tall and thin, with a sharp chin and a mouth where the
smiles went out and in, and two blue eyes each like a pin.

And he was dressed half in red and half in yellow, and
as we have often been told, he really was the strangest
fellow. Around his neck he wore a red and yellow ribbon,
and on it was hung something like a flute, and his fingers
went straying up and down it as if he wished to be
playing.

"I understand that you do not like caterpillars,"
said this queer fellow to Little Bear. "Men call me the
Pied Piper," he went on when he saw that Little Bear was
too surprised to speak. "And I know a way to draw
after me everything that walks or flies or swims! What
will you give me if I rid your playground of caterpillars?"

"I shall give you my porridge bowl," answered Little
Bear, "if you can take away these caterpillars."

Little Bear afterward told his father and mother that
he did not believe that the Pied Piper could do it.

Straightway the Pied Piper put the long pipe to his
lips and began to play a tune--a strange, high little tune.
And before the pipe had uttered three shrill notes the
caterpillars humped after the Piper--thin ones, plump
ones, skinny ones, woolly ones, striped ones, plain ones,
great caterpillars, small caterpillars, lean ones, brawny
ones, brown caterpillars, black caterpillars, gray ones,