Story Hour Readers Part 25

Friday became the faithful servant and companion of Robinson Crusoe.

Many more years pa.s.sed.

One morning Friday came running toward Crusoe, shouting, "Master!

Master! They come!"

Crusoe ran to the beach and looked toward the sea. There he saw a large sailing vessel making for the sh.o.r.e.

The sailing vessel proved to be an English ship.

Crusoe's stay on the desert island had come to an end. When he took leave of the island, he carried on board the sailing vessel his goat skin cap and umbrella, also the parrot.

So after twenty-eight long years Robinson Crusoe and his faithful servant, Friday, sailed away.

The voyage was long and hard, but at last they reached the coast of England.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD

Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful World, With the wonderful water round you curled, And the wonderful gra.s.s upon your breast, World, you are beautifully dressed!

The wonderful air is over me, And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree; It walks on the water, and whirls the mills, And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.

You friendly Earth, how far do you go, With wheat fields that nod, and rivers that flow, And cities and gardens and oceans and isles, And people upon you for thousands of miles?

Ah! you are so great, and I am so small, I hardly can think of you, World, at all; And yet, when I said my prayers to-day, A whisper within me seemed to say: You are more than the Earth, Though you are such a dot; You can love and think, and the Earth cannot.

THE MAGIC GIRDLE

Once upon a time, a little cobbler sat at his bench mending a pair of shoes. He whistled a merry tune as he worked.

The day was very warm, and the wax which he had been using began to melt. In less time than it takes to tell it, a swarm, of flies lighted upon the melting wax.

"Ho, ho!" exclaimed the little cobbler. "Who invited you to a feast?"

He threw the shoe that he was mending, at the flies, and many fell dead from the blow. The cobbler counted the flies as they lay dead, and he said, "Not so bad! That blow should make me famous."

Then the cobbler took a girdle and painted this rhyme upon it:

Ha, ha! Ho, ho!

Ten at one blow.

"Now I shall travel around the world wearing this girdle, and it will make me famous," said the cobbler.

So the queer little man put on the girdle and started out to seek his fortune.

As he was entering a forest, he saw a bear walking along a narrow path.

The cobbler was frightened. There was no way of escape. He waited to see what would happen.

The bear growled and ran toward him. The cobbler stood with his girdle in sight.

The bear read the words on the girdle:

Ha, ha! Ho, ho!

Ten at one blow.

"Is it possible that this little man can kill TEN BEARS at one blow?"

thought the bear, "I will be careful not to offend him."

So the bear stood still and said, "Where are you going, my friend?"

"Around the world to seek my fortune," proudly replied the cobbler.

"Stay here for a time and dine with me. I know where there is some choice honey," said the bear, and he led the way to a hollow tree where the bees had stored their honey.

But a hunter had set a trap in the tree, and as the bear reached for the honey--snap! His paw was caught fast in the trap. And that was the end of Mr. Bear!

The cobbler quickly stripped off the skin of the animal, saying, "This will make a fine, warm blanket."

Then he walked away, carrying the skin over his arm and whistling a merry tune.

At last the cobbler reached the edge of the forest and began to climb a hill. Sitting on a rock overlooking the valley below was a giant.

The cobbler's heart beat fast with fear.

He walked bravely up to the giant, with his girdle in plain sight.

"Good-day, friend," said the cobbler.

"Here you sit at your ease. Do you not wish to travel with me to see the world?" the cobbler added.

When the giant saw the little stranger walking up to him so boldly, he was greatly surprised.

"How dare you enter the land of the giants!" he was about to exclaim.

At that moment, he saw the girdle and read the words:

Ha, ha! Ho, ho!

Ten at one blow.

"Is it possible that this little man can kill TEN GIANTS at one blow?"

thought the giant. "I will be careful not to offend him."

So the giant said, "Good-day, my friend. I see that though you are a little man, you have great strength. Let us prove which of us is the stronger."