A Primary Reader | Page 8

was sitting on the porch, making gold collars for his dogs.
When he saw Loki, he said, "What do you want?"
Loki said, "I have come for the hammer."
The old giant laughed and said, "You will never get that hammer. It is buried eight miles deep in the ground.
"But there is one way you can get it. I will give you the hammer if you get Freyja for my wife."
* * * * *
clothes shook necklace
So Loki went back to Asgard.
Thor said, "Well, did you get the hammer?"
"No, but we can get it if Freyja will be Thrym's wife."
Then they went to Freyja's house. They said, "Put on your very best clothes and come with us. You must be Thrym's wife."
Freyja said, "Do you think I will be the Frost Giant's wife? I won't be his wife."
Thor said, "We can get the hammer back if you will."
But Freyja said, "No, I will not be his wife."
Loki said, "You will have to, if we get the hammer back."
Still Freyja said, "I will not go." And she was very angry. She shook so hard that she broke her necklace and it fell to the floor.
* * * * *
bride braided wagon vail servant goat
Then the gods said, "Thor, you must dress like Freyja. You will have to play you are the bride."
Thor said, "I won't do it. You will all laugh at me. I won't dress up like a girl."
They said, "Well, that is the only way we can get the hammer back."
Thor said, "I do not like to dress like a girl, but I will do it." Then they dressed Thor up like Freyja.
They put on Freyja's dress, necklace and vail, and braided his hair.
Loki said, "I will dress up too, and be your servant."
They got into Thor's goat wagon and went to the Giants' home.
[Illustration: THOR AND LOKI APPROACH THE HOUSE OF THE GIANTS]
* * * * *
dinner salmon mead whole thirsty barrels
When the Frost Giants saw them coming, they said, "Get ready, here comes the bride! We will sit down to the table as soon as they come."
The dinner was ready on time. The table was full of good things. All sat down.
The bride ate a whole ox and eight salmon before the others had a bite.
"She must be very hungry," the Frost Giants said.
"Yes," Loki said, "she was so glad to come. She hasn't eaten anything for eight days."
Then they brought in the mead.
[Illustration: THOR AND LOKI MET BY THRYM]
The bride drank three barrels of mead.
"How thirsty she is!" said the Frost Giants.
Loki said, "Yes, she is very thirsty. She was so glad to come. She did not drink anything for eight days."
* * * * *
kiss stepped whirled lifted shone lap
Old Thrym said, "I had every thing I wanted but Freyja. Now I have Freyja."
And Thrym went to kiss the bride. He lifted her vail, but her eyes shone like fire.
[Illustration: THRYM PUTS THE HAMMER IN THOR'S LAP.]
[Illustration: THOR AND HIS HAMMER.]
Thrym stepped back. He said, "What makes Freyja's eyes shine so?"
Loki said, "Oh, she was so glad to come. She did not sleep for eight nights."
Then Loki said, "It is time for the hammer. Go and get it and put it in the bride's lap."
As soon as the hammer was in his lap, Thor tore off the vail.
He took the hammer and whirled it around. Fire flew from it. The fire burned the house and the Frost Giants ran away.
So Thor got his hammer back.

The following stories by Miss Smythe were originally published under the title of "The Golden Fleece." They have been carefully revised and illustrated for this book.

THE STORY OF THE SHEEP.
ago horns fleece king Greece loved playing Helle grass garden catch clouds
Long, long ago there lived a king in Greece. He had two little children, a boy and a girl.
They were good children and loved each other very much.
One day they were playing in the garden.
"Oh, Helle, look!" said the boy.
There on the grass was a fine large sheep. This sheep had a fleece of gold and his horns were gold, too.
[Illustration: THE KING AND HIS TWO CHILDREN.]
The children wanted to pat the sheep, but they could not catch him. When they went near, he ran away on the clouds.
* * * * *
grew golden hold tame ride tight
Every day they played in the garden and every day the sheep came, too.
By and by he grew tame and let the children pat his golden fleece.
One day the boy said, "Helle, let us take a ride."
First he helped his sister on the sheep's back.
Then he got on and held to the horns.
"Hold tight to me, Helle," he said.
* * * * *
sky dizzy sea sister land dragon lose nailed Colchis
The sheep went up, up into the sky, and ran a long way on the clouds. But