HOP O”’ MY THUMB.

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HERE was once a poor wood-cutter who had seven
children, the youngest of whom was so small they
called him Hop o’ My Thumb. One night Hop overheard
his father say, ‘‘ Wife, we cannot keep these children any
longer. We shall all starve todeath. Let ‘us take them in
the woods and lose them.” And the mother agreed.

So Hop got up early the next morning and filled his
pockets with pebbles, and when the family went into the
woods he dropped a stone now and then along the way.
When night came the children found themselves alone, and
they began to cry. But Hop o’ My Thumb told them not
to cry, for he would lead them home; which he did.

That night the mother could not sleep, but kept crying out,
‘“‘T wish the children were here!” and with that the door
opened and in they all ran, shouting, ‘“‘ Here we are, mother !”
By-and-by they were too poor again to feed so many mouths,
and the children were taken to the woods for the fairies to
look after. This time Hop o’ My Thumb had only some

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