saw that he was wavering, and suffering herself to sway gently backwards
and forwards on the surface of the river, she began to sing. The song
floated through the trees, now far and now near; no one could tell
whence it came, the whole air seemed full of it. Alonzo felt his senses
going and his will failing. His arms dropped heavily to his side, but in
falling struck against the sea shell, which, as he had promised Julia,
he had always carried in his coat.

His dimmed mind was just clear enough to remember what she had said, and
with trembling fingers, that were almost powerless to grasp, he drew it
out. As he did so the song grew sweeter and more tender than before,
but he shut his ears to it and bent his head over the shell. Out of its
depths arose the voice of Julia singing to him as she had sung when she
gave him the shell, and though the notes sounded faint at first, they
swelled louder and louder till the mist which had gathered about him was
blown away.

Then he raised his head, feeling that he had been through strange
places, where he could never wander any more; and he held himself erect
and strong, and looked about him. Nothing was to be seen but the shining
of the river, and the dark shadows of the trees; nothing was to be heard
but the hum of the insects, as they darted through the night.

[Adapted from Folklore Bresilien.]

The Cunning Hare

In a very cold country, far across the seas, where ice and snow cover
the ground for many months in the year, there lived a little hare,
who, as his father and mother were both dead, was brought up by his
grandmother. As he was too young, and she was too old, to work, they
were very poor, and often did not have enough to eat.

One day, when the little fellow was hungrier than usual, he asked his
grandmother if he might go down to the river and catch a fish for their
breakfast, as the thaw had come and the water was flowing freely again.
She laughed at him for thinking that any fish would let itself be caught
by a hare, especially such a young one; but as she had the rheumatism
very badly, and could get no food herself, she let him go. 'If he does
not catch a fish he may find something else,' she said to herself. So
she told her grandson where to look for the net, and how he was to set
it across the river; but just as he was starting, feeling himself quite
a man, she called him back.

'After all, I don't know what is the use of your going, my boy! For e