find him. I may be able to rescue him, as the half of the knife is still bright.'

He set out with his animals on a journey, and while traveling west came to the town in which his brother's wife, the king's daughter, lived. As soon as he reached the gate of the town the watchman advanced toward him and asked if he should go and announce his arrival to the princess, who had for two days been in great trouble about him, fearing that he had been detained in the forest by enchantment.

The watchman had not the least idea that the young man was any other than the prince himself, especially as he had the wild animals running behind him. The twin brother saw this, and he said to himself, "Perhaps it will be best for me to allow myself to be taken for my brother; I shall be able more easily to save him." So he followed the sentinel to the castle, where he was received with great joy.

The young princess had no idea that this was not her husband, and asked him why he had remained away so long.

He replied, "I rode a long distance into the wood, and could not find my way out again." But she thought he was very cold and distant to her.

In a few days he discovered all about his brother that he wished to know, and was determined to go and seek for him in the enchanted wood. So he said, "I must go to the hunt once more."

The king and the young princess said all they could to dissuade him, but to no purpose, and at length he left the castle with a large company of attendants.

When he reached the wood all happened as it had done with his brother. He saw the beautiful white deer, and told his attendants to wait while he went after it, followed only by his animals; but neither could he overtake it; and the white deer led him far down into the forest, where he found he must remain all night.

After he had lighted a fire he heard, as his brother had done, the old woman in the tree, crying out that she was freezing with cold, and he said to her, “If you are cold, old mother, come down and warm yourself."

"No," she cried; "your animals will bite me!"
"No, indeed; they will not," he said.

"I can't trust them!" she cried; "here, I will throw you a little switch, and if you gently strike them across the back, then they will not be able to hurt me.'

When the hunter heard that he began to mistrust the old woman, and said, "No; I will not strike my animals; you come down, or I will fetch you.'

"Do as you like," she said; "you can't hurt me." "If you don't come down," he replied, "I will shoot you.'

"Shoot away," she said; "your bullet can do me no harm."

He pointed his gun and shot at her; but the witch was proof against a leaden bullet. She gave a shrill laugh, and cried, "It is no use trying to hit me."

The hunter knew, however, what to do; he cut off three silver buttons from his coat, and loaded his gun with them. Against these she knew all her arts were vain; so as he drew the trigger she fell suddenly to the ground with a scream. Then he placed

his foot upon her, and said, "Old witch, if you do not at once confess where my brother is, I will take you up and throw you into the fire."

She was in a great fright, begged for pardon, and said, "He is lying with his animals, turned to stone, in a grave.

Then he forced her to go with him, and said, "You old cat, if you don't instantly restore my brother to life, and all the creatures that are with him, over you go into the fire."

She was obliged to take a switch and strike the stones, and immediately the brother, his animals, and many others-traders, mechanics, and shepherds-stood before him, alive and in their own forms.

Thankful for having gained their freedom and their lives, they all hastened home; but the twin brothers, when they saw each other again, were full of joy, and embraced and kissed each other with great affection. They seized the old witch, bound her, and placed her on the fire, and as soon as she was burned the forest became suddenly clear and light, and the king's castle appeared at a very little distance.

After this the twin brothers walked away together toward the castle, and on the road related to each other the events that had happened to them since they parted. At last the younger told his brother that he had married the king's daughter, and that the king had made him lord over the whole land.

"I know all about it," replied the other; "for when I came to the town they all took me for you, and treated me with kingly state; even the young

princess mistook me for her husband, and made me sit by her side."

But as he spoke the prince became so fierce with jealously and anger that he drew his sword and cut off his brother's head. Then as he saw him lie dead at his feet his anger was quelled in a moment, and he repented bitterly, crying, “Oh, my brother is dead, and it is I who have killed him!" and kneeling by his side he mourned with loud cries and tears.

In a moment the hare appeared and begged to be allowed to fetch the life-giving root, which she knew would cure him. She was not away long, and when she returned, the head was replaced and fastened by the healing power of the plant, and the brother restored to life, while not even a sign of the wound remained to be noticed.

The brothers now walked on most lovingly together, and the one who had married the king's daughter said, "I see that you have kingly clothes, as I have; your animals are the same as mine. Let us enter the castle at two opposite doors, and approach the old king from two sides together."

So they separated; and as the king sat with his daughter in the royal apartment a sentinel approached him from two distant entrances at the same time, and informed him that the prince, with his animals, had arrived.

"That is impossible!" cried the king; "one of you must be wrong; for the gates at which you watch are quite a quarter of a mile apart."

But while the king spoke the two young men entered at opposite ends of the room, and both came forward and stood before the king.

With a bewildered look the king turned to his daughter, and said, "Which is your husband? for they are so exactly alike I cannot tell."

She was herself very much frightened, and could not speak! at last she thought of the necklace that she had given to the animals, and looking earnestly among them she saw the glitter of the golden clasp on the lion's neck. "See," she cried in a happy voice, "he whom that lion follows is my husband!"

The prince laughed, and said, "Yes; you are right; and this is my twin brother."

So they sat down happily together and told the king and the young princess all their adventures.

When the king's daughter and her husband were alone she said to him, "I thought you did not love me the other day when you came home from the wood, for you never even kissed me."

Then the prince knew how true and honorable his twin brother had been.

Did you ever think what really makes a story? The one you have just read is an interesting one; let us see whether we can find out just what it tells We shall leave out everything that can possibly be left out, and shall keep only those things that we really must have to make the story. Here they are:

us.

1. The poor brother sees the golden bird.

2. He gets it for the rich brother.

3. The sons of the poor brother eat the heart and the liver of the golden bird.

4. The poor brother finds the gold pieces under his children's pillows.

5. The poor brother drives his sons from home