BRUCE AND THE SPIDER

Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, was hiding one day in a little hut that lay deep in the forest. He was all alone, and much discouraged. He had been fighting many battles with the enemies of Scotland, and had lost every battle. His soldiers 5 had been killed or else driven to take refuge in the mountains, as the king himself was now doing. He was hungry and homeless, but there was nothing to eat and no place of shelter but a mean hut.

"There is no use in trying to free Scotland now," thought the king. "Our enemies are too strong. I might as well give up the struggle.”

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Just then he saw a spider that was trying to spin a web between two rafters. She would fasten 15 one end of her thread to a rafter, and then swing herself across to the other rafter. She seemed to find this very hard, for each time the thread broke, and the spider would have to begin all over again.

Bruce sat watching her, and wondered how long 20 she would keep trying before she gave up. Six

times the spider tried to fasten her thread, and six times she failed.

"You are a brave and patient spider," thought the king. "You do not give up as soon as I do. 5 I will watch you try the seventh time, and, if you succeed, I too will risk my seventh battle."

Once more the spider swung her tiny thread to the opposite rafter, and this time it held fast. "You have taught me a lesson, little spider," 10 said Bruce. 66 "I will gather my army and try once more to drive away the enemies of Scotland." So the king stood again at the head of his army, and fought as he had never fought before. This time he won the battle, and made his coun15 try free.

discouraged (dis-kur'ājd)

enemies (en'e-miz)

fasten (fas'n)

rafter (raft'er)

refuge (ref'uj)

struggle (strug'gl)

HELPS TO STUDY

Robert Bruce, one of the heroes of Scotland, and later

its king, lived about six hundred years ago. Tell how Bruce learned new patience and courage.

KING ALFRED AND THE CAKES

Many years ago, when the people of England were fighting with the Danes, they had a hard time to defend their country from these savage enemies. With King Alfred, their leader, at their head, they fought many battles with the Danes, 5 but they could not succeed in driving the enemy out of England. Before long King Alfred had to flee for his life, and he wandered homeless and alone through the wild parts of his country.

One day he happened to come upon a poor cow- 10 herd's hut, and he begged the man and his wife to give him shelter. It was now winter, and the king had no place to eat or sleep; so he was very glad when the cowherd told him that he might stay in the hut all winter.

The king was not idle during the long months that he stayed in the hut, but he did much hunting and spent many hours making arrows. These he hoped some day to use against his enemies.

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One morning he sat by the fire while the good- 20 wife kneaded oaten cakes for their simple dinner.

Just before she put the cakes in the fire, she remembered that the calves had not been fed; so she turned to the king and said, "Here, you lazy fellow, why should you not bake the cakes while I stend to my calves? It is better for you to do something useful than to sit all day making arrows which no one uses.

"I will watch the cakes," said Alfred, and he put down his arrow. "Now, mind you, they 10 must be watched very carefully or they will burn,' said the dame, as she hurried out of the hut.

The king sat close to the fire so that he might not let the cakes burn; but soon he began to think about the hated Danes, and his scattered army, and 15 his own hard fate, and of course he forgot all about the cakes. Suddenly the goodwife rushed into the hut crying: "My cakes are burned, my cakes are burned! I can smell them burning." Then she turned angrily to the king and said, "Be off 20 with you, you good-for-nothing fellow. You have let the cakes burn black." Just as she said these words a knock was heard at the door, and a man entered. He looked strangely at the old woman,

but when he saw the king he knelt before him and told him the joyful news he had brought. There had been a great battle in which the English had beaten the Danes, and they were now only waiting for their king to lead them to further 5 victory.

You can imagine the surprise and dismay of the goodwife when she learned that the lazy fellow whom she had ordered out of her house was Alfred, King of England.

Alfred did succeed in driving the Danes out of his country, but though he became a famous king and hero, I am sure he never forgot how he had burned the oaten cakes.

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calves (kavz)

cowherd (kou'herd)

kneaded (nēd'ed)
savage (sav'āj)

HELPS TO STUDY

King Alfred, called Alfred the Great, died over a thousand years ago. This is a famous story, showing that even the greatest men do not do everything well.