FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220  
221   222   223   >>  
you can still," said he, "be home by sunset; and then all will be forgiven." "God knows," said Jack, "I fear your anger; but yet your anger does not prove that a man should wear a gyve on his right leg." And at that the appearance of his father gobbled like a turkey. "Ah, heaven," cried Jack, "the sorcerer again!" The blood ran backward in his body, and his joints rebelled against him for the love he bore his father; but he heaved up the sword, and plunged it in the heart of the appearance; and the appearance cried out aloud with the voice of his father; and fell to the ground; and a little bloodless white thing fled from the room. The cry rang in Jack's ears, and his soul was darkened; but now rage came to him. "I have done what I dare not think upon," said he. "I will go to an end with it, or perish. And when I get home, I pray God this may be a dream, and I may find my father dancing." So he went on after the bloodless thing that had escaped; and in the way he met the appearance of his mother, and she wept. "What have you done?" she cried. "What is this that you have done? O, come home (where you may be by bedtime) ere you do more ill to me and mine; for it is enough to smite my brother and your father." "Dear mother, it is not these that I have smitten," said Jack; "it was but the enchanter in their shape. And even if I had, it would not prove that a man should wear a gyve on his right leg." And at this the appearance gobbled like a turkey. He never knew how he did that; but he swung the sword on the one side, and clove the appearance through the midst; and it cried out aloud with the voice of his mother; and fell to the ground; and with the fall of it, the house was gone from over Jack's head, and he stood alone in the woods, and the gyve was loosened from his leg. "Well," said he, "the enchanter is now dead, and the fetter gone." But the cries rang in his soul, and the day was like night to him. "This has been a sore business," said he. "Let me get forth out of the wood, and see the good that I have done to others." He thought to leave the fetter where it lay, but when he turned to go, his mind was otherwise. So he stooped and put the gyve in his bosom; and the rough iron galled him as he went, and his bosom bled. Now when he was forth of the wood upon the highway, he met folk returning from the field; and those he met had no fetter on the right leg, but, behold! they had one upon the left
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220  
221   222   223   >>  



Top keywords:
appearance
 

father

 

fetter

 
mother
 
ground
 
bloodless

enchanter

 

turkey

 

gobbled

 

galled

 
business
 
thought

returning

 

loosened

 

stooped

 

highway

 

turned

 

behold


perish

 

heaved

 
rebelled
 

joints

 

plunged

 
backward

forgiven

 
sunset
 
sorcerer
 

heaven

 

darkened

 

bedtime


smitten

 

brother

 
escaped
 
dancing