THERE used to be as soon as upon a time a wood-cutter and his spouse who had seven children, all boys ; the eldest used to be ten years ancient and the youngest solely seven. It was once as a substitute extraordinary that the wood- cutter had had so many adolescents in so quick a length ; however the reality is that his spouse continually had at least two at a birth. They have been very poor, and their seven adolescents have been a heavy burthen to them, for no longer one of them used to be but historical enough to earn his bread. What made the count number worse used to be the circumstance that the youngest toddler was once a weakly little fellow, in no way announcing a word, which they took to occur from stupidity, whilst in reality it used to be a signal of his wit. He used to be very little, indeed, when he was once born he used to be no larger than a man's thumb ; which brought about his father and mother to christen him " Hop-o'-my-Thumb." The negative toddler was once the drudge of the complete house, and used to be constantly blamed for something used to be wrong. Notwithstanding all this, he was once greater clever and greater understanding than any of his brothers, and even though he spoke however little,
he heard and remembered all. About this time there fell out a very scarce year, and the famine used to be so grievous that the negative human beings resolved to get rid of their adolescents altogether. One nighttime after they had long past to bed, and the mother and father have been sitting close to the fire, the timber cutter stated to his wife, his coronary heart being torn with anguish, " You see that we can no longer maintain our adolescents : I cannot see them die of hun- ger earlier than my face, and am resolved to lose them day after today in the forest, which will no longer be very difficult to do ; for, whilst they are a laugh themselves with tying up the faggots, we have solely to slip away from them unperceived." " Ah ! husband," cried the poor woman, "could you be so hard-hearted as to lose your very own adolescents ? " In useless her husband for a lengthy time represented to her their incredible distress ; she would no longer consent : she was poor,
however she was once their mother. However, at last, having considered how dreadful it would be to see them die of starvation earlier than her eyes, she agreed to her husband's inspiration and went weeping to bed. Hop-o'-my-Thumb thought to be overheard all of their conversation ; for, having their place when in mattress heard his father speakme very seriously, he had quietly risen, and slipped underneath the stool on which his father and mother have been sitting, and listened to them without being seen. When his father and mother had left off talking, he went returned to his mattress once more ; however slept no greater that night, questioning of what he ought to do in the morning. He obtained up very early, and went to the facet of a brook, the place he crammed his pockets with little white pebbles ; he then returned to the house. They set out, and Hop-o'-my-Thumb did no longer mention a word of what he had realized to his brothers. They went into a very thick forest, the place the bushes grew so carefully collectively that they may want to no longer see every different when they had been ten steps apart. The wood- cutter went to his work, reducing down trees, whilst his adolescents started out to select up sticks to make faggots. When the father and mom saw them busily employed, they all at once gave them the slip, and returned domestic by means of a bye path. As quickly as the negative young people discovered themselves alone, they commenced to cry, calling out for their dad and mom as loudly as they could. Hop-o'-my-Thumb let them cry on, understanding very well, the way to take them domestic once more ; for as he had come to the wood, he had taken desirable care to drop all alongside the road, the white pebbles with which he had Ulled his pockets. After a while, however, he stated to them :
" Do no longer be afraid my lads, our father and mother have left us here, however I will conduct you safely domestic once more ; solely comply with me. He then led the way and took them returned to their cottage, by way of the identical avenue they had come to the forest. They have been at first afraid to go in, and stationed themselves in opposition to the door to pay attention to what their father and mom have been saying.
