III Clump! clump! clump! The goblin was halfway down the stairs. 'Jump into the meal chest," cried the cook. "I don't see it,” squeaked Blunder, rushing toward the fireplace. "Where is it?" Clump! clump! clump! The goblin was at the foot of the stair. He was coming toward the door of the kitchen. "There is an invisible cloak hanging on that peg," whispered FRANCES BASSET Como the cook. "Get into that." Blunder could no more see the cloak than he could see the shoes, the closet, and the meal chest. But he caught his foot in it, tumbled down, and pulled the cloak over him. There he lay, very still. "What was all that noise about?" asked the goblin, coming into the kitchen. Only my pans, master," answered the cook. As he could see nothing amiss, the old goblin went grumbling upstairs again. The cook hurried to bring the fairy shoes from the next room, and Blunder after much ado managed to get his feet into them. home. Presently he came to an old stile. He climbed up, and sat down on top of it. He was too tired to stir. Just then, along came the South Wind, and as he was going Blunder's way, he took Blunder home. The boy was glad, but he would have liked it better if the Wind had not laughed all the way. "What are you laughing at?" he asked. "At two things that I saw in my travels," said the Wind. "I saw a hen that starved to death while sitting close by a bushel of grain. And I saw a little boy that sat on top of the Wishing-Gate and then asked me to carry him home because he could not find it." "What! What's that?" cried Blunder - but just then he found himself at home. His fairy godmother was sitting by the fire. 66 "What luck? what luck?" cried everybody else. Where is the Wishing-Gate?" But the fairy godmother said nothing. "I don't know where it is," answered Blunder. "I couldn't find it.". "Poor boy!" said his mother, kissing him; and his sister ran to bring him some bread and milk. EXPRESSION: Why did Blunder wish to go to the WishingGate? Of whom did he ask the way? Whom did he see? Read what he said to each one. What did each answer? TWO FABLES IN VERSE I. THE ENVIOUS WREN1 In a tree lived a wren, On the ground lived a hen; The wren looked for food here and there; But the hen had wheat And good things to eat — Said the wren, "I declare, 'tisn't fair!" "To go out when it's raining this way! And to earn what you eat, Doesn't make your food sweet, In spite of what some folks may say. "Now there is that hen," Said this poor little wren, "She's fed till she's fat as a drum; While I strive and sweat For each grain that I get, And nobody gives me a crumb. "I can't see for my life Why the good farmer's wife Treats her so much better than me. By Phoebe Cary. Suppose on the ground For a while, and just see what I'll see." Said this small, cunning wren, "I'll make friends with the hen, And perhaps she will ask me to stay; And then upon bread Every day I'll be fed, And life will be nothing but play." So down flew the wren; 66 Stop to tea," said the hen, And soon her good supper was sent; But scarce stopping to taste, The poor bird left in haste, And this was the reason she went: When the farmer's kind dame To the poultry yard came, She said and the wren shook with fright "That fat hen will do For a pie or a stew, And I think I shall kill her to-night." EXPRESSION: What two animals are told about in this story? Where did each live? Where did each get its food? Which was the better off? Why? |