Pixy's Holiday Journey

George Lang

Informations

• Publié par: seyh
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 25
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Project Gutenberg eBook, Pixy's Holiday
Journey, by George Lang, Translated by Mary E.
Ireland
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at
no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the
terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Pixy's Holiday Journey
Author: George Lang
Release Date: March 21, 2005 [eBook #15426]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG
EBOOK PIXY'S HOLIDAY JOURNEY***
E-text prepared by Curtis Weyant, Mary Meehan,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed
Proofreading TeamPIXY'S HOLIDAY JOURNEY
Translated from the German of GEORGE LANG
by MARY E. IRELAND
1906
TO THE TWO DEAR
BOYS, HUGH D.
SHEPARD AND
GEORGE H. IRELAND,
BOTH OF WHOM TOOK
KEEN PLEASURE INLISTENING TO THE
READING OF THE
MANUSCRIPT OF THE
HOLIDAY JOURNEY OF
THREE BOYS AND
PIXY, THE STORY,
NOW IN BOOK FORM,
IS LOVINGLY
DEDICATED BY
THE TRANSLATOR.
Washington, D.C.CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. THE GRECIANS AND THE TROJANS
II. THEY MEET A KIND FRIEND
III. AT THE SWAN INN
IV. A KIND WELCOME
V. FRITZ IN TROUBLE
VI. A WHOLE DAY OF SIGHT-SEEING
VII. THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
VIII. PIXY IN TROUBLE
IX. THEY VISIT THE CLOTHING MOUSE
X. PIXY'S EARNINGS
XI. IN THE DESERTED CABINXII. A WELL-SPRING OF PLEASUREPIXY'S HOLIDAY JOURNEYCHAPTER I
THE GRECIANS AND THE TROJANS
There were three boys in the same class in the
polytechnic school in the mountainous Odenwald
country, in Hesse Darmstadt, who were such great
friends and inseparable companions that the other
pupils named them "the three-leaved clover." They
were near of an age—about eleven—and near of a
size; and their names were Fritz, Paul and Franz.
Fritz was an active, energetic boy, had coal black
hair and bright, black eyes which looked out upon
the world with the alert glance of a squirrel in a
cage.
Paul had brown hair, brown eyes and brown
complexion, was of reflective manner, and willing to
follow where Fritz led.
Franz was a robust boy with blonde hair, blue
eyes, fair complexion, and cheeks like cherries
which had ripened in the sun.
They had been firm friends ever since the day that
Fritz had had a combat with a larger boy, and
Franz and Paul ran to his assistance. But the big
boy was victor, leaving Fritz on the field of battle
with a bleeding nose, Franz with a bruise upon his
forehead, and Paul with a fiery-red cheek, causedby slaps from the hand of the foe. From that hour
the three united for life or death in an alliance for
defense against an enemy and resolved to provide
themselves with weapons, also a place to keep
them when not in active service; said place to be
called the armory.
It was a subject of much thought and discussion to
secure a suitable place, but at length Franz
brought the welcome news that his father had sold
the calf that day, and the nice shed it had occupied
was vacant. This was delightful news and when
school was out they hurried there, drove nails in
the board walls, and hung up their spears which
were made of pine wood, and, like the shields
hanging beside them, were glistening with gold and
silver paper. On the opposite wall were the sombre
bows and arrows, brightened, however, by the
nearness of three brilliant helmets with waving
plumes made of black yarn.
The array of weapons seemed so warlike that it
called to memory the battle between the Grecians
and the Trojans as recorded in Homer's Iliad, which
their class was reading in school; and they then
and there decided to take the names of their
favorite Greek heroes.
"I will be Odysseus," said Fritz.
"I will be Achilles," responded Franz.
"And I," said Paul after due reflection, "will be
Patroclus.""And let us call that fellow that fought us a Trojan,"
suggested Franz.
"Agreed," cried Fritz. "Let us call all of our enemies
Trojans."
This proposition was received with warmth and
they solemnly shook hands to clinch the compact.
It was a shadow to their enjoyment that while there
was an outside bolt to their armory, there was no
lock and key, and there were plenty of Trojans in
school who would wish no better amusement than
to break in and carry off the weapons. To prevent
such a catastrophe, it was decided that the
moment school was out, one of them must run to
the armory and remain on guard until all the boys
had gone to their homes. They were to take turns
in this duty, and Franz was appointed as sentinel
for that evening.
When he reached the shed he heard the sound of
movement inside the armory, yet the bolt was not
withdrawn. He stood a moment in mute wonder for
he could not understand how a Trojan could get in
when there was no window, and but one door, and
it bolted on the outside. He called several times,
but there was no answer, and he was more than
glad when he saw Fritz running through the
gateway of the barnyard. Emboldened by the sight
of the Grecian warrior, he pushed back the bolt,
the door flew open, and out rushed a hog,
squealing with delight at regaining his liberty.
Without delay it made for the open gateway, ran