with open mouth and rolling eyes, and looking as big Having, however, recognised Otesanek,

as an oven.

he said,

"O-ho! is it you? Where is your mother?”

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"I have eaten her," answered Otesanek; "and now it is your turn."

He opened his mouth and in an instant swallowed up the man. But the more Otesanek ate the more he wanted. There being nothing now in the hut that he could swallow up, he went into the village to look about him. He met a girl wheeling from the field a wheelbarrow full of clover.

"What have you eaten," cried the girl full of wonder, "that you look so big?"

Otesanek answered: "I am an eater, and have eaten some grits from a saucepan, a basinful of milk, a loaf of bread, my mother and father, and now will eat you too."

t

He rushed up to her, and the girl with the wheelbarrow disappeared. Afterwards Otesanek met a peasant who was driving a cart loaded with hay from the meadow. He advanced into the middle of the road and the horses stopped.

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'Can't you get out of the way, you monster? I shall drive over you," cried the peasant angrily, and began to urge the horses forward. Otesanek, however, did not pay the least attention to him, but began to say,—

"I am an eater, and have eaten some grits from a saucepan, a basinful of milk, a loaf of bread, my mother and father, a girl with the wheelbarrow, and now will eat you too."

Before the peasant recovered from his surprise he himself, with the horses and cart, was swallowed up by Otesanek. Then Otesanek went farther on. In the field there was a man watching pigs. Otesanek took a fancy to them and swallowed them all up, together with the man-there was not a sign left of them. Afterwards he perceived on a hill not far off a shepherd with a flock of sheep.

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'Having already eaten so much," said Otesanek to himself, "I will eat these too."

He came nearer and swallowed them all up-the sheep, the shepherd, and his dog Vorish. Then he staggered forward and at last came to a field where an old woman was attending to cabbages. Otesanek did not reflect long, he went into the field, began to break off cabbages from the stumps and eat them up.

"Why are you destroying my property, Otesanek ?” cried the old woman. "Surely you have eaten enough to be satisfied."

Otesanek looked at her with a grin and said: "I am an eater, and have eaten some grits from a saucepan, a basinful of milk, a loaf of bread, my father and mother,

a girl with a wheelbarrow, a peasant and a cart loaded with hay, a swineherd and pigs, a shepherd and his sheep, and now will eat you too." And he wanted to swallow her up. Otesanek, she

But the old woman was too sharp for struck him with her mattock and cut him in half. Otesanek fell down dead. Then there was a sight to see! First jumped out of the body the dog Vorish, after him came out the shepherd, and after the shepherd jumped out the sheep. Vorish collected the sheep together, the shepherd whistled and drove them home. Afterwards the herd of pigs rushed out, after them jumped out the swineherd, who cracked his whip and drove them after the shepherd. Then came out the horses drawing the cart loaded with hay; the peasant shook the reins angrily, and drove after the swineherd also to the village. After the cart came out the girl with the wheelbarrow, and after the girl jumped out the man and his wife, and carried home, alternately, under their arms the borrowed loaf of bread. From that moment neither of them ever said, "Would we had a child."

THE WICKED WOOD-FAYS.

(FROM THE BOHEMIAN.)

THERE was once a poor orphan boy who had neither father nor mother, and as he had nothing whatever to live upon, he was obliged to go out in search of service. He wandered about for a long time, but could not find a place anywhere; one day he came to a solitary hut standing close to a forest. Before the door sat an old man, who, instead of eyes, had dark holes in his head; his goats were bleating in the stable, and the old man said,

"I should be very glad to take you into the meadow, my poor goats, only I cannot, as I am blind, and I have no one here whom I could send with you."

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Master, send me!" cried the boy. "I should be very glad to feed your goats and wait upon you too."

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Who are you, and what is your name?" asked the old man.

The boy told him his history, and added that his name was Yanechek.

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'Very good, Yanechek," said the old man, "I will take you into my service, and first of all drive the goats into the meadow to graze; but do not drive them to yonder hill in the forest, as there the jezinky* would come to you, make you sleep, and then tear out your eyes as they have done mine."

"Do not be afraid of it at all, master," answered Yanechek; "jezinky shall not tear out my eyes."

Then he let the goats out of the stable and drove them into the meadow. The first and second day he watched them near the forest; but on the third day he said to himself, "Why should I be afraid of the jezinky? I shall drive the goats there where the grass is better." Then he cut off three green pieces of brier, put them inside his hat, and drove the goats directly to the top of the hill in the forest. There the goats scattered about and began to graze, and Yanechek sat down in the shade on a stone. He had not sat there long, when suddenly, he could not tell whence, there appeared before him a beautiful girl, dressed all in white, with hair as black as a raven, nicely combed and falling down her shoulders, and black eyes.

* Wicked wood-fays.