"Ah!" sighed the widow. "But has he nine beautiful tails, like my poor old husband had?"

"No," answered the cat; "he has only one."
"Then I won't have him!" replied the widow.

The young cat went down and gave the message to the suitor, and sent him away. But soon after there came another knock at the door, and when the cat opened it there stood a fox who wished to court Widow Fox. He had two tails, but had no better success than the first.

And so they kept coming, one after the other, each with one tail more, till at last a fox made his appearance who had nine tails, like the widow's dead husband. The cat ran upstairs to tell the widow, who asked, "Has the gentleman white stockings and a pointed nose?"

"No," answered the cat.

"Ah, then he won't do for me," she said.

By and by came a wolf, a dog, a stag, a bear, and even a lion; but she would have nothing to do with any of them. By this time the old fox began to think that he had made a mistake about his wife; and, indeed, he was getting so hungry that he could hardly lie still and sham being dead any longer. He opened his eyes, and was just going to spring up and say, "Dear old wife, I'm not dead at all!" when in came the cat.

"Oh, Madam Fox!" she exclaimed, "there's a young gentleman fox down-stairs, and he's so handsome! He has nine tails, a scarlet tongue, white stockings, and a pointed nose, and he wants to become a suitor."

"That is just the husband for me, pussy," said Widow Fox; "and we'll have such a splendid wedding! But first, open all the doors and windows, and throw the old fox out and bury him."

At these words the old fox could stand it no longer. Up he started from his place under the bench, gave the whole party a good thrashing, turned the young cat and all the other servants and suitors out of the house, and Widow Fox after them. So he had the place all to himself, and made a firm resolve never to die again, if he could help it.

-"Household Tales."

Friedrich Rückert

Artist and Public

THE dumb man asked the blind man:
"Canst do a favor, pray?
Could I the harper find, man?
Hast seen him pass to-day?
I take, myself, small pleasure
In harp-tones-almost none-
Yet much I'd like a measure
Played for my deaf young son."

The blind man quick made answer:
"I saw him pass my gate;
I'll send my lame young man, sir,
To overtake him straight."
At one look from his master,
Away the cripple ran,
And faster, ever faster,

He chased the harper-man.

The harper came, elated,

And straight to work he went;

His arms were amputated;

His toes to work he bent.

All hearts his playing captured;

The deaf man was all ear;

The blind man gazed, enraptured;

The dumb man shouted, "Hear!" The lame boy fell to dancing, And leaped with all his might; The scene was so entrancing, They stayed till late at night. And when the concert ended,

The public, justly proud, The artist's powers commended, Who, deeply grateful, bowed.

August Kopisch

The Great Crab of Lake Mohrin

In the town of Mohrin they never sleep,
But day and night in the lake they peep;
May no good Christian e'er live to see
The day when the monstrous crab gets free!

He's fastened in the lake there
With fetters down below,
Else would he work the country
A dreadful, dreadful wo!

The creature's miles in length, they say,
And oft turns over, and wo's the day
When once he gets loose-yes, once on land,
No power that can his march withstand!
For, as advancing backward

'S the way with crabs, you know,
Why backward, willy-nilly,
All things with him must go.

Such going backward that will be!
The meat you put in your mouth-d'ye see?
Will not stay there, but straightway trot
Back to the plate, and then to the pot.

The bread will turn to wheat again,
The meal will turn to corn,
And everything will be just what
It was before 'twas born.