s.

The villagers soon found out that one patch of his would outwear two of
the brothers'. In short, all the mending left Scrub and Spare, and went
to the new cobbler. So the brothers were poor that winter, and when
Christmas came they had nothing to feast on but a barley loaf, a piece
of musty bacon, and some small beer of their own brewing. But they made
a great fire of logs, which crackled and blazed with red embers, and in
high glee the cobblers sat down to their beer and bacon. The door was
shut, for there was nothing but cold moonlight and snow outside; but the
hut, strewn with fir boughs, and ornamented with holly, looked cheerful
as the ruddy blaze flared up and rejoiced their hearts.

"Long life and good fortune to ourselves, brother!" said Spare. "I hope
you will drink that toast, and may we never have a worse fire on
Christmas--but what is that?"

Spare set down the drinking-horn, and the brothers listened astonished,
for out of the blazing root they heard "Cuckoo! cuckoo!" as plain as
ever the spring bird's voice came over the moor on a May morning.

"It is something bad," said Scrub, terribly frightened.

"May be not," said Spare.

And out of the deep hole at the side which the fire had not reached flew
a large gray cuckoo, and lit on the table before them. Much as the
cobblers had been surprised, they were still more so when the bird began
to speak.

"Good gentlemen," it said slowly, "can you tell me what season this is?"

"It's Christmas," answered Spare.

"Then a merry Christmas to you!" said the cuckoo. "I went to sleep in
the hollow of that old root one evening last summer, and never woke till
the heat of your fire made me think it was summer again; but now, since
you have burned my lodging, let me stay in your hut till the spring
comes round--I only want a hole to sleep in--and when I go on my travels
next summer be assured that I will bring you some present for your
trouble."

"Stay, and welcome," said Spare.

"I'll make you a good warm hole in the thatch. But you must be hungry
after that long sleep. Here is a slice of barley bread. Come, help us to
keep Christmas!"

The cuckoo ate up the slice, drank water from the brown jug--for he
would take no beer--and flew into a snug hole which Spare scooped for
him in the thatch of the hut. So the snow melted, the heavy rains came,
the cold grew less, the days lengthened, and one sunny morning the
brothers were awakened by the cuckoo shouting