the robbers said, 'The sun
is hot and the sack is heavy; let us leave it here and go in and rest.'
So they put the sack down by the roadside, and went into the church.

Now, on a hill near by there was a swineherd looking after a great herd
of pigs and whistling merrily.

When Master Joseph heard him he cried out as loud as he could, 'I won't;
I won't, I say.'

'What won't you do?' asked the swineherd.

'Oh,' replied the shoemaker. 'They want me to marry the king's daughter,
and I won't do it.'

'How lucky you are!' sighed the swineherd. 'Now, if it were only me!'

'Oh, if that's all!' replied the cunning shoemaker, 'get you into this
sack, and let me out.'

Then the swineherd opened the sack and took the place of the shoemaker,
who went gaily off, driving the pigs before him.

When the robbers were rested they came out of the church, took up the
sack, and carried it to the sea, where they threw it in, and it sank
directly. As they came back they met the shoemaker, and stared at him
with open mouths.

'Oh, if you only knew how many pigs live in the sea,' he cried. 'And the
deeper you go the more there are. I have just brought up these, and mean
to return for some more.'

'There are still some left there?'

'Oh, more than I could count,' replied the shoemaker. 'I will show you
what you must do.' Then he led the robbers back to the shore. 'Now,'
said he, 'you must each of you tie a stone to your necks, so that you
may be sure to go deep enough, for I found the pigs that you saw very
deep down indeed.'

Then the robbers all tied stones round their necks, and jumped in, and
were drowned, and Master Joseph drove his pigs home, and was a rich man
to the end of his days.

The King Who Would Have a Beautiful Wife

Sicilianische Mahrchen.

Fifty years ago there lived a king who was very anxious to get married;
but, as he was quite determined that his wife should be as beautiful as
the sun, the thing was not so easy as it seemed, for no maiden came up
to his standard. Then he commanded a trusty servant to search through
the length and breadth of the land till he found a girl fair enough to
be queen, and if he had the good luck to discover one he was to bring
her back with him.

The servant set out at once on his journey, and sought high and low-in
castles and cottages; but though pretty maidens were plentiful as
blackberries, he felt sure that none of them would please the king.

One day he had wan