Wonder-Box Tales

"Wonder-Box Tales" by Jean Ingelow is a compilation of charming children's stories filled with fairy tale wonder and moral lessons. One story, "The Ouphe of the Wood," tells of a woodman's wife who unknowingly helps a magical being. Her kindness in offering aid to an old man, who is actually the powerful Ouphe in disguise, leads to a night of generosity. Afterward, the woodman and his wife are surprised to find a knapsack of gold left behind. The couple begins to enjoy their newfound wealth, but their lives take a turn for the worse as they argue and feel unhappy which suggests a moral about greed. The young wife dreams, revealing her relief that their old life is preserved, and pointing out the book’s overall lesson about contentment and the consequences of excessive desire.