A Primary Reader | Page 6

after day passed and Idun did not come back. The gods did not
have the golden apples to eat, so they began to get old.
At last they said, "Who let the apples go?"
Then Loki looked pale and the gods said, "Loki, you did it." And Loki
said, "Yes, I did."
[Illustration: THE GODS ASK WHERE IDUN IS.]

He did not tell a story that time.
Then Loki said, "I will get Idun and the apples back, if I may have the
falcon suit."
* * * * *
changed faster
The gods said, "You may have it, if you will bring the apples back."
Loki put on the falcon suit and flew away. He looked like a big bird
flying.
When Loki came to the giant's home, he was glad the giant was not
there. He changed Idun into a nut and then flew away with the nut.
[Illustration: THE GIANT SEES THE BIRD FLY AWAY]
When the giant came home, Idun was gone. The golden apples were
gone, too.
Then the giant put on his eagle suit and flew after Loki.
Loki heard the eagle coming. Loki flew faster.
* * * * *
breath over changed walls blazed burned
Poor Loki was all out of breath. The eagle flew faster and faster.
Then the gods got on the walls to look for Loki. They saw him coming
and the eagle after him.
So they made fires on the walls. At last Loki flew over the walls.
Then the gods lighted the fires. The fires blazed up.
The eagle flew into the fire and was burned.
As soon as Loki put the nut down, it changed to Idun.
The gods ate the beautiful golden apples and were young again.
[Illustration]

HOW THOR GOT THE HAMMER.
proud porch lying journeys tricks wife always alone asleep
Sif was Thor's wife.
Sif had long golden hair. Thor was very proud of Sif's golden hair.
Thor was always going on long journeys. One day he went off and left
Sif alone. She went out on the porch and fell asleep.
Loki came along. He was always playing tricks.
He saw Sif lying asleep. He said, "I am going to cut off her hair."
[Illustration]
So Loki went up on the porch and cut off Sif's golden hair.

* * * * *
where around crying answer found somebody
When Sif woke up and saw that her hair was gone, she cried and cried.
Then she ran to hide. She did not want Thor to see her.
When Thor came home, he could not find Sif.
"Sif! Sif!" he called, "Where are you?"
But Sif did not answer.
Thor looked all around the house. At last he found her crying.
[Illustration: "OH THOR, ALL MY HAIR, IS GONE!"]
"Oh, Thor, look, all my hair is gone! Somebody has cut it off. It was a
man. He ran away with it."
* * * * *
angry mischief right getting cutting something
Then Thor was very angry. He said, "I know it was Loki. He is always
getting into mischief. Just wait until I get him!"
And Thor went out to find Loki. Pretty soon he found him.
Thor said, "Did you cut off Sif's hair?" Loki said, "Yes, I did."
"Then you must pay for cutting off my wife's hair," said Thor.
[Illustration: "DID YOU CUT OFF SIF'S HAIR?"]
"All right," said Loki, "I will get you something better than the hair."
* * * * *
ground thumb beads dwarfs crooked crown worked
Loki went down, down into the ground to the home of the dwarfs. It
was very dark down there. The only light came from the dwarfs' fires.
The dwarfs were ugly little black men. They were not any bigger than
your thumb. They had crooked backs and crooked legs. Their eyes
looked like black beads.
[Illustration: LOKI AND THE DWARFS.]
Loki said, "Can you make me a gold crown that will grow like real
hair?"
The dwarfs said, "Yes, we can." So the busy little dwarfs worked all
night.
* * * * *
morning showed laughed spear wonderful three ship standing brother
nobody stepped else
When morning came the dwarfs gave Loki his crown of golden hair.
They gave him a spear and a ship, too.

[Illustration: THE DWARFS BRING TO LOKI THE SHIP, THE
SPEAR AND THE CROWN OF HAIR.]
Loki took the things up to Asgard, where the gods all lived.
Then the gods all came up to him. He showed them the things.
The gods said, "They are very wonderful."
And Loki said, "Oh, nobody else can make such things as my little
dwarfs."
A little dwarf, named Brok, was standing near by. He heard Loki say
that. Then he stepped up and said, "My brother