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The Story of Alexander
told by Robert Steele
& drawn by Fred Mason
London in the Strand
David Nutt
1894

M. M. S.

A TOKEN OF

FRIENDSHIP AND ADMIRATION

My dear Gracie

When I promised some months ago to tell you afairy story, I did not remember that most of them have beenso well told by my friend Mr. Jacobs, and others, that it wouldbe difficult to find any fresh ones worth telling you.

Then I remembered that there was a time, hundreds of yearsago, when folk here in England were fond of hearing and tellingstories, and when, in the long winter evenings, people gatheredround the castle-fire in the great hall, lord and lady, squires anddames, pages, varlets, children, even the dogs, all of them listeningto the old chaplain who read them a never-ending tale of abrave knight and a wicked enchanter; or, better still, to a travellingtale-teller who brought the last story from France and Italy.“Now,” thought I, “the tales that pleased these folk so wellwould perhaps suit young people of to-day.” For the men wholived then were large hearted and simple souled, and if it is true,as our great English poet said, “Men are but children of alarger growth”—and it was true of that time—perhaps the[viii]stories of the men of those days would still have the power toplease the children of ours.

Well, I began to turn over some of those big books you haveseen in my room, and to read their stories again to choose onefor you, and the first story I read was the History of Alexanderthe Great. You must not be frightened about the tale, however;there are no dates and summaries at the ends of the chapters tolearn, and, though I believe every word of it myself, I am afraidthat if you were to put some of it in your examination paper onGreek History, the mistress who marked it would be annoyed,and I am certain that you will not find the pictures like those