IN selecting these Spanish Tales for Beginners, three objects have been kept in view: (1) that they be good literature, (2) that they portray modern Spanish life, and (3) that they be interesting and not too difficult in language and thought. Some of the stories do not conform to all three rules,—the first two, for instance, do not portray modern Spanish life; but I hope that most of them will be found to conform fully. A few short lyric poems have also been included, since poetry forms an integral part of literature. Verse, moreover, is better for oral work and memorizing than prose. Spain has a rich and varied literature, from which other nations have freely drawn,—a literature that gives true expression to the life and aspirations of the Spanish people. The selections in this volume are taken from literary works that have been written in the past fifty or sixty years, and although they are inferior in some respects to the great master-pieces of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, I believe that they have literary excellence, and they have, besides, the advantage of being written in the language of today and of describing present-day life. It is my greatest wish that this volume may awaken the students' interest in the civilization of Spain, and that it may serve as an introduction to the study of Spanish literature. The integrity of the texts has been preserved so far as the exigencies of a beginners' book permit, but the following changes have been made: (1) Some words or passages have been omitted, chiefly in the earlier stories. The parts thus omitted are, for the most part, digressions or uninteresting descriptive passages. Omissions have generally been marked by four suspensive points, or by three at the beginning of a story. Except at the beginning of a story, three suspensive points form a part of the punctuation of the several authors. (2) The orthography has been made to conform to that now prescribed by the Royal Spanish Academy. (3) In the earlier stories, le has been substituted for the feminine indirect object-pronoun la, and los for the masculine plural direct object-pronoun les.

TABLE OF CONTENTS SPANISH TALES FOR BEGINNERS.. 2 THE COUNCILs OF A FATHER. 5 CASILDA.. 12 I 12 II 12 III 13 IV.. 15 V.. 16 VI 16 THE FLORECITA AZUL. 17 VIGY VIA.. 20 TONY.. 22 ANGLE FISHERMAN.. 27 THE CONFESSION OF A CRIME.. 30 PRACTICAL ECONOMY. 35 TRAVEL. 37 EARLY AND SUNNY. 39 THE JACKPOT. 44 THE CHECKBOOK. 49 THE BIRD IN THE SNOW... 54 THE WHALE OF MANZANARES. 63 THE HOUSE WHERE HE DIED.. 66 THE LONG NIGHTS OF CÓRDOBA.. 77 CUSTOM PICTURES. 87 THE GOLDEN BANGLE. 98 POEMS. 105 THE TWO RABBITS. 105 THE DUCK AND THE SNAKE. 105 THE BOAR AND THE FOX. 106 THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WINS IN EVERYTHING.. 106 THE PEAR TREE. 106 THE BLUE BALLOON.. 107 BIRD SONGS. 109 SONG.. 109 IT'S BEAUTIFUL TO LIVE!. 109 EXCELSIOR!. 110 RHYMES: XIII 110 RHYMES: LIII 110 NOTES. 111 THE COUNCILs OF A FATHER And L LEON, the king of the jungles, was dying in the hole of his cave.... To his side was his son, the new lion, the future king of all the animals. The dying monarch painfully gave him the last Advice, the most important. He said, "Always flee; no; no You intend to fight him. You're an absolute lord of the other animals, not the Dome them, punish them, let them be floated if you're hungry. You can fight with all of you, you can all overcome; but Don't pretend to fight man: I'd kill you and merciless, because he is cruel, crueller than us. "Is the man so strong?" the son asked. "It's not strong," the father replied. saying, "From a whip of your tail you could throw him in the air as the most miserable animal. Your teeth, your fangs, are powerful? They're despicable and ridiculous: they're worth less than the from a mouse. Your nails, are as powerful as my sailing? They are petty and sometimes they carry them dirty; no, for The sails wouldn't get you over. Will it have any manes like these, which we shake Proud? You don't have them, and some are bald. Here the dying lion greatly opened up the dreadful mouth... and he threw the last roar.

IN selecting these Spanish Tales for Beginners, three objects have been kept in view: (1) that they be good literature, (2) that they portray modern Spanish life, and (3) that they be interesting and not too difficult in language and thought. Some of the stories do not conform to all three rules, -the first two, for instance, do not portray modern Spanish life; but I hope that most of them will be found to conform fully. A few short lyric poems have also been included, since poetry forms an integral part of literature. Verse, moreover, is better for oral work and memorizing than prose. Spain has a rich and varied literature, from which other nations have freely drawn, -a literature that gives true expression to the life and aspirations of the Spanish people. The selections in this volume are taken from literary works that have been written in the past fifty or sixty years, and although they are inferior in some respects to the great master-pieces of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, I believe that they have literary excellence, and they have, besides, the advantage of being written in the language of today and of describing present-day life. It is my greatest wish that this volume may awaken the students' interest in the civilization of Spain, and that it may serve as an introduction to the study of Spanish literature. The integrity of the texts has been preserved so far as the exigencies of a beginners' book permit, but the following changes have been made: (1) Some words or passages have been omitted, chiefly in the earlier stories. The parts thus omitted are, for the most part, digressions or uninteresting descriptive passages. Omissions have generally been marked by four suspensive points, or by three at the beginning of a story. Except at the beginning of a story, three suspensive points form a part of the punctuation of the several authors. (2) The orthography has been made to conform to that now prescribed by the Royal Spanish Academy. (3) In the earlier stories, le has been substituted for the feminine indirect object-pronoun la, and los for the masculine plural direct object-pronoun les.