



Produced by Chris Curnow, Sue Fleming and the Online
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  POPULAR STORY

  OF

  BLUE BEARD.




  FRONTISPIECE.


  [Illustration caption: While Fatima is kneeling to Blue Beard, and
  supplicating for mercy, he seizes her by the hair, and raises his
  scymetar to cut off her head.]




  THE
  POPULAR STORY
  OF
  BLUE BEARD.


  Embellished with neat Engravings.

  [Illustration]

  COOPERSTOWN:
  Printed and sold by H. and E. Phinney.
  1828




  _The Alphabet._


  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K
  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T
  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

  a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h  i  j  k  l  m  n  o
  p  q  r  s  t  u  v  w  x  y  z

  _A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K
  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T
  U  V  W  X  Y  Z_

  _a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h  i  j  k  l  m  n  o
  p  q  r  s  t  u  v  w  x  y  z_

  fi  fl  ff  ffi  ffl--_fi  fl  ff  ffi  ffl_

  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  0

 . ,  ;  : ? ! ' ()  []  *  [dagger]  [double dagger]  Sec.  ||  ¶




  THE
  POPULAR STORY
  OF
  BLUE BEARD.


A long time ago, and at a considerable distance from any town, there
lived a gentleman, who was not only in possession of great riches, but
of the largest estates in that part of the country. Although he had some
very elegant neat mansions on his estates, he generally resided in a
magnificent castle, beautifully situated on a rising ground, surrounded
with groves of the finest evergreens, and other choice trees and shrubs.

The inside of this fine castle was even more beautiful than the outside;
for the rooms were all hung with the richest damask, curiously
ornamented; the chairs and sofas were covered with the finest velvet,
fringed with gold; and his table-dishes and plates were either of silver
or gold, finished in the most elegant style. His carriages and horses
might have served a king, and perhaps were finer than any monarch's of
the present day. The gentleman's appearance, however, did not altogether
correspond to his wealth; for, to a fierce disagreeable countenance, was
added an ugly blue beard, which made him an object of fear and disgust
in the neighbourhood, where he usually went by the name of Blue Beard.

There resided, at some considerable distance from Blue Beard's castle,
an old lady and her two daughters, who were people of some rank, but by
no means wealthy. The two young ladies were very pretty, and the fame of
their beauty having reached Blue Beard, he determined to ask one of them
in marriage. Having ordered a carriage, he called at their house, where
he saw the two young ladies, and was very politely received by their
mother, with whom he begged a few moments conversation.

  [Illustration]

After the two young ladies left the room, he began by describing his
immense riches, and then told her the purport of his visit, begging she
would use her interest in his favour. They were both so lovely, he said,
that he would be happy to get either of them for his wife, and would
therefore leave it to their own choice to determine upon the subject,
and immediately took his leave.

When the proposals of Blue Beard were mentioned to the young ladies
by their mother, both Miss Anne and her sister Fatima protested, that
they would never marry an ugly man, and particularly one with such a
frightful blue beard; because, although he possessed immense riches,
it was reported in the country, that he had married several beautiful
ladies, and nobody could tell what had become of them.

Their mother said, that the gentleman was agreeable in his conversation
and manners; that the ugliness of his face, and the blue beard, were
defects which they would soon be reconciled to from habit: that his
immense riches would procure them every luxury their heart could desire;
and he was so civil,