the end, they promised the Pied Piper fifty crowns—a generous sum—as soon as not a single rat was left to squeak in Franchville. Out of the hall stepped the Piper, and as he did so he laid his pipe to his lips and played a high-pitched tune. Up Silver Street and down Gold Street he went, and then to the harbor, and out of every hole the rats came tumbling. As the Piper paced along, slowly and gravely, the townsfolk flocked to see him, the rats parading behind. They called many blessings down upon his head. At the water’s edge he stepped onto a boat, and as he shoved off into deep water, piping shrilly all the while, the rats followed him, splashing, paddling, and wagging their tails with delight. On and on he played, until the rats sank deeper in the slimy ooze of the harbor and drowned. Then the Piper returned to the town in his boat, not a single rat in pursuit. The townsfolk had tossed their caps into the air and hurrahed and set the church bells a-ringing. But as soon as the Piper stepped ashore, the mayor began to shake his head. The town money chest had been sadly emptied of late, and where was the fifty crowns going to come from? And the Piper’s job had been easily accomplished— all he had done was pipe his way through town and set off in a boat. Why, the mayor himself could have done that!
“Come, my good man,” said he, “you see what poor folk we are. We cannot pay fifty crowns! Maybe twenty crowns? When all is said and done, it will be good pay for the trouble you’ve taken.” “Fifty crowns was our agreement,” said the Piper. “And if I were you, I’d pay it quickly.” “What will you do if we don’t pay you?” asked the mayor. “The rats are all dead. You can’t bring them back.” And he turned his back on the Piper and walked away. The Piper then laid his pipe to his lips and played a tune that was joyous, full of happy laughter and merry play. And as he paced down the streets, from schoolrooms and playrooms and nurseries, every child in the town ran out with eager glee and followed the Piper. Dancing, laughing, and joining hands, the bright throng moved along up Gold Street and down Silver Street, and beyond Silver Street to the cool, green forest of old oaks and wide-spreading beeches. As the group wove in and out among the oak trees, the townsfolk glimpsed the Piper’s many-colored coat and listened to the laughter of the children as it faded away. Deeper and deeper into the green wood the stranger strode and played on his pipe, the delighted children in tow. And watch and wait as they might, the townspeople never saw the Piper or their children ever again.
Teacher: Use these questions to spark a conversation after reading. 1. Describe the Pied Piper. What kind of person is he? How do you know? 2. How is the music the Piper plays for the children different from the music he plays for the rats? Why is this important to the story? 3. How do the details in the illustration match what you learn about the story events? What additional details about the story does the illustration provide?
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