The master went to the hut, and when he saw what a miracle heaven had worked, he exclaimed,

"My son, I see now that it must be so! Him whom God helps do all the saints help also. Come with me and take your own."

And herewith he gave him all that he had brought home with him in his ship, and his own daughter for a wife as well.

STORY OF LITTLE SIMPLETON.

(FROM THE RUSSIAN.)

ONCE there lived a peasant and his wife who had three daughters. The two elder girls were cunning and selfish ; the youngest was simple and open-hearted, and on that account came to be called, first by her sisters and afterwards by her father and mother, "Little Simpleton." Little Simpleton was pushed about, had to fetch everything that was wanted, and was always kept at work; but she was ever ready to do what she was told, and never uttered a word of complaint. She would water the garden, prepare pine splinters, milk the cows, and feed the ducks; she had to wait upon everybody,—in a word, she was the drudge of the family.

One day, as the peasant was going with the hay to market, he asked his daughters what they would like him to buy for them.

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"Buy me some kumach* for a sarafan,† father," answered the eldest daughter.

The

"And me some nankeen," said the second. youngest daughter alone did not ask for a present. The peasant was moved with compassion for the girl; although a simpleton she was still his daughter. Turning to her he asked, "Well, Little Simpleton, what shall I buy for you?"

Little Simpleton smiled and replied,—

"Buy me, dearest father, a little silver plate and a little apple."

"What do you want them for?" asked her sisters.

"I will make the little apple roll round the plate, and will say some words to it which an old woman taught me because I gave her a cake."

The peasant promised to buy his daughters what they asked of him, and then started for market. He sold his hay, and bought the presents: some nankeen for one of his daughters, for another some kumach, and for Little Simpleton a little silver plate and a little apple. Then he returned home and gave these things to his daughters. The girls were delighted; the two elder ones made themselves sarafans, and laughed at Little Simpleton,

Red wool stuff from Bucharest.

† A long dress worn by the Russian peasant women.

wondering what she would do with the silver plate and

the apple.

Little Simpleton did not eat the apple, but sat down in a corner and cried,—

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Roll, roll, little apple on the silver plate, and show me towns and fields, forests and seas, lofty mountains. and beautiful skies."

And the apple began to roll on the plate, and there appeared on it town after town; ships sailing on the seas, and people in the fields; mountains and beautiful skies; suns and stars. All these things looked so beautiful, and were so wonderful, that it would be impossible to tell of them in a story, or describe them with the pen.

At first the elder sisters looked at the little plate with delight; soon, however, their hearts were filled with envy, and they began to try to get it from their younger sister. But the girl would not part with it on any account. Then the wicked girls said,

"Dearest sister, let us go into the forest to gather blackberries.”

Little Simpleton got up, gave the plate and apple to her father, and went with them into the forest. They walked about and gathered blackberries. All at once

they saw a spade lying upon the ground.

The wicked

sisters killed Little Simpleton with it, and buried her under a birch-tree.

They returned home late, and told their father," The Simpleton is lost; she ran away from us in the forest; we searched, but could not find her anywhere. The wolves must have eaten her."

The peasant regretted the loss of his daughter bitterly; for although so simple she was still his child. The wicked sisters also shed tears. Her father put the little silver plate and the little apple into a box, and locked them up.

Next morning a shepherd was tending his sheep near the place, playing on his pipe, and searching in the forest for one of his flock that was missing. He observed the little grave under the birch-tree; it was covered by the most lovely flowers, and out of the middle of the grave there grew a reed. The shepherd cut off the reed, and made a pipe of it. As soon as the pipe was prepared, oh, wonderful! it began to play of itself, and say,

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Play, oh pipe, play! and comfort my poor parents and sisters. I was killed for the sake of my little silver plate and my little apple.”

When the people heard of this they ran out of their huts, and all came round the shepherd and began to ask him who was killed.

"Good people," answered the shepherd, "I don't know who it is. While searching for one of my sheep in the