went to the fair, and bought a fine large butter-churn, and was trotting away with it on his back when he saw the wolf coming.

He did not know what to do, so he crept into the churn to hide, and by so doing started it rolling.

Down the hill it went, rolling over and over, with the little pig squeaking inside.

The wolf could not think what the strange thing rolling down the hill could be; so he turned tail and ran away home in a fright without ever going to the fair at all. He went to the little pig's house to tell him how frightened he had been by a large round thing which came rolling past him down the hill.

"Ha! ha!" laughed the little pig; "so I frightened you, eh? I had been to the fair and bought a butterchurn; when I saw you I got inside it and rolled down the hill."

This made the wolf so angry that he would eat up the little pig, and that nothing should save him, for he would jump down the chimney.

But the clever little pig hung a pot full of water over the hearth and then made a blazing fire, and just as the wolf was coming down the chimney he took off the cover and in fell the wolf. In a second the little pig had popped the lid on again.

Then he boiled the wolf, and ate him for supper, and after that he lived quietly and comfortably all his days, and was never troubled by a wolf again.

THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN LITTLE

THERE

GOATS

HERE was once an old goat who had seven little ones, whom she loved just as dearly as your mother loves you. One day, finding that there was no food in the larder, she called her children together and said

My dears, I am obliged to go to the wood to fetch some food for you; so promise me that on no account whatever will you allow the wolf to enter. If you do, he will gobble you all up, and what will your poor mother do then? You must be very careful, for he is a sly fellow and might easily deceive you. Still, you cannot fail to recognize him by his rough voice and black feet."

The little goats promised their mother that they would be very careful; so she kissed them all, bade them good-by, and set out out upon her way. Before long there came a tap, tap, tapping at the cottage door, and a rough voice cried: "Open the door, my pets, it is only mother, and I have brought you each a fine, fresh young cabbage from the market."

But the little goats answered: "No, no, that is not our mother's voice; her tones are low and sweet. We will not let you in; go away, wicked wolf!"

Then the wolf went to a shop and bought a lump of

chalk, which he swallowed, so that his voice might sound less harsh and grating; after that he returned to the cottage and knocked at the door once more.

"Open the door, children," he cried; "mother has brought you each a present." His words were soft and low, but, as he spoke, he laid his black paw upon the window-sill, and the little goats saw it, and cried: "You are not our mother; she has pretty white feet. We will not open the door, Mr. Wolf."

Then the wolf ran to the baker. "I have wounded my foot," said he; "pray bind it up for me with a piece of dough."

When the baker had done this, the wolf ran to the miller. "Powder my paw with flour," he said; but the miller hesitated, for he was afraid that the wolf meant mischief to some one. However, the wicked fellow threatened to eat him up if he still refused, so the miller powdered his foot quite white, and the rascal made his way back to the cottage door.

A third time he called to the little ones: "Open the door: it is I, your mother, and I have brought you something nice from the wood."

"First show your paw," answered the little goats, "so that we may know if you are really our own dear mother."

He laid his paw upon the window-sill, and when they saw that it was white, they thought it must be the old goat, so they opened the door, and in came the wolf. Oh! how frightened they were!

One jumped under the table, another into the bed, a third into the oven, a fourth hid in the kitchen, a fifth in the cupboard, a sixth in the washing-tub, and the youngest in the case of the old grandfather's clock.

But the wolf found them all except the youngest, and made short work of them. One after another he swallowed them, and then, having had a hearty meal, he went out into the green meadow, laid himself down beneath a tree, and fell fast asleep.

Soon afterward the old goat came home from the wood.

What a terrible sight she saw! The house door stood wide open, the chairs and tables lay upside down, the wash-tub was in pieces, and the pillows and sheets were torn from the bed and scattered about the floor. In vain she sought for her dear little ones. Alas! they were nowhere to be found.

One after another she called them by name, but no one answered her, until she came to the youngest. Then a little voice cried :

"Dear mother, I am hidden in the clock-case."

The mother opened the door and out jumped the little goat. With sobs and cries she told the sad story of how the wolf had eaten her brothers and sisters, and the poor old goat shed bitter tears for the loss of her pretty darlings.

Sorrowfully she wandered from the house, weeping and wringing her paws as she went, and the little goat ran beside her.

When they came to the meadow they saw the wolf lying beneath the tree, snoring so that the branches shook. They gazed at him from every side, and saw with amazement that something was bobbing up and down inside him. "Ah, me!" said the mother, " can it be possible that my children are still alive after having furnished a supper for that monster?"

She sent the little goat home to fetch scissors, needle, and thread, and then began to cut open the wolf's stomach. No sooner had she made a tiny little slit than a little goat poked out his head, and presently the whole six were hopping about on the soft green grass, and not a bit the worse for their adventure.

How the mother kissed and hugged her darlings! She was quite beside herself with joy.

"Now, my pets," she cried, " make haste and fetch me some stones from the riverside. While the wolf sleeps I will fill his stomach with them, so that he may not miss you when he awakes."

The little goats dragged the heaviest stones they could lift and placed them inside the wolf, and the mother goat stitched him up as fast as she could, and he never winked an eye until she had finished.

When at length he roused himself and stood up on his legs, the stones lay heavy on his chest and made him thirsty, so he went to the brook to drink. As he moved, the stones began to jingle, and the wolf cried out:

"This rumbling and grumbling shakes my very bones;

I do believe instead of goats I've swallowed only stones."