Story Hour Readers Part 16

At last a hundred years had pa.s.sed. Prince Courageous was traveling through the land. He heard from an old man the story of the thorn hedge, and of the princess who lay in the palace behind the hedge, fast asleep.

The old man told the prince that the time had come when the long enchantment was at an end.

"But who knows how great the danger may be?" added the old man. "No one has entered the palace for a hundred years!"

"I will brave the danger, whatever it may be!" exclaimed Prince Courageous. "I will find the sleeping princess or lose my life!"

So Prince Courageous mounted his horse and rode through the woods until he came to the tall thorn hedge. He made his way through the underbrush.

The briers were thick and the thorns sharp, but Prince Courageous was strong and brave.

He knocked at the gate, but there was no answer. The prince opened the gate and entered the courtyard.

All was silence in the palace hall. Only the sound of his own footsteps could Prince Courageous hear.

Everybody was fast asleep--the horses in their stalls, the pigeons on the roof, the birds in their nests, the servants in the halls, the king and queen on their golden throne.

Prince Courageous tiptoed through the silent rooms. Finally, he reached the narrow stairway that led to the tower.

The prince climbed the winding stairs. There, beside the spinning wheel, lay the beautiful princess, fast asleep.

Stepping softly to her side, he kissed the princess on the cheek. Thorn Rose opened her eyes--and there stood the prince!

And now all the court awoke.

The horses began to neigh. The dogs began to bark. The pigeons cooed.

The birds sang. The kitchen fire burst into flame.

The sun shone brightly, and the roses on the palace wall swayed in the breeze.

The prince and the princess were married next day, and the seven good fairies danced at the wedding feast.

THE WOLVES AND THE DEER

Long ago, a pack of wolves lived on a prairie. Some deer lived near by.

The wolves could run swiftly, but they knew that the deer were swift runners, too. The hungry wolves wondered how they might catch the deer and eat them.

At last they thought of a fine plan. They invited the deer to run a race with them.

The wolves and the deer started in the race side by side, but the deer ran much the faster.

The wolves were very angry. "We will eat the deer yet," they said.

One day they prepared a great feast. They invited the deer to dine with them. The deer sat down facing the wolves. Then the wolves said to the deer, "Laugh, you on the other side!"

"No," said the deer. "You laugh first."

"Very well," said the wolves. "We will laugh first."

And they laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Now you on the other side laugh, too," said the wolves.

Then the deer laughed, "Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm!"

"Laugh again," said the deer.

"Very well," said the wolves, and they laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

The deer were frightened when they saw the great, sharp teeth of the hungry wolves.

They wanted to run away at once and hide from the wolves, but they were afraid.

Again the wolves said, "Laugh, you on the other side! But do not keep your mouths closed when you laugh. n.o.body laughs like that."

Then the deer laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

This time they opened their mouths. The wolves could not see any teeth in the mouths of the deer.

At once the wolves attacked the deer. They killed and ate them.

Only a few of the deer escaped.

To this day, all deer are afraid of wolves.

The wolves laugh and show their teeth when they see the deer. And deer run as fast as they can when they see the wolves.

THE CORNFIELDS

Then Nokomis, the old woman, Spake and said to Minnehaha, "'Tis the Moon when leaves are falling; All the wild rice has been gathered, And the maize is ripe and ready, Let us gather in the harvest, Let us wrestle with Mondamin, Strip him of his plumes and ta.s.sels, Of his garments, green and yellow."

HENRY W. LONGFELLOW.

THE GIFT OF CORN