THE OLD FELLOW."]

There were thousands of ways in which the gnomes could benefit the
country-folks, especially those who had little farms or gardens.
Sometimes Old Riddler, who was a person of great influence in his
tribe, would take a company of gnomes, under the garden of some one to
whom he wished to do a favor, and they would put their little hands up
through the earth and pull down all the weeds, root-foremost, so that
when the owner went out in the morning, he would find his garden as
clear of weeds as the bottom of a dinner-plate.

Of course, any one who has habits of this kind must eventually become a
general favorite, and this was the case with Old Riddler.

One day, he made up a splendid riddle, and, after he had told it to all
the gnomes, he hurried up to propound it to some human person.

He was in such haste that he actually forgot his hat, although it was
late in the fall, and he wore his cloak. He had not gone far through
the fields before he met a young goose-girl, named Lois. She was a poor
girl, and was barefooted; and as Old Riddler saw her in her scanty
dress, standing on the cold ground, watching her geese, he thought to
himself: "Now I do hope that girl has wit enough to understand my
riddle, for I feel that I would like to get interested in her."

So, approaching Lois, he made a bow and politely asked her: "Can you
tell me, my good little girl, why a ship full of sailors, at the bottom
of the sea, is like the price of beef?"

The goose-girl began to scratch her head, through the old handkerchief
she wore instead of a bonnet, and tried to think of the answer.

"Because it's 'low,'" said she, after a minute or two.

"Oh no!" said the gnome. "That's not it. You can give it up, you know,
if you can't think of the answer."

"I know!" said Lois. "Because it's sunk."

"Not at all," said Old Riddler, a little impatiently. "Now come, my
good girl, you'd much better give it up. You will just hack at the
answer until you make it good for nothing."

"Well, what is it?" said Lois.

"I will tell you," said the gnome. "Now, pay attention to the answer:
Because it has gone down. Don't you see?" asked the old fellow, with a
gracious smile.

"Yes, I see," said the goose-girl, scratching her head again; "but my
answer was nearly as good as yours."

"Oh, dear me!" said Old Riddler, "that wont do. It's of no use at all
to give an answer that is nearly good enough. It must be exactly right,
or it's wo