Page:Hans Andersen's fairy tales (Robinson).djvu/211

THE STORKS they could obtain; now they were allowed to eat frogs and serpents, and accordingly they did eat them.

'Now we will have our revenge!' said they.

'Very well!' said the mother; 'I have been thinking what will be the best. I know where the pool is in which all the little human children lie until the storks come and take them to their parents: the pretty little things sleep and dream so pleasantly as they will never dream again. All parents like to have a little child, and all children like to have a little brother or sister. We will fly to the pool and fetch one for each of the boys who has not sung that wicked song, nor made a jest of the storks; and the other naughty children shall have none.'

'But he who first sung those naughty rhymes! that great ugly fellow! what shall we do to him? ' cried the young storks.

'In the pool there lies a little child who has dreamed away his life; we will take it for him, and he will weep because he has only a little dead brother. But as to the good boy who said it was a sin to mock and tease animals, surely you have not forgotten him? We will bring him two little ones, a brother and a sister. And as this little boy's name is Peter, you too shall for the future be called "Peter!"'

And it came to pass just as the mother said; and all the storks were called 'Peter,' and are still so called to this very day. 171