NEWS LITE : A HAPPY ENDING FAIRY-TALE AUTHOR'S 1859 LETTER DISCOVERED.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Danish literary experts are excited by the discovery of a 137-year-old letter by fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen.

The four-page missive is exceptional because of its length, said Johan de Mylius of the University of Odense, a leading international authority on the Danish author.

``This is long, very witty and written in a joking style,'' de Mylius said by telephone from Odense, Andersen's birthplace.

The letter congratulates a young lawmaker and newspaper editor who had just been married. It is dated 1859.

A lawyer recently discovered the letter among personal family documents and donated it to the Andersen Center at the University of Odense, 90 miles west of Copenhagen. The name of the lawyer was not revealed.

Andersen's letters have sold for up to $1,725 each, de Mylius said.

The newest discovery, however, is not for sale, he said. It will be published in an international Andersen journal.

Andersen was born in 1805, the son of a poor shoemaker's apprentice and a cleaning woman. He wrote 160 fairy tales and poems, including the popular stories ``The Little Mermaid,'' ``The Ugly Duckling'' and ``The Emperor's New Clothes.''

When he died at 70, Andersen was well known among the Danish upper class, but his stories did not gain international fame until years later.

`Babe' fan tries hoof at

sheep herding

Hamburger, a Berkshire pig, is no porker when it comes to herding sheep.

``He's watched `Babe' for most of his training,'' said his owner, John Vincent, 39, of Franktown, Colo.

``He's going to go out there and talk to them. He has no intention of chasing them. With a gentle hoof, he hopes to persuade them into the pen.''

Hamburger, who is 14 months old, is one of at least three pig entries in the Meeker Sheep Dog contest this weekend.

``One of the organizers really loved the movie `Babe' and thought it would really be fun to get some pigs to come up,'' said Vincent, a structural engineer for Lockheed Martin Corp.

``We decided we'd give it a shot. We have the world's most talented pig.''

Vincent and his wife, Lynn, 37, have two Berkshire pigs, Hamlet and Hamburger, as well as six pot-bellied pigs. Hamburger was chosen because of his size, somewhere between 330 and 350 pounds.

``You need a fairly big pig to not be intimidated by the sheep,'' Vincent said.

In the past week or so, Hamburger has been working with a neighbor's sheep. ``We've seen some progress,'' Vincent said.

``We sure can't guarantee a victory, but we're hoping we might have a chance. Sheep are really dumb, and he has to speak very slow.''

Win or lose, Hamburger will still have a future. ``He's still my friend, and he's still a great pig,'' Vincent said.

``I heard that one of the other entries is from a pork producing farm. If he doesn't do well, there may be problems for him. But not my guy.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Johan de Mylius holds a newly found letter fr om author Hans Christian Andersen.

(2) Movie junket

Bruce Willis, center, rides a boat on the Grand Canal in Italy on Friday on his way to the Venice Film Festival for a screening.

Associated Press