the threshold
like an arrow from a bow; and it was well he did, for, no sooner was
he on the other side, than his father-in-law threw a great hammer at
him, which would have broken both his legs, if it had only touched
them.

When they had gone some distance on the road home, the girl turned to
her husband and said: 'Till you step inside the house, be sure you do
not look back, whatever you may hear or see.'

And the husband promised, and for a while all was still; and he
thought no more about the matter till he noticed at last that the
nearer he drew to the house the louder grew the noise of the trampling
of feet behind him. As he laid his hand upon the door he thought he
was safe, and turned to look. There, sure enough, was a vast herd of
cattle, which had been sent after him by his father-in-law when he
found that his daughter had been cleverer than he. Half of the herd
were already through the fence and cropping the grass on the banks of
the stream, but half still remained outside and faded into nothing,
even as he watched them.

However, enough cattle were left to make the young man rich, and he
and his wife lived happily together, except that every now and then
the girl vanished from his sight, and never told him where she had
been. For a long time he kept silence about it; but one day, when he
had been complaining of her absence, she said to him: 'Dear husband, I
am bound to go, even against my will, and there is only one way to
stop me. Drive a nail into the threshold, and then I can never pass in
or out.'

And so he did.

[_Lapplaendische Maehrchen._]

_HOW SOME WILD ANIMALS BECAME TAME ONES_

Once upon a time there lived a miller who was so rich that, when he
was going to be married, he asked to the feast not only his own
friends but also the wild animals who dwelt in the hills and woods
round about. The chief of the bears, the wolves, the foxes, the
horses, the cows, the goats, the sheep, and the reindeer, all received
invitations; and as they were not accustomed to weddings they were
greatly pleased and flattered, and sent back messages in the politest
language that they would certainly be there.

The first to start on the morning of the wedding-day was the bear, who
always liked to be punctual; and, besides, he had a long way to go,
and his hair, being so thick and rough, needed a good brushing before
it was fit to be seen at a party. However, he took care to awaken very
early, and set o