other statue, of course," he said, "and it shall be a statue
of myself."

"Of myself," said each of the Town Councillors, and they quarrelled.
When I last heard of them they were quarreling still.

"What a strange thing!" said the overseer of the workmen at the foundry.
"This broken lead heart will not melt in the furnace. We must throw it
away." So they threw it on a dustheap where the dead Swallow was also
lying.

"Bring me the two most precious things in the city," said God to one of
His Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead
bird.

"You have rightly chosen," said God, "for in my garden of Paradise this
little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy
Prince shall praise me."

201

Two stories of unusual interest and charm for
children are found in the collection of eleven
by Raymond M. Alden (1873--), _Why the Chimes
Rang_. One is the title story of the volume;
the other is "The Knights of the Silver
Shield." The latter follows by permission of
the publishers, The Bobbs-Merrill Co.,
Indianapolis. (Copyright, 1906, 1908.) It is of
striking dramatic interest and emphasizes a
much-needed quality of character, the
importance of a loyal performance of the
lowlier duties of life. The salvation of a
nation may depend upon the humble guardian of
the gate quite as much as upon those who are
engaged in the more spectacular struggle with
giants. Mr. Alden is a scholarly professor of
literature in Leland Stanford Jr. University,
and it may interest the reader to know that he
is the son of the author of the _Pansy Books_,
a type of religious or Sunday-school fiction
widely read throughout the country by a
generation or two of young people.

THE KNIGHTS OF THE SILVER SHIELD

RAYMOND MACDONALD ALDEN

There was once a splendid castle in a forest, with great stone walls and
a high gateway, and turrets that rose away above the tallest trees. The
forest was dark and dangerous, and many cruel giants lived in it; but in
the castle was a company of knights, who were kept there by the king of
the country, to help travelers who might be in the forest and to fight
with the giants whenever they could.

Each of these knights wore a beautiful suit of armor and carried a long
spear, while over his helm