32 THE HISTORY OF A NUT-CRACKER.

“‘T beat my horses when they are restive,” said Fritz, with
an air of importance; ‘‘and as for the soldier whom I shot
the other day, he was a wretched scoundrel that I never have
been able to do anything with for the last year, and who de-
serted one fine morning with his arms and hageng>—* crime
that is punished by death in all countries. Besides, all these
things are matters of discipline which do not regard women.

in I do not prevent you

ye gut

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doll’s ears; so don’t
try to hinder me from
h_ whipping my horses
or shooting my sol-
diers. But I want the
. == Nut-cracker.”
Sy ‘¢ Papa — papa! —
help—help!” cried
Mary, wrapping the’
little man in her pocket-handkerchief: “help! Fritz is gong
to take the Nut-cracker from me!”

At Mary’s cries, not only the judge drew near the child-
ren; buthis wifeand
Godfather Dros-
selmayer also ran
towardsthem. The
two children told
their stories in their
own way— Mary
wishing to keep the -
Nut-cracker, and
Fritz anxious to
have it again. But
to the astonishment
of Mary, Godfather
Drosselmayer, with
a smile that seemed
perfectly frightful

from boxing your
i"