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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]

[Illustration]

Elizabeth Heber

These 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 …

Primary Teacher School No. 4 Indianapolis,—Indiana

Illustrations by

Siegfried, 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