152 THE RED SHOES.

Then the neighbour’s Cock stuck his head into the yard, and
crowed with steam-engine power.

“Youll kill me with yourcrowing!” she cried. “It’s all your
fault. He’s lost his head, and I am very near losing mine.”

“ There’s not much lying where he fell!” observed the Cock. |

“ Speak of him with respect,” retorted the Portuguese Duck,
“for he had song, manners, and education. He was affectionate
and soft, and that’s as good in animals as in your so-called
human beings.”

And all the Ducks came crowding round the little dead Sing-
ing Bird. Ducks have strong passions, whether they feel envy
or pity; and as there was nothing here to envy, pity manifested
itself, even in the two Chinese. :

“We shall never get sucha singing bird again; he was almost
4 Chinese,” they whispered ; and they wept with a mighty cluck-
ing sound, and all the fowls clucked too, but the Ducks went
about with the redder eyes.

“ We’ve hearts of our own,” they said; “nobody can deny
that.”

“ Hearts !” repeated the Portuguese, “ yes, that we have, almost
‘as much as in Portugal.”

“Let us think of getting something to satisfy our hunger,” said
the Drake, “for that’s the most important point. If one of our
toys is broken, why, we have plenty more !”

THE RED SHOES.

HERE once was a little girl; a very nice pretty little girl.
But in summer she had to go barefoot, because she was
poor, and in winter she wore thick wooden shoes, so that
her little instep became quite red, altogether red.

In the middle of the village lived an old shoemaker’s wife ; she
sat, and sewed, as well as she could, a pair of little shoes, of old
strips of red cloth ; they were clumsy enough, but well meant, and
the little girl was tohavethem. The little girl’s name was Karen.

On the day when her mother was buried she received the red
shoes and wore them for the first time. They were certainly not
suited for mourning; but she had no others, and therefore thrust
i little bare feet into them and walked behind the plain deal
coffin,

Suddenly a great carriage came by, and in the carriage sat an
old lady; she looked at the little girl and felt pity for her, ana
said to the clergyman,