A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales, for Girls and Boys

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Hawthorne Nathaniel. A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales, for Girls and Boys

Preface

A Wonder Book

THE GORGON'S HEAD

Tanglewood Porch. Introductory to "The Gorgon's Head"

The Gorgon's Head

Tanglewood Porch. After the Story

THE GOLDEN TOUCH

Shadow Brook. Introductory to "The Golden Touch"

The Golden Touch

Shadow Brook. After the Story

THE PARADISE OF CHILDREN

Tanglewood Play-Room. Introductory to "The Paradise of Children"

The Paradise of Children

Tanglewood Play-Room. After the Story

THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES

Tanglewood Fireside. Introductory to "The Three Golden Apples"

The Three Golden Apples

Tanglewood Fireside. After the Story

THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER

The Hill-Side. Introductory to "The Miraculous Pitcher"

The Miraculous Pitcher

The Hill-Side. After the Story

THE CHIMÆRA

Bald-Summit. Introductory to "The Chimæra"

The Chimæra

Bald-Summit. After the Story

TANGLEWOOD TALES

The Wayside

Introductory

The Minotaur

The Pygmies

The Dragon's Teeth

Circe's Palace

The Pomegranate Seeds

The Golden Fleece

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Beneath the porch of the country-seat called Tanglewood, one fine autumnal morning, was assembled a merry party of little folks, with a tall youth in the midst of them. They had planned a nutting expedition, and were impatiently waiting for the mists to roll up the hill-slopes, and for the sun to pour the warmth of the Indian summer over the fields and pastures, and into the nooks of the many-colored woods. There was a prospect of as fine a day as ever gladdened the aspect of this beautiful and comfortable world. As yet, however, the morning mist filled up the whole length and breadth of the valley, above which, on a gently sloping eminence, the mansion stood.

This body of white vapor extended to within less than a hundred yards of the house. It completely hid everything beyond that distance, except a few ruddy or yellow tree-tops, which here and there emerged, and were glorified by the early sunshine, as was likewise the broad surface of the mist. Four or five miles off to the southward rose the summit of Monument Mountain, and seemed to be floating on a cloud. Some fifteen miles farther away, in the same direction, appeared the loftier Dome of Taconic, looking blue and indistinct, and hardly so substantial as the vapory sea that almost rolled over it. The nearer hills, which bordered the valley, were half submerged, and were specked with little cloud-wreaths all the way to their tops. On the whole, there was so much cloud, and so little solid earth, that it had the effect of a vision.

.....

He took one of the nice little trouts on his plate, and, by way of experiment, touched its tail with his finger. To his horror, it was immediately transmuted from an admirably fried brook-trout into a gold-fish, though not one of those gold-fishes which people often keep in glass globes, as ornaments for the parlor. No; but it was really a metallic fish, and looked as if it had been very cunningly made by the nicest goldsmith in the world. Its little bones were now golden wires; its fins and tail were thin plates of gold; and there were the marks of the fork in it, and all the delicate, frothy appearance of a nicely fried fish, exactly imitated in metal. A very pretty piece of work, as you may suppose; only King Midas, just at that moment, would much rather have had a real trout in his dish than this elaborate and valuable imitation of one.

"I don't quite see," thought he to himself, "how I am to get any breakfast!"

.....