t contained a part of the stories herein reprinted were
burned up--plates, cuts and all--in the Chicago fire of 1871. Another
book, with some of these stories in it, was issued by a publisher in
Boston, who almost immediately failed, leaving the plates in pawn. These
fell into the hands of a man who issued a surreptitious edition, and then
into the possession of another, to whom at length I was forced to pay a
round sum for the plates, in order to extricate my unfortunate tales from
the hands of freebooters. This is therefore the first fair and square
issue in book form that these stories have had. For this they have been
revised by the author, and printed from plates wholly new by the
liberality of the present publisher.

E. E.

Owls' Nest, Lake George, 1884.

CONTENTS.

QUEER STORIES. PAGE

Bobby and the Key-hole, a Hoosier Fairy Tale, 3

Mr. Blake's Walking-stick, 23

The Chairs in Council, 60

What the Tea-kettle Said, 67

Crooked Jack, 72

The Funny Little Old Woman, 77

Widow Wiggins' Wonderful Cat, 83

CHICKEN LITTLE STORIES.

Simon and the Garuly, 91

The Joblilies, 101

The Pickaninny, 111

The Great Panjandrum Himself, 120

STORIES TOLD ON A CELLAR-DOOR.

The Story of a Flutter-wheel, 137

The Wood-chopper's Children, 143

The Bound Boy, 149

The Profligate Prince, 155

The Young Soap-boiler, 160

The Shoemaker's Secret, 168

MODERN FABLES.

Flat Tail the Beaver, 177

The Mocking-bird's Singing-school, 181

The Bobolink and the Owl, 185

Queer Stories.

BOBBY AND THE KEY-HOLE.