" cried the waggoner.

"Not ruined enough yet!" said the sparrow, and perching on the third
horse began pecking at his eyes. The waggoner struck out in his anger at
the sparrow without taking aim, and missing him, he laid his third horse
dead.

"Oh! I am a ruined man!" he cried.

"Not ruined enough yet!" answered the sparrow, flying off; "I will see
to that at home."

So the waggoner had to leave his waggon standing, and went home full of
rage.

"Oh!" said he to his wife, "what ill-luck I have had! the wine is spilt,
and the horses are all three dead."

"O husband!" answered she, "such a terrible bird has come to this house;
he has brought with him all the birds of the air, and there they are in
the midst of our wheat devouring it." And he looked and there were
thousands upon thousands of birds sitting on the ground, having eaten up
all the wheat, and the sparrow in the midst, and the waggoner cried,

"Oh! I am a ruined man!"

"Not ruined enough yet!" answered the sparrow; "Waggoner, it shall cost
thee thy life!" and he flew away.

Now the waggoner, having lost everything he possessed, went in-doors and
sat down angry and miserable behind the stove. The sparrow was perched
outside on the window-sill, and cried, "Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy
life!" Then the waggoner seized his axe and threw it at the sparrow, but
it broke the window sash in two and did not touch the sparrow, who now
hopped inside, perched on the stove, and cried.

"Waggoner it shall cost thee thy life!" and he, mad and blind with rage,
beat in the stove, and as the sparrow flew from one spot to another,
hacked everything in pieces, furniture, looking-glasses, benches, table,
and the very walls of his house, and yet did not touch the sparrow.

At last he caught and held him in his hand.

"Now," said his wife, "shall I not kill him?"

"No!" cried he, "that were too easy a death; I will swallow him," and as
the bird was fluttering in the man's mouth, it stretched out its head,
saying,

"Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life!"

Then the waggoner reached the axe to his wife saying,

"Wife, strike me this bird dead."

The wife struck, but missed her aim, and the blow fell on the waggoner's
head, and he dropped down dead.

But the sparrow flew over the hills and away.

FRED and KATE

THERE were once a young husband and wife, and their names were Fred and
Kate. One day said Fred,

"I must go now to my work in the fields, K