Favorite Fairy Tales
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Logan Marshall >> Favorite Fairy Tales
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[Illustration]
There he lay for two whole days. On the third day there came two Wild
Geese, or rather Ganders, who had not been long out of their egg-shells,
which accounts for their impertinence.
"Hark ye," said they; "you are so ugly that we like you very well. Will
you come with us and be a bird of passage? On another moor, not far
from this, are some dear, sweet Wild Geese, as lovely creatures as have
ever said 'Hiss, hiss.' You are truly in the way to make your fortune,
ugly as you are."
Bang! a gun went off all at once, and both Wild Geese were stretched
dead among the reeds; the water became red with blood. Bang! a gun went
off again. Whole flocks of Wild Geese flew up from among the reeds, and
another report followed.
There was a grand hunting party. The hunters lay in ambush all around;
some were even sitting in the trees, whose huge branches stretched far
over the moor. The blue smoke rose through the thick trees like a mist,
and was dispersed as it fell over the water. The hounds splashed about
in the mud, the reeds and rushes bent in all directions.
How frightened the poor little Duck was! He turned his head, thinking
to hide it under his wings, and in a moment a most formidable-looking
Dog stood close to him, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his eyes
sparkling fearfully. He opened wide his jaws at the sight of our
Duckling, showing him his sharp white teeth, and, splash, splash!
he was gone--gone without hurting him.
"Well! let me be thankful," sighed he. "I am so ugly that even the Dog
will not eat me."
And now he lay still, though the shooting continued among the reeds,
shot following shot.
The noise did not cease till late in the day, and even then the poor
little thing dared not stir. He waited several hours before he looked
around him, and then hurried away from the moor as fast as he could.
He ran over fields and meadows, though the wind was so high that he
had some difficulty in moving.
Towards evening he reached a wretched little hut, so wretched that it
knew not on which side to fall, and therefore remained standing. The
wind blew violently, so that our poor little Duckling was obliged to
support himself on his tail, in order to stand against it; but it
became worse and worse. He then noticed that the door had lost one
of its hinges, and hung so much awry that he could creep through the
crack into the room. So he went in.
In this room lived an old woman, with her Tom-cat and her Hen. The Cat,
whom she called her little son, knew how to set up his back and purr;
indeed, he could even throw out sparks when stroked the wrong way. The
Hen had very short legs, and was therefore called "Chickie Short-legs."
She laid very good eggs, and the old woman loved her as her own child.
The next morning the new guest was discovered, and the Cat began to mew
and the Hen to cackle.
[Illustration]
"What is the matter?" asked the old woman, looking round. But her eyes
were not good, so she took the young Duckling to be a fat Duck who had
lost her way. "This is a capital catch," said she, "I shall now have
Duck's eggs, if it be not a Drake. We shall see."
And so the Duckling was kept on trial for three weeks, but no eggs made
their appearance. Now the Cat was the master of the house, and the Hen
was the mistress, and always used to say, "We and the world," for they
imagined themselves to be not only the half of the world, but also by
far the better half. The Duckling thought it was possible to be of a
different opinion, but that the Hen would not allow.
"Can you lay eggs?" asked she.
"No."
"Well, then, hold your tongue."
And the Cat said, "Can you set up your back? Can you purr?"
"No."
"Well, then, you should have no opinion when reasonable people are
speaking."
So the Duckling sat alone in a corner, and felt very miserable. However,
he happened to think of the fresh air and bright sunshine, and these
thoughts gave him such a strong desire to swim again, that he could not
help telling it to the Hen.
"What ails you?" said the Hen. "You have nothing to do, and therefore
brood over these fancies. Either lay eggs or purr, then you will forget
them."
"But it is so delicious to swim!" said the Duckling. "So delicious when
the waters close over your head, and you plunge to the bottom!"
"Well, that is a queer sort of pleasure," said the Hen. "I think you
must be crazy. Not to speak of myself, ask the Cat--he is the most
sensible animal I know--whether he would like to swim, or to plunge to
the bottom of the water. Ask our mistress, the old woman--there is no
one in the world wiser than she. Do you think she would take pleasure
in swimming and in the waters closing over her head?"
"You do not understand me," said the Duckling.
"What! we do not understand you? So you think yourself wiser than the
Cat and the old woman, not to speak of myself? Do not fancy any such
thing, child; but be thankful for all the kindness that has been shown
you. Are you not lodged in a warm room, and have you not the advantage
of society from which you can learn something? But you are a simpleton,
and it is wearisome to have anything to do with you. Believe me, I wish
you well. I tell you unpleasant truths, but it is thus that real
friendship is shown. Come, for once give yourself the trouble to
learn to purr, or to lay eggs."
"I think I will go out into the wide world again," said the Duckling.
"Well, go," answered the Hen.
So the Duckling went. He swam on the surface of the water, he plunged
beneath, but all animals passed him by, on account of his ugliness. And
the autumn came, the leaves turned yellow and brown, the wind caught
them and danced them about, the air was very cold, the clouds were heavy
with hail or snow, and the Raven sat on the hedge and croaked. The poor
Duckling was certainly not very comfortable.
One evening, just as the sun was setting with unusual brilliancy, a
flock of large, beautiful birds rose from out of the brushwood. The
Duckling had never seen anything so beautiful before; their plumage was
of a dazzling white, and they had long, slender necks. They were Swans.
They uttered a singular cry, spread out their long splendid wings, and
flew away from these cold regions to warmer countries, across the open
sea. They flew so high, so very high! And the little Ugly Duckling's
feelings were so strange. He turned round and round in the water like a
mill-wheel, strained his neck to look after them, and sent forth such a
loud and strange cry that it almost frightened himself. Ah! he could not
forget them, those noble birds, those happy birds! When he could see
them no longer he plunged to the bottom of the water, and when he rose
again was almost beside himself. The Duckling knew not what the birds
were called, knew not whither they were flying; yet he loved them as he
had never before loved anything. He envied them not; it would never have
occurred to him to wish such beauty for himself. He would have been
quite contented if the Ducks in the duck-yard had but endured his
company--the poor, ugly creature.
[Illustration]
And the winter was so cold, so cold, the Duckling was obliged to swim
round and round in the water to keep it from freezing. But every night
the opening in which he swam became smaller and smaller. It froze so
that the crust of ice crackled and the Duckling was obliged to make good
use of his legs to prevent the water from freezing entirely. At last,
wearied out, he lay stiff and cold in the ice.
Early in the morning there passed by a peasant who saw him, broke the
ice in pieces with his wooden shoe, and brought him home to his wife.
The poor Duckling soon revived. The children would have played with him,
but he thought they wished to tease him, and in his terror jumped into
the milk-pail, so that the milk was spilled about the room. The good
woman screamed and clapped her hands. He flew from there into the pan
where the butter was kept, and thence into the meal-barrel, and out
again, and then how strange he looked!
The woman screamed, and struck at him with the tongs, the children ran
races with each other trying to catch him, and laughed and screamed
likewise. It was well for him that the door stood open. He jumped out
among the bushes into the new-fallen snow, and there he lay as in a
dream.
But it would be too sad to tell all the trouble and misery that he had
to suffer from the frost, and snow and storms of the winter. He was
lying on a moor among the reeds, when the sun began to shine warmly
again; the larks sang, and beautiful spring had returned.
Once more he shook his wings. They were stronger than formerly and bore
him forward quickly, and before he was well aware of it he was in a
large garden where the apple-trees stood in full bloom, where the
syringas sent forth their fragrance and hung their long green branches
down into the winding canal. Oh! everything was so lovely, so full of
the freshness of spring! And out of the thicket came three beautiful
white Swans. They displayed their feathers so proudly and swam so
lightly, so lightly! The Duckling knew the glorious creatures, and was
seized with a strange sadness.
"I will fly to them, those kingly birds!" said he. "They will kill me,
because I, ugly as I am, have dared to approach them. But it matters
not. Better to be killed by them than to be bitten by the Ducks, pecked
by the Hens, kicked by the girl who feeds the poultry, and to have so
much to suffer during the winter!"
[Illustration]
He flew into the water and swam towards the beautiful creatures. They
saw him and shot forward to meet him. "Only kill me," said the poor
creature, and he bowed his head low, expecting death. But what did he
see in the water? He saw beneath him his own form, no longer that of a
plump, ugly grey bird--it was that of a Swan.
It matters not to have been born in a duck-yard, if one has been hatched
from a Swan's egg. And now the Swan began to see the good of all the
trouble he had been through. He would never have known how happy he was
if he had not first had all his sorrow and unhappiness to bear.
The larger Swans swam round him, and stroked him with their beaks. Some
little children were running about in the garden; they threw grain and
bread into the water, and the youngest exclaimed: "There is a new one!"
The others also cried out: "Yes, a new Swan has come!" and they clapped
their hands, and danced around.
They ran to their father and mother, bread and cake were thrown into
the water, and every one said: "The new one is best, so young and so
beautiful!" And the old Swans bowed before him. The young Swan felt
quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wings. He scarcely knew what
to do. He was too happy, but still not proud, for a good heart is never
proud.
He remembered how he had been persecuted and laughed at, and he now
heard everyone say that he was the most beautiful of all beautiful
birds. The syringas bent down their branches toward him low into the
water, and the sun shone warmly and brightly. He shook his feathers,
stretched his slender neck, and in the joy of his heart said: "How
little did I dream of so much happiness when I was the despised Ugly
Duckling!"
[Illustration]
ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP
[Illustration]
Aladdin was the only son of a poor widow who lived in China; but instead
of helping his mother to earn their living, he let her do all the hard
work, while he himself only thought of idling and amusement.
One day, as he was playing in the streets, a stranger came up to him,
saying that he was his father's brother, and claiming him as his
long-lost nephew. Aladdin had never heard that his father had had a
brother; but as the stranger gave him money and promised to buy him
fine clothes and set him up in business, he was quite ready to believe
all that he told him. The man was a magician, who wanted to use Aladdin
for his own purposes.
[Illustration]
The next day the stranger came again, brought Aladdin a beautiful suit
of clothes, gave him many good things to eat, and took him for a long
walk, telling him stories all the while to amuse him. After they had
walked a long way, they came to a narrow valley, bounded on either side
by tall, gloomy-looking mountains. Aladdin was beginning to feel tired,
and he did not like the look of this place at all. He wanted to turn
back; but the stranger would not let him. He made Aladdin follow him
still farther, until at length they reached the place where he intended
to carry out his evil design. Then he made Aladdin gather sticks to make
a fire, and when they were in a blaze he threw into them some powder,
at the same time saying some mystical words, which Aladdin could not
understand.
Immediately they were surrounded with a thick cloud of smoke. The earth
trembled, and burst open at their feet--disclosing a large flat stone
with a brass ring fixed in it. Aladdin was so terribly frightened that
he was about to run away; but the Magician gave him such a blow on the
ear that he fell to the ground.
Poor Aladdin rose to his feet with eyes full of tears, and said,
reproachfully--
"Uncle, what have I done that you should treat me so?"
"You should not have tried to run away from me," said the Magician,
"when I have brought you here only for your own advantage. Under this
stone there is hidden a treasure which will make you richer than the
richest monarch in the world. You alone may touch it. If I assist you
in any way the spell will be broken, but if you obey me faithfully, we
shall both be rich for the rest of our lives. Come, take hold of the
brass ring and lift the stone."
Aladdin forgot his fears in the hope of gaining this wonderful treasure,
and took hold of the brass ring. It yielded at once to his touch, and he
was able to lift the great stone quite easily and move it away, which
disclosed a flight of steps, leading down into the ground.
"Go down these steps," commanded the Magician, "and at the bottom you
will find a great cavern, divided into three halls, full of vessels of
gold and silver; but take care you do not meddle with these. If you
touch anything in the halls you will meet with instant death. The third
hall will bring you into a garden, planted with fine fruit trees. When
you have crossed the garden, you will come to a terrace, where you will
find a niche, and in the niche a lighted lamp. Take the lamp down, and
when you have put out the light and poured away the oil, bring it to me.
If you would like to gather any of the fruit of the garden you may do
so, provided you do not linger."
Then the Magician put a ring on Aladdin's finger, which he told him was
to preserve him from evil, and sent him down into the cavern.
[Illustration]
Aladdin found everything just as the Magician had said. He passed
through the three halls, crossed the garden, took down the lamp from
the niche, poured out the oil, put the lamp into his bosom, and turned
to go back.
As he came down from the terrace, he stopped to look at the trees of the
garden, which were laden with wonderful fruits. To Aladdin's eyes it
appeared as if these fruits were only bits of colored glass, but in
reality they were jewels of the rarest quality. Aladdin filled his
pockets full of the dazzling things, for though he had no idea of their
real value, yet he was attracted by their dazzling brilliance. He had
so loaded himself with these treasures that when at last he came to the
steps he was unable to climb them without assistance.
"Pray, Uncle," he said, "give me your hand to help me out."
"Give me the lamp first," replied the Magician.
"Really, Uncle, I cannot do so until I am out of this place," answered
Aladdin, whose hands were, indeed, so full that he could not get at the
lamp.
But the Magician refused to help Aladdin up the steps until he had
handed over the lamp. Aladdin was equally determined not to give it up
until he was out of the cavern, and, at last, the Magician fell into a
furious rage. Throwing some more of the powder into the fire, he again
said the magic words. No sooner had he done so than there was a
tremendous thunder-clap, the stone rolled back into its place, and
Aladdin was a prisoner in the cavern. The poor boy cried aloud to his
supposed uncle to help him; but it was all in vain, his cries could not
be heard. The doors in the garden were closed by the same enchantment,
and Aladdin sat down on the steps in despair, knowing that there was
little hope of his ever seeing his Mother again.
For two terrible days he lay in the cavern waiting for death. On the
third day, realizing that it could not now be far off, he clasped his
hands in anguish, thinking of his Mother's sorrow; and in so doing he
accidently rubbed the ring which the Magician had put upon his finger.
Immediately a genie of enormous size rose out of the earth, and, as
Aladdin started back in fright and horror, said to him:
[Illustration]
"What wouldst thou have of me?"
"Who are you?" gasped Aladdin.
"I am the slave of the ring. I am ready to obey thy commands," came the
answer.
Aladdin was still trembling; but the danger he was in already made him
answer without hesitation:
"Then, if you are able, deliver me, I beseech you, from this place."
Scarcely had he spoken, when he found himself lying on the ground at the
place to which the Magician had first brought him.
He hastened home to his Mother, who had mourned him as dead. As soon as
he had told her all his adventures, he begged her to get him some food,
for he had now been three days without eating.
"Alas, child!" replied his Mother, "I have not a bit of bread to give
you."
"Never mind, Mother," said Aladdin, "I will go and sell the old lamp
which I brought home with me. Doubtless I shall get a little money for
it."
His Mother reached down the lamp; but seeing how dirty it was, she
thought it would sell better if she cleaned it. But no sooner had she
begun to rub it than a hideous genie appeared before her, and said in
a voice like thunder:
"What wouldst thou have of me? I am ready to obey thy commands, I and
all the other slaves of the lamp."
[Illustration]
Aladdin's Mother fainted away at the sight of this creature; but
Aladdin, having seen the genie of the ring, was not so frightened,
and said boldly:
"I am hungry, bring me something to eat."
The genie disappeared, but returned in an instant with twelve silver
dishes, filled with different kinds of savory meats, six large white
loaves, two bottles of wine, and two silver drinking cups. He placed
these things on the table and then vanished.
Aladdin fetched water, and sprinkling some on his Mother's face soon
brought her back to life again.
When she opened her eyes and saw all the good things the genie had
provided, she was overcome with astonishment.
"To whom are we indebted for this feast?" she cried. "Has the Sultan
heard of our poverty and sent us these fine things from his own table?"
"Never mind now how they came here," said Aladdin. "Let us first eat,
then I will tell you."
Mother and son made a hearty meal, and then Aladdin told his Mother that
it was the genie of the lamp who had brought them the food. His Mother
was greatly alarmed, and begged him to have nothing further to do with
genies, advising him to sell the lamp at once. But Aladdin would not
part with such a wonderful possession, and resolved to keep both the
ring and the lamp safely, in case he should ever need them again. He
showed his Mother the fruits which he had gathered in the garden, and
his Mother admired their bright colors and dazzling radiance, though
she had no idea of their real value.
Not many days after this, Aladdin was walking in the streets of the
city, when he heard a fanfare of trumpets announcing the passing of the
Princess Badroulboudour, the Sultan's only daughter. Aladdin stopped to
see her go by, and was so struck by her great beauty that he fell in
love with her on the spot and made up his mind to win her for his bride.
"Mother," he said, "I cannot live without the Princess Badroulboudour.
You must go to the Sultan and demand her hand in marriage for me."
[Illustration]
Aladdin's Mother burst out laughing at the idea of her son wishing to be
the son-in-law of the Sultan, and told him to put such thoughts out of
his head at once. But Aladdin was not to be laughed out of his fancy. He
knew by this time that the fruits which he had gathered from the magic
garden were jewels of great value, and he insisted upon his Mother
taking them to the Sultan for a present, and asking the hand of the
Princess in marriage for her son.
The poor woman was terribly frightened, fearing lest the Sultan should
punish her for her impudence; but Aladdin would hear of no excuses, and
at last she set forth in fear and trembling, bearing the jewels on a
china dish covered with a napkin.
[Illustration]
When she came before the Sultan, she told him, with many apologies and
pleas for forgiveness, of her son's mad love for the Princess
Badroulboudour. The Sultan smiled at the idea of the son of a poor old
woman asking for the hand of his daughter, and asked her what she had
under the napkin. But when the woman uncovered the jewels, he started up
from his throne in amazement, for he had never before seen so many large
and magnificent jewels collected together. He thought Aladdin must be a
very unusual and extraordinary person to be able to make him such a
valuable present, and he began to wonder whether it might not be worth
while to bestow the Princess's hand upon him. However, he thought he
would ask for some further proof of his wealth and power; so, turning
to the woman, he said:
"Good Mother, tell your son he shall have the Princess Badroulboudour
for his wife as soon as he sends me forty basins of gold, filled with
jewels as valuable as these, and borne by forty black and forty white
slaves. Hasten now and carry him my message. I will await your return."
Aladdin's Mother was dismayed at this request.
"Where can Aladdin get such basins and jewels and slaves?" she thought,
as she hurried home to him. But Aladdin only smiled when his Mother gave
him the Sultan's message. He rubbed the lamp, and at once the genie
stood before him, asking him what was his pleasure.
"Go," said Aladdin, "fetch me forty basins all of massive gold, full of
jewels, borne by forty black and forty white slaves."
The genie brought these things at once, and Aladdin then sent his Mother
with them to the Sultan.
[Illustration]
The Sultan was amazed at this wonderful show of wealth and at the
quickness with which it had been brought, and he sent for Aladdin to
come to the Court.
Aladdin first summoned the genie to bring him fine clothes and a
splendid horse, and a retinue fit for the future son-in-law of the
Sultan; and then, with a train of slaves bearing magnificent presents
for the Princess, he set out for the Palace.
The Sultan would have married him to his daughter at once; but Aladdin
asked him to wait until the next morning, when he hoped to have a Palace
worthy to receive his wife.
Once again he summoned the genie to his aid, and commanded him to build
a Palace that in beauty and magnificence should surpass any that had
ever been built on the earth before.
The next morning when the Sultan awoke and looked out of his window, he
saw, opposite to his own, the most wonderful Palace he had ever seen.
The walls were built of gold and silver, and encrusted with diamonds,
rubies and emeralds, and other rare and precious stones. The stables
were filled with the finest horses; beautiful gardens surrounded the
building, and everywhere were hundreds of slaves and servants to wait
on the Princess.
The Sultan was so overcome with all this magnificence, that he insisted
upon marrying his daughter to Aladdin that very day, and the young
couple took up their residence in the Palace the genie had built.
For a time they lived very happily, but the Magician, who had gone to
Africa after he had left Aladdin to perish in the cavern, at length
happened to hear of Aladdin's fame and riches; and guessing at once the
source of all this wealth, he returned once more to China, determined to
gain possession of the magic lamp.
[Illustration]
He bought a number of new and beautiful lamps, disguised himself as an
old beggar-man, and then, waiting until Aladdin was out hunting, he came
to the windows of the Palace, crying out:
"New lamps for old; new lamps for old."
When the Princess heard this strange cry she was very much amused.
"Let us see," she said to her ladies, "whether this foolish fellow means
what he says; there is an ugly old lamp in Aladdin's room," and taking
the precious lamp, which Aladdin always kept by his bedside, she sent it
out to the old man by one of the slaves, saying--
"Give me a new lamp for this!"
[Illustration]
The Magician was overjoyed. He saw at once that it was the very lamp he
wanted, and giving the Princess the best of the new ones in exchange, he
hurried away with his treasure. As soon as he found himself alone, he
summoned the slave of the lamp, and told him to carry himself, the
Palace, and the Princess Badroulboudour to the farthest corner of
Africa. This order the genie at once obeyed.
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