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At last, one day, he lifted a shining face. "I have found the secret!" he cried, "the letters are plain." Then stepping to the door, he read: "Knock and this door will open." Chrif knocked once, and the door flew open. One shining spot he saw in the darkness. It was the pot of gold. Chrif put out his hand to take it, when lo! burning words shone on its side.
"Will you go?" asked Gavin, the shepherd-boy. "Go! That I will," said Chrif. "The pot of gold is there, and that is what I have set out to find." "Yes," said Gavin, "the pot of gold is there and many other things. I long to see them all. Let us hurry on our way." The two boys first went through a forest. Then they came out upon the ocean side. The sun was setting in the sea.
But Wry-Face said to himself as, weeping, he carried the potatoes to the potato-wife: "I will never play a trick on anyone again, not as long as I live!" The Pot of Gold Chrif begins the Search Once upon a time there stood by the roadside an old red house. In this house lived three people. They were an old grandmother; her grandchild, Rhoda; and a boy named Christopher.
"Hark!" he whispered, "I hear something." Chrif at the Palace Chrif listened and he too heard distant music. Its notes were very sweet. "Come, let us go where the music is!" said Andy. Chrif and Andy made their way through the woods and entered a shining city. Every street was blazing with lights; the fronts of the houses were hung with lanterns; fireworks were being set off in the public squares.
"No," said Rhoda, "I ought to weed my flowers." "Ye must hurry," laughed the old broom-woman. "The rainbow won't stay for lazy folks." "I'm off!" cried Chrif; and away he went in search of the pot of gold. Rhoda watched him out of sight. Then she turned to weed the boat-garden. When her grandmother came from the berry pasture, Rhoda told her where Chrif had gone.
Chrif crept to the shepherd-boy's side and read over his shoulder. This is what he read: "Beyond the setting of the sun lies the New Land. Here are mountains, forests, and mighty rivers. The sands of the streams are golden; the trees grow wonderful fruit; the mountains hide strange monsters. Upon a high pillar near the coast is the famous pot of gold." "Oh, where is this country?" cried Chrif.
"Hurrah!" cried the people. "Hurrah! hurrah!" cried Chrif, louder than them all. When Chrif and Andy entered the palace, they saw the Princess upon her throne. Dancing was going on, but the Princess did not dance. She was waiting for the handsomest dancer. All who thought themselves good-looking stood in a row not far from the Princess.
Each lad was trying to look handsomer than the others in the line. Over the throne was a pearl clock. It was that kind of clock called a cuckoo clock. When the hours struck, a golden cuckoo would come out of a little door. He would cuckoo as many times as there were hours and then go back, shutting the door after him. When Chrif and Andy entered the hall, the Princess saw them at once.
Lo! a picture was on its side. He saw the old red house, the grandmother at the window, and Rhoda in the garden. Rhoda was watering the flowers in the dear old boat. Now and then she would turn her head and look up the road. She seemed hoping that Chrif would come. The pillar and the pot of gold faded away; then the picture of home went too. Chrif was left in darkness. Then Andy spoke.
"She carries gold and will bring back pearls and rice." "How much you know, Chrif," said Rhoda. "I mean to go to India some day," said Chrif. "People ride on elephants there." Rhoda would sail little twigs in the stream. Her boats were small, but they sometimes went farther than Chrif's. His were loaded so heavily that they often overturned.
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