-LSB- Footnote 6 : Rose-cheek . -RSB- -LSB- Footnote 7 : Heartsease . -RSB- -LSB- Footnote 8 : Elias . -RSB- -LSB- Footnote 9 : Pleasure . -RSB- -LSB- Footnote 10 : Thirty-birds . -RSB- -LSB- Footnote 11 : Pomp and Pride . -RSB- -LSB- Footnote 12 : Of happy omen . -RSB- Ball-carrier and the Bad One Far , far in the forest there were two little huts , and in each of them lived a man who was a famous hunter , his wife , and three or four children . Now the children were forbidden to play more than a short distance from the door , as it was known that , away on the other side of the wood near the great river , there dwelt a witch who had a magic ball that she used as a means of stealing children . Her plan was a very simple one , and had never yet failed . When she wanted a child she just flung her ball in the direction of the child 's home , and however far off it might be , the ball was sure to reach it . Then , as soon as the child saw it , the ball would begin rolling slowly back to the witch , just keeping a little ahead of the child , so that he always thought that he could catch it the next minute . But he never did , and , what was more , his parents never saw him again . Of course you must not suppose that all the fathers and mothers who had lost children made no attempts to find them , but the forest was so large , and the witch was so cunning in knowing exactly where they were going to search , that it was very easy for her to keep out of the way . Besides , there was always the chance that the children might have been eaten by wolves , of which large herds roamed about in winter . One day the old witch happened to want a little boy , so she threw her ball in the direction of the hunters ' huts . A child was standing outside , shooting at a mark with his bow and arrows , but the moment he saw the ball , which was made of glass whose blues and greens and whites , all frosted over , kept changing one into the other , he flung down his bow , and stooped to pick the ball up . But as he did so it began to roll very gently downhill . The boy could not let it roll away , when it was so close to him , so he gave chase . The ball seemed always within his grasp , yet he could never catch it ; it went quicker and quicker , and the boy grew more and more excited .
That time he almost touched it -- no , he missed it XXXXX a hair 's breadth !
at by for of off so than that to within