The Beacon Second Reader | Page 7

a plan.
The donkey stood upon his hind legs and placed his front feet on the window sill.
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The dog then stood on the donkey's back
The cat climbed upon the dog, while the cock perched upon the cat's head.
The donkey gave a signal, and they began all at the same time, to make their loudest music.
The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock crowed, all with such force that the windowpane shook and was almost broken.
The robbers had never heard such a noise.
They thought it must come from witches, or giants, or goblins, and they all ran as fast as they could to the wood behind the house.
Then our four friends rushed in and ate what the robbers had left upon the table.
It did not take long, for they acted as if they had been hungry for a month.
When the four had eaten, they put out the light, and each went to sleep in the spot which he liked the best.
The donkey lay down in the yard.
The dog lay behind the door.
The cat curled himself in front of the fire, while the cock flew up on a high beam.
They soon fell fast asleep.
THE FOUR FRIENDS--III
When all was still and the light was out, the robber chief sent one of his bravest men back to the house.
The man found the house quiet, so he went into the kitchen to strike a light.
Seeing the great fiery eyes of the cat, he thought they were live coals and held a match to them.
Puss was so angry that he flew up and scratched the man's face. This gave the robber a great fright, and he ran for the door.
As he went by, the dog sprang up and bit him in the leg.
In the yard the robber ran into the donkey, who gave him a great kick.
The cock on the beam was waked by the! noise, and cried, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
The man ran as fast as his legs could carry him back to the robber chief.
"Ah!" he cried. "In that house is a wicked witch, who flew at me and scratched my face with her long nails.
By the door stood a man with a knife, who cut me in the leg.
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Out in the yard lay a great black giant, who struck me a blow with his wooden club.
Upon the roof sat the judge, who cried, 'What did he do? What did he do?'
When I heard this I ran off as fast as I could."
The robbers never went near the house again.
The four friends liked the place so well that they would not leave it, and so far as I know, they are there to this day.
WILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM

LITTLE BIRDIE
What does little birdie say, In her nest at peep of day? Let me fly, says little birdie, Mother, let me fly away. Birdie, rest a little longer, Till the little wings are stronger. So she rests a little longer, Then she flies away.
What does little baby say, In her bed at peep of day? Baby says, like little birdie, Let me rise and fly away. Baby, sleep a little longer, Till the little limbs are stronger. If she sleeps a little longer, Baby too shall fly away.
ALFRED TENNYSON

[Illustration]
MOTHER FROST--I
broad daughters through heart
At the edge of a wood there was a great, clear, bubbling spring of cold water.
Near this spring lived a widow and her two daughters.
One of them was very beautiful and a great help about the house, while the other was ugly and idle.
The mother loved only the ugly one, for she was her own child.
She cared so little for the other daughter that she made her do all the hard work.
Every day the poor girl would sit beside the spring and spin and spin, until her fingers bled.
One day, while she was washing the blood from her hands, the spindle fell into the spring and sank to the bottom.
With tears in her eyes, she ran and told her stepmother what she had done.
The stepmother was angry and said, "You let the spindle fall into the spring. Now you must go and get it out."
The maiden went back to the spring to look for the spindle.
She leaned so far over the edge that her hand slipped, and down, down, she sank to the very bottom.
All at once she found that she was in a beautiful field where many wild flowers grew.
As she walked across the field, she came to a baker's oven full of new bread.
The loaves cried to her, "Oh, pull us out! pull us out, or we shall burn!"
"Indeed I will!" cried the maiden.
Stepping up, she pulled all the sweet brown loaves out of the oven.
As she walked along, she came to a tree full of apples.
The tree cried, "Shake me! shake me! my apples are all quite ripe!"
"Indeed I will!" cried