The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story-teller, by Maud Lindsay

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Title: The Story-teller

Author: Maud Lindsay

Illustrator: Florence Liley Young

Release Date: December 4, 2007 [EBook #23735]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Transcriber's Note: Lines 1712-1716 do not appear to be properly
formatted but are a facsimile of the printed page.]

[Illustration: EACH SAW THAT THE OTHER WAS HIS BROTHER.]

THE STORY-TELLER

by MAUD LINDSAY

ILLUSTRATED BY FLORENCE LILEY YOUNG

BOSTON

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.

Published, August, 1915

Copyright, 1915,

BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.

* * * * *

_To my cousin

Judith Winston Sherrod

in whose joyous company I journeyed

through the wonderland of youth_

* * * * *

INTRODUCTION

It was a glad day in the olden time when the Story-Teller came to
cottage or hall. At Christmas, or New Year; when the May-pole stood on
the village green; or the chestnuts were roasting in the coals on
All-hallows eve; come when he would, he was always welcome; and if,
when he was least expected, he knocked at the door, what joy there
was!

Many were the miles that the Story-Teller had traveled, and many were
the places where he had been; and many were the tales he had to tell
of what he had seen and what he had heard in the wide world.

Sometimes his voice was deep and sweet as the organ in church on
Sunday; and sometimes it rang out clear as a bugle; and sometimes as
the tale went on he would take the harp which was ever by his side,
and touching it with skilful fingers, would weave a gay little song or
a tender strain of music into his story, like a jeweled thread in a
golden web.

All the