ed him
Before he'd time to blink;
"Oh," he cried, "I'm sorry,
But I didn't think."

PHOEBE CARY

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

TOM THUMB--I

thumb people suit reins fought
frightened brought thistledown

In the days of King Arthur, there lived a wise man named Merlin.

He knew all the fairies and where they lived.

Even the fairy queen was a friend of his.

Once, while he was traveling, night overtook him in a deep forest.

He rapped at the door of a small cottage and asked for some food.

Merlin looked so hungry and poor that the farmer and his wife took pity
on him.

They not only gave him a bowl of milk with some brown bread, but they
said he might stay through the night.

Merlin saw that, in spite of their pleasant cottage, both the farmer and
his wife were very sad.

"Why are you sad?" asked Merlin.

"You seem to have a good farm, a pleasant cottage, and many things to
make you happy."

"Ah!" said the woman, "we are unhappy because we have no child.

I should be the happiest woman in the world if I had a son.

Why, even if he were no bigger than my husband's thumb, we should love
him dearly."

"That would be indeed a very strange kind of child," said Merlin, "but
I hope you may have your wish."

Now Merlin was on his way to call on the queen of the fairies.

When he came to her castle the next day, he told the fairy queen the
wish of the farmer's wife.

The queen of the fairies said, "The good woman shall have her wish. I
will give her a son no larger than her husband's thumb."

TOM THUMB--II

Soon after this the good farmer's wife had a son. He was, indeed, just
the size of his father's thumb.

People came from far and wide to see the tiny boy.

One day the fairy queen and some other fairies came to see him.

The queen kissed the little boy and named him Tom Thumb.

[Illustration]

Each of the other fairies made Tom a gift.

He had a shirt made of silk from a spider's web, a coat of thistledown,
a hat made from the leaf of an oak, tiny shoes made from a mouse's skin,
and many other gifts besides.

Tom never grew any larger than a man's thumb, but he could do many
clever tricks.

One day his mother was mixing a pudding.

Tom leaned over the edge of the bowl to see how it was made.

He slipped, and in he went, head first.

His mother did not see him fall, and kept stirring and stirring the
pudding.

Tom could not see nor hear,