a parable, a word with a soul. Jasper loved
them, for the tales of a people are the heart of a people, and express
the progress of culture and opinion.

One day, as Jasper was cobbling at Aunt Olive's, he sought to teach her
a lesson of contentment by a German household story. Johnnie Kongapod
had come in, and the woman was complaining of her hard and restricted
life.

"Aunt Indiana," said Jasper, "do you have fairies here?"

"Never have seen any. We don't spin air here in America."

"We have fairies in Germany. All the children there pass through
fairy-land. There once came a fairy to an old couple who were
complaining, like you."

"Like me? I'm the contentedest woman in these parts. 'Tis no harm to
wish for what you haven't got."

"There came a fairy to them, and said:

"'You may have three wishes. Wish.'

"The old couple thought:

"'We must be very wise,' said the woman, 'and not make any mistake,
since we can only wish three times. I wish I had a pudding.'

"Immediately there came a pudding upon the table. The poor woman was
greatly surprised.

"'There, you see what you have done by your foolish wishing!' said the
man.

"'One of our opportunities has gone,' said the woman. 'We have but two
chances left. We must be _wiser_.'

"They sat and looked into the fire. The fairy had disappeared from the
hearth, and there were only embers and ashes there.

"The man grew angry that his wife had lost one of their opportunities.

"'Nothin' but a pudding!' said he. 'I wish that that miserable pudding
were hung to your nose!'

"The pudding leaped from the table and hung at the end of the old
woman's nose.

"'There!' said she, 'now you see what you have done by your foolish
wishing.'

"The old man sighed. 'We have but one wish left. We must now be the
wisest people in all the world.'

"They watched the dying embers, and thought. As they did so, the pudding
grew heavy at the end of the old woman's nose. At last she could endure
it no longer.

"'Oh!' she said, 'how I wish that pudding was off again!'

"The pudding disappeared, and the fairy was gone."

"'Tain't true," said Aunt Indiana.

"Yes," said Jasper, "what is true to life is true. Stories are the
alphabet of life."

Johnnie Kongapod had listened to the tale with delight. Aunt Indiana
knew that no fairy would ever appear on her hearth, but Johnnie was not
so sure.

"I've seen 'em," said he.

"You--what? What have you seen? I'd like to know,"