Chapter II

The next summer Robert went again to the little house in the woods.

Robert’s father wanted the house to look pretty, so he painted it white and green.

In the morning Robert called out, “Mother! Mother! See what the squirrels have done!”

The porch was covered with marks of little feet.

Lady Gray saw Robert and came up on the porch. A baby squirrel was with her. They named it Little Son.

Soon Little Son was as gentle as Lady Gray. Sometimes he would let them put their hands on his soft fur.

One day Robert was out walking with his father. They saw a hole in an old tree.

Robert’s father held him up so that he could put his hand in the hole. The squirrel’s nest was almost full of nuts.

All summer Robert had good times, playing with Lady Gray and Little Son.

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER.

There was once a kind old shoemaker who was very poor. He had leather to make only one pair of shoes.

He cut these out and went to bed. The next morning the shoes were standing ready upon the table.

The shoemaker sold them and bought leather to make two pairs of shoes.

He cut these out, and again found the shoes made when he got up in the morning.

He sold the shoes and bought leather to make four pairs. The work he cut out was always done in the morning.

One evening the shoemaker said to his wife, “I should like to sit up to-night and see who it is that makes the shoes.”

In the night two little elves ran in. They sewed and rapped and tapped so quickly that the shoes were made long before morning. Then the elves ran away.

The next day the shoemaker’s wife said, “These elves have made us rich. I should like to do something for them. You make each of them a little pair of shoes, and I will make them some clothes.”

On Christmas eve they put the shoes and the clothes on the table. Then they hid behind the door to see what the elves would do.

When the elves saw the clothes, they quickly put them on. They laughed and danced and jumped about.

At last they danced out of the door and across the grass and were seen no more. But the kind shoemaker and his wife lived a long and happy life.

JACOB and WILLIAM GRIMM (_Adapted_).

HALLOWE’EN.

Big Brother Ben, Sister Polly and little Martha sat talking together under the old oak-tree.

Father went out to see what the children were doing.

“Oh, Father,” said Polly, “to-night is Hallowe’en!”

“May we have some pumpkins to make Jack-o’-lanterns?” asked Ben.

“Yes,” said Father. “Come with me.”

They went down to the corn-field and each chose a yellow pumpkin.

Brother Ben cut a round piece out of the stem-end of each pumpkin. The little girls then went to work to dig out the pumpkins.

After this Brother Ben cut eyes, nose, and mouth on the outside. The last thing was to make a little hole in which to set a candle.

“How would you like a bonfire to-night?” asked Father.

This pleased Brother Ben so much that he threw his cap in the air and cried,

“Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!”