There were once a king and a queen who lived in a beautiful castle, and had a large, and fair, and rich, and happy land to rule over. From the very first they loved each other greatly, and lived very happily together, but they had no heir.
They had been married for seven years, but had neither son nor daughter, and that was a great grief to both of them. More than once it happened that when the king was in a bad temper, he let it out on the poor queen, and said that here they were now, getting old,

Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who longed to have a son. As none came, one day they made a vow at the shrine of St. James that if their prayers were granted the boy should set out on a pilgrimage as soon as he had passed his eighteenth birthday. And fancy their delight when one evening the king returned home from hunting and saw a baby lying in the cradle.
All the people came crowding round to peep at it, and declared it was the most beautiful baby that ever was seen. Of course that is

Long, long ago, a king and queen reigned over a large and powerful country. What their names were nobody knows, but their son was called Sigurd, and their daughter Lineik, and these young people were famed throughout the whole kingdom for their wisdom and beauty.
There was only a year between them, and they loved each other so much that they could do nothing apart. When they began to grow up the king gave them a house of their own to live in, with servants and carriages, and everything they could possibly want.
For many years they all lived happily together, and

In a small hut, right in the middle of the forest, lived a man, his wife, three sons and a daughter. For some reason, all the animals seemed to have left that part of the country, and food grew very scarce; so, one morning, after a night of snow, when the tracks of beasts might be easily seen, the three boys started off to hunt.
They kept together for some time, till they reached a place where the path they had been following split into two, and one of the brothers called his dog and went to the left, while the

One day a wolverine was out walking on the hill-side, when, on turning a corner, he suddenly saw a large rock.
`Was that you I heard walking about just now?` he asked, for wolverines are cautious animals, and always like to know the reasons of things.
`No, certainly not,` answered the rock; `I don`t know how to walk.`
`But I SAW you walking,` continued the wolverine.
`I am afraid that you were not taught to speak the truth,` retorted the rock.
`You need not speak like that, for I have SEEN you walking,` replied the wolverine, `though I am quite sure that you could never

And many a hunting song they sung,
And song of game and glee;
Then tuned to plaintive strains their tongue,
“Of Scotland`s luve and lee.”
To wilder measures next they turn
“The Black, Black Bull of Norroway!”
Sudden the tapers cease to burn,
The minstrels cease to play.
“The Cout of Keeldar,” by J. Leyden.
IN Norroway, langsyne, there lived a certain lady, and she had three dochters. The auldest o` them said to her mither: “Mither, bake me a bannock, and roast me a collop, for I`m gaun awa` to seek my fortune.” Her mither did sae; and the dochter gaed awa` to

There was once upon a time a poor boy who had neither father nor mother. In order to gain a living he looked after the sheep of a great Lord. Day and night he spent out in the open fields, and only when it was very wet and stormy did he take refuge in a little hut on the edge of a big forest. Now one night, when he was sitting on the grass beside his flocks, he heard not very far from him the sound as of some one crying. He rose up and followed the direction of the

There was once a Darning-needle who thought herself so fine that she believed she was an embroidery-needle. `Take great care to hold me tight!` said the Darning-needle to the Fingers who were holding her. `Don`t let me fall! If I once fall on the ground I shall never be found again, I am so fine!` `It is all right!` said the Fingers, seizing her round the waist. `Look, I am coming with my train!` said the Darning-needle as she drew a long thread after her; but there was no knot at the end of the thread.
The Fingers were using the

`How astonishingly cold it is! My body is cracking all over!` said the Snow-man. `The wind is really cutting one`s very life out! And how that fiery thing up there glares!` He meant the sun, which was just setting. `It sha`n`t make me blink, though, and I shall keep quite cool and collected.`
Instead of eyes he had two large three-cornered pieces of slate in his head; his mouth consisted of an old rake, so that he had teeth as well.
He was born amidst the shouts and laughter of the boys, and greeted by the jingling bells and cracking whips of

Once upon a time a man had a shepherd who served him many years faithfully and honestly. One day, whilst herding his flock, this shepherd heard a hissing sound, coming out of the forest near by, which he could not account for. So he went into the wood in the direction of the noise to try to discover the cause. When he approached the place he found that the dry grass and leaves were on fire, and on a tree, surrounded by flames, a snake was coiled, hissing with terror.
The shepherd stood wondering how the poor snake could escape, for