. The little Half-Chick
cried out,--

"Water, don't drown me! Stay down, don't come so high!"

But the Water said, "Little Half-Chick, little Half-Chick, when I was
in trouble you would not help me," and came higher than ever.

Now the Water grew warm, hot, hotter, frightfully hot; the little
Half-Chick cried out, "Do not burn so hot, Fire! You are burning me to
death! Stop!"

But the Fire said, "Little Half-Chick, little Half-Chick, when I was in
trouble you would not help me," and burned hotter than ever.

Just as the little Half-Chick thought he must suffocate, the Cook took
the cover off, to look at the dinner. "Dear me," she said, "this
chicken is no good; it is burned to a cinder." And she picked the
little Half-Chick up by one leg and threw him out of the window.

In the air he was caught by a breeze and taken up higher than the
trees. Round and round he was twirled till he was so dizzy he thought
he must perish. "Don't blow me so? Wind," he cried, "let me down!"

"Little Half-Chick, little Half-Chick," said the Wind, "when I was in
trouble you would not help me!" And the Wind blew him straight up to
the top of the church steeple, and stuck him there, fast!

There he stands to this day, with his one eye, his one wing, and his
one leg. He cannot hoppity-kick any more, but he turns slowly round
when the wind blows, and keeps his head toward it, to hear what it says.

THE LAMBIKIN[1]

[1] From Indian Fairy Tales. By Joseph Jacobs (David Nutt).

Once upon a time there was a wee, wee Lambikin, who frolicked about on
his little tottery legs, and enjoyed himself amazingly.

Now one day he set off to visit his Granny, and was jumping with joy to
think of all the good things he should get from her, when whom should
he meet but a Jackal, who looked at the tender young morsel and said,
"Lambikin! Lambikin! I'll EAT YOU!"

But Lambikin only gave a little frisk and said,--

"To Granny's house I go,
Where I shall fatter grow;
Then you can eat me so."

The Jackal thought this reasonable, and let Lambikin pass.

By and by he met a Vulture, and the Vulture, looking hungrily at the
tender morsel before him, said, "Lambikin! Lambikin! I'll EAT YOU!"

But Lambikin only gave a little frisk, and said,--

"To Granny's house I go,
Where I shall fatter grow;
Then you can eat me so."

The Vulture thought this reasonable, and let Lambikin pass.

And by and by he met a Tiger, and