At length he exclaimed, “My dear little chicks, I might carry one, but I can’t carry six! Yet courage! Your parson’s good care will provide That each of you home on his own horse shall ride!”
He drew out his jackknife so broad and so bright, And fell to work slashing with main and with might; Till ready there, one, two, three, four, five and six, Lay smooth and well polished, some excellent sticks.
“Now mount your good horses, my children!” he cried. “Now mount your good horses and merrily ride! A pace, and a trot, and a gallop, away! And we shall be there ere the close of the day!”
The children forgot they were “_dreadfully_ tired!” They seized on the hobbies, with ardour inspired. “Gee, Dobbin! whoa, Dobbin! come up, Dobbin, do! Oh! Parson, dear Parson, won’t you gallop, too?”
Away went the children, in frolicsome glee: Away went the parson, as pleased as could be. And when they arrived at the village, they cried, “Oh, dear! and oh, dear! what a _very_ short ride!”
SHALL I tell you what happened to Elsie one day? She was sitting on the beach in her green cart, which had lost both wheels, so that it was not of much use as a cart, though very nice to sit in. And presently, a purple fish, with a yellow tail, came and looked at her. And he said,—
“Little maiden fair to see, Will you take a trip with me?”
“Yes, I will, without a doubt, If you will not tip me out.”
Then the purple fish took the string of the cart in his mouth and swam away. The cart bobbed up and down on the waves, and behaved quite like a boat, and Elsie clapped her hands, and laughed and sang. The fish swam on and on, till at length he came to a little island, all covered with purple hyacinths and yellow violets. Here he stopped and bade Elsie get out, saying,—
“Now, if you will marry me, Here we’ll live and happy be.”
But Elsie did not like this at all, though the island was very beautiful. She shook her head resolutely, and replied,—
“If you please, I do not wish For to marry any fish!”
Then the purple fish was angry, and his yellow tail quivered with vexation. He said, sternly,—
“If you will not be my wife, You shall stay here all your life!”
And off he swam, taking the green cart with him. Poor Elsie was very unhappy, for she could not bear to think of spending her whole life on the island, and yet she did not want to marry a fish, even if her Mamma were willing, which she was quite sure she would not be. But, as she was sitting there, making a wreath of the yellow violets, two sea-gulls came flying by. They stopped when they saw Elsie, and one of them said,—