hed up a wooden pail to bring them some water to drink.
When I got to the well everything was frozen hard, so in order to draw
some water I had to take off my head and break the ice with it. As I
drew near them, carrying the water, the reapers all cried out, "Why,
what has become of your head?" I put up my hand and discovered that I
really had no head, and that I must have left it in the well. I ran back
to look for it, but found that meanwhile a fox which was passing by had
pulled my head out of the water, and was tearing at my brains. I stole
cautiously up to him, and gave him such a kick that he uttered a loud
scream, and let fall a parchment on which was written, "The cake is
mine, and the beardless one goes empty-handed."'

With these words the boy rose, took the cake, and went home, while the
beardless one remained behind to swallow his disappointment.

(Volksmarchen der Serben.)

THE STORY OF THREE WONDERFUL BEGGARS

There once lived a merchant whose name was Mark, and whom people called
'Mark the Rich.' He was a very hard-hearted man, for he could not bear
poor people, and if he caught sight of a beggar anywhere near his house,
he would order the servants to drive him away, or would set the dogs at
him.

One day three very poor old men came begging to the door, and just as
he was going to let the fierce dogs loose on them, his little daughter,
Anastasia, crept close up to him and said:

'Dear daddy, let the poor old men sleep here to-night, do--to please
me.'

Her father could not bear to refuse her, and the three beggars were
allowed to sleep in a loft, and at night, when everyone in the house was
fast asleep, little Anastasia got up, climbed up to the loft, and peeped
in.

The three old men stood in the middle of the loft, leaning on their
sticks, with their long grey beards flowing down over their hands, and
were talking together in low voices.

'What news is there?' asked the eldest.

'In the next village the peasant Ivan has just had his seventh son. What
shall we name him, and what fortune shall we give him?' said the second.

The third whispered, 'Call him Vassili, and give him all the property of
the hard-hearted man in whose loft we stand, and who wanted to drive us
from his door.'

After a little more talk the three made themselves ready and crept
softly away.

Anastasia, who had heard every word, ran straight to her father, and
told him all.

Mark was very much surprised; he t