30 THE HISTORY OF A NUT-CRACKER.

With these words the judge handed the little fellow to
Mary, who took the puppet in her arms, and began to prac-
tise it in its vocation, choosing, however—so good was her
heart—the smallest nuts, that 1t might not be compelled to
open its mouth too wide, because by so doing its face assumed
a most ridiculous expression.
Then Miss Trudchen drew
near to behold the little pup-
pet in her turn; and for her
also did it perform its duty in
the most unassuming and
_ obliging manner in the world,
| although she was but a de-
endant.

hile he was employed
in training his horse and
) parading his hussars, Master
Fritz heard the crack—crack
ie so often repeated, that he felt
sure something new was going on. He accordingly looked
up and turned his ee inquiring eyes upon the group com-
pose of the judge, Mary, and Miss Trudchen; and, when
e observed the little man with the wooden cloak in his
sister’s arms, he leapt from his
horse, and, without waiting to __ {ili lt l I
put the animal in its stable, |i} | all \\
hastened towards Mary. Then
what a joyous shout of laughter
burst from his lips as he espied
the funny appearance of the
little man opening his large? _
mouth. Fritz also demanded sm
his share of the nuts which the Ww ee
puppet cracked; and this was of course granted. Next he
wanted to hold the little man while he cracked the nuts;
and this wish was also gratified. Only, in. spite of the. —