And now we come to the stories!
STORIES TO TELL TO CHILDREN
TWO LITTLE RIDDLES IN RHYME[1]
[1] These riddles were taken from the Gaelic, and are charming
examples of the naive beauty of the old Irish, and of Dr.
Hyde's accurate and sympathetic modern rendering. From
"Beside the Fire" (David Nutt, London).
There's a garden that I ken,
Full of little gentlemen;
Little caps of blue they wear,
And green ribbons, very fair.
(Flax.)
From house to house he goes,
A messenger small and slight,
And whether it rains or snows,
He sleeps outside in the night.
(The path.)
THE LITTLE PINK ROSE
Once there was a little pink Rosebud,
and she lived down in a little dark house
under the ground. One day she was sitting
there, all by herself, and it was very
still. Suddenly, she heard a little TAP, TAP,
TAP, at the door.
"Who is that?" she said.
"It's the Rain, and I want to come in;"
said a soft, sad, little voice.
"No, you can't come in," the little Rosebud said.
By and by she heard another little TAP,
TAP, TAP on the window pane.
"Who is there?" she said.
The same soft little voice answered,
"It's the Rain, and I want to come in!"
"No, you can't come in," said the little
Rosebud.
Then it was very still for a long time. At
last, there came a little rustling, whispering
sound, all round the window: RUSTLE,
WHISPER, WHISPER.
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