In Story-land

  _HANS AND THE FOUR BIG GIANTS._

  Once upon a time there lived a little boy whose name was Hans. His homewas in a village where the tall trees shaded the green grass that grewaround the houses. Hans loved his home very much. He loved to hear thebirds sing and to watch them fly high in the air, and he often threwcrumbs upon the ground for them to eat. He loved the bright red and blueand yellow flowers which grew in the garden behind the house. Hedelighted in the sweet odors which came all unseen from their veryhearts. So he gladly watered them when they looked thirsty. His mothersoon taught him how to place strong straight sticks beside the weakvines so that they, too, could climb up and get the sunlight. Hans lovedthe dear old hens and their downy little chickens that were not afraidto peck the grain out of his hand. In fact, Hans loved everything andeverybody about him, from the small naked worms which crawled aboutamong the clods of earth, up to the strange and beautiful stars whichshone so high above his head.

  He was a very happy, little fellow, always busy, always findingsomething to do for somebody.

  By and by, when he grew to be a tall, strong lad, he used to go with hisfather to the forest to chop wood and thus help earn money which went tobuy food and clothes for his mother and his three younger brothers, forHans' father was poor and money was scarce in his family.

  After a time, when Hans had grown so tall that you and I would call hima young man, his father said to him: "Hans, my boy, it is time now thatyou started out to hunt some work for yourself. Your next youngerbrother can help me with the wood chopping and the smaller ones can helpthe mother in the work about the house. You must go out into the worldand learn how to take care of yourself, and perhaps some day you mayhave to take care of your mother and me when we grow too old to work."

  So Hans' mother packed his clothes in a little bundle, and, as shekissed him good-bye, she said: "Hans, my precious son, always be braveand true, and the good God will take care of you." Hans then badefarewell to his father and his younger brothers and started on hisjourney.

  He walked a long way until by and by he came to a great city, where thehouses looked dingy with smoke and the rattle of the carts and wagonsmade an incessant roar. After a time he found some work in the shop of ablacksmith, and although the work was grimy and rather hard to do Hansused to like to see the sparks fly from the red hot iron every time hestruck a blow with his heavy hammer. He was very proud when at last hecould shape the hard iron into a fine horseshoe almost as well as thesmith himself. Hans did not know it, but this very work was making hisarms grow big and strong and his chest broad and full.

  Every day Hans used to see a beautiful princess drive past theblacksmith's shop. She was the most beautiful princess in the world, andalthough her blue eyes and golden hair were admired by everyone, she waschiefly beloved because of her sweet smile. Hans used often to say tohimself: "How I wish I could serve this lovely young princess." At lastone day he went to the palace gate and asked the gatekeeper if there wasnot some work in the palace which he could do.

  "What can you do?" asked the gatekeeper.

  "I am willing to do any kind of work which the king may need to havedone," answered Hans.

  Then the gatekeeper passed him on to the keeper of the king's palace.

  "What can you do?" again asked the keeper of the king's palace.

  "I am willing to do any kind of work which the king may need to havedone," replied Hans.

  So the keeper of the palace told the king that there was a strong, tallyoung man without who wanted to serve him. "Bring him to me," said theking. When Hans came into the presence of the mighty king the monarchlooked at him very hard for a few moments and then said: "What can youdo, young man?" And again Hans replied: "I am willing to do anythingthat you may need to have done. I would like to serve the beautifulprincess."

  "You would, would you?" cried the king. "Now I will test you. In thebottom of the North Sea there lies a string of enchanted pearls. If youwill get those pearls and bring them to me you shall serve my daughter,the princess, and in time I may make you governor over one of myprovinces; who knows?" And the king laughed to himself.

  Hans was wild with delight and, turning, hastened out of the palace. Thevery next day he started on his journey to the North Sea. He walked andwalked a long way until he was very tired. At length, just ahead of him,he saw a big giant rushing along in the strangest fashion.

  "Good morning," said Hans, as he caught up with the giant. "What a verylarge giant you are!"

  "Yes," replied the giant, looking down at Hans, "I have need to be bothlarge and strong. Where are you going, young man?"

  "I am going," answered Hans, "to the North Sea to try to get a string ofenchanted pearls which lies at the bottom of the sea."

  "Ah!" said the tall giant, "it will take you a long time to get there.Now if you could walk as fast as I can, it would be an easy matter."

  "How fast can you walk?" asked Hans.

  "I can walk faster than a greyhound can run," said the giant, "and whenI run, the swift river cannot keep pace with me."

  "Can you, indeed?" exclaimed Hans. "What a fine fellow you are! I wishyou would come along with me. After I find the string of pearls I wantto get back to the king's palace as soon as possible, for I am to servethe beautiful princess."

  "If that's the case," said the giant, "I think I will go along withyou."

  The two walked along, chatting together, until they saw what Hansthought must be a huge round stone lying in the road. When, however,they came up to it, he saw that it was another big giant lying asleep bythe road side. The hot sun was pouring down upon his face. "Stay here,"said Hans, "until I can cut a branch from some tree to shade that poorfellow's face. The sun is so hot it will soon blister him."

  At these words the tall giant laughed aloud. "Ho, ho!" he cried, "don'tyou know who that is? He is a neighbor of mine. He has such strong eyesthat he can see a fly on a leaf of a tree a mile away."

  The loud laugh of the tall giant awoke the sleeping giant, and he openedhis great eyes and stared at Hans. "What are you doing, young man?"growled he.

  "Oh, nothing," said Hans. "I was merely sticking these branches into theground so that they might keep the sun out of your eyes."

  "Bah!" cried the great giant, sitting up, "did you not know that my eyeswere so strong that I could look the noonday sun straight in the face?"

  "Indeed! Indeed!" said Hans. "What a wonderful giant you must be. I wishyou would come with me. I may need your strong eyes, for I am on my wayto the North Sea to search for an enchanted necklace of pearls whichlies at the bottom of the sea."

  "Oh ho!" said the giant, "if that's the case I think I will go withyou."

  So Hans and the two big giants walked on together. They had not gonemore than three or four miles when Hans spied another great giantsitting under a tall tree. As they came up to him the wind blew his hatoff his head. "I will fetch it for you," cried Hans, as he ran forwardafter the hat; but before he could get to the spot where the hat lay,the big giant reached out his long arm and himself picked up his hat andput it again on his head. At this all three of the huge giants laughed.

  "Didn't you know that he was the giant who could reach 500 yards?" askedthe long-legged giant.

  "No," exclaimed Hans, clapping his hands with delight. "You are just thegiant I need. When I get to the North Sea you can reach down to thebottom of it and pick up the enchanted necklace of pearls. Will you notcome and help me?"

  The new giant thought for a minute or two and then said: "Oh, yes; Iwill go along if I can be of any use to you."

  So Hans and the three big giants started gayly forward on their journeyto the North Sea. They had not gone far before Hans saw in the distanceanother giant quietly leaning up against a very large rock. He seemed sodeep in thought that he did not see Hans and his fellow travelers untilthey came near to where he stood. Hans noticed that both of this giant'sears were stopped with cotton. "Have you the earache?" asked Hans."Perhaps I can do something to ease your pain."
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  "Oh, no," said the giant, "I merely stuffed cotton into my ears to shutoff some of the sounds about me. I can hear so well that I can tell whatmen are saying a hundred miles away from me."

  "What a valuable giant you must be!" exclaimed Hans. "Will you not comewith me? When I get the enchanted necklace of pearls you can tell mewhether it will be safe to take it back to the king's palace."

  The giant being very good-natured, said: "You think you will need me, doyou? Well, I'll go along."

  So Hans and the four big giants walked until they came to the North Sea.Then they got into a boat and rowed out to the deep water. The giant whocould see so far soon found the place where the necklace lay on the sandat the bottom of the sea. Then the giant whose arms were so long reacheddown and picked up the necklace and laid it in the boat. Hans and thegiants now rowed back to the shore.

  As soon as they had landed, the giant who could hear so well took thecotton out of his right ear and listened to what was being said at theking's palace. He heard the people in the palace talking of a grandfestival which was to take place the next night in honor of the birthdayof the beautiful princess. He then told Hans of what he had heard, andthe giant who could run so fast stooped down and let Hans climb up andseat himself on his great shoulders, and away the two sped, faster thana bird could fly. They reached the palace in time for Hans to give theenchanted necklace of pearls to the king, just as he was about to seathis beautiful daughter upon a throne beside his own.

  The king was so pleased to get the necklace that he at once gave Hansthe office of serving the beautiful princess. Hans served her sofaithfully that she learned to love him dearly, and in time they weremarried. When the old king died Hans was made king and the beautifulprincess was a queen. Hans, you may be sure, took good care of his oldfather and mother and both he and his queen did everything they could tomake all the people in their kingdom industrious and happy.

  Hans persuaded his four friends, the giants, to come and live in hiskingdom, and through them it became the richest and most prosperouscountry on the face of the earth, so that travelers came from all overthe world to visit it.