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EVENING TALES

Done into English from the French of

FRÉDÉRIC ORTOLI

by

Joel Chandler Harris

Author of "Uncle Remus"

Authorized Edition






New York
Charles Scribner's Sons
1919

Copyright, 1893, by
Charles Scribner's Sons




CONTENTS


  I                                            PAGE
  A FRENCH TAR-BABY,                              1

  II
  TEENCHY DUCK,                                  13

  III
  MR. SNAIL AND BROTHER WOLF,                    34

  IV
  THE LION'S SECRET,                             39

  V
  THE KING AND THE LAPWINGS,                     64

  VI
  THE ROOSTER, THE CAT, AND THE REAP-HOOK,       75

  VII
  THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND,                        101

  VIII
  BROTHER TIGER AND DADDY SHEEP,                109

  IX
  "JUMP IN MY SACK!"                            128

  X
  A SEARCH FOR A FRIEND,                        155

  XI
  A CHILD OF THE ROSES,                         163

  XII
  THE KING OF THE LIONS,                        189

  XIII
  THE VIZIER, THE MONKEY, THE LION, AND
    THE SERPENT,                                198

  XIV
  THE ENCHANTED PRINCESS,                       222

  XV
  <DW38> JOHN,                                   261




INTRODUCTION


Once upon a time Mr. Wendell P. Garrison, the literary editor of _The
Nation_, sent me a picture he had found in a catalogue of French books.
It represented a very interesting scene. There were the Tar-Baby and
Brother Rabbit as natural as life; but Brother Fox was missing. His
place had been supplied by Brother Billy Goat, whose formidable horns
and fierce beard seemed to add to the old episode a new danger for poor
Brother Rabbit.

The picture was an advertisement of _Les Contes de la Veillée_, by
Frédéric Ortoli. After a while the book itself came to hand, forwarded
no doubt by some thoughtful American tourist who had been interested
in the Tar-Baby in French. The volume was examined, and in some sort
relished, laid aside for future reference, and then forgotten.

But one night after supper the children of the household were suddenly
missing. There was no romping going on in the hall. There were no
voices to be heard on the lawn. There was no rippit taking place in the
bedrooms. What could the matter be? Had the storm-centre moved in the
direction of our innocent neighbors? The silence was so unusual that it
created a sudden sense of loneliness.

But the investigation that followed showed that the youngsters had
merely made a temporary surrender of their privileges. Their mother
was reading to them some of the stories in M. Ortoli's book, and they
were listening with an interest that childhood can neither affect nor
disguise. I begged permission to make one of the audience.

"But you have writing to do," said one of the lads.

"It will disturb you," said one of the girls.

Nevertheless, the lady, who was and is the centre of this family
circle, graciously made room for one more listener; and thus it happens
that this little volume of M. Ortoli's stories is in the nature of a
family affair. The lady, for the benefit of the intruder, was pleased
to go over the stories again, and to read them more slowly, and thus
they were put in their present form. Most frequently I have preserved
the swift and piquant rendering, the fluent interpretation that fell
from the lady's lips.

My apologies are perhaps due to M. Ortoli for a certain freedom of
treatment that has been deemed necessary in some of the stories. I
trust this has not been carried too far; but in some instances it has
been necessary to English the characters and incidents as well as the
text. Nevertheless, an effort has been made to preserve something of
the individuality of M. Ortoli, and I think that at least the flavor of
it will be found in the stories that follow.

  J. C. H.

  WEST END, ATLANTA, GA.




EVENING TALES




I

A FRENCH TAR-BABY


In the time when there were hobgoblins and fairies, Brother Goat and
Brother Rabbit lived in the same neighborhood, not far from each other.

