THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN

(Adapted from Browning’s poem)

One should stick to his bargain or abide the consequences.

Over in Germany is the town of Hamelin. A long time ago that town was troubled with rats until it was unendurable. The rats were in the houses, in the stores, in the churches; they ran over the streets, and the people were eaten out of house and home. The rats fought the dogs and killed the cats. They ate all the cheese, they made nests inside men’s Sunday hats. Oh, it was an awful time the people had with the rats of the town of Hamelin.

At last the people said: “We will not stand it any longer. What is our Mayor for if he can’t rid us of rats?” So they went to the Mayor and said they would send him packing if he did not find some way to run the rats out of town. The poor Mayor was in a quandary. He did not know what to do.

Just then came a knock on the door. “Come in,” said the Mayor. In walked a strange man, tall and thin, with a funny hat on his head, and with clothes half red and half yellow. His eyes were sharp and bright. He had a little pipe in his hands upon which he could play music.

“I am the Pied Piper, Mr. Mayor,” said the strange man, “and I can rid your town of rats for a thousand coins.”

“Good!” said the Mayor. “Go on! it’s a bargain. Be in a hurry about it, for the people are already angry with me.”

The Piper went to the door and began to play on his pipe. It was a strange high tune. All at once the rats began to run out from everywhere. All kinds of rats, big and little, old and young, they came running and tumbling and falling over each other. Then the Piper led them down to the river where every last one of them jumped in and was drowned. Not a rat was left in all the town of Hamelin.

“Now for my thousand coins,” said the Piper to the Mayor.

“Oh, come!” said the Mayor. “I did not really mean to pay you all that money. Here—take ten and be satisfied.”

But the Piper said he wanted his thousand coins and would take no less. So the Mayor puffed up, and grew red in the face and told the Piper to be gone.

The Piper then went into the streets and began to play another very strange tune. All the children pricked up their ears to listen. The Piper played on. The children began to run out of the houses and the stores and down the street, shouting and laughing and dancing after the Piper.

“Stop him! Stop him!” cried the people. But the Piper did not stop but marched on towards the mountains where a great door opened and all the children marched in after the Piper. The door then closed and the people never saw the Piper nor their children any more.

That is what happened because the Mayor would not do as he promised.