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Project Gutenberg’s A Child’s Story Garden, by Compiled by Elizabeth Heber
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Title: A Child’s Story Garden
Author: Compiled by Elizabeth Heber
Release Date: April, 2005 [EBook #7868]
[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule]
[This file was first posted on May 28, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A CHILD’S STORY GARDEN ***
Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
A CHILD’S STORY GARDEN
[Illustration]
TO THE LITTLE CHILDREN[Illustration]
Elizabeth Heber
NOTEThese selected stories have been used by teachers of the kindergarten
and primary grades in the Indianapolis Schools. This little book has
been compiled for mothers and teachers with the purpose of meeting a
demand for children’s literature that will not only add to the child’s
literary culture, but will also suggest high ideals through the story
form. For material used we gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to:
Rev. Neil McPherson, Sarah L. Kirlin, Leonore D. Eldridge, Martha A.
Gill, Bessie Brown Adkinson, Edith D. Wachstetter, Grace Erskine DeVere,
Fords Hulburt Publishing Co., for the selections, “The Anxious Leaf” and
“Coming and Going” from Henry Ward Beecher’s, “Norwood.”
… Compiled by …
ELIZABETH HEBERPrimary Teacher School No. 4 Indianapolis,—Indiana
Illustrations by
GRACE GARFIELD CONTENTSSiegfried, the King’s Son
The Song of the Pine Tree
A Christmas Story
The Myth of Arachne
The Birds of Killingworth
The Myth of Pan
The Bell of Atri
The Anxious Leaf
Coming and Going
How the Dimples Came
The Proud Little Apple Blossom
The Brave Knight
King Robert of Sicily
The Great Stone Face
The First Christmas Tree
The Story of Abraham
The Story of Moses
The Story of David
The Story of Joseph
The Courtesy of the Spartan Boy
Twenty-third Psalm
SIEGFRIED, THE KING’S SON
Siegfried was the son of the good King Siegmund. He lived in the great
palace with his father and the gentle queen, his mother.
Siegfried had everything his heart could desire. He was loved by every
one about the palace. He had many servants to wait upon him, and
beautiful clothes to wear at all times. More than this, the stables of
the great palace were full of horses, and Siegfried could ride or drive
whenever he wished to do so.
Now, the king was as wise as he was good, and he knew that if Siegfried
would grow to be a good king he must learn to work with his hands. The
king and queen talked of it, and, although they disliked to part with
their son, they decided to send Siegfried to Mimer, the wonderful
blacksmith.
Mimer was a queer little man. His back was bent and his hair was long
and white. He had a long white beard and two very sharp, black eyes.
Mimer’s shop was out in the great, dark forest, and many boys came to
learn of this wonderful master, for Mimer, you must know, was the best
blacksmith in all the king’s country.
To this shop Siegfried was sent. At first he was very lonely and
unhappy. There were no servants now to wait upon him. His soft,
beautiful clothing had been exchanged for a suit of the coarsest
material and a huge leather apron. There was no soft bed waiting for him
at night, only a pile of straw in the corner. But Siegfried was a brave
boy, and lost no time complaining. He worked patiently at his anvil, day
after day, learning from his master to make strong chains of iron, as
well as dainty chains of gold and silver, for the queen to wear. One day
Mimer came into the shop and sat down beside Siegfried’s anvil. The boys
could see that he was troubled, and they left their anvils and came to
the master, begging him to tell them what troubled him.
Slowly he raised his head and looked at them all. Then he said: “A giant
has come into the country, who says he is the most wonderful smith of
all. He says he has made a coat of armor that no sword can pierce. I
have worked day and night, and cannot make a strong sword. Who is
willing to try for me?”
The boys all hung their heads, for they knew not how to help Mimer. Then
Siegfried stood before his master and said: “Let me try, oh, Mimer!” And
the master was willing. Siegfried went to work at once, and for seven
long days he did not leave his place at the anvil.
At the end of the time he brought to Mimer a sword that was strong and
bright. “We will try it,” said Mimer, and called together all the boys,
and took them to a little stream near the shop. Mimer then took a single
thread of wool and threw it into the water. As it was carried along,
Mimer took the sword and held it before the thread. The water carried
the thread along until it reached the sword. Then one half of the thread
passed to the right of the sword and the other to the left, and the
thread was not moved from its course. “This is a good blade,” said Mimer
proudly. But Siegfried was not satisfied. He took the sword and broke it
in pieces and put it into the fire again. For three long weeks Siegfried
worked patiently at the anvil. Then he brought to Mimer a sword that was
sharper and brighter and stronger than the first.
Again the boys were taken to the little stream, and this time a handful
of wool was thrown into the water. When it reached the edge of the sword
half of the wool passed to the right and half to the left of the sword,
and not one single thread was moved from its place. Siegfried, however,
was not satisfied, and again broke the sword into pieces and put it back
into the fire.
Patiently and faithfully he worked for seven long weeks. The sword that
he brought to Mimer now was stronger and brighter and more beautiful
than either of the others. The handle was wound with flowers, and the
edge was as bright as the lightning.
This time, when the boys gathered at the little stream, a pack of wool
was thrown into the water. When the wool reached the edge of the blade,
half passed to one side and half to the other, and not one thread was
moved from its place.
“We will give it another trial,” said Siegfried. He ran quickly to the
shop and paused a moment before the great anvil. Then he swung the
sword, once, twice, thrice, about his head, and then brought it down
onto the iron. There was no noise, but the great anvil fell apart, and
the sword was as sharp and bright as ever.
“This is the best I can do,” said Siegfried. “Good master, my sword is
done!” Then Mimer sent his swiftest messenger to the king to tell him
that he was ready to meet the giant.
The day of the contest came. Mimer’s friends sat on one side of the
road, the giant’s friends on the other. At the top of the hill the two
masters were to meet, the giant with his armor, Mimer with his sword.
Soon a mighty shout arose! The giant, wearing the wonderful coat of
glittering steel, came up the hill. He sat down on a huge rock at the
top of the hill. As the people waited, a queer little man was seen
coming slowly up the hill. His back was bent, and his white hair hung
about his shoulders. At his side he carried a sword so bright that the
lightning seemed to play about its edge, as he walked.
Slowly he went to the top of the hill and stood before the giant. It was
Mimer, the master. He loosed the sword from his side and raised it above
his head. “Are you ready?” he asked. “Yes; strike,” said the giant,
laughing, for he was not afraid. One, two, three times the sword flashed
about Mimer’s head. Then it fell again at his side. “I do not wish to
hurt you,” he said, “but if you will take off your armor and place it on
that stone, I will show you what this wonderful blade can do.” The giant
only laughed again—laughed so loud and so long that the very earth
seemed to tremble. Then he took off the armor and laid it on the rock.
Mimer stepped back, raised the sword again, swung it about his head
until the light seemed to blind the people. Then it came down. The
people waited. There was no clash of iron. All was still.
Then Mimer stepped up to the armor and touched it with his foot. It fell
apart, and the rock beneath it fell apart, too. Half the rock started to
roll down the hill. On, on it went, faster and faster, and fell with a
mighty splash into the river at the foot of the hill, and if you should
go to that faraway country you could see it lying there, far down below
the surface of the water.
Then a mighty shout arose! Mimer’s friends, and the great king, too,
joined in the applause. The giant, no longer boastful, stooped down,
gathered up the two parts of the armor, and went with his friends into a
far country. Mimer took the wonderful sword and went back to his place
in the blacksmith shop, still the master of all the smiths.
Very few people, however, knew that it was the king’s own son,
Siegfried, who had made the wonderful sword.
THE SONG OF THE PINE TREE
It was a wee pine tree in a very large forest. It could not see anything
around it, for the other pine trees about it were so very tall. They
could only tell the little pine tree what they saw. At night the little
tree would often gaze at the sky and the stars that peeped out. And
sometimes the big, round moon would pass over the sky. And all day long,
all that the little pine tree could see above it was the blue sky, and
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