at each other.

The next bridge was the loveliest of them all for it was built of white
gleaming silver.

The rich man climbed down from his wagon and examined it closely.

"It would be worth a man's while to carry home a piece of this bridge!"
he muttered to himself.

He tried the rivets, he shook the railing. At last he found four loose
bolts which he was able to pull out. The four together were so heavy
that he was scarcely able to lift them. He looked cautiously about and
when he saw that no one was looking, he slipped them one by one into the
bottom of his wagon and covered them with straw. Then he turned his
horse's head and drove home as fast as he could. It was midnight when he
got there and nobody about to spy on him as he hid the silver bolts in
the hay.

The next day when he went out alone to gloat over his treasure he found
instead of four heavy silver bolts four pieces of wood!

So that's what the rich brother got for following the silver tracks.

A day or two later without saying a word to any one, the second brother
decided that he would follow the silver tracks and have a look at the
strange Beggar whose cart had silver bolts and whose wheezy horse had
golden shoes.

"Perhaps if I keep my wits about me I'll be able to pick up a few golden
horse-shoes. Not many boys inherit golden horse-shoes from their
fathers!"

[Illustration: _The Beggar's Garden_]

Well, the second brother went over exactly the same route and saw
exactly the same things. He crossed all those wonderful bridges that his
brother had crossed--the wooden bridge, the stone bridge, the iron
bridge, the copper bridge, the silver bridge, and he saw all those
angry animals still trying to gore each other to death.

He didn't stop at the silver bridge for he thought to himself:

"Perhaps the next bridge will be golden and if it is I may be able to
break off a piece of it!"

Beyond the silver bridge was another broad valley and the second brother
saw many strange sights as he drove through. There was a man standing
alone in a field and trying to beat off a flock of ravens that were
swooping down and pecking at his eyes. Near him was an old man with
snow-white hair who was making loud outcries to heaven praying to be
delivered from the two oxen who were munching at his white hair as
though it were so much hay. They ate great wisps of it and the more they
ate the more grew out.

There was an apple-tree heavily laden with ripe fru