File:The endless story, and other Oriental tales retold; (1916) (14569111630).jpg

Identifier: endlessstoryothe00higg (find matches)
Title: The endless story, and other Oriental tales retold;
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Higgins, Violet Moore
Subjects: Children's stories, American
Publisher: Racine, Wis., Whitman Pub. Co
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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im, and in another momenta soldier came hurrying in. Sire, he cried, it is a snake—a bigugly snake ringing the gong with itstail. I shall drive it away of course,but, sire, it is indeed a strange sight. The Queen shivered. She had livedin fear of snakes since childhood.Yes, drive it away, she cried involun-tarily. 32 ORIENTAL TALES No, said the King in a ringingtone of command. I will deny nocreature that rings the gong—let thesnake be brought to the audiencechamber. His order was obeyed, and soon thesoldier returned with a great snakewriggling along beside him. The scalycreature coiled itself beside the King,and began to tell its story in the uni-versal tongue of the birds, the beasts,and the reptiles, a language which theKing, when a boy, had learned from anold dog who was very fond of him. Oh King, said the snake, I livein a hole at the foot of a tall cypresstree with my family. When I was awayfrom my home this morning, in searchof food, a great animal covered with *rtf xokk p.
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THE MISFORTUNE TO HAVE BEEN BLIND ADABAHS GIFT 33 sharp needles killed my babies, all butone, who lay hidden beneath a root.Tomorrow the animal will return, andperhaps he will find my last child andkill it too. Oh King, save my last lit-tle one for me. I will indeed; you have not askedin vain, answered the King, who hadlistened with great interest to the story.He immediately ordered the soldiers todrive away the porcupine, the greatanimal covered with needles, that hadkilled the snakes family. When the audience was over, the Kinglay down to rest, for he was very tired.His blindness was becoming a heavierburden than he could bear. As he lavasleep, alone, on his draped couch,there was a sudden rustle in the room. 34 ORIENTAL TALES Quietly, unobserved by anyone, tbe snakehad slipped back into the palace, andcoiled itself beside the sleeping King. It held something in its mouth—twoclear yellow stones that glittered as thelight caught them. Gently, so as notto wake him, the snake laid a

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