"
"Why?" said the king.
"Your Majesty knows," said the Great
Lizard, "that I am Chief Protector of the
Sword. I wore my sword because the
Tortoise came wearing his coat of mail."
So the Tortoise was sent for.
"Why did you wear your coat of mail?"
said the king.
"I put it on, your Majesty," said the
Tortoise, "because I saw the King-crab
trailing his three-edged pike."
Then the King-crab was sent for.
"Why were you trailing your three-
edged pike?" said King Solomon.
"Because, your Majesty," said the
Kingerab, "I saw that the Crayfish had
shouldered his lance."
Immediately the Crayfish was sent for.
"Why did you shoulder your lance?"
said the king.
"Because, your Majesty," said the
Crayfish, "I saw the Otter coming down to the
river to kill my children."
"Oh," said King Solomon, "if that is
the case, the Otter killed the Otter's children.
And the Mouse-deer cannot be
held, by the law of the land!"
EARLY[1]
[1] From The singing Leaves, by Josephine Preston Peabody
(Houghton, Mifflin and Co.).
I like to lie and wait to see
My mother braid her hair.
It is as long as it can be,
And yet she doesn't care.
I love my mother's hair.
And then the way her fingers go;
They look so quick and white,--
In and out, and to and fro,
And braiding in the light,
And it is always right.
Pages:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125