Now was she exceedingly delighted with this unheard of cruelty; and she had invented a story to tell the king at his return how the mad wolves had eaten up the queen, his wife, with her two children. One evening some time after, as she was, according to her usual custom, rambling about the court and yards of the palace to see if she could smell any fresh meat, she heard, in a ground room, little Day crying, for his mother was going to whip him because he had been guilty of some fault and she heard at the same time little Morning soliciting pardon for her brother. The ogress presently knew the voice of the queen and her children, and being quite in a rage to think she had been thus deceived, she commanded the next morning, by break of day, in a most terrible voice, which made every one tremble, that they should bring into the middle of the court a very large tub, which she caused to be filled with toads, vipers, snakes, and all sorts of serpents, in order to throw into it the queen and her children, the clerk of the kitchen, his wife and maid: all of whom she had given orders to have brought thither, with their hands tied behind them, to suffer the vengeance of the incensed ogress. They were brought out accordingly, and the executioners were going to throw them into the tub, when the king fortunately entered the court in his carriage, and asked with the utmost astonishment, what was meant by this horrid spectacle, no one daring to tell him. When the ogress saw what had happened, she fell into a violent passion, and threw herself head foremost into the tub, and was instantly devoured by the ugly creatures she had ordered to be thrown into it by others. The king could not but grieve, being very sorry, for she was his mother; but he soon comforted himself with his beautiful wife, and his two pretty children. And after all things were settled, he well rewarded the clerk of the kitchen for his wisdom, humanity, and compassion. THE END. PRINTED BY ALEXANDER GARDNER, PAISLEY ALEXANDER GARDNER, Publisher and Bookseller By Special Appointment To her late Majesty Queen Victoria. Children's Rhymes, Games, Songs, and Stories. By ~Robert Ford~. Crown 8vo. Price 3s. 6d. nett. "If there is any more entertaining book for juveniles who 'want to know' than Mr. Robert Ford's _Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories_, we have not yet made its acquaintance. The title is descriptive, as few titles are, of the unusual range of the book, which, be it said, will probably be read with as much zest by 'big folk' as by bairns."--_Glasgow Herald._