Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/361



AVE you ever seen a really old wooden cupboard, quite black with age, and covered with carvings of scrolls and foliage? Just such a cupboard was standing in a parlor; it had been left to the family by the great-grandmother. It was ornamented with carved roses and tulips from top to bottom, and between these quaint ornaments protruded small stags' heads and antlers, but in the middle of the cupboard was carved the full-length figure of a man which made one grin to look at it; he, at any rate, was grinning, for it could not be called laughing. He had goat's legs, small horns on his head, and a long beard. The children always called him "Major-and-lieutenant-general-war-commander-sergeant of the Billy-goat-legs," which was a difficult name to pronounce, besides being a title which many did not receive; but to get him carved must have been a difficult piece of work.

But there he was, and he was always looking toward the table under the mirror, for there stood a lovely little shepherdess of porcelain. Her shoes were gilt and her dress was fastened up with a rose, and then she had a gilt hat and shepherd's crook. She was really lovely. Close to her stood a little chimney-sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain. He was quite as clean and nice as anybody. As to his being a sweep, that