Top-of-the-World Stories for Boys and Girls. Anonymous

39 Chapter I. The Palace of Shah Nadir 39 Chapter II. The Arena 48 Chapter III. The Captivity 58 Chapter IV. The Release 72 Sikku and the Trolls 86 Sampo Lappelil 105 A Legend of Mercy 130 Anton's Errand, or The Boy Who Made Friends by the Way 138 The Forest Witch 175 The Testing of the Two Knights 185 ILLUSTRATIONSTable of Contents It was a life-and-death race (Page 126) Frontispiece Facing Page "Good-day, Knut Spelevink," said the Snow King 24 The pine-tree raised itself high in air 32 Since Shah Nadir could refuse her nothing, he granted her request 46 In the Lapp tent 60 Lindagull stepped forth in the clear day 70 Out of the mist arose a slender figure 80 "Oh, ho!" exclaimed Sikku, recognizing her as the troll woman 90 Sampo was left lying in a snow-drift 114 On the back of the reindeer with golden horns 126 There stood the wolf and the bear 136 The lizard lay perfectly still, listening 146 "Turn back, turn back," said the dove 158 The Mayor was overwhelmed with wonder 172 Nina stood with arms around her little brother 178 Klaus brought forth his only treasure 196

TOP-OF-THE-WORLD STORIES

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KNUT SPELEVINK[1]

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      Knut was a poor orphan boy who lived with his grandmother at Perlebank in a little hut on the shore.

      He had a shirt, a jacket, a pair of trousers and a cap; and what more does one need in summer? In winter he had woolen stockings and birch-bark shoes. That wasn't so little, after all. He was cheerful—always happy indeed, though always hungry. It is a great art to know how to be happy and hungry at the same time!

      His good grandmother was so poor that she seldom had enough food for the boy to eat all he wanted. She spun woolen yarn and sent Knut with it to Mr. Peterman's grand estate, The Ridge, several miles away, where he could always sell the yarn. When Knut returned with the money, Grandmother would buy flour and bake bread. She made it in big flat cakes with a hole in the middle, strung these cakes on a stick and hung the stick high up in the hut where the cakes would dry and harden, and could be kept for a long time. If the yarn brought a good price, she might even buy some sour milk, too. Potatoes they got from a tiny fenced-in field, no larger than the floor of a small room. Then, too, Grandmother owned a fish-net, so they had fresh fish sometimes—when Fisher Jonas's boy could help Knut to put out the net.

      It was indeed seldom, however, that Knut and his grandmother were well supplied with food, and the boy's little stomach often called for more; but even then he was as cheerful as ever.

      One morning he sat on the beach, picking up yellowish stones that looked a little like soft, warm, boiled potatoes. Poor Knut! They would not do to eat, and he laughingly threw them away, but as he did so, he happened to see something that lay among the stones. Picking it up, he found that it was a little