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Page 8
The leaves glistened, the flowers lifted their heads, and everything was
glad but the horsemen, whose faces were full of gloom because their
hearts were sad.
They did not speak or smile as they rode on their search; and their
leader was the saddest of them all, though he wore a golden crown that
sparkled with many jewels.
They followed each winding path through the forest, till at last they
reached the spot where the little maiden lay.
The rabbit waked up at the sound of their coming, but the child slept
till a loud cry of gladness awakened her and she found herself in her
father's arms.
In the night-time the king's brave soldiers had driven his enemies from
his land, and opened the doors of the prison-house in which he and the
queen lay, and the king had ridden with them in haste to find his
darling child, who was worth his crown and his kingdom.
The sight of her face was the sunshine to lighten their hearts, and they
sent the glad news far and near, with blast of trumpet and shouts of
joy.
But in all their great happiness the child did not forget the rabbit,
and she said to it, "Come with me and I will take care of you, for my
father the king is here." But the rabbit thanked her and wanted to go
home.
"My babies are waiting," it said, "and I have my work to do in the
world. I pray you let me go."
So the child kissed it and bade it go; and she, too, went to her own
dear home. There she grew lovelier every day, for the light grew with
her; and when, long years afterward, she was queen of the country, the
foxes and wolves and tigers dared not harm her people, for her good
knights drove evil from her land; but to loving gentle creatures she
gave love and protection, and she lived happily all the days of her
life.
_THE LITTLE GRAY PONY_
MOTTO FOR THE MOTHER
_The humblest workman has his place,
Which no one else can fill_.
There was once a man who owned a little gray pony.
Every morning when the dewdrops were still hanging on the pink clover in
the meadows, and the birds were singing their morning song, the man
would jump on his pony and ride away, clippety, clippety, clap!
The pony's four small hoofs played the jolliest tune on the smooth pike
road, the pony's head was always high in the air, and the pony's two
little ears were always pricked up; for he was a merry gray pony, and
loved to go clippety, clippety, clap!
The man rode to town and to country, to church and to market, up hill
and down hill; and one day he heard something fall with a clang on a
stone in the road. Looking back, he saw a horseshoe lying there. And
when he saw it, he cried out:--
"_What shall I do? What shall I do?
If my little gray pony has lost a shoe_?"
Then down he jumped, in a great hurry, and looked at one of the pony's
fore-feet; but nothing was wrong. He lifted the other forefoot, but the
shoe was still there. He examined one of the hindfeet, and began to
think that he was mistaken; but when he looked at the last foot, he
cried again:--
"_What shall I do? What shall I do?
My little gray pony has lost a shoe_!"
Then he made haste to go to the blacksmith; and when he saw the smith,
he called out to him:--
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