Old-Fashioned Fairy Tales | Page 9

added. For at that moment a tremendous storm burst around the house,
and the rain poured down in sheets of water, as if it meant to wash
everything into the lake. The kettle now really boiled, and the lid
danced up and down with the frantic leaping and jumping of the
agonized Nix, who puffed and blew till his breath came out of the spout
in clouds of steam.
"If your eyes were as sharp as your ears you'd see that the water is
boiling over," snapped the woman; and giving her daughter a passing

push, she hurried to the fire-place, and lifted the kettle on to the ground.
But no sooner had she set it down, than the lid flew off, and out jumped
a little man with green teeth and a tall green hat, who ran out of the
door wringing his hands and crying--
"Three hundred and three years have I lived in the water of this lake,
and I never knew it boil before!"
As he crossed the threshold, a clap of thunder broke with what sounded
like a peal of laughter from many voices, and then the storm ceased as
suddenly as it had begun.
The woman now saw how matters stood, and did not fail next morning
to fasten an old horseshoe to the door of her house. And seeing that she
had behaved unjustly to her daughter, she bought her the gayest set of
pink ribbons that were to be found at the next fair.
It is on record that Bess (who cared little for slaps and sharp speeches)
thought this the best bargain she had ever made. But whether the Nix
was equally well satisfied is not known.

THE COBBLER AND THE GHOSTS.
Long ago there lived a cobbler who had very poor wits, but by strict
industry he could earn enough to keep himself and his widowed mother
in comfort.
In this manner he had lived for many years in peace and prosperity,
when a distant relative died who left him a certain sum of money. This
so elated the cobbler that he could think of nothing else, and his only
talk was of the best way of spending the legacy.
His mother advised him to lay it by against a rainy day.
"For," said she, "we have lived long in much comfort as we are, and
have need of nothing; but when you grow old, or if it should please

Heaven that you become disabled, you will then be glad of your
savings."
But to this the cobbler would not listen. "No," said he, "if we save the
money it may be stolen, but if we spend it well, we shall have the use
of what we buy, and may sell it again if we are so minded."
He then proposed one purchase after another, and each was more
foolish than the rest. When this had gone on for some time, one
morning he exclaimed: "I have it at last! We will buy the house. It
cannot be stolen or lost, and when it is ours we shall have no rent to
pay, and I shall not have to work so hard."
"He will never hit on a wiser plan than that," thought the widow; "it is
not to be expected." So she fully consented to this arrangement, which
was duly carried out; and the bargain left the cobbler with a few
shillings, which he tied up in a bag and put in his pocket, having first
changed them into pence, that they might make more noise when he
jingled the bag as he walked down the street.
Presently he said; "It is not fit that a man who lives in his own house,
and has ready money in his pocket too, should spend the whole day in
labouring with his hands. Since by good luck I can read, it would be
well that I should borrow a book from the professor, for study is an
occupation suitable to my present position."
Accordingly, he went to the professor, whom he found seated in his
library, and preferred his request.
"What book do you want?" asked the professor.
The cobbler stood and scratched his head thoughtfully. The professor
thought that he was trying to recall the name of the work; but in reality
he was saying to himself: "How much additional knowledge one
requires if he has risen ever so little in life! Now, if I did but know
where it is proper to begin in a case full of books like this! Should one
take the first on the top shelf, or the bottom shelf, to the left, or to the
right?"

At last he resolved to choose the book nearest to him; so drawing it out
from the rest, he answered--