Holland to go back to Spain, or elsewhere, Pete takescare of the nag Sleipnir, and hides himself until Santa Klaas comesagain next year. 

The story-teller knows where Santa Klaas lives, but he won't tell. 

THE GOBLINS TURNED TO STONE

When the cow came to Holland, the Dutch folks had more and better thingsto eat. Fields of wheat and rye took the place of forests. Instead ofacorns and the meat of wild game, they now enjoyed milk and bread. Theyoungsters made pets of the calves and all the family lived under oneroof. The cows had a happy time of it, because they were kept so clean, fed well, milked regularly, and cared for in winter. 

By and by the Dutch learned to make cheese and began to eat it everyday. They liked it, whether it was raw, cooked, toasted, sliced, or inchunks, or served with other good things. Even the foxes and wildcreatures were very fond of the smell and taste of toasted cheese. Theycame at night close to the houses, often stealing the cheese out of thepantry. When a fox would not, or could not, be caught in a trap by anyother bait, a bit of cooked cheese would allure him so that he wascaught and his fur made use of. 

When the people could not get meat, or fish, they had toasted bread andcheese, which in Dutch is "geroostered brod met kaas. " Then theylaughed, and named the new dish after whatever they pretended it was. Itwas just the same, as when they called goodies, made out of flour andsugar, "nuts, " "fingers, " "calves" and "lambs. " Even grown folks love toplay and pretend things like children. 

Soon, it became the fashion to have cheese parties. Men and women wouldsit around the fire, by the hour, nibbling the toast that had meltedcheese poured over it. But after they had gone to bed, some of themdreamed. 

Now some dreams may be pleasant, but cheese-dreams were not usually ofthis sort. The dreamer thought that a big she-horse had climbed upon thebed and sat down upon his stomach. Once there, the beast grinnedhideously, snored, and pressed its hoofs down on the sleeper's breast, so that he could not breathe or speak. The feeling was a horrible one;but, just when the dreamer expected to choke, he seemed to jump off somehigh place, and come down somewhere, very far off. Then the animal ranaway and the terrible dream was over. 

This was called a nightmare, or in Dutch a "nacht merrie. " "Nacht" meansnight, and "merrie" a filly or a mare. In the dream, it was not a smallor a young horse, but always a big mare that squatted down on a man'sstomach. 

In those days, instead of seeking for the trouble inside, or askingwhether there was any connection between nightmares and too heartyeating of cheese, the Dutch fathers laid it all on the goblins. 

The goblins, or sooty elves, that used to live in Holland, were ugly, short fellows, very smart, quick in action and able to travel far in asecond. They were first cousins to the kabouters. They had big heads, green eyes and split feet, like cows. They were so ugly, that they wereordered to live under ground and never come out during the day. If theydid, they would be turned to stone. 

The goblins had a bad reputation for mischief. They liked to have funwith human beings. They would listen to the conversation of people andthen mock them by repeating the last word. That is the reason why echoeswere called "week klank, " or dwarf's talk. 

Because these goblins were short, they envied men their greater statureand wanted to grow to the height of human beings. As they were not ableof themselves to do this, they often sneaked into a house and snatched achild out of the cradle. In place of the stolen baby, one of their ownwizened children was laid. That was the reason why many a poor littlebaby, that grew puny and thin, was called a "wiseel-kind, " orchangeling. When the sick baby could not get well, and medicine or careseemed to do no good, the mother thought that the goblins had taken awayher own child. 

It was only the female goblins that would change themselves into nightmares and sit on the body of the dreamer. They usually came in through ahole or a crack; but if that person in the house could plug up the hole, or stop the crack, he could conquer the female goblin, and do what hepleased with her. If a man wanted to, he could make her his wife. Solong as the hole was kept stopped up, by which the goblin entered, shemade a good wife. If this crack was left open, or if the plug droppedout of the hole, the she-goblin was off and could never be found again. 

The ruler of the goblins lived beneath the earth, as the king of theunderworld. His palace was made of gold and glittered with gems. He hadriches more than men could count. All the goblins and kabouters, whoworked in the mines and at the forges and anvils, making swords, spears, bells, or jewels, obeyed him. 

The most wonderful things about these dwarfs was the way in which theymade themselves invisible, so that men were able to see neither thenight mares nor the male goblins, while at their mischief. This was alittle red cap which every goblin possessed, and which he was carefulnever to lose. The red cap acted like a snuffer on a candle, to put itout, and while under it, no goblin could be seen by mortal eyes. 

Now it happened that one night, as a dear old lady lay dying on her bed, a middle-sized goblin, with his red cap on, came in through a crack intothe room, and stood at the foot of her bed. Just for mischief and tofrighten her by making himself visible, he took off his red cap. 

When the old lady saw the imp, she cried out loudly:

"Go way, go way. Don't you know I belong to my Lord?"

But the goblin dwarf only laughed at her, with his green eyes. 

Calling her daughter Alida, the old lady whispered in her ear:

"Bring me my wooden shoes. "

Rising up in her bed, the old lady hurled the heavy klomps, one afterthe other, at the goblin's head. At this, he started to get out throughthe crack, and away, but before his body was half out, Alida snatchedhis red cap away. Then she stuck a needle in his cloven foot that madehim howl with pain. Alida looked at the crack through which he escapedand found it quite sooty. 

Twirling the little red cap around on her forefinger, a brilliantthought struck her. She went and told the men her plan, and they agreedto it. This was to gather hundreds of farmers and townfolk, boys and mentogether, on the next moonlight night, and round up all the goblins inDrenthe. By pulling off their caps, and holding them till the sun rose, when they would be petrified, the whole brood could be exterminated. 

So, knowing that the goblin would come the next night, to steal back hisred cap, she left a note outside the crack, telling him to bring severalhundred goblins to the great moor, or veldt. There, at a certain hournear midnight, he would find the red cap on a bush. With his companions, he could celebrate the return of the cap. In exchange for this, sheasked the goblin to bring her a gold necklace. 

The moonlight night came round and hundreds of the men of Drenthegathered together. They were armed with horseshoes, and with witch-hazeland other plants, which are like poison to the sooty elves. They hadalso bits of parchment covered with runes, a strange kind of writing, and various charms which are supposed to be harmful to goblins. It wasagreed to move together in a circle towards the centre, where the ladyAlida was to hang the red cap upon a bush. Then, with a rush, the menwere to snatch off all the goblins' caps, pulling and grabbing, whetherthey could see, or even feel anything, or not. 

The placing of the red cap upon the bush in the centre, by the ladyAlida, was the signal. 

So, when the great round-up narrowed to a small space, the men began tograb, snatch and pull. Putting their hands out in the air, at the heightof about a yard from the ground, they hustled and pushed hard. In a fewminutes, hundreds of red caps were in their hands, and as many goblinsbecame visible. They were, indeed, an ugly host. 

Yet hundreds of other goblins escaped, with their caps on, and werestill invisible. As they broke away in groups, however, they were seen, for in each bunch was one or more visible fellow, because he wascapless. So the men divided into squads, to chase the imps a longdistance, even to many distant places. It was a most curious nightbattle. Here could be seen groups of men in a tussle with the goblins, many more of which, but by no means all, were made capless and visible. 

[Illustration: AT THE FIRST LEVEL RAY THE GOBLINS WERE ALL TURNED TO STONE]

The racket kept up till the sky in the east was gray. Had all thegoblins run away, it would have been well with them. Hundreds of themdid, but the others were so anxious to help their fellows, or to getback their own caps, fearing the disgrace of returning head bare totheir king, and getting a good scolding, that the sun suddenly rose onthem, before they knew it was day. 

At the first level ray, the goblins were all turned to stone. 

The treeless, desolate land, which, a moment before, was full ofstruggling goblins and men, became as quiet as the blue sky above. Nothing but some rounded rocks or stones, in groups, marked the spotwhere the bloodless battle of imps and men had been fought. 

There, these stones, big and little, lie to this day. Among thebuckwheat, and the potato blossoms of the summer, under the shadows andclouds, and whispering breezes of autumn, or covered with the snows ofwinter, they are seen on desolate heaths. Over some of them, oak trees, centuries old, have grown. Others are near, or among, the farmers' grainfields, or, not far from houses and barn-yards. The cows wander amongthem, knowing nothing of their past. And the goblins come no more. 

THE MOULDY PENNY

"Gold makes a woman penny-white, " said the Dutch, in the days whenfairies were plentiful and often in their thoughts. What did the proverbmean? Who ever saw a white penny?

Well, that was long ago, when pennies were white, because they were thenmade of silver. Each one was worth a denary, which was a coin worthabout a shilling, or a quarter of a dollar. 

As the Dutch had pounds, shillings and pence, before the English hadthem, we see what _d_ in the signs Ł s. D. Means, that is, adenary, or a white penny, made of silver. 

In the old days, before the Dutch had houses with glass windows orclothes of cloth or linen, or hats or shoes, cows and horses, or butterand cheese, they knew nothing of money and they cared less. Almosteverything, even the land, was owned in common by all. Their wants werefew. Whenever they needed anything from other countries they swapped orbartered. In this way they traded salt for furs, or fish for iron. Butwhen they met with, or had to fight, another tribe that was stronger orricher, or knew more than they did, they required other things, whichthe forests and waters could not furnish. So, by and by, pedlars andmerchants came up from the south. They brought new and strange articles, such as mirrors, jewelry, clothes, and pretty things, which the girlsand women wanted and had begged their daddies and husbands to get forthem. For the men, they brought iron tools and better weapons, improvedtraps, to catch wild beasts, and wagons, with wheels that had spokes. When regular trade began, it became necessary to have money of somekind. 

Then coins of gold, silver, and copper were seen in the towns andvillages, and even in the woods and on the heaths of Holland. Yet therewas a good deal that was strange and mysterious about these round, shining bits of metal, called money. 

"Money. What is money?" asked many a proud warrior disdainfully. 

Then the wise men explained to the fighting men, that money was namedafter Juno Moneta, a goddess in Rome. She told men that no one wouldever want for money who was honest and just. Then, by and by, the mintwas in her temple and money was coined there. Then, later, in Holland, the word meant money, but many people, who wanted to get rich quickly, worshipped her. In time, however, the word "gold" meant money ingeneral. 

When a great ruler, named Charlemagne, conquered or made treaties withour ancestors, he allowed them to have mints and to coin money. Then, again, it seemed wonderful how the pedlars and the goldsmiths and themen called Lombards--strange long-bearded men from the south, who cameamong the Dutch--grew rich faster than the work people. They seemed toamass gold simply by handling money. 

When a man who knew what a silver penny would do, made a present of oneto his wife, her face lighted up with joy. So in time, the word "pennywhite, " meant the smiling face of a happy woman. Yet it was also noticedthat the more people had, the more they wanted. The girls and boysquickly found that money would buy what the pedlars brought. In thetowns, shops sprang up, in which were many curious things, which temptedpeople to buy. 

Some tried to spend their money and keep it too--to eat their cake andhave it also--but they soon found that they could not do this. Therewere still many foolish, as well as wise people, in the land, evenduring the new time of money. A few saved their coins and were happy ingiving some to the poor and needy. Many fathers had what was called a"sparpot, " or home savings bank, and taught their children the right useof money. It began to be the custom for people to have family names, sothat a girl was not merely the daughter of so-and-so, nor a boy the sonof a certain father. In the selection of names, those which had the word"penny" in them proved to be very popular. To keep a coin in the littlehome bank, without spending it, long enough for it to gather mould, which it did easily in the damp climate of Holland, that is, to darkenand get a crust on it, was considered a great virtue in the owner. Thisshowed that the owner had a strong mind and power of self-control. Sothe name "Schimmelpennig, " or "mouldy penny, " became honorable, becausesuch people were wise and often kind and good. They did not waste theirmoney, but made good use of it. 

On the other hand, were some mean and stingy folks, who liked to hearthe coins jingle. Instead of wisely spending their cash, or trading withit, they hoarded their coins; that is, they hid them away in a stocking, or a purse, or in a jar, or a cracked cooking pot, that couldn't beused. Often they put it away somewhere in the chimney, behind a loosebrick. Then, at night, when no one was looking, these miserly folkscounted, rubbed, jingled, and gloated over the shining coins and neverhelped anybody. So there grew up three sorts of people, called thethrifty, the spendthrifts, and the misers. These last were the meanestand most disliked of all. Others, again, hid their money away, so as tohave some, when sick, or old, and they talked about it. No one foundfault with these, though some laughed and said "a penny in the savingsjar makes more noise than when it is full of gold. " Even when folks gotmarried they were exhorted by the minister to save money, "so as to havesomething to give to the poor. "

Now when the fairies, that work down underground, heard that the Dutchhad learned the use of money, and had even built a mint to stamp themetal, they held a feast to talk over what they should do to help orharm. In any event, they wanted to have some fun with the mortals aboveground. 

That has always been the way with kabouters. They are in for fun, first, last, and always. So, with punches and hammers, they made counterfeitmoney. Then, in league with the elves, they began also to delude misersand make them believe that much money makes men happy. 

A long time after the mint had been built, two kabouters met to talkover their adventures. 

"It is wonderful what fools these creatures called men are, " said thefirst one. "There's old Vrek. He has been hoarding coins for the lastfifty years. Now, he has a pile of gold in guilders and stivers, butthere's hardly anything of his old self left. His soul is as small as ashrimp. I whispered to him not to let out his money in trade, but tokeep it shut up. His strong box is full to bursting, but what went intothe chest has oozed out of the man. He died, last night, and hardlyanybody considers him worth burying. Some one on the street to-day askedwhat Vrek had left behind. The answer was 'Nothing--he took it all withhim, for he had so little to take. '"

"That's jolly, " said the older kabouter, who was a wicked lookingfellow. "I'll get some fun out of this. To shrivel up souls will be mybusiness henceforth. There's nothing like this newfangled business ofgetting money, that will do it so surely. "

So this ugly old imp went "snooping" around, as the Dutch say, aboutpeople who sneak and dodge in and out of places, to which they ought notto go, and in houses where they should not be found. This imp's purposewas to make men crazy on the subject of making money, when they tried, as many of them did, to get rich quickly in mean ways. Sorry to tell, the imp found a good many promising specimens to work upon, at hisbusiness of making some wise men foolish. He taught them to take out oftheir souls what they hoarded away. To such fellows, when they becamemisers, he gave the name of "Schim, " which means a shadow. It wasbelieved by some people that such shrivelled up wretches had no bowels. 

Soon after this, a great meeting of kabouters was held, in the darkrealms below ground. Each one told what he had been doing on the earth. After the little imps had reported, the chief kabouter, when his turncame, cried out:

"I shall tell of three brothers, and what each one did with the firstsilver penny he earned. "

"Go on, " they all cried. 

"I've caught one schim young. He married a wife only last year, but hewon't give her one gulden a year to dress on. He skimps the table, paresthe cheese till the rind is as thin as paper, and makes her live on skimmilk and barley. Besides this, he won't help the poor with a stiver. Isaw him put away a bright and shining silver penny, fresh from the mint. He hid coin and pocketbook in the bricks of a chimney. So I climbed downfrom the roof, seized both and ran away. I smeared the purse with waxand hid it in the thick rib of a boat, by the wharf. There the pennywill gather mould enough. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

At this, the little imps broke out into a titter that sounded like thecackle of a hen trying to tell she had laid an egg. 

"Good for you! Serves the old schim right, " said a good kabouter, wholoved to help human beings. "Now, I'll tell you about his brother, whohas a wife and baby. He feeds and clothes them well, and takes good careof his old mother. 

"Almost every week he helps some poor little boy, or girl, that has nomother or father. I heard him say he wished he could take care of poororphans. So, when he was asleep, at night, I whispered in his ear andmade him dream. 

"'Put away your coin where it won't get mouldy and show that a pennythat keeps moving is not like a rolling stone that gathers no moss. Deliver it to the goldsmiths for interest and leave it in your will toincrease, until it becomes a great sum. Then, long after you are dead, the money you have saved and left for the poor _weesies_ (orphans)will build a house for them. It will furnish food and beds and pay fornurses that will care for them, and good women who will be like mothers. Other folks, seeing what you have done, will build orphan houses. Thenwe shall have a Wees House (orphan asylum) in every town. No child, without a father or mother, in all Holland, will have to cry for milk orbread. Don't let your penny mould. '

"The third brother, named Spill-penny, woke up on the same morning, witha headache. He remembered that he had spent his silver penny at the ginhouse, buying drinks for a lot of worthless fellows like himself. He andhis wife, with little to eat, had to wear ragged clothes, and the babyhad not one toy to play with. When his wife gently chided him, he ranout of the house in bad humor. Going to the tap room, he ordered a drinkof what we call 'Dutch courage, ' that is, a glass of gin, and drank itdown. Then what do you think he did?"

"Tell us, " cried the imps uproariously. 

"He went into a clothing house, bought a suit of clothes, and had it'charged. '"

"That's it. I've known others like him, " said an old imp. 

"Now it was kermiss day in the village, and all that afternoon andevening this spendthrift was roystering with his fellow 'zuip zaks'(boon companions). With them, it was 'always drunk, always dry. ' Nearmidnight, being too full of gin, he stumbled in the gutter, struck hishead on the curb, and fell down senseless. 

"Her husband not coming home that night, the distracted wife went outearly in the morning. She found several men lying asleep on thesidewalks or in the gutters. She turned each one over, just as she didbuckwheat cakes on the griddle, to see if this man or that was hers. Atlast she discovered her worthless husband, but no shaking or pullingcould awake him. He was dead. 

"Now there was a covetous undertaker in town, who carted away thecorpse, and then told the widow that she must spend much money on thefuneral, in order to have her husband buried properly; or else, thetongues of the neighbors would wag. So the poor woman had to sell hercow, the only thing she had, and was left poorer than ever. That was theend of Spill-penny. "

"A jolly story, " cried the kabouters in chorus. "Served him right. Nowtell us about Vrek the miser. Go on. "

"Well, the saying 'Much coin, much care, ' is hardly true of him, for Iand my trusty helpers ran away with all he had. With his first silverpenny he began to hoard his money. He has been hunting for years forthat penny, but has not found it. It will be rather mouldy, should hefind it, but that he never will. "

"Why not?" asked a young imp. 

"For a good reason. He would not pay his boatmen their wages. So theystruck, and refused to work. When he tried to sail his own boat, ittoppled over and sunk, and Vrek was drowned. His wife was saved theexpenses of a funeral, for his carcass was never found, and the covetousundertaker lost a job. "

"What of the third one?" they asked. 

"Oh, Mynheer Eerlyk, you mean? No harm can come to him. Everybody loveshim and he cares for the orphans. There will be no mouldy penny in hishouse. "

Then the meeting broke up. The good kabouters were happy. The bad ones, the imps, were sorry to miss what they hoped would be a jolly story. 

When a thousand years passed away and the age of newspapers and copperpennies had come, there were no descendants of the two brothersSpill-penny and Schim; but of Mynheer Eerlyk there were as many as theyears that had flown since he made a will. In this document, he orderedthat his money, in guilders of gold and pennies of silver, should remainat compound interest for four hundred years. In time, the everincreasing sum passed from the goldsmiths to the bankers, and kept ongrowing enormously. At last this large fortune was spent in buildinghundreds of homes for orphans. 

According to his wish, each girl in the asylum dressed in clothes thatwere of the colors on the city arms. In Amsterdam, for example, eachorphan child's frock is half red and half black, with white aprons, andthe linen and lace caps are very neat and becoming to their rosy faces. In Friesland, where golden hair and apple blossom cheeks are so oftenseen with the white lace and linen, some one has called the orphan girls"Apples of gold in pictures of silver. " Among the many glories of theNetherlands is her care for the aged and the orphans. 

One of the thirty generations of the Eerlyks read one day in thenewspaper:

"Last week, while digging a very deep canal, some workman struck hispickaxe against timbers that were black with age, and nearly as hard asstone. These, on being brought up, showed that they were the ribs of anancient boat. Learned men say that there was once a river here, whichlong since dried up. All the pieces of the boat were recovered, and, under the skilful hands of our ship carpenters, have been put togetherand the whole vessel is now set up and on view in our museum. "

"We'll go down to-morrow on our way home from school, and see thecuriosity, " cried one of the Eerlyk boys, clapping his hands. 

"Wait, " said his father, "there's more in the story. 

"To-day, the janitor of the museum, while examining a wide crack in oneof the ribs, which was covered with wax, picked this substance away. Hepoked his finger in the crack, and finding something soft, pulled itout. It was a rough leather purse, inside of which was a coin, mouldywith age and dark as the wood. Even after cleaning it with acid, it washard to read what was stamped on it; but, strange to say, the face ofthe coin had left its impression on the leather, which had been coveredwith wax. From this, though the metal of the coin was black, and themould thick on the coin, what they saw showed that it was a silver pennyof the age of Charlemagne, or the ninth century. "

"Charlemagne is French, father, but we call him Karel de Groot, orCharles the Great. "

"Yes, my son. Don't you hear Karel's Klok (the curfew) sounding? 'Tistime for little folks to go to bed. "

THE GOLDEN HELMET

For centuries, more than can be counted on the fingers of both hands, the maidens and mothers of Friesland have worn a helmet of gold coveringthe crown and back of their heads, and with golden rosettes at each ear. It marks the Frisian girl or woman. She is thus known by this head-dressas belonging to a glorious country, that has never been conquered and isproudly called Free Frisia. It is a relic of the age of gold, when thisprecious metal was used in a thousand forms, not seen to-day. 

Of how and why the golden helmet is worn, this is the story:

In days gone by, when forests covered the land and bears and wolves wereplentiful, there were no churches in Friesland. The people were pagansand all worshipped Woden, whom the Frisians called Fos-i-te'. Certaintrees were sacred to him. When a baby was ill, or grown people had adisease, which medicine could not help, they laid the sick one at thefoot of the holy tree, hoping for health soon to come. But, should thepatient die under the tree, then the sorrowful friends were made glad, if the leaves of the tree fell upon the corpse. It was death to anyperson who touched the sacred tree with an axe, or made kindling wood, even of its branches. 

Now among the wild people of the north, who ate acorns and were clothedin the skins of animals, there came, from the Christian lands of thesouth, a singer with his harp. Invited to the royal court, he sang sweetsongs. To these the king's daughter listened with delight, until thetears, first of sorrow and then of joy, rolled down her lovely cheeks. 

This maiden was the pride of her father, because of her sweet temper andwilling spirit, while all the people boasted of her beauty. Her eyeswere of the color of a sky without clouds. No spring flower could equalthe pink and rose in her cheeks. Her lips were like the red coral, whichthe ship men brought from distant shores. Her long tresses rivalled goldin their glory. And, because her father worshipped Fos-i-té', the god ofjustice, and his daughter was always so fair to all her playmates, he, in his pride of her, gave her the name Fos-te-dí'-na, that is, thedarling of Fos-i-té', or the Lady of Justice. 

[Illustration: WHICH WAS THE MORE GLORIOUS, HER LONG TRESSES OR THESHINING CROWN ABOVE. ]

The singer from the south sang a new song, and when he played upon hisharp his music was apt to be soft and low; sometimes sad, even, andoften appealing. It was so much finer, and oh! so different, from whatthe glee men and harpers in the king's court usually rendered for thelistening warriors. Instead of being about fighting and battle, or thehunting of wolves and bears, of stags and the aurochs, it was of healingthe sick and helping the weak. In place of battles and the exploits ofwar lords, in fighting and killing Danes, the harper's whole story wasof other things and about gentle people. He sang neither of war, nor ofthe chase, nor of fighting gods, nor of the storm maidens, that carry upto the sky, and into the hall of Woden, the souls of the slain on thebattlefield. 

The singer sang of the loving Father in Heaven, who sent his dear Son toearth to live and die, that men might be saved. He made music with voiceand instrument about love, and hope, and kindness to the sick and poor, of charity to widows and to orphans, and about the delights of doinggood. He closed by telling the story of the crown of thorns, how wickedmen nailed this good prophet to a cross, and how, when tender-heartedwomen wept, the Holy Teacher told them not to weep for him, but forthemselves and their children. This mighty lord of noble thoughts andwords lived what he taught. He showed greatness in the hour of death, byfirst remembering his mother, and then by forgiving his enemies. 

"What! forgive an enemy? Forgive even the Danes? What horrible doctrinedo we hear!" cried the men of war. "Let us kill this singer from thesouth. " And they beat their swords on their metal shields, till theclangor was deafening. The great hall rang with echoes of the din, as iffor battle. The Druids, or pagan priests, even more angry, applauded theaction of the fighting men. 

But Fos-te-dí-na rushed forward to shield the harper, and her longgolden hair covered him. 

"No!" said the king to his warriors. "This man is my guest. I invitedhim and he shall be safe here. "

Sullen and bitter in their hearts, both priests and war men left thehall, breathing out revenge and feeling bound to kill the singer. Soonall were quiet in slumber, for the hour was late. 

Why were the pagan followers of the king so angry with the singer?

The answer to this question is a story in itself. 

Only three days before, a party of Christian Danes had been takenprisoners in the forest. They had come, peaceably and without arms, intothe country; for they wanted to tell the Frisians about the newreligion, which they had themselves received. In the cold night air, they had, unwittingly, cut off some of the dead branches of a treesacred to the god Fos-i-té to kindle a fire. 

A spy, who had closely watched them, ran and told his chief. Now, theChristian Danes were prisoners and would be given to the hungry wolvesto be torn to pieces. That was the law concerning sacrilege against thetrees of the gods. 

Some of the Frisians had been to Rome, the Eternal City, and had therelearned, from the cruel Romans, how to build great enclosures, not ofstone but of wood. Here, on holidays, they gave their prisoners of warto the wild beasts, for the amusement of thousands of the people. TheFrisians could get no lions or tigers, for these fierce brutes live inhot countries; but they sent hundreds of hunters into the woods for manymiles around. These bold fellows drove the deer, bears, wolves, and theaurochs within an ever narrowing circle towards the pits. Into these, dug deep in the ground and covered with branches and leaves, the animalsfell down and were hauled out with ropes. The deer were kept for theirmeat, but the bears and wolves were shut up, in pens, facing the greatenclosure. When maddened with hunger, these ravenous beasts of prey wereto be let loose on the Christian Danes. Several aurochs, made furious bybeing goaded with pointed sticks, or pricked by spears, were to rush outand trample the poor victims to death. 

The heart of the beautiful Fos-te-dí-na, who had heard the songs of thesinger of faith in the one God and love for his creatures, was deeplytouched. She resolved to set the captives free. Being a king's daughter, she was brave as a man. So, at midnight, calling a trusty maid-servant, she, with a horn lantern, went out secretly to the prison pen. Sheunbolted the door, and, in the name of their God and hers, she bade theprisoners return to their native land. 

How the wolves in their pen did roar, when, on the night breeze, theysniffed the presence of a newcomer! They hoped for food, but got none. 

The next morning, when the crowd assembled, but found that they were tobe cheated of their bloody sport, they raged and howled. Coming to theking, they demanded his daughter's punishment. The pagan priestsdeclared that the gods had been insulted, and that their anger wouldfall on the whole tribe, because of the injury done to their sacredtree. The hunters swore they would invade the Danes' land and burn alltheir churches. 

Fos-te-dí-na was summoned before the council of the priests, who were todecide on the punishment due her. Being a king's daughter, they couldnot put her to death by throwing her to the wolves. 

Even as the white-bearded high priest spoke, the beautiful girl heardthe fierce creatures howling, until her blood curdled, but she was braveand would not recant. 

In vain they threatened the maiden, and invoked the wrath of the godsupon her. Bravely she declared that she would suffer, as her Lord did, rather than deny him. 

"So be it, " cried the high priest. "Your own words are your sentence. You shall wear a crown of thorns. "

Fos-te-di'-na was dismissed. Then the old men sat long, in brooding overwhat should be done. They feared the gods, but were afraid, also, toprovoke their ruler to wrath. They finally decided that the maiden'slife should be spared, but that for a whole day, from sunrise to sunset, she should stand in the market-place, with a crown of sharp thornspressed down hard upon her head. The crowd should be allowed to revileher for being a Christian and none be punished; but no vile language wasto be allowed, or stones or sticks were to be thrown at her. 

Fos-te-di'-na refused to beg for mercy and bravely faced the ordeal. Shedressed herself in white garments, made from the does and fawns--freecreatures of the forest--and unbound her golden tresses. Then she walkedwith a firm step to the centre of the market-place. 

"Bring the thorn-crown for the blasphemer of Fos-i-té, " cried the highpriest. 

This given to him, the king's daughter kneeled, and the angry old man, his eyes blazing like fire, pressed the sharp thorns slowly, down andhard, upon the maiden's brow. Quickly the red blood trickled down overher golden hair and face. Then in long, narrow lines of red, the dropsfell, until the crimson stains were seen over the back, front, and sidesof her white garments. 

But without wincing, the brave girl stood up, and all day long, whilethe crowd howled, in honor of their gods, and rough fellows jeered ather, Fos-te-dí-na was silent and patient, like her Great Example. Inwardly, she prayed the Father of all to pardon and forgive. There werenot a few who pitied the bleeding maiden wearing the cruel crown, thatdrew the blood that stained her shining hair and once white clothing. 

Years passed by and a great change came over land and people. The veryscars on Fos-te-dí-na's forehead softened the hearts of the people. Thousands of them heard the words of the good missionaries. Churchesarose, on which was seen the shining cross. Idols were abolished and thetrees, once sacred to the old gods, were cut down. Meadows, rich withcows, smiled where wolves had roamed. The changes, even in ten years, were like those in a fairy tale. Best of all, a Christian prince fromthe south, grandson of Charlemagne, fell in love with Fos-te-dí-na, nowqueen of the country. He sought her hand, and won her heart, and thedate for the marriage was fixed. It was a great day for Free Frisia. Thewedding was to be in a new church, built on the very spot whereFos-te-dí-na had stood, in pain and sorrow, when the crown of thorns waspressed upon her brow. 

On that morning, a bevy of pretty maidens, all dressed in white, came inprocession to the palace. One of them bore in her hands a golden crown, with plates coming down over the forehead and temples. It was made insuch a way that, like a helmet, it completely covered and concealed thescars of the sovereign lady. So Fos-te-dí-na was married, with thegolden helmet on her head. "But which, " asked some, "was the moreglorious, her long tresses, floating down her back, or the shining crownabove it?" Few could be sure in making answer. 

Instead of a choir singing hymns, the harper, who had once played in theking's hall, now an older man, had been summoned, with his harp, to singin solo. In joyous spirits, he rendered into the sweet Frisian tongue, two tributes in song to the crowned and glorified Lord of all. 

One praised the young guest at the wedding at Cana, Friend of man, whoturned water into wine; the other, "The Great Captain of our Salvation, "who, in full manly strength, suffered, thorn-crowned, for us all. 

Then the solemn silence, that followed the song, was broken by thebride's coming out of the church. Though by herself alone, withoutadornment, Fos-te-dí-na was a vision of beauty. Her head-covering lookedso pretty, and the golden helmet was so becoming, that other maidens, also, when betrothed, wished to wear it. It became the fashion-forChristian brides, on their wedding days, to put on this glorified crownof thorns. 

All the jewelers approved of the new bridal head-dress, and in time thisgolden ornament was worn in Friesland every day. Thus it has come topass that the Frisian helmet, which is the glorified crown of thorns, is, in one form or another, worn even in our day. When Fos-te-dí-na'sfirst child, a boy, was born, the happy parents named him William, whichis only another word for Gild Helm. Out from this northern region, andinto all the seventeen provinces of the Netherlands, the custom spread. In one way or another, one can discern, in the headdresses or costumesof the Dutch and Flemish women, the relics of ancient history. 

When Her Majesty, the Dutch Queen, visits the Frisians, in the old landof the north, which her fathers held so dear, she, out of compliment toFree Frisia, wears the ancient costume, surmounted by the golden helm. Those who know the origin of the name Wilhelmina read in it the truemeaning, which is, "The Sovereign Lady of the Golden Helm. "

WHEN WHEAT WORKED WOE

Many a day has the story-teller wandered along the dykes, which overlookthe Zuyder Zee. Once there were fertile fields, and scores of towns, where water now covers all. Then fleets of ships sailed on the bosom ofLake Flevo, and in the river which ran into the sea. Bright andbeautiful cities dotted the shores, and church bells chimed merrily forthe bridal, or tolled in sympathy for the sorrowing. Many were thefestal days, because of the wealth, which the ships brought from landsnear and far. 

But to-day the waters roll over the spot and "The Dead Cities of theZuyder Zee" are a proverb. Yet all are not dead, in one and the samesense. Some lie far down under the waves, their very names forgotten, because of the ocean's flood, which in one night, centuries ago, rushedin to destroy. Others languished, because wealth came no longer in theships, and the seaports dried up. And one, because of a foolish woman, instead of holding thousands of homes and people, is to-day only avillage nestling behind the dykes. It holds a few hundred people andonly a fragment of land remains of its once great area. 

In the distant ages of ice and gravel, when the long and high glaciersof Norway poked their cold noses into Friesland, Stavoren held theshrine of Stavo, the storm-god. The people were very poor, but manypilgrims came to worship at Stavo's altars. After the new religion cameinto the land, wealth increased, because the ships traded with the warmlands in the south. A great city sprang up, to which the counts ofHolland granted a charter, with privileges second to none. It waswritten that Stavoren should have "the same freedom which a free cityenjoys from this side of the mountains (the Alps) to the sea. "

Then there came an age of gold in Stavoren. People were so rich, thatthe bolts and hinges and the keys and locks of their doors were made ofthis precious yellow metal. In some of the houses, the parlor floor waspaved with ducats from Spain. 

Now in this city lived a married couple, whose wealth came from theships. The man, a merchant, was a simple hearted and honest fellow, whoworked hard and was easily pleased. 

But his wife was discontented, always peevish and never satisfied withanything. Even her neighbors grew tired of her whining and complaints. They declared that on her tombstone should be carved these words:

"_She wanted something else_"

Now on every voyage, made by the many ships he owned, the merchantcharged his captains to bring home something rare and fine, as a presentto his wife. Some pretty carving or picture, a roll of silk for a dress, a lace collar, a bit of splendid tapestry, a shining jewel; or, it maybe, a singing bird, a strange animal for a pet, a barrel of fruit, or abox of sweetmeats was sure to be brought. With such gifts, whether largeor small, the husband hoped to please his wife. 

But in this good purpose, he could never succeed. So he began to thinkthat it was his own fault. Being only a man, he could not tell what awoman wanted. So he resolved to try his own wits and tastes, to see ifhe could meet his wife's desires. 

One day, when one of his best captains was about to sail on a voyage tothe northeast, to Dantzig, which is almost as far as Russia, he inquiredof his bad-tempered vrouw what he should bring her. 

"I want the best thing in the world, " said she. "Now this time, do bringit to me. "

The merchant was now very happy. He told the captain to seek out andbring back what he himself might think was the best thing on earth; butto make sure, he must buy a cargo of wheat. 

The skipper went on board, hoisted anchor and set sail. Using his man'swits, he also decided that wheat, which makes bread, was the very thingto be desired. In talking to his mates and sailors, they agreed withhim. Thus, all the men, in this matter, were of one mind, and thecaptain dreamed only of jolly times when on shore. On other voyages, when he had hunted around for curiosities to please the wife of theboss, he had many and anxious thoughts; but now, he was care-free. 

In Dantzig, all the ship's men had a good time, for the captain made"goed koop" (a fine bargain). Then the vessel, richly loaded with grain, turned its prow homeward. Arriving at Stavoren, the skipper reported tothe merchant, to tell him of much money made, of a sound cargo obtained, of safe arrival, and, above all, plenty of what would please his wife;for what on earth could be more valuable than wheat, which makes bread, the staff of life?

At lunch time, when the merchant came home, his wife wanted to know whatmade him look so joyful. Had he made "goed koop" that day?

Usually, at meal time, this quiet man hardly spoke two words an hour. Totell the truth, he sometimes irritated his wife because of his silence, but to-day he was voluble. 

The man of wealth answered, "I have a joyful surprise for you. I cannottell you now. You must come with me and see. "

After lunch, he took his wife on board the ship, giving a wink of hiseye to the skipper, who nodded to the sailors, and then the stoutfellows opened the hatches. There, loaded to the very deck, was theprecious grain. The merchant looked up, expecting to see and hear hiswife clap her hands with joy. 

But the greedy woman turned her back on him, and flew into a rage. 

"Throw it all overboard, into the water, " she screamed. "You wretch, youhave deceived me. "

The husband tried to calm her and explain that it was his thought to getwheat, as the world's best gift, hoping thus to please her. 

At that moment, some hungry beggars standing on the wharf, heard thelady's loud voice, and falling on their knees cried to her:

"Please, madame, give us some of this wheat; we are starving. "

"Yes, lady, and there are many poor in Stavoren, in spite of all itsgold, " said the captain. "Why not divide this wheat among the needy, ifyou are greatly disappointed? You will win praise for yourself. In thename of God, forgive my boldness, and do as I ask. Then, on the nextvoyage, I shall sail as far as China and will get you anything you ask!"

But the angry woman would listen to no one. She stayed on the ship, urging on the sailors, with their shovels, until every kernel was castoverboard. 

"Never again will I try to please you, " said her husband. "The hungrywill curse you, and you may yet suffer for food, because of this wilfulwaste, which will make woful want. Even you will suffer. "

She listened at first in silence, and then put her fingers in her earsto hear no more. Proud of her riches, with her voice in a high key, sheshouted, "I ever want? What folly to say so! I am too rich. " Then, toshow her contempt for such words, she slipped off a ring from her fingerand threw it into the waters of the harbor. Her husband almost died ofgrief and shame, when he saw that it was her wedding ring, which she hadcast overboard. 

"Hear you all! When that ring comes back to me, I shall be hungry andnot before, " said she, loud enough to be heard on ship, wharf, andstreet. Gathering up her skirts, she stepped upon the gangway, trippingto the shore, and past the poor people, who looked at her in mingledhate and fear. Then haughtily, she strode to her costly mansion. 

Now to celebrate the expected new triumph and to show off her wealth andluxury, with the numerous curiosities brought her from many lands, theproud lady had already invited a score of guests. When they were allseated, the first course of soup was served in silver dishes, whichevery one admired. As the fish was about to be brought in, to be eatenoff golden plates, the butler begged the lady's permission to bring infirst, from the chief cook, something rare and wonderful, that he hadfound in the mouth of the fish, which was waiting, already garnished, onthe big dish. Not dreaming what it might be, the hostess clapped herhands in glee, saying to those at the table:

"Perhaps now, at last, I shall get what I have long waited for--the bestthing in the world. "

"We shall all hope so, " the guests responded in chorus. 

But when the chief cook came into the banquet hall, and, bowing low, held before his mistress a golden salver, with a finger ring on it, theproud lady turned pale. 

It was the very ring which, in her anger, she had tossed overboard theday before. To add to her shame, she saw from the look of horror ontheir faces, that the guests had recognized the fact that it was herwedding token. 

This was only the beginning of troubles. That night, her husband died ofgrief and vexation. The next day, the warehouses, stored with valuablemerchandise of all sorts, were burned to the ground. 

Before her husband had been decently buried, a great tempest blew downfrom the north, and news came that four of his ships had been wrecked. Their sailors hardly escaped with their lives, and both they and theirfamilies in Stavoren were now clamoring for bread. 

Even when she put on her weeds of grief, these did not protect the widowfrom her late husband's creditors. She had to sell her house and allthat was in it, to satisfy them and pay her debts. She had even to pawnher ring to the Lombards, the goldsmiths of the town, to buy money forbread. 

Now that she was poor, none of the former rich folks, who had come toher grand dinners, would look at her. She had even to beg her bread onthe streets; for who wanted to help the woman who wasted wheat? She wasglad to go to the cow stalls, and eat what the cattle left. Before theyear ended, she was found dead in a stable, in rags and starvation. Thusher miserable life ended. Without a funeral, but borne on a bier, by twomen, she was buried at the expense of the city, in the potter's field. 

But even this was not the end of the fruits of her wickedness, for theevil she did lived after her. It was found that, from some mysteriouscause, a sand bar was forming in the river. This prevented the shipsfrom coming up to the docks. With its trade stopped, the city grewpoorer every day. What was the matter?

By and by, at low tide, some fishermen saw a green field under thesurface of the harbor. It was not a garden of seaweed, for instead ofleaves whirling with the tide, there were stalks that stood up high. Thewheat had sprouted and taken root. In another month the tops of thesestalks were visible above the water. But in such soil as sand, the wheathad reverted to its wild state. It was good for nothing, but only didharm. 

For, while producing no grain for food, it held together the sand, whichrolled down the river and had come all the way from the Alps to theocean. Of old, this went out to sea and kept the harbor scoured clean, so that the ships came clear up to the wharves. Then, on many a morning, a wealthy merchant, whose house was close to the docks, looked out ofhis window to find the prows, of his richly laden ships, poked almostinto his bedroom, and he liked it. Venturesome boys even climbed fromtheir cots down the bowsprits, on to the deck of their fathers' vessels. Of such sons, the fathers were proud, knowing that they would make bravesailors and navigate spice ships from the Indies. It was because of herbrave mariners, that Stavoren had gained her glory and greatness, beingfamed in all the land. 

But now, within so short a time, the city's renown and wealth had fadedlike a dream. By degrees, the population diminished, commerce became amemory, and ships a curiosity. The people, that were left, had to eatrye and barley bread, instead of wheat. Floods ruined the farmers andwashed away large parts of the town, so that dykes had to be built tosave what was left. 

More terrible than all, the ocean waves rolled in and wiped out cities, towns, and farms, sinking churches, convents, monasteries, warehouses, wharves, and docks, in one common ruin, hidden far down below. 

To this day the worthless wheat patch, that spoiled Stavoren, is called"Vrouwen Zand, " or the Lady's Sand. Instead of being the staff of life, as Nature intended, the wheat, because of a power of evil greater thanthat of a thousand wicked fairies, became the menace of death to ruin arich city. 

No wonder the Dutch have a proverb, which might be thus translated:

 "Peevishness perverts wheat into weeds But a sweet temper turns a field into gold. "

WHY THE STORK LOVES HOLLAND

Above all countries in Europe, this bird, wise in the head and long inthe legs, loves Holland. Flying all the way from Africa, the stork is athome among dykes and windmills. 

Storks are seen by the thousands in Holland and Friesland. Sometimesthey strut in the streets, not in the least frightened or disturbed. They make their nests among the tiles and chimneys, on the red roofs ofthe houses, and they rear their young even on the church towers. 

If a man sets an old cart wheel flat on a tree-top, the storks acceptthis, as an invitation to come and stay. At once they proceed, first ofall, to arrange their toilet, after their long flight. They do this, even before they build their nest. You can see them, by the hour, preening their feathers and combing their plumage, with their longbills. Then, as solemnly as a boss mason, they set about gatheringsticks and hay for their house. They never seem to be in a hurry. 

A stork lays on a bit of wood, and then goes at his toilet again, looking around to see that other folks are busy. Year after year, a pairof storks will use the same nest, rebuilding, or repairing it, eachspring time. The stork is a steady citizen and does not like to change. Once treated well in one place, by the landlord, Mr. And Mrs. Stork keepthe same apartments and watch over the family cradle inside the house, to see that it is always occupied by a baby. The return of the stork is, in Holland, a household celebration. 

Out in the fields, Mr. Stork is happy indeed, for Holland is theparadise of frogs; so the gentleman of the red legs finds plenty to eat. He takes his time for going to dinner, and rarely rushes for quicklunch. After business hours in the morning, he lays his long beak amonghis thick breast feathers, until it is quite hidden. Then, perched up inthe air on one long leg, like a stilt, he takes a nap, often for hours. 

With the other leg crossed, he seems to be resting on the figure four(4). 

Towards evening he shakes out his wings, flaps them once or twice, andtakes a walk, but he is never in haste. Beginning his hunt, he soon hasenough frogs, mice, grubs, worms or insects to make a good meal. It isbecause this bird feels so much at home, in town and country, makingpart of the landscape, that we so associate together Holland and thestork, as we usually do. 

The Dutch proverb pictures the scene, which is so common. "In the samefield, the cow eats grass; the grayhound hunts the hare; and the storkhelps himself to the frogs. " Indeed, if it were not for the stork, Holland would, like old Egypt, in the time of Moses, be overrun withfrogs. 

The Dutch call the stork by the sweet name "Ooijevaar, " or thetreasure-bringer. Every spring time, the boys and girls, fathers andmothers, shout welcome to the white bird from Egypt. 

"What do you bring me?" is their question or thought. 

If the bird deserts its old home on their roof, the family is in grief, thinking it has lost its luck; but if Daddy Stork, with Mrs. Stork'sapproval, chooses a new place for their nest, there is more rejoicing inthat house, than if money had been found. "Where there are nestlings onthe roof, there will be babies in the house, " is what the Dutch say; forboth are welcome. 

To tell why the stork loves Holland, we must go back to the Africa of amillion years ago. Then, we shall ask the Dutch fairies how theysucceeded in making the new land, in the west, so popular in the storkworld. For what reason did the wise birds emigrate to the cold country athousand miles away? They were so regular and punctual, that a greatprophet wrote:

"Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times. "

Ages ago, there were camels and caravans in Africa, but there was noHolland, for the land was still under the waves. In India, also, thestork was an old bird, that waded in the pools and kept the frogs fromcroaking in terms of the multiplication table. Sometimes the storkpopulation increased too fast and some went hungry for food; for, theproverb tells us that a stork "died while waiting for the ocean to dry, hoping to get a supply of dried fish. "

When on the coast of the North Sea, the Land of a Million Islands wasmade, the frog emigrants were there first. They poured in so fast, thatit seemed a question as to who should own the country-frogs or men. Somewere very big, as if ambitious to be bulls. They croaked so loud, thatthey drowned out the fairy music, and made the night hideous with theirnoises. The snakes spoiled the country for the little birds, while thetoads seemed to think that the salt ocean had been kept out, and theland made, especially for them. 

The Dutch fairies were disgusted at the way these reptiles behaved, forthey could not enjoy themselves, as in the old days. If they went todance in the meadow, on moonlight nights, they always found a bigbullfrog sitting in their ring, mocking them with its bellowing. So whenthey heard about the storks in Africa, and what hearty appetites theyhad, for the various wrigglers, crawlers, jumpers and splashers in thewaters, they resolved to invite them, in a body, to Holland. 

The Dutch fairies knew nothing of the habits of the bird and scarcelyimagined how such a creature might look, but they heard many pleasantthings about the stork's good character. The wise bird had an excellentreputation, not only for being kind to its young, but also for attendingto the wants of its parents, when they were old. It was even said thatin some countries the stork was the symbol for filial piety. 

So the fairies of all the Netherlands despatched a delegation to Egyptand a congress of storks was called to consider this invitation to gowest. Messengers were at once sent to all the red-legged birds, amongthe bulrushes of the Nile, or that lived on the roofs of the temples, orthat perched on the pyramids, or dwelt on the top of old columns, orthat stood in rows along the eaves of the town houses. The town birdsgained their living by acting as street cleaners, but the river birdsmade their meals chiefly on fish, frogs, and mice. 

The invitation was discussed in stork meeting, and it was unanimouslyaccepted; except by some old grannies and grandpops that feared in thestrange land they would not be well fed. On a second motion, it wasagreed that only the strongest birds should attempt the flight. Thoseafraid, or too weak to go, must stay behind and attend to the old folks. Such a rattle of mandibles was never heard in Egypt before, as when thisstork meeting adjourned. 

Now when storks travel, they go in flocks. Thousands of them left Egypttogether. High in the air, with their broad wings spread and their longlegs stretched out behind them, they covered Europe in a few hours. Thenthey scattered all over the marshy lands of the new country. It wasagreed that each pair was to find its own home. When the cold autumnshould come, they were to assemble again for flight to Egypt. 

It was a new sight for the fairies, the frogs and the men, to look overthe landscape and see these snow white strangers. They were so pretty tolook at, while promenading over the meadows, wading in the ponds andditches, or standing silently by the river banks. Soon, however, theseforeign birds were very unpopular in bullfrog land, and as for thesnakes, they thought that Holland would be ruined by these hungrystrangers. On the other hand, it was good news, in fairy-land, that allfairies could dance safely on their meadow rings, for the bullfrogs werenow afraid to venture in the grass, lest they should be gobbled up, forthe frogs could not hide from the storks. The new birds could poke theirbig bills so far into the mud-holes, that no frog, or snake, big orlittle, was safe. The stork's red legs were so long, and the birds couldwade in such deep water, that hundreds of frogs were soon eaten up, andthere were many widows and orphans in the ponds and puddles. 

When the fairies got more acquainted with their new guests, and saw howthey behaved, they nearly died of laughing. They were not surprised attheir diet, or eating habits, but they soon discovered that the storkswere not song birds. Instead of having voices, they seemed to talk toeach other by clattering their long jaws, or snapping their mandiblestogether. Their snowy plumage--all being white but their wingfeathers--was admired, was envied, and their long bright colored legswere a wonder. At first the fairies thought their guests wore redstockings and they thought how heavy must be the laundry work on washdays; for in Holland, everything must be clean. 

Of all creatures on earth, as the fairies thought, the funniest was seenwhen Mr. Stork was in love. To attract and please his lady love, he madethe most grotesque gestures. He would leap up from the ground and movewith a hop, skip, and jump. Then he spread out his wings, as if to hughis beloved. Then he danced around her, as if he were filled with wine. All the time he made the best music he knew how, by clattering hismandibles together. He intended this performance for a sort of loveditty, or serenade. The whole program was more amusing than anythingthat an ape, goat, or donkey could get up. How the fairies did laugh!

Yet the fairies were very grateful to the storks for ridding theirmeadows of so much vermin. How these delicate looking, snow white andgraceful creatures could put so many snails, snakes, tadpoles, and toadsinto their stomachs and turn them into snow white feathers, wonderfulwings and long legs, as red as a rose, was a mystery to them. It seemedmore wonderful than anything which they could do, but as fairies have nostomachs and do not eat, this whole matter of digestion was a mystery tothem. 

Besides the terror and gloom in the frog world, every reptile winced andsquirmed, when he heard of this new enemy. All crawlers, creepers, andjumpers had so long imagined that the land was theirs and had been madesolely for their benefit! Nor did they know how to conquer the storks. The frog daddies could do nothing, and the frog mothers were everymoment afraid to let either the tadpoles or froggies go out of theirsight. They worried lest they should see their babies caught up in apair of long, bony jaws, as sharp as scissors, there to wriggle andcrow, until their darlings disappeared within the monster. 

One anecdote of the many that were long told in the old Dutch frog pondswas this: showing into what clangers curiosity may lead youngsters. Weput it in quotation marks to show that it was told as a true story, andnot printed in a book, or made up. 

"A tadpole often teased its froggy mother to let it go and see a redpole, of which it had heard from a traveller. Mrs. Frog would not atfirst let her son go, but promised that as soon as the tadpole lost histail, and his flippers had turned into fore legs, and his hind quartershad properly sprouted, so that he could hop out of danger, he might thenventure on his travels. She warned him, however, not to go too near tothat curious red pole, of which he had heard. Nobody as yet found outjust what this red thing, standing in the water, was; but danger wassuspected by old heads, and all little froggies were warned to becareful and keep away. In reality, the red stick was the leg of a stork, sound asleep, for it was taking its usual afternoon nap. The frogs onthe bank, and those in the pool that held their noses above water, toget their breath, had never before seen anything like this red stilt, orits cross pole; for no bird of this sort had ever before flown intotheir neighborhood. They never suspected that it was a stork, with itslegs shaped like the figure four (4). Indeed, they knew nothing of itslong bill, that could open and shut like a trap, catching a frog orsnake, and swallowing it in a moment. 

"Unfortunately for this uneducated young frog, that had never travelledfrom home, it now went too near the red pole, and, to show how brave itwas, rubbed its nose against the queer thing. Suddenly the horriblecreature, that had only been asleep, woke up and snapped its jaws. In amoment, a wriggling froggy disappeared from sight into the stomach of amonster, that had two red legs, instead of one. At the sight of suchgluttony, there was an awful splash, for a whole row of frogs had jumpedfrom the bank into the pool. After this, it was evident that Holland wasnot to belong entirely to the frogs. "

As for the human beings, they were so happy over the war with the verminand the victory of the storks, that they made this bird their pride andjoy. They heaped honors upon the stork as the savior of their country. They placed boxes on the roofs of their houses for these birds to nestin. All the old cart wheels in the land were hunted up. They sawed offthe willow trees a few feet above the ground, and set the wheels inflat, which the storks used as their parlors and dressing rooms. 

As for the knights, they placed the figure of the stork on theirshields, banners, and coats of arms, while citizens made this birdprominent on their city seals. The capital of the country, The Hague, was dedicated to this bird, and, for all time, a pond was dug within thecity limits, where storks were fed and cared for at the public expense. Even to-day, many a good story, illustrating the tender affection of TheHague storks for their young, is told and enjoyed as an example to Dutchmothers to be the best in the world. 

Out in the country at large, in any of the eleven provinces, wheneverthey drained a swamp, or pumped out a pond to make a village, it was notlooked upon as a part of Holland, unless there were storks. Even in thenew wild places they planted stakes on the pumped out dry land, calledpolders. On the top of these sticks were laid as invitations for thestork families to come and live with the people. Along the roads theystuck posts for storks' nests. It became a custom with farmers, when thestorks came back, to kill the fatted calf, or lamb, and leave the refusemeat out in the fields for a feast to these bird visitors. A score ofDutch proverbs exist, all of them complimentary to the bird that lovesbabies and cradles. 

Last of all, the Dutch children, even in the reign of Queen Wilhelmina, made letter carriers of their friends the treasure-bringers. Tying tinyslips of paper to their red legs, they sent messages, in autumn, to theboys and girls in the old land of the sphinx and pyramids, of Moses, andthe children of Israel. In the spring time, the children's returnmessages were received in the country which bids eternal welcome to thebird named the Bringer of Blessings. 

This is why the storks love Holland. 

HET EINDE