The Snow Maiden (Russian Legend, Translated from the French)
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THE PEARL STORY BOOK Books by Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner e Emerald Story Book e Turquoise Story Book e Topaz Story Book e Pearl Story Book THE PEARL STORY BOOK by Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner YESTERDAY’S CLASSICS ITHACA, NEW YORK Cover and arrangement © 2021 Yesterday’s Classics, LLC. is edition, rst published in 2021 by Yesterday’s Classics, an imprint of Yesterday’s Classics, LLC, is an unabridged republication of the text originally published by Dueld & Company in 1919. For the complete listing of the books that are published by Yesterday’s Classics, please visit www.yesterdaysclassics. com. Yesterday’s Classics is the publishing arm of Gateway to the Classics which presents the complete text of hundreds of classic books for children at www. gatewaytotheclassics.com. ISBN: 978-1-63334-125-8 Yesterday’s Classics, LLC PO Box 339 Ithaca, NY 14851 CONTENTS WINTER STORIES AND LEGENDS Winter (selection) . James Russell Lowell 2 e Ice King (Indian Legend) . Eleanor L. Skinner 3 A Song of the Snow (poem) . Madison Cawein 7 King Frost and King Winter (adapted) Margaret T. Canby 9 The Snowstorm (poem) . Ralph Waldo Emerson 14 The First Winter (Iroquois Legend) . W. W. Canfield 16 Snow Song (poem) . Frank Dempster Sherman 19 The Snow Maiden (Russian Legend, translated from the French) . Eleanor L. Skinner 20 The Frost King (poem) . Mary Mapes Dodge 24 King Winter’s Harvest . Selected 26 Old King Winter (poem) . Anna E. Skinner 29 Sheltering Wings . Harriet Louise Jerome 30 Snowflakes (selection) . Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 33 The Snow-Image . Nathaniel Hawthorne 34 WINTER WOODS e First Snow-Fall . James Russell Lowell 50 e Voice of the Pine Trees (Japanese Legend) Frank Hadland Davis 51 CONTENTS e Pine Tree Maiden (Indian Legend) . Ada M. Skinner 55 e Holly . Janet Harvey Kelman 59 e Fable of the ree Elms (poem) Margaret E. Sangster, Jr. 63 The Pine and the Willow . Mine Morishima 65 Why the Wild Rabbits Are White in Winter (Algonquin Legend) . Eleanor L. Skinner 68 The Yew . Janet Harvey Kelman 73 How the Pine Tree Did Some Good . Samuel W. Duffield 74 A Wonderful Weaver (poem) . George Cooper 81 The Pine and the Flax . Albrekt Segerstedt 82 The Fir Tree (poem) . Edith M. Thomas 84 Why Bruin Has a Stumpy Tail (Norwegian Legend) Eleanor L. Skinner 85 Pines and Firs . Mrs. Dyson 89 Who Loves the Trees Best? (poem) . Selected 99 CHRISTMAS EVERYWHERE A Christmas Song . Phillips Brooks 102 e Shepherd Maiden’s Gi (Eastern Legend) Eleanor L. Skinner 103 Christmas Gis . Laura E. Richards 107 Silver Bells (poem) . Hamish Hendry 111 The Animals’ Christmas Tree . John P. Peters 112 A Christmas Carol . Christina Rossetti 123 Holly. Ada M. Marzials 124 The Willow Man (poem) . Juliana Horatia Ewing 132 The Ivy Green (selection). Charles Dickens 134 CONTENTS Legend of Saint Nicholas . Amy Steedman 135 Christmas Bells (selection) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 148 A Night with Santa Claus . Anna R. Annan 149 A Child’s Thoughts about Santa Claus (poem) Sydney Dayre 156 Charity in a Cottage. Jean Ingelow 158 The Waits (poem) . Margaret Deland 167 Where Love Is There God Is Also (adapted) Leo Tolstoi 169 God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen . Dinah Mulock Craik 176 THE GLAD NEW YEAR e Glad New Year . Mary Mapes Dodge 178 e Bad Little Goblin’s New Year . Mary Stewart 179 Selection . Robert Herrick 186 e Queen of the Year (poem) . Edna Dean Proctor 187 The New Year’s Bell. Andrea Hofer Proudfoot 188 The New Year . Selected 192 The Child and the Year (poem) . Celia Thaxter 193 A Masque of the Days . Charles Lamb 194 Ring Out, Wild Bells (poem) . Alfred Tennyson 197 MIDWINTER e Bells (selection) . Edgar Allan Poe 200 A January aw . Dallas Lore Sharp 201 e Snow Man . Hans Christian Andersen 209 CONTENTS e Happy Prince . Oscar Wilde 215 The Legend of King Wenceslaus (adapted) John Mason Neale 228 Midwinter (poem) . John Townsend Trowbridge 233 WHEN WINTER AND SPRING MET Old Winter (poem) . omas Noel 236 e Snowball at Didn’t Melt . Jay T. Stocking 237 Gau-wi-di-ne and Go-Hay (Iroquois Legend retold) Eleanor L. Skinner 248 Naming the Winds (Indian Legend retold) Ada M. Skinner 254 North Wind’s Frolic (translated) . Montgomery Maze 257 The Months: A Pageant (adapted) . Christina Rossetti 259 Prince Winter . Carl Ewald 275 How Spring and Winter Met (poem) . Edith M. Thomas 282 INTRODUCTION “O upon a time,” in the winter season suggests happy, young faces grouped about a blazing re. A heavy snowstorm promises plenty of sport for tomorrow, but at present the cosiness indoors is very attractive, especially now that the evening story hour is at hand. And while the story-teller is slowly choosing his subjects he hears the children’s impatient whispers of “e Snow Man,” “Prince Winter,” “e Legend of Holly,” “e Animals’ Christmas Tree.” Silence! e story-teller turns his eyes from the glowing re to the faces of his eager audience. He is ready to begin. Each season of the year opens a treasury of suggestion for stories. In the beauty and wonder of nature are excellent themes for tales which quicken children’s interest in the promise of joyous springtime, in the rich pageantry of ripening summer, in the blessings of generous autumn, and in the merry cheer of grim old winter. e Pearl Story Book is the fourth volume in a series of nature books each of which emphasizes the interest and beauty characteristic of a particular season. e central theme of this volume is winter, “snow-wrapped and holly-decked.” WINTER STORIES AND LEGENDS WINTER Down swept the chill wind from the mountain peak, From the snow ve thousand summers old; On open wold and hill-top bleak It had gathered all the cold, And whirled it like sleet on the wanderer’s cheek. It carried a shiver everywhere From the unleafed boughs and pastures bare; e little brook heard it and built a roof ’Neath which he could house him winter-proof; All night by the white stars’ frosty gleams He groined his arches and matched his beams; Slender and clear were his crystal spars As the lashes of light that trim the stars: He sculptured every summer delight In his halls and chambers out of sight. — James Russell Lowell 2 THE ICE KING O upon a time there was an Indian village built on the bank of a wide river. During the spring, summer, and autumn the people were very happy. ere was plenty of fuel and game in the deep woods; the river aorded excellent sh. But the Indians dreaded the months when the Ice King reigned. One winter the weather was terribly cold and the people suered severely. e Ice King called forth the keen wind from the northern sky, and piled the snowdris so high in the forests that it was most dicult to supply the wigwams with game. He covered the river with ice so thick that the Indians feared it would never melt. “When will the Ice King leave us?” they asked each other. “We shall all perish if he continues his cruel reign.” At last signs of spring encouraged the stricken people. e great snowdris in the forests disappeared and the ice on the river broke into large pieces. All of these oated downstream except one huge cake which lodged on the bank very near the village. And when the Indians saw that the spring sunshine did not melt this great mass of ice they were puzzled and anxious. “It is the roof of the Ice King’s lodge,” they said. “We shall never enjoy warm weather while he dwells near us. Have we no brave who is willing to do battle with this winter tyrant?” 3 THE PEARL STORY BOOK At last, a courageous young hunter armed himself with a huge club and went forth to see if he could shatter the glittering frozen mass and rid the village of the giant who dwelt beneath it. With all his strength he struck the ice roof blow upon blow, crying out, “Begone, O cruel Ice King! Your time is past! Begone!” Finally, there was a deafening noise like the crashing of forest trees when the lightning strikes, and the huge ice cake split into several pieces. “Begone!” cried the young brave, as he struggled with each great lump of ice until he pushed it from the bank and tumbled it into the river below. And when the mighty task was nished the white gure of the Ice King stood before the Indian brave. “You have ruined my lodge,” said the giant. “e winter season is past,” answered the brave. “Begone!” “Aer several moons I shall return to stay,” threatened the Ice King. en he stalked away toward the North. e people were very happy when they knew that the young brave had conquered the giant; but their joy was somewhat dampened when they heard about the threatened return of the Ice King. “I shall prepare for his return and do battle with him again,” declared the Indian conqueror. is promise comforted the people somewhat, but still they thought of the coming winter with dread. During the autumn the hunter built near the river 4 THE ICE KING a strong wigwam and stored therein abundant fuel and dried game. He lled many bags made of skin, with oil, which he procured from the animals he killed. Also, he was well supplied with fur rugs, blankets, and warm clothes. At last the winter season came. e cold north wind blew unceasingly, the snow piled high around the wigwams; ice several feet thick covered the river.