made one cut than one little kid thrust its head out; and, when she had cut further, all six sprang out one after another.  They were all still alive and had suffered no injury whatever, for in his greediness the monster had swallowed them down whole.  What rejoicing there was!  Then they embraced their dear mother, and jumped like a tailor at his wedding.  The mother, however, said, “Now go and look for some big stones, and we will fill the wicked beast’s stomach with them while he is still asleep.”  Then the seven kids dragged the stones thither with all speed, and put as many of them into his stomach as they could get in; and the mother sewed him up again in the greatest haste, so that he was not aware of anything, and never once stirred.

When the wolf at length had had his sleep out, he got on his legs, and, as the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty, he wanted to go to a well to drink.  But when he began to walk and to move about, the stones in his stomach knocked against one another and rattled.  Then cried he—­

  “What rumbles and tumbles
  Against my poor bones? 
  I thought ’twas six kids,
  But it’s naught but big stones.”

And when he got to the well and stooped over the water and was just about to drink, the heavy stones made him fall in and there was no help, but he had to drown miserably.  When the seven kids saw that, they came running to the spot, and cried aloud, “The wolf is dead!  The wolf is dead!” and danced for joy round about the well with their mother.

* * * * *

RAPUNZEL

There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child.  At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire.  These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs.  It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world.  One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion (rapunzel), and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it, and had the greatest desire to eat some.  This desire increased every day, and as she knew that she could not get any of it, she quite pined away and looked pale and miserable.  Then her husband was alarmed, and asked, “What aileth thee, dear wife?” “Ah,” she replied, “if I can’t get some of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our house, to eat, I shall die.”  The man, who loved her, thought, “Sooner than let my wife die, I will bring her some of the rampion myself, let it cost me what it will.”  In the twilight of evening, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched a handful of rampion, and took it