other that
the poor beasts can hardly stand up.'

'Wife, I have told you a dozen times already that I am not going to get
up. Why can't you leave me in peace?'

As she found she could get no help from her husband the woman took a
large knife and cut the cords which bound the sacks on to the animals'
backs. They fell at once to the ground, and out poured a rain of gold
pieces, till the little court-yard shone like the sun.

'A treasure!' gasped the woman, as soon as she could speak from
surprise. 'A treasure!' And she ran off to tell her husband.

'Get up! get up!' she cried. 'You were quite right not to go to the
forest, and to await Fortune in your bed; she has come at last! Our
mules have returned home laden with all the gold in the world, and it is
now lying in the court. No one in the whole country can be as rich as we
are!'

In an instant the wood-cutter was on his feet, and running to the court,
where he paused dazzled by the glitter of the coins which lay around
him.

'You see, my dear wife, that I was right,' he said at last. 'Fortune
is so capricious, you can never count on her. Run after her, and she is
sure to fly from you; stay still, and she is sure to come.'

[Traditions Populaires de l'Asie Mineure.]

The Enchanted Head

Once upon a time an old woman lived in a small cottage near the sea with
her two daughters. They were very poor, and the girls seldom left the
house, as they worked all day long making veils for the ladies to wear
over their faces, and every morning, when the veils were finished, the
other took them over the bridge and sold them in the city. Then she
bought the food that they needed for the day, and returned home to do
her share of veil-making.

One morning the old woman rose even earlier than usual, and set off
for the city with her wares. She was just crossing the bridge when,
suddenly, she knocked up against a human head, which she had never
seen there before. The woman started back in horror; but what was her
surprise when the head spoke, exactly as if it had a body joined on to
it.

'Take me with you, good mother!' it said imploringly; 'take me with you
back to your house.'

At the sound of these words the poor woman nearly went mad with terror.
Have that horrible thing always at home? Never! never! And she turned
and ran back as fast as she could, not knowing that the head was
jumping, dancing, and rolling after her. But when she reached her own
door it bo