Edgar Allan Poe wasn't just known for horror- he also had a sense of humor and a deep sense of justice for those who had been wronged. In this story, a French king who likes to play extravagent jokes on his guests decides to use his two dwarfs, which had been captured and sent to him by one of his generals, as the evenings' entertainment. The man dwarf, HopFrog, had earned that name from the King due to his crippled leg which kept him from standing up straight, and causing him to hop using his strong arms to help him move. Tripetta was also a dwarf, very pretty, and an excellent dancer. The two had become close friends since their capture. On this night the king becomes abusive- and Hop Frog includes a surprise in the evening's entertainment.

Now you can enjoy our short stories by category (funny, love, baseball, tragic, O. Henry, Hemingway, etc) by going to www.bestof1001stories.com,opening '1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales'podcast, and clicking on "Episodes". You will be surprised at what we have done ! While you're there, check out the "About" tab at 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries and see how all this started as I tell some personal details about the origins of 1001. Thanks!

https://pixabay.com/music/folk-medieval-background-196571/ Music by Luca Francini from Pixabay

Warning!!!! This episode contains the words "fat", dwarf" and probably a few others which were used in 1848. These words could send certain people into a "swoon". Keep smelling salts handy near your snuff box, as Abigail Adams used to do.