doyouthinkthatfartheroutinthewoodtheremaybeothersofourrace?"

"theremaybeblacksnails,nodoubt,"saidtheoldsnail;"blacksnailswithouthouses;buttheyaresovulgarandconceitedtoo.butwecangivetheantsacommission;theyrunhereandthere,asiftheyallhadsomuchbusinesstogetthrough.they,mostlikely,willknowofawifeforouryoungster."

"icertainlyknowamostbeautifulbride,"saidoneoftheants;"butifearitwouldnotdo,forsheisaqueen."

"thatdoesnotmatter,"saidtheoldsnail;"hassheahouse?"

"shehasapalace,"repliedtheant,-"amostbeautifulant-palacewithsevenhundredpassages."

"thank-you,"saidthemother-snail;"butourboyshallnotgotoliveinanant-hill.ifyouknowofnothingbetter,wewillgivethecommissiontothewhitegnats;theyflyaboutinrainandsunshine;theyknowtheburdockwoodfromoneendtotheother."

"wehaveawifeforhim,"saidthegnats;"ahundredman-stepsfromherethereisalittlesnailwithahouse,sittingonagooseberry-bush;sheisquitealone,andoldenoughtobeisonlyahundredman-stepsfromhere."

"thenlethercometohim,"saidtheoldpeople."hehasthewholeburdockforest;shehasonlyabush."

sotheybroughtthelittlelady-snail.shetookeightdaystoperformthejourney;butthatwasjustasitoughttobe;foritshowedhertobeoneoftherightbreeding.andthentheyhadawedding.sixglow-wormsgaveasmuchlightastheycould;butinotherrespectsitwasallveryquiet;fortheoldsnailscouldnotbearfestivitiesoracrowd.butabeautifulspeechwasmadebythemother-snail.thefathercouldnotspeak;hewastoomuchtheygavethewholeburdockforesttotheyoungsnailsasaninheritance,andrepeatedwhattheyhadsooftensaid,thatitwasthefinestplaceintheworld,andthatiftheyleduprightandhonorablelives,andtheirfamilyincreased,theyandtheirchildrenmightsomedaybetakentothenobleman'spalace,tobeboiledblack,andlaidonasilverdish.andwhentheyhadfinishedspeaking,theoldcouplecreptintotheirhouses,andcameoutnomore;fortheyslept.

theyoungsnailpairnowruledintheforest,andhadanumerousprogeny.butastheyoungoneswereneverboiledorlaidinsilverdishes,theyconcludedthatthecastlehadfallenintodecay,andthatallthepeopleintheworldweredead;andasnobodycontradictedthem,theythoughttheymustberight.andtherainfellupontheburdock-leaves,toplaythedrumforthem,andthesunshonetopaintcolorsontheburdockforestforthem,andtheywereveryhappy;thewholefamilywereentirelyandperfectlyhappy.

theend.

1872

fairytalesofhanschristianandersen

theicemaiden

byhanschristianandersen

i.littlerudy

wewillpayavisittoswitzerland,andwanderthroughthatcountryofmountains,whosesteepandrockysidesareovergrownwithforesttrees.letusclimbtothedazzlingsnow-fieldsattheirsummits,anddescendagaintothegreenmeadowsbeneath,throughwhichriversandbrooksrushalongasiftheycouldnotquicklyenoughreachtheseaandvanish.fiercelyshinesthesunoverthosedeepvalleys,aswellasupontheheavymassesofsnowwhichlieonthemountains.

duringtheyeartheseaccumulationsthaworfallintherollingavalance,orarepiledupinshiningglaciers.twooftheseglacierslieinthebroad,rockycliffs,betweentheschreckhornandthewetterhorn,nearthelittletownofgrindelwald.theyarewonderfultobehold,andthereforeinthesummertimestrangerscomeherefromallpartsoftheworldtoseethem.theycrosssnow-coveredmountains,andtravelthroughthedeepvalleys,orascendforhours,higherandstillhigher,thevalleysappearingtosinklowerandlowerastheyproceed,andbecomeassmallasifseenfromanairballoon.overtheloftysummitsofthesemountainsthecloudsoftenhanglikeadarkveil;whilebeneathinthevalley,wheremanybrown,woodenhousesarescatteredabout,thebrightraysofthesunmaybeshininguponalittlebrilliantpatchofgreen,makingitappearalmosttransparent.thewatersfoamanddashalonginthevalleysbeneath;thestreamsfromabovetrickleandmurmurastheyfalldowntherockymountain'sside,lookinglikeglitteringsilverbands.

onbothsidesofthemountain-pathstandtheselittlewoodenhouses;and,aswithin,therearemanychildrenandmanymouthstofeed,eachhousehasitsownlittlepotatogarden.thesechildrenrushoutinswarms,andsurroundtravellers,whetheronfootorincarriages.theyareallcleveratmakingabargain.theyofferforsalethesweetestlittletoy-houses,modelsofthemountaincottagesinswitzerland.whetheritberainorsunshine,thesecrowdsofchildrenarealwaystobeseenwiththeirwares.

abouttwentyyearsago,theremightbeseenoccasionally,standingatashortdistancefromtheotherchildren,alittleboy,whowasalsoanxioustosellhiscuriouswares.hehadanearnest,expressivecountenance,andheldtheboxcontaininghiscarvedtoystightlywithbothhands,asifunwillingtopartwithit.hisearnestlook,andbeingalsoaverylittleboy,madehimnoticedbythestrangers;sothatheoftensoldthemost,withoutknowingwhy.anhour'swalkfartheruptheascentlivedhisgrandfather,whocutandcarvedtheprettylittletoy-houses;andintheoldman'sroomstoodalargepress,fullofallsortsofcarvedthings-nut-crackers,knivesandforks,boxeswithbeautifullycarvedfoliage,leapingchamois.itcontainedeverythingthatcoulddelighttheeyesofachild.buttheboy,whowasnamedrudy,lookedwithstillgreaterpleasureandlongingatsomeoldfire-armswhichhungupontherafters,undertheceilingoftheroom.hisgrandfatherpromisedhimthatheshouldhavethemsomeday,butthathemustfirstgrowbigandstrong,andlearnhowtousethem.smallashewas,thegoatswereplacedinhiscare,andagoodgoat-keepershouldalsobeagoodclimber,andsuchrudywas;hesometimes,indeed,climbedhigherthanthegoats,forhewasfondofseekingforbirds'-nestsatthetopofhightrees;hewasboldanddaring,butwasseldomseentosmile,exceptingwhenhestoodbytheroaringcataract,orheardthedescendingrolloftheavalanche.heneverplayedwiththeotherchildren,andwasnotseenwiththem,unlesshisgrandfathersenthimdowntosellhiscuriousworkmanship.rudydidnotmuchliketrade;helovedtoclimbthemountains,ortositbyhisgrandfatherandlistentohistalesofoldentimes,orofthepeopleinmeyringen,theplaceofhisbirth.

"intheearlyagesoftheworld,"saidtheoldman,"thesepeoplecouldnotbefoundinswitzerland.theyareacolonyfromthenorth,wheretheirancestorsstilldwell,andarecalledswedes."

thiswassomethingforrudytoknow,buthelearntmorefromothersources,particularlyfromthedomesticanimalswhobelongedtothehouse.onewasalargedog,calledajola,whichhadbelongedtohisfather;andtheotherwasatom-cat.thiscatstoodveryhighinrudy'sfavor,forhehadtaughthimtoclimb.

"comeoutontheroofwithme,"saidthecat;andrudyquiteunderstoodhim,forthelanguageoffowls,ducks,cats,anddogs,isaseasilyunderstoodbyayoungchildashisownnativetongue.butitmustbeattheagewhengrandfather'sstickbecomesaneighinghorse,withhead,legs,andtail.somechildrenretaintheseideaslaterthanothers,andtheyareconsideredbackwardsandchildishfortheirage.peoplesayso;butisitso?