band a brand new
table-cloth and said:

"Go now and see how my Dorla is getting on. Here is a table-cloth for
the ducats."

So the man took the table-cloth and went to the mountains. As he came
near the hut, he saw something in the window that looked like grinning
teeth. He said to himself:

"Dorla must be very happy to be smiling at me from this distance."

But when he reached the hut all he found of Dorla was a heap of bones
on the floor, the skin hanging on the nail behind the door, and the
skull grinning in the window.

Without a word he gathered the bones into the table-cloth and started
back.

As he neared home the old dog said:

"Bow-wow, mistress, here comes the master and it's rattle-rattle
before him and rattle-rattle behind him."

"Not so, old dog!" cried the woman. "It's chink-chink before him, and
chink-chink behind him!"

But the old dog kept on barking and saying:

"No, no, bow-wow, it's rattle-rattle before him and rattle-rattle
behind him!"

In a rage the woman took a stick and beat the dog.

Then the man stepped into the cottage and at once his wife brought out
a basket for the ducats. But when he shook out the table-cloth there
was only the rattle-rattle of bones.

THE BIRD WITH THE GOLDEN GIZZARD

THE STORY OF TWO BROTHERS

[Illustration: {Three wading birds}]

THE BIRD WITH THE GOLDEN GIZZARD

There was once a poor man who had a large family. He was so poor that
he had nothing to feed the children. For three days they had had no
food. On the third day as the father was out cutting osiers he saw,
sitting in a bush, a small bird that shone like gold.

"If I could snare that bird," he thought to himself, "and take it
home, the children would be amused and perhaps forget they were
hungry."

So he caught the bird and carried it home and, sure enough, the
children were so delighted that for two days they didn't cry for food.

On the third day the bird laid a golden egg. The oldest boy took the
egg to the goldsmith to sell it. The goldsmith examined it and said:

"I don't believe I have money enough to buy this egg."

"Just give me some bread," the boy said. "That will be enough."

The goldsmith gave him two loaves of bread, one under each arm, and
filled his pockets with golden ducats. So for once the whole family
had all it could eat and still there was money left over.

Two days later the bird laid another golden egg which the boy carried
to the goldsmith and sol