ll you;" and she gave her brother no peace until he went again into
the forest.

"How now, little brother!" said the fox, when he saw Ludwig coming
toward him through the trees; "is it not well with you?"

"Alas, my sister is not satisfied with the toys."

"What would she, little brother?"

"That the great silvery moon that hangs high in the heavens at night
should be her plaything."

Very slowly the fox answered:--

"Go, little brother, it shall NOT be as she wishes."

Now when Ludwig reached home once more, in place of the stately house,
there stood their little old hut again. Marleen sat weeping in the
doorway, her fine silk dress was gone, her beautiful doll was nowhere
to be seen, all the lovely toys had vanished.

"Do not cry, dear sister," said Ludwig. "We are quite happy as we are.
Come, let us have supper, for I am very hungry." But alas, when they
went to the cupboard it was quite empty; and ever afterwards, when they
were hungry, Ludwig and Marleen were forced to seek for nuts and
berries in the forest. The great silvery moon still looked down upon
their little hut at night; but though Ludwig sought through the whole
forest, far and wide, he never saw his friend the fox again.

FROGGY'S ADVENTURE.

"Knee-deep! Knee-deep! Knee-deep!" came a shrill cry from the middle
of the pond.

"Better-go-round! Better-go-round! Better-go-round!" croaked a hoarse
voice from the bank.

Now all the little frogs, when they heard their mother call, turned
back, and, swimming far around the deep place, got safely to the shore.

Did I say all? No, one little frog failed to hear his mother's voice
and, piping in his little shrill tone: "Who's afraid! Who's afraid!
Who's afraid!" he swam straight on. Suddenly one of his hind legs got
tangled among the weeds at the bottom of the pond; and, though he
pulled and jerked with all his little might, he could not free himself.
At last, after a long struggle, he gave it up and called loudly:
"Help-me-out! Help-me-out! Help-me-out!"

The other frogs heard and came swimming all about,--little and big,
young and old; but when they saw poor Froggy caught fast, instead of
trying to free him, they began peeping and croaking and "kerchugging,"
until such a noise went up from the pond as was never heard before.

The little frogs all sat around in a little circle, crying in their
little shrill voices: "Oh-he'll-die! Oh-he'll-die! Oh-he'll-die!"

And the grea