I have
told these and others. I have tried to reproduce the form in which I
actually tell them,--although that inevitably varies with every
repetition,--feeling that it would be of greater value to another
story-teller than a more closely literary form.

For the same reason, I have confined my statements of theory as to method,
to those which reflect my own experience; my "rules" were drawn from
introspection and retrospection, at the urging of others, long after the
instinctive method they exemplify had become habitual.

These facts are the basis of my hope that the book may be of use to those
who have much to do with children.

It would be impossible, in the space of any pardonable preface, to name
the teachers, mothers, and librarians who have given me hints and helps
during the past few years of story-telling. But I cannot let these pages
go to press without recording my especial indebtedness to the few persons
without whose interested aid the little book would scarcely have come to
be. They are: Mrs Elizabeth Young Rutan, at whose generous instance I
first enlarged my own field of entertaining story-telling to include hers,
of educational narrative, and from whom I had many valuable suggestions at
that time; Miss Ella L. Sweeney, assistant superintendent of schools,
Providence, R.I., to whom I owe exceptional opportunities for
investigation and experiment; Mrs Root, children's librarian of Providence
Public Library, and Miss Alice M. Jordan, Boston Public Library,
children's room, to whom I am indebted for much gracious and efficient
aid.

My thanks are due also to Mr David Nutt for permission to make use of
three stories from _English Fairy Tales_, by Mr Joseph Jacobs, and
_Raggylug_, from _Wild Animals I have Known_, by Mr Ernest Thompson Seton;
to Messrs Frederick A. Stokes Company for _Five Little White Heads_, by
Walter Learned, and for _Bird Thoughts_; to Messrs Kegan Paul, Trench,
Truebner & Co. Ltd. for _The Burning of the Ricefields_, from _Gleanings in
Buddha-Fields_, by Mr Lafcadio Hearn; to Messrs H.R. Allenson Ltd. for
three stories from _The Golden Windows_, by Miss Laura E. Richards; and to
Mr Seumas McManus for _Billy Beg and his Bull_, from _In Chimney Corners_.

S.C.B.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
PAGE
The Story-teller's Art
Recent Revival
The Difference between telling a Story and reading it aloud
Some Reasons why the Former is