Pinocchio had a great fear of thunder, but hunger was stronger than fear. He therefore closed the house door and made a rush for the village. He reached it in a hundred bounds, with his tongue hanging out and panting for breath, like a dog after game.

But he found it all dark and deserted. The shops were closed, the windows shut, and there was not so much as a dog in the street. It seemed the land of the dead.

Pinocchio, urged by desperation and hunger, laid hold of the bell of a house and began to peal it with all his might, saying to himself:

"That will bring somebody."

And so it did. A little old man with a nightcap on his head appeared at a window and called to him angrily,

"What do you want at such an hour?"

"Would you be kind enough to give me a little bread?"

"Wait there, I will be back directly," said the little old an, thinking he had to do with one of those rascally boys who amused themselves at night by ringing the house bells to rouse respectable people who are sleeping quietly. After half a minute the window was again opened, and the voice of the same little old man shouted to Pinocchio"

"Come underneath and hold out your cap."

Pinocchio pulled off his cap; but just as he held it out, an enormous basin of water was poured down on him, watering him from head to foot as if he had been a pot of dried-up geraniums.

He returned home like a wet chicken quite exhausted with fatigue and hunger. As he no longer had strength to stand, he sat down and rested his damp and muddy feet on a brazier full of burning embers.

Then he fell asleep; and while he slept his feet, which were wooden, took fire, and little by little they burned away and became cinders.

Pinocchio continued to sleep and to snore as if his feet belonged to someone else. At last about daybreak he awoke because someone was knocking at the door.

"Who is there?" he asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"It is I!" answered a voice.

And the voice was Geppetto's voice.

The Tale of Brownie Beaver    Price $10.95  
     First published in 1916, the sleepy-time tales stories, written by Arthur Scott Bailey and illustrated by Diane Petersen, tell about Brownie Beaver's many antics and adventures.
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The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin    Price $12.95  
    Beatrix Potter's story of the naughty squirrel Nutkin, first appeared in book form in 1903. Children of all agescan can now enjoy many this classic tale in electronic format.
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The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle    Price $10.95  
    Mr. Lofting uses Tommy Stubbins to tell the story of Doctor Dolittle's journey to the Spidermonkey Island and the adventures they have. Illustrated by the author and electronic enhancements by Antelope Publishing
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