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diff --git a/40682-8.txt b/40682-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 94248fd..0000000 --- a/40682-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6231 +0,0 @@ - LULU'S LIBRARY, VOLUME I - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Title: Lulu's Library, Volume I (of 3) - -Author: Louisa M. Alcott - -Release Date: September 05, 2012 [EBook #40682] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LULU'S LIBRARY, VOLUME I (OF -3) *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - LULU'S LIBRARY. - - - BY - - LOUISA M. ALCOTT, - - - AUTHOR OF "LITTLE WOMEN," "AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL," "LITTLE MEN," - "EIGHT COUSINS," "ROSE IN BLOOM," "UNDER THE LILACS," - "JACK AND JILL," "HOSPITAL SKETCHES," "WORK, A - STORY OF EXPERIENCE," "MOODS, A NOVEL," - "PROVERB STORIES," "SILVER PITCHERS," - "AUNT JO'S SCRAP-BAG." - - - - VOL. I. - - A CHRISTMAS DREAM. - THE CANDY COUNTRY. - NAUGHTY JOCKO. - THE SKIPPING SHOES. - COCKYLOO. - ROSY'S JOURNEY. - HOW THEY RAN AWAY. - THE FAIRY BOX. - A HOLE IN THE WALL. - THE PIGGY GIRL. - THE THREE FROGS. - BAA! BAA! - - - - BOSTON: - ROBERTS BROTHERS. - 1886. - - - - - _Copyright, 1885,_ - BY LOUISA M. ALCOTT. - - - - University Press: - JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE. - - - - - PREFACE. - - -All but three of these stories were told to my little niece during our -quiet hour before bedtime. They became such favorites with her and her -friends that I wrote them down in several small blue books, and called -them LULU'S LIBRARY. Having nothing else to offer this year, I have -collected them in one volume as a Christmas gift to my boys and girls -from their old friend - -AUNT JO. -CONCORD, August, 1885. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - I. A Christmas Dream - II. The Candy Country - III. Naughty Jocko - IV. The Skipping Shoes - V. Cockyloo - VI. Rosy's Journey - VII. How They Ran Away - VIII. The Fairy Box - IX. A Hole in the Wall - X. The Piggy Girl - XI. The Three Frogs - XII. Baa! Baa! - - - - -[Illustration: She actually stood in "a grove of Christmas trees."--PAGE -30.] - - - - I. - - A CHRISTMAS DREAM, AND HOW IT CAME TRUE. - - -"I'm so tired of Christmas I wish there never would be another one!" -exclaimed a discontented-looking little girl, as she sat idly watching -her mother arrange a pile of gifts two days before they were to be -given. - -"Why, Effie, what a dreadful thing to say! You are as bad as old -Scrooge; and I 'm afraid something will happen to you, as it did to him, -if you don't care for dear Christmas," answered mamma, almost dropping -the silver horn she was filling with delicious candies. - -"Who was Scrooge? What happened to him?" asked Effie, with a glimmer of -interest in her listless face, as she picked out the sourest lemon-drop -she could find; for nothing sweet suited her just then. - -"He was one of Dickens's best people, and you can read the charming -story some day. He hated Christmas until a strange dream showed him how -dear and beautiful it was, and made a better man of him." - -"I shall read it; for I like dreams, and have a great many curious ones -myself. But they don't keep me from being tired of Christmas," said -Effie, poking discontentedly among the sweeties for something worth -eating. - -"Why are you tired of what should be the happiest time of all the year?" -asked mamma, anxiously. - -"Perhaps I should n't be if I had something new. But it is always the -same, and there is n't any more surprise about it. I always find heaps -of goodies in my stocking. Don't like some of them, and soon get tired -of those I do like. We always have a great dinner, and I eat too much, -and feel ill next day. Then there is a Christmas tree somewhere, with a -doll on top, or a stupid old Santa Claus, and children dancing and -screaming over bonbons and toys that break, and shiny things that are of -no use. Really, mamma, I 've had so many Christmases all alike that I -don't think I _can_ bear another one." And Effie laid herself flat on -the sofa, as if the mere idea was too much for her. - -Her mother laughed at her despair, but was sorry to see her little girl -so discontented, when she had everything to make her happy, and had -known but ten Christmas days. - -"Suppose we don't give you _any_ presents at all,--how would that suit -you?" asked mamma, anxious to please her spoiled child. - -"I should like one large and splendid one, and one dear little one, to -remember some very nice person by," said Effie, who was a fanciful -little body, full of odd whims and notions, which her friends loved to -gratify, regardless of time, trouble, or money; for she was the last of -three little girls, and very dear to all the family. - -"Well, my darling, I will see what I can do to please you, and not say a -word until all is ready. If I could only get a new idea to start with!" -And mamma went on tying up her pretty bundles with a thoughtful face, -while Effie strolled to the window to watch the rain that kept her -in-doors and made her dismal. - -"Seems to me poor children have better times than rich ones. I can't go -out, and there is a girl about my age splashing along, without any maid -to fuss about rubbers and cloaks and umbrellas and colds. I wish I was -a beggar-girl." - -"Would you like to be hungry, cold, and ragged, to beg all day, and -sleep on an ash-heap at night?" asked mamma, wondering what would come -next. - -"Cinderella did, and had a nice time in the end. This girl out here has -a basket of scraps on her arm, and a big old shawl all round her, and -does n't seem to care a bit, though the water runs out of the toes of -her boots. She goes paddling along, laughing at the rain, and eating a -cold potato as if it tasted nicer than the chicken and ice-cream I had -for dinner. Yes, I do think poor children are happier than rich ones." - -"So do I, sometimes. At the Orphan Asylum to-day I saw two dozen merry -little souls who have no parents, no home, and no hope of Christmas -beyond a stick of candy or a cake. I wish you had been there to see how -happy they were, playing with the old toys some richer children had sent -them." - -"You may give them all mine; I 'm so tired of them I never want to see -them again," said Effie, turning from the window to the pretty -baby-house full of everything a child's heart could desire. - -"I will, and let you begin again with something you will not tire of, if -I can only find it." And mamma knit her brows trying to discover some -grand surprise for this child who did n't care for Christmas. - -Nothing more was said then; and wandering off to the library, Effie -found "A Christmas Carol," and curling herself up in the sofa corner, it -all before tea. Some of it she did not understand; but she laughed and -cried over many parts of the charming story, and felt better without -knowing why. - -All the evening she thought of poor Tiny Tim, Mrs. Cratchit with the -pudding, and the stout old gentleman who danced so gayly that "his legs -twinkled in the air." Presently bed-time arrived. - -"Come, now, and toast your feet," said Effie's nurse, "while I do your -pretty hair and tell stories." - -"I 'll have a fairy tale to-night, a very interesting one," commanded -Effie, as she put on her blue silk wrapper and little fur-lined slippers -to sit before the fire and have her long curls brushed. - -So Nursey told her best tales; and when at last the child lay down under -her lace curtains, her head was full of a curious jumble of Christmas -elves, poor children, snow-storms, sugar-plums, and surprises. So it is -no wonder that she dreamed all night; and this was the dream, which she -never quite forgot. - -She found herself sitting on a stone, in the middle of a great field, -all alone. The snow was falling fast, a bitter wind whistled by, and -night was coming on. She felt hungry, cold, and tired, and did not know -where to go nor what to do. - -"I wanted to be a beggar-girl, and now I am one; but I don't like it, -and wish somebody would come and take care of me. I don't know who I -am, and I think I must be lost," thought Effie, with the curious -interest one takes in one's self in dreams. - -But the more she thought about it, the more bewildered she felt. Faster -fell the snow, colder blew the wind, darker grew the night; and poor -Effie made up her mind that she was quite forgotten and left to freeze -alone. The tears were chilled on her cheeks, her feet felt like -icicles, and her heart died within her, so hungry, frightened, and -forlorn was she. Laying her head on her knees, she gave herself up for -lost, and sat there with the great flakes fast turning her to a little -white mound, when suddenly the sound of music reached her, and starting -up, she looked and listened with all her eyes and ears. - -Far away a dim light shone, and a voice was heard singing. She tried to -run toward the welcome glimmer, but could not stir, and stood like a -small statue of expectation while the light drew nearer, and the sweet -words of the song grew clearer. - - From our happy home - Through the world we roam - One week in all the year, - Making winter spring - With the joy we bring, - For Christmas-tide is here. - - Now the eastern star - Shines from afar - To light the poorest home; - Hearts warmer grow, - Gifts freely flow, - For Christmas-tide has come. - - Now gay trees rise - Before young eyes, - Abloom with tempting cheer; - Blithe voices sing, - And blithe bells ring, - For Christmas-tide is here. - - Oh, happy chime, - Oh, blessed time, - That draws us all so near! - "Welcome, dear day," - All creatures say, - For Christmas-tide is here. - - -A child's voice sang, a child's hand carried the little candle; and in -the circle of soft light it shed, Effie saw a pretty child coming to her -through the night and snow. A rosy, smiling creature, wrapped in white -fur, with a wreath of green and scarlet holly on its shining hair, the -magic candle in one hand, and the other outstretched as if to shower -gifts and warmly press all other hands. - -Effie forgot to speak as this bright vision came nearer, leaving no -trace of footsteps in the snow, only lighting the way with its little -candle, and filling the air with the music of its song. - -"Dear child, you are lost, and I have come to find you," said the -stranger, taking Effie's cold hands in his, with a smile like sunshine, -while every holly berry glowed like a little fire. - -"Do you know me?" asked Effie, feeling no fear, but a great gladness, at -his coming. - -"I know all children, and go to find them; for this is my holiday, and I -gather them from all parts of the world to be merry with me once a -year." - -"Are you an angel?" asked Effie, looking for the wings. - -"No; I am a Christmas spirit, and live with my mates in a pleasant -place, getting ready for our holiday, when we are let out to roam about -the world, helping make this a happy time for all who will let us in. -Will you come and see how we work?" - -"I will go anywhere with you. Don't leave me again," cried Effie, -gladly. - -"First I will make you comfortable. That is what we love to do. You -are cold, and you shall be warm; hungry, and I will feed you; sorrowful, -and I will make you gay." - -With a wave of his candle all three miracles were wrought,--for the -snow-flakes turned to a white fur cloak and hood on Effie's head and -shoulders; a bowl of hot soup came sailing to her lips, and vanished -when she had eagerly drunk the last drop; and suddenly the dismal field -changed to a new world so full of wonders that all her troubles were -forgotten in a minute. - -Bells were ringing so merrily that it was hard to keep from dancing. -Green garlands hung on the walls, and every tree was a Christmas tree -full of toys, and blazing with candles that never went out. - -In one place many little spirits sewed like mad on warm clothes, turning -off work faster than any sewing-machine ever invented, and great piles -were made ready to be sent to poor people. Other busy creatures packed -money into purses, and wrote checks which they sent flying away on the -wind,--a lovely kind of snow-storm to fall into a world below full of -poverty. - -Older and graver spirits were looking over piles of little books, in -which the records of the past year were kept, telling how different -people had spent it, and what sort of gifts they deserved. Some got -peace, some disappointment, some remorse and sorrow, some great joy and -hope. The rich had generous thoughts sent them; the poor, gratitude and -contentment. Children had more love and duty to parents; and parents -renewed patience, wisdom, and satisfaction for and in their children. -No one was forgotten. - -"Please tell me what splendid place this is?" asked Effie, as soon as -she could collect her wits after the first look at all these astonishing -things. - -"This is the Christmas world; and here we work all the year round, never -tired of getting ready for the happy day. See, these are the saints -just setting off; for some have far to go, and the children must not be -disappointed." - -As he spoke the spirit pointed to four gates, out of which four great -sleighs were just driving, laden with toys, while a jolly old Santa -Claus sat in the middle of each, drawing on his mittens and tucking up -his wraps for a long cold drive. - -"Why, I thought there was only one Santa Claus, and even he was a -humbug," cried Effie, astonished at the sight. - -"Never give up your faith in the sweet old stories, even after you come -to see that they are only the pleasant shadow of a lovely truth." - -Just then the sleighs went off with a great jingling of bells and -pattering of reindeer hoofs, while all the spirits gave a cheer that was -heard in the lower world, where people said, "Hear the stars sing." - -"I never will say there isn't any Santa Claus again. Now, show me -more." - -"You will like to see this place, I think, and may learn something here -perhaps." - -The spirit smiled as he led the way to a little door, through which -Effie peeped into a world of dolls. Baby-houses were in full blast, -with dolls of all sorts going on like live people. Waxen ladies sat in -their parlors elegantly dressed; black dolls cooked in the kitchens; -nurses walked out with the bits of dollies; and the streets were full of -tin soldiers marching, wooden horses prancing, express wagons rumbling, -and little men hurrying to and fro. Shops were there, and tiny people -buying legs of mutton, pounds of tea, mites of clothes, and everything -dolls use or wear or want. - -But presently she saw that in some ways the dolls improved upon the -manners and customs of human beings, and she watched eagerly to learn -why they did these things. A fine Paris doll driving in her carriage -took up a black worsted Dinah who was hobbling along with a basket of -clean clothes, and carried her to her journey's end, as if it were the -proper thing to do. Another interesting china lady took off her -comfortable red cloak and put it round a poor wooden creature done up in -a paper shift, and so badly painted that its face would have sent some -babies into fits. - -"Seems to me I once knew a rich girl who didn't give her things to poor -girls. I wish I could remember who she was, and tell her to be as kind -as that china doll," said Effie, much touched at the sweet way the -pretty creature wrapped up the poor fright, and then ran off in her -little gray gown to buy a shiny fowl stuck on a wooden platter for her -invalid mother's dinner. - -"We recall these things to people's minds by dreams. I think the girl -you speak of won't forget this one." And the spirit smiled, as if he -enjoyed some joke which she did not see. - -A little bell rang as she looked, and away scampered the children into -the red-and-green school-house with the roof that lifted up, so one -could see how nicely they sat at their desks with mites of books, or -drew on the inch-square blackboards with crumbs of chalk. - -"They know their lessons very well, and are as still as mice. We make a -great racket at our school, and get bad marks every day. I shall tell -the girls they had better mind what they do, or their dolls will be -better scholars than they are," said Effie, much impressed, as she -peeped in and saw no rod in the hand of the little mistress, who looked -up and shook her head at the intruder, as if begging her to go away -before the order of the school was disturbed. - -Effie retired at once, but could not resist one look in at the window of -a fine mansion, where the family were at dinner, the children behaved so -well at table, and never grumbled a bit when their mamma said they could -not have any more fruit. - -"Now, show me something else," she said, as they came again to the low -door that led out of Doll-land. - -"You have seen how we prepare for Christmas; let me show you where we -love best to send our good and happy gifts," answered the spirit, giving -her his hand again. - -"I know. I've seen ever so many," began Effie, thinking of her own -Christmases. - -"No, you have never seen what I will show you. Come away, and remember -what you see to-night." - -Like a flash that bright world vanished, and Effie found herself in a -part of the city she had never seen before. It was far away from the -gayer places, where every store was brilliant with lights and full of -pretty things, and every house wore a festival air, while people hurried -to and fro with merry greetings. It was down among the dingy streets -where the poor lived, and where there was no making ready for Christmas. - -Hungry women looked in at the shabby shops, longing to buy meat and -bread, but empty pockets forbade. Tipsy men drank up their wages in the -bar-rooms; and in many cold dark chambers little children huddled under -the thin blankets, trying to forget their misery in sleep. - -No nice dinners filled the air with savory smells, no gay trees dropped -toys and bonbons into eager hands, no little stockings hung in rows -beside the chimney-piece ready to be filled, no happy sounds of music, -gay voices, and dancing feet were heard; and there were no signs of -Christmas anywhere. - -"Don't they have any in this place?" asked Effie, shivering, as she held -fast the spirit's hand, following where he led her. - -"We come to bring it. Let me show you our best workers." And the -spirit pointed to some sweet-faced men and women who came stealing into -the poor houses, working such beautiful miracles that Effie could only -stand and watch. - -Some slipped money into the empty pockets, and sent the happy mothers to -buy all the comforts they needed; others led the drunken men out of -temptation, and took them home to find safer pleasures there. Fires -were kindled on cold hearths, tables spread as if by magic, and warm -clothes wrapped round shivering limbs. Flowers suddenly bloomed in the -chambers of the sick; old people found themselves remembered; sad hearts -were consoled by a tender word, and wicked ones softened by the story of -Him who forgave all sin. - -But the sweetest work was for the children; and Effie held her breath to -watch these human fairies hang up and fill the little stockings without -which a child's Christmas is not perfect, putting in things that once -she would have thought very humble presents, but which now seemed -beautiful and precious because these poor babies had nothing. - -"That is so beautiful! I wish I could make merry Christmases as these -good people do, and be loved and thanked as they are," said Effie, -softly, as she watched the busy men and women do their work and steal -away without thinking of any reward but their own satisfaction. - -"You can if you will. I have shown you the way. Try it, and see how -happy your own holiday will be hereafter." - -As he spoke, the spirit seemed to put his arms about her, and vanished -with a kiss. - -"Oh, stay and show me more!" cried Effie, trying to hold him fast. - -"Darling, wake up, and tell me why you are smiling in your sleep," said -a voice in her ear; and opening her eyes, there was mamma bending over -her, and morning sunshine streaming into the room. - -"Are they all gone? Did you hear the bells? Was n't it splendid?" she -asked, rubbing her eyes, and looking about her for the pretty child who -was so real and sweet. - -"You have been dreaming at a great rate,--talking in your sleep, -laughing, and clapping your hands as if you were cheering some one. Tell -me what was so splendid," said mamma, smoothing the tumbled hair and -lifting up the sleepy head. - -Then, while she was being dressed, Effie told her dream, and Nursey -thought it very wonderful; but mamma smiled to see how curiously things -the child had thought, read, heard, and seen through the day were mixed -up in her sleep. - -"The spirit said I could work lovely miracles if I tried; but I don't -know how to begin, for I have no magic candle to make feasts appear, and -light up groves of Christmas trees, as he did," said Effie, sorrowfully. - -"Yes, you have. We will do it! we will do it!" And clapping her -hands, mamma suddenly began to dance all over the room as if she had -lost her wits. - -"How? how? You must tell me, mamma," cried Effie, dancing after her, -and ready to believe anything possible when she remembered the -adventures of the past night. - -"I 've got it! I 've got it!--the new idea. A splendid one, if I can -only carry it out!" And mamma waltzed the little girl round till her -curls flew wildly in the air, while Nursey laughed as if she would die. - -"Tell me! tell me!" shrieked Effie. - -"No, no; it is a surprise,--a grand surprise for Christmas day!" sung -mamma, evidently charmed with her happy thought. "Now, come to -breakfast; for we must work like bees if we want to play spirits -to-morrow. You and Nursey will go out shopping, and get heaps of -things, while I arrange matters behind the scenes." - -They were running downstairs as mamma spoke, and Effie called out -breathlessly,-- - -"It won't be a surprise; for I know you are going to ask some poor -children here, and have a tree or something. It won't be like my dream; -for they had ever so many trees, and more children than we can find -anywhere." - -"There will be no tree, no party, no dinner, in this house at all, and -no presents for you. Won't that be a surprise?" And mamma laughed at -Effie's bewildered face. - -"Do it. I shall like it, I think; and I won't ask any questions, so it -will all burst upon me when the time comes," she said; and she ate her -breakfast thoughtfully, for this really would be a new sort of -Christmas. - -All that morning Effie trotted after Nursey in and out of shops, buying -dozens of barking dogs, woolly lambs, and squeaking birds; tiny -tea-sets, gay picture-books, mittens and hoods, dolls and candy. Parcel -after parcel was sent home; but when Effie returned she saw no trace of -them, though she peeped everywhere. Nursey chuckled, but would n't give -a hint, and went out again in the afternoon with a long list of more -things to buy; while Effie wandered forlornly about the house, missing -the usual merry stir that went before the Christmas dinner and the -evening fun. - -As for mamma, she was quite invisible all day, and came in at night so -tired that she could only lie on the sofa to rest, smiling as if some -very pleasant thought made her happy in spite of weariness. - -"Is the surprise going on all right?" asked Effie, anxiously; for it -seemed an immense time to wait till another evening came. - -"Beautifully! better than I expected; for several of my good friends are -helping, or I could n't have done it as I wish. I know you will like -it, dear, and long remember this new way of making Christmas merry." - -Mamma gave her a very tender kiss, and Effie went to bed. - - -The next day was a very strange one; for when she woke there was no -stocking to examine, no pile of gifts under her napkin, no one said -"Merry Christmas!" to her, and the dinner was just as usual to her. -Mamma vanished again, and Nursey kept wiping her eyes and saying: "The -dear things! It's the prettiest idea I ever heard of. No one but your -blessed ma could have done it." - -"Do stop, Nursey, or I shall go crazy because I don't know the secret!" -cried Effie, more than once; and she kept her eye on the clock, for at -seven in the evening the surprise was to come off. - -The longed-for hour arrived at last, and the child was too excited to -ask questions when Nurse put on her cloak and hood, led her to the -carriage, and they drove away, leaving their house the one dark and -silent one in the row. - -"I feel like the girls in the fairy tales who are led off to strange -places and see fine things," said Effie, in a whisper, as they jingled -through the gay streets. - -"Ah, my deary, it _is_ like a fairy tale, I do assure you, and you -_will_ see finer things than most children will to-night. Steady, now, -and do just as I tell you, and don't say one word whatever you see," -answered Nursey, quite quivering with excitement as she patted a large -box in her lap, and nodded and laughed with twinkling eyes. - -They drove into a dark yard, and Effie was led through a back door to a -little room, where Nurse coolly proceeded to take off not only her cloak -and hood, but her dress and shoes also. Effie stared and bit her lips, -but kept still until out of the box came a little white fur coat and -boots, a wreath of holly leaves and berries, and a candle with a frill -of gold paper round it. A long "Oh!" escaped her then; and when she was -dressed and saw herself in the glass, she started back, exclaiming, -"Why, Nursey, I look like the spirit in my dream!" - -"So you do; and that's the part you are to play, my pretty! Now whist, -while I blind your eyes and put you in your place." - -"Shall I be afraid?" whispered Effie, full of wonder; for as they went -out she heard the sound of many voices, the tramp of many feet, and, in -spite of the bandage, was sure a great light shone upon her when she -stopped. - -"You need n't be; I shall stand close by, and your ma will be there." - -After the handkerchief was tied about her eyes, Nurse led Effie up some -steps, and placed her on a high platform, where something like leaves -touched her head, and the soft snap of lamps seemed to fill the air. - -Music began as soon as Nurse clapped her hands, the voices outside -sounded nearer, and the tramp was evidently coming up the stairs. - -"Now, my precious, look and see how you and your dear ma have made a -merry Christmas for them that needed it!" - -Off went the bandage; and for a minute Effie really did think she was -asleep again, for she actually stood in "a grove of Christmas trees," -all gay and shining as in her vision. Twelve on a side, in two rows -down the room, stood the little pines, each on its low table; and behind -Effie a taller one rose to the roof, hung with wreaths of popcorn, -apples, oranges, horns of candy, and cakes of all sorts, from sugary -hearts to gingerbread Jumbos. On the smaller trees she saw many of her -own discarded toys and those Nursey bought, as well as heaps that seemed -to have rained down straight from that delightful Christmas country -where she felt as if she was again. - -"How splendid! Who is it for? What is that noise? Where is mamma?" -cried Effie, pale with pleasure and surprise, as she stood looking down -the brilliant little street from her high place. - -Before Nurse could answer, the doors at the lower end flew open, and in -marched twenty-four little blue-gowned orphan girls, singing sweetly, -until amazement changed the song to cries of joy and wonder as the -shining spectacle appeared. While they stood staring with round eyes at -the wilderness of pretty things about them, mamma stepped up beside -Effie, and holding her hand fast to give her courage, told the story of -the dream in a few simple words, ending in this way:-- - -"So my little girl wanted to be a Christmas spirit too, and make this a -happy day for those who had not as many pleasures and comforts as she -has. She likes surprises, and we planned this for you all. She shall -play the good fairy, and give each of you something from this tree, -after which every one will find her own name on a small tree, and can go -to enjoy it in her own way. March by, my dears, and let us fill your -hands." - -Nobody told them to do it, but all the hands were clapped heartily -before a single child stirred; then one by one they came to look up -wonderingly at the pretty giver of the feast as she leaned down to offer -them great yellow oranges, red apples, bunches of grapes, bonbons, and -cakes, till all were gone, and a double row of smiling faces turned -toward her as the children filed back to their places in the orderly way -they had been taught. - -Then each was led to her own tree by the good ladies who had helped -mamma with all their hearts; and the happy hubbub that arose would have -satisfied even Santa Claus himself,--shrieks of joy, dances of delight, -laughter and tears (for some tender little things could not bear so much -pleasure at once, and sobbed with mouths full of candy and hands full of -toys). How they ran to show one another the new treasures! how they -peeped and tasted, pulled and pinched, until the air was full of queer -noises, the floor covered with papers, and the little trees left bare of -all but candles! - -"I don't think heaven can be any gooder than this," sighed one small -girl, as she looked about her in a blissful maze, holding her full apron -with one hand, while she luxuriously carried sugar-plums to her mouth -with the other. - -"Is that a truly angel up there?" asked another, fascinated by the -little white figure with the wreath on its shining hair, who in some -mysterious way had been the cause of all this merry-making. - -"I wish I dared to go and kiss her for this splendid party," said a lame -child, leaning on her crutch, as she stood near the steps, wondering how -it seemed to sit in a mother's lap, as Effie was doing, while she -watched the happy scene before her. - -Effie heard her, and remembering Tiny Tim, ran down and put her arms -about the pale child, kissing the wistful face, as she said sweetly, -"You may; but mamma deserves the thanks. She did it all; I only dreamed -about it." - -Lame Katy felt as if "a truly angel" was embracing her, and could only -stammer out her thanks, while the other children ran to see the pretty -spirit, and touch her soft dress, until she stood in a crowd of blue -gowns laughing as they held up their gifts for her to see and admire. - -Mamma leaned down and whispered one word to the older girls; and -suddenly they all took hands to dance round Effie, singing as they -skipped. - -It was a pretty sight, and the ladies found it hard to break up the -happy revel; but it was late for small people, and too much fun is a -mistake. So the girls fell into line, and marched before Effie and -mamma again, to say good-night with such grateful little faces that the -eyes of those who looked grew dim with tears. Mamma kissed every one; -and many a hungry childish heart felt as if the touch of those tender -lips was their best gift. Effie shook so many small hands that her own -tingled; and when Katy came she pressed a small doll into Effie's hand, -whispering, "You did n't have a single present, and we had lots. Do -keep that; it's the prettiest thing I got." - -"I will," answered Effie, and held it fast until the last smiling face -was gone, the surprise all over, and she safe in her own bed, too tired -and happy for anything but sleep. - -"Mamma, it _was_ a beautiful surprise, and I thank you so much! I don't -see how you did it; but I like it best of all the Christmases I ever -had, and mean to make one every year. I had my splendid big present, -and here is the dear little one to keep for love of poor Katy; so even -that part of my wish came true." - -And Effie fell asleep with a happy smile on her lips, her one humble -gift still in her hand, and a new love for Christmas in her heart that -never changed through a long life spent in doing good. - - - - -[Illustration: "Hollo, what do you want?" he asked, staring at her. -PAGE 46.] - - - - II. - - THE CANDY COUNTRY. - - -"I shall take mamma's red sun-umbrella, it is so warm, and none of the -children at school will have one like it," said Lily, one day, as she -went through the hall. - -"The wind is very high; I 'm afraid you 'll be blown away if you carry -that big thing," called Nurse from the window, as the red umbrella went -bobbing down the garden walk with a small girl under it. - -"I wish it would; I always wanted to go up in a balloon," answered Lily, -as she struggled out of the gate. - -She got on very well till she came to the bridge and stopped to look -over the railing at the water running by so fast, and the turtles -sunning themselves on the rocks. Lily was fond of throwing stones at -them; it was so funny to watch them tumble, heels over head, splash into -the water. Now, when she saw three big fellows close by, she stooped for -a stone, and just at that minute a gale of wind nearly took the umbrella -out of her hand. She clutched it fast; and away she went like a -thistle-down, right up in the air, over river and hill, houses and -trees, faster and faster, till her head spun round, her breath was all -gone, and she had to let go. The dear red umbrella flew away like a -leaf; and Lily fell down, down, till she went crash into a tree which -grew in such a curious place that she forgot her fright as she sat -looking about her, wondering what part of the world it could be. - -The tree looked as if made of glass or colored sugar; for she could see -through the red cherries, the green leaves, and the brown branches. An -agreeable smell met her nose; and she said at once, as any child would, -"I smell candy!" She picked a cherry and ate it. Oh, how good it -was!--all sugar and no stone. The next discovery was such a delightful -one that she nearly fell off her perch; for by touching her tongue here -and there, she found that the whole tree was made of candy. Think what -fun to sit and break off twigs of barley sugar, candied cherries, and -leaves that tasted like peppermint and sassafras! - -Lily rocked and ate till she finished the top of the little tree; then -she climbed down and strolled along, making more surprising and -agreeable discoveries as she went. - -What looked like snow under her feet was white sugar; the rocks were -lumps of chocolate, the flowers of all colors and tastes; and every sort -of fruit grew on these delightful trees. Little white houses soon -appeared; and here lived the dainty candy-people, all made of the best -sugar, and painted to look like real people. Dear little men and women, -looking as if they had stepped off of wedding cakes and bonbons, went -about in their gay sugar clothes, laughing and talking in the sweetest -voices. Bits of babies rocked in open-work cradles, and sugar boys and -girls played with sugar toys in the most natural way. Carriages rolled -along the jujube streets, drawn by the red and yellow barley horses we -all love so well; cows fed in the green fields, and sugar birds sang in -the trees. - -Lily listened, and in a moment she understood what the song said,-- - - "Sweet! Sweet! - Come, come and eat. - Dear little girls - With yellow curls; - For here you 'll find - Sweets to your mind. - On every tree - Sugar-plums you 'll see; - In every dell - Grows the caramel. - Over every wall - Gum-drops fall; - Molasses flows - Where our river goes. - Under your feet - Lies sugar sweet; - Over your head - Grow almonds red. - Our lily and rose - Are not for the nose; - Our flowers we pluck - To eat or suck. - And, oh! what bliss - When two friends kiss, - For they honey sip - From lip to lip! - And all you meet, - In house or street, - At work or play, - Sweethearts are they. - So, little dear, - Pray feel no fear: - Go where you will; - Eat, eat your fill. - Here is a feast - From west to east; - And you can say, - Ere you go away, - 'At last I stand - In dear Candy-land, - And no more can stuff; - For once I 've enough.' - Sweet! Sweet! - Tweet! Tweet! - Tweedle-dee! - Tweedle-dee!" - - -"That is the most interesting song I ever heard," said Lily, clapping -her sticky hands and dancing along toward a fine palace of white cream -candy, with pillars of striped peppermint stick, and a roof of frosting -that made it look like the Milan Cathedral. - -"I 'll live here, and eat candy all day long, with no tiresome school or -patchwork to spoil my fun," said Lily. - -So she ran up the chocolate steps into the pretty rooms, where all the -chairs and tables were of different colored candies, and the beds of -spun sugar. A fountain of lemonade supplied drink; and floors of -ice-cream that never melted kept people and things from sticking -together, as they would have done had it been warm. - -For a long while Lily was quite happy, going about tasting so many -different kinds of sweeties, talking to the little people, who were very -amiable, and finding out curious things about them and their country. - -The babies were made of plain sugar, but the grown people had different -flavors. The young ladies were flavored with violet, rose, and orange; -the gentlemen were apt to have cordials of some sort inside of them, as -she found when she ate one now and then slyly, and got her tongue bitten -by the hot, strong taste as a punishment. The old people tasted of -peppermint, clove, and such comfortable things, good for pain; but the -old maids had lemon, hoarhound, flag-root, and all sorts of sour, bitter -things in them, and did not get eaten much. Lily soon learned to know -the characters of her new friends by a single taste, and some she never -touched but once. The dear babies melted in her mouth, and the -delicately flavored young ladies she was very fond of. Dr. Ginger was -called to her more than once when so much candy made her teeth ache, and -she found him a very hot-tempered little man; but he stopped the pain, -so she was glad to see him. - -A lime-drop boy and a little pink checker-berry girl were her favorite -playmates; and they had fine times making mud-pies by scraping the -chocolate rocks and mixing this dust with honey from the wells near by. -These they could eat; and Lily thought this much better than throwing -away the pies, as she had to do at home. They had candy-pulls very -often, and made swings of long loops of molasses candy, and bird's-nests -with almond eggs, out of which came birds who sang sweetly. They played -football with big bull's-eyes, sailed in sugar boats on lakes of syrup, -fished in rivers of molasses, and rode the barley horses all over the -country. - -Lily discovered that it never rained, but snowed white sugar. There was -no sun, as it would have been too hot; but a large yellow lozenge made a -nice moon, and red and white comfits were the stars. - -The people all lived on sugar, and never quarrelled. No one was ill; -and if any got broken, as sometimes happened with such brittle -creatures, they just stuck the parts together and were all right again. -The way they grew old was to get thinner and thinner till there was -danger of their vanishing. Then the friends of the old person put him -in a neat coffin, and carried him to the great golden urn which stood in -their largest temple, always full of a certain fine syrup; and here he -was dipped and dipped till he was stout and strong again, and went home -to enjoy himself for a long time as good as new. - -This was very interesting to Lily, and she went to many funerals. But -the weddings were better still; for the lovely white brides were so -sweet Lily longed to eat them. The feasts were delicious; and everybody -went in their best clothes, and danced at the ball till they got so warm -half-a-dozen would stick together and have to be taken to the ice-cream -room to cool off. Then the little pair would drive away in a fine -carriage with white horses to a new palace in some other part of the -country, and Lily would have another pleasant place to visit. - -But by and by, when she had seen everything, and eaten so much sweet -stuff that at last she longed for plain bread and butter, she began to -get cross, as children always do when they live on candy; and the little -people wished she would go away, for they were afraid of her. No -wonder, when she would catch up a dear sugar baby and eat him, or break -some respectable old grandmamma all into bits because she reproved her -for naughty ways. Lily calmly sat down on the biggest church, crushing -it flat, and even tried to poke the moon out of the sky in a pet one -day. The king ordered her to go home; but she said, "I won't!" and bit -his head off, crown and all. - -Such a wail went up at this awful deed that she ran away out of the -city, fearing some one would put poison in her candy, since she had no -other food. - -"I suppose I shall get somewhere if I keep walking; and I can't starve, -though I hate the sight of this horrid stuff," she said to herself, as -she hurried over the mountains of Gibraltar Rock that divided the city -of Saccharissa from the great desert of brown sugar that lay beyond. - -Lily marched bravely on for a long time, and saw at last a great smoke -in the sky, smelt a spicy smell, and felt a hot wind blowing toward her. - -"I wonder if there are sugar savages here, roasting and eating some poor -traveller like me," she said, thinking of Robinson Crusoe and other -wanderers in strange lands. - -She crept carefully along till she saw a settlement of little huts very -like mushrooms, for they were made of cookies set on lumps of the brown -sugar; and queer people, looking as if made of gingerbread, were working -very busily round several stoves which seemed to bake at a great rate. - -"I'll creep nearer and see what sort of people they are before I show -myself," said Lily, going into a grove of spice-trees, and sitting down -on a stone which proved to be the plummy sort of cake we used to call -Brighton Rock. - -Presently one of the tallest men came striding toward the trees with a -pan, evidently after spice; and before she could run, he saw Lily. - -"Hollo, what do you want?" he asked, staring at her with his black -currant eyes, while he briskly picked the bark off a cinnamon-tree. - -"I'm travelling, and would like to know what place this is, if you -please," answered Lily, very politely, being a little frightened. - -"Cake-land. Where do you come from?" asked the gingerbread man, in a -crisp tone of voice. - -"I was blown into the Candy country, and have been there a long time; -but I got tired of it, and ran away to find something better." - -"Sensible child!" and the man smiled till Lily thought his cheeks would -crumble. "You'll get on better here with us Brownies than with the lazy -Bonbons, who never work and are all for show. They won't own us, though -we are all related through our grandparents Sugar and Molasses. We are -busy folks; so they turn up their noses and don't speak when we meet at -parties. Poor creatures, silly and sweet and unsubstantial! I pity -'em." - -"Could I make you a visit? I'd like to see how you live, and what you -do. I 'm sure it must be interesting," said Lily, picking herself up -after a tumble, having eaten nearly all the stone, she was so hungry. - -"I know you will. Come on! I can talk while I work." And the funny -gingerbread man trotted off toward his kitchen, full of pans, -rolling-pins, and molasses jugs. - -"Sit down. I shall be at leisure as soon as this batch is baked. There -are still some wise people down below who like gingerbread, and I have -my hands full," he said, dashing about, stirring, rolling out, and -slapping the brown dough into pans, which he whisked into the oven and -out again so fast that Lily knew there must be magic about it somewhere. - -Every now and then he threw her a delicious cooky warm from the oven. -She liked the queer fellow, and presently began to talk, being very -curious about this country. - -"What is your name, sir?" - -"Ginger Snap." - -Lily thought it a good one; for he was very quick, and she fancied he -could be short and sharp if he liked. - -"Where does all this cake go to?" she asked, after watching the other -kitchens full of workers, who were all of different kinds of cake, and -each set of cooks made its own sort. - -"I 'll show you by and by," answered Snap, beginning to pile up the -heaps of gingerbread on a little car that ran along a track leading to -some unknown storeroom, Lily thought. - -"Don't you get tired of doing this all the time?" - -"Yes; but I want to be promoted, and I never shall be till I 've done my -best, and won the prize here." - -"Oh, tell me about it! What is the prize, and how are you promoted? Is -this a cooking-school?" - -"Yes; the prize for best gingerbread is a cake of condensed yeast. That -puts a soul into me, and I begin to rise till I am able to go over the -hills yonder into the blessed land of bread, and be one of the happy -creatures who are always wholesome, always needed, and without which the -world below would be in a bad way." - -"Bless me! that is the queerest thing I Ve heard yet. But I don't -wonder you want to go; I 'm tired of sweets myself, and long for a good -piece of bread, though I used to want cake and candy at home." - -"Ah, my dear, you 'll learn a good deal here; and you are lucky not to -have got into the clutches of Giant Dyspepsia, who always gets people if -they eat too much of such rubbish and scorn wholesome bread. I leave my -ginger behind when I go, and get white and round and beautiful, as you -will see. The Gingerbread family have never been as foolish as some of -the other cakes. Wedding is the worst; such extravagance in the way of -wine and spice and fruit I never saw, and such a mess to eat when it's -done! I don't wonder people get sick; serves 'em right." And Snap -flung down a pan with such a bang that it made Lily jump. - -"Sponge cake is n't bad, is it? Mamma lets me eat it, but I like -frosted pound better," she said, looking over to the next kitchen, where -piles of that sort of cake were being iced. - -"Poor stuff. No substance. Ladies' fingers will do for babies, but -pound has too much butter ever to be healthy. Let it alone, and eat -cookies or seed-cakes, my dear. Now, come along; I'm ready." And Snap -trundled away his car-load at a great pace. - -Lily ran behind to pick up whatever fell, and looked about her as she -went, for this was certainly a very queer country. Lakes of eggs all -beaten up, and hot springs of saleratus foamed here and there ready for -use. The earth was brown sugar or ground spice; and the only fruits -were raisins, dried currants, citron, and lemon peel. It was a very -busy place; for every one cooked all the time, and never failed and -never seemed tired, though they got so hot that they only wore sheets of -paper for clothes. There were piles of it to put over the cake, so that -it shouldn't burn; and they made cook's white caps and aprons of it, and -looked very nice. A large clock made of a flat pancake, with cloves to -mark the hours and two toothpicks for hands, showed them how long to -bake things; and in one place an ice wall was built round a lake of -butter, which they cut in lumps as they wanted it. - -"Here we are. Now, stand away while I pitch 'em down," said Snap, -stopping at last before a hole in the ground where a dumbwaiter hung -ready, with a name over it. - -There were many holes all round, and many waiters, each with its name; -and Lily was amazed when she read "Weber," "Copeland," "Dooling," and -others, which she knew very well. - -Over Snap's place was the name "Newmarch;" and Lily said, "Why, that's -where mamma gets her hard gingerbread, and Weber's is where we go for -ice-cream. Do _you_ make cake for them?" - -"Yes, but no one knows it. It's one of the secrets of the trade. We -cook for all the confectioners, and people think the good things come -out of the cellars under their saloons. Good joke, is n't it?" And Snap -laughed till a crack came in his neck and made him cough. - -Lily was so surprised she sat down on a warm queen's cake that happened -to be near, and watched Snap send down load after load of gingerbread to -be eaten by children, who would have liked it much better if they had -only known where it came from, as she did. - -As she sat, the clatter of many spoons, the smell of many dinners, and -the sound of many voices calling, "One vanilla, two strawberries, and a -Charlotte Russe," "Three stews, cup coffee, dry toast," "Roast chicken -and apple without," came up the next hole, which was marked "Copeland." - -"Dear me! it seems as if I was there," said Lily, longing to hop down, -but afraid of the bump at the other end. - -"I 'm done. Come along, I 'll ride you back," called Snap, tossing the -last cooky after the dumb-waiter as it went slowly out of sight with its -spicy load. - -"I wish you 'd teach me to cook. It looks great fun, and mamma wants me -to learn; only our cook hates to have me mess round, and is so cross -that I don't like to try at home," said Lily, as she went trundling -back. - -"Better wait till you get to Bread-land, and learn to make that. It's a -great art, and worth knowing. Don't waste your time on cake, though -plain gingerbread is n't bad to have in the house. I 'll teach you that -in a jiffy, if the clock does n't strike my hour too soon," answered -Snap, helping her down. - -"What hour?" - -"Why, of my freedom. I never know when I 've done my task till I 'm -called by the chimes and go to get my soul," said Snap, turning his -currant eyes anxiously to the clock. - -"I hope you _will_ have time." And Lily fell to work with all her -might, after Snap had put on her a paper apron and a cap like his. - -It was not hard; for when she was going to make a mistake a spark flew -out of the fire and burnt her in time to remind her to look at the -receipt, which was a sheet of gingerbread in a frame of pie-crust hung -up before her, with the directions written while it was soft and baked -in. The third sheet she made came out of the oven spicy, light, and -brown; and Snap, giving it one poke, said, "That's all right. Now you -know. Here's your reward." - -He handed her a receipt-book made of thin sheets of sugar-gingerbread -held together by a gelatine binding, with her name stamped on the back, -and each leaf crimped with a cake-cutter in the most elegant manner. - -Lily was charmed with it, but had no time to read all it contained; for -just then the clock began to strike, and a chime of bells to ring,-- - - "Gingerbread, - Go to the head. - Your task is done; - A soul is won. - Take it and go - Where muffins grow, - Where sweet loaves rise - To the very skies, - And biscuits fair - Perfume the air. - Away, away! - Make no delay; - In the sea of flour - Plunge this hour. - Safe in your breast - Let the yeast-cake rest, - Till you rise in joy, - A white bread boy!" - - -"Ha, ha! I 'm free! I 'm free!" cried Snap, catching up the -silver-covered square that seemed to fall from heaven; and running to a -great white sea of flour, he went in head first, holding the yeast-cake -clasped to his breast as if his life depended on it. - -Lily watched breathlessly, while a curious working and bubbling went on, -as if Snap was tumbling about down there like a small earthquake. The -other cake-folk stood round the shore with her; for it was a great -event, and all were glad that the dear fellow was promoted so soon. -Suddenly a cry was heard, and up rose a beautiful white figure on the -farther side of the sea. It moved its hand, as if saying "Good-by," and -ran over the hills so fast they had only time to see how plump and fair -he was, with a little knob on the top of his head like a crown. - -"He 's gone to the happy land, and we shall miss him; but we 'll follow -his example and soon find him again," said a gentle Sponge cake, with a -sigh, as all went back to their work; while Lily hurried after Snap, -eager to see the new country, which was the best of all. - -A delicious odor of fresh bread blew up from the valley as she stood on -the hill-top and looked down on the peaceful scene below. Fields of -yellow grain waved in the breeze; hop-vines grew from tree to tree; and -many windmills whirled their white sails as they ground the different -grains into fresh, sweet meal, for the loaves of bread that built the -houses like bricks and paved the streets, or in many shapes formed the -people, furniture, and animals. A river of milk flowed through the -peaceful land, and fountains of yeast rose and fell with a pleasant foam -and fizz. The ground was a mixture of many meals, and the paths were -golden Indian, which gave a very gay look to the scene. Buckwheat -flowers bloomed on their rosy stems, and tall corn-stalks rustled their -leaves in the warm air that came from the ovens hidden in the hillsides; -for bread needs a slow fire, and an obliging volcano did the baking -here. - -"What a lovely place!" cried Lily, feeling the charm of the homelike -landscape, in spite of the funny plump people moving about. - -Two of these figures came running to meet her as she slowly walked down -the yellow path from the hill. One was a golden boy, with a beaming -face; the other a little girl in a shiny brown cloak, who looked as if -she would taste very nice. They each put a warm hand into Lily's, and -the boy said,-- - -"We are glad to see you. Muffin told us you were coming." - -"Thank you. Who is Muffin?" asked Lily, feeling as if she had seen both -these little people before, and liked them. - -"He was Ginger Snap once, but he's a Muffin now. We begin in that way, -and work up to the perfect loaf by degrees. My name is Johnny Cake, and -she's Sally Lunn. You know us; so come on and have a race." - -Lily burst out laughing at the idea of playing with these old friends of -hers; and all three ran away as fast as they could tear, down the hill, -over a bridge, into the middle of the village, where they stopped, -panting, and sat down on some very soft rolls to rest. - -"What do you all do _here_?" asked Lily, when she got her breath again. - -"We farm, we study, we bake, we brew, and are as merry as grigs all day -long. It's school-time now, and we must go; will you come?" said Sally, -jumping up as if she liked it. - -"Our schools are not like yours; we only study two things,--grain and -yeast. I think you 'll like it. We have yeast to-day, and the -experiments are very jolly," added Johnny, trotting off to a tall brown -tower of rye and Indian bread, where the school was kept. - -Lily never liked to go to school, but she was ashamed to own it; so she -went along with Sally, and was so amused with all she saw that she was -glad she came. The brown loaf was hollow, and had no roof; and when she -asked why they used a ruin, Sally told her to wait and see why they -chose strong walls and plenty of room overhead. All round was a circle -of very small biscuits like cushions, and on these the Bread-children -sat. A square loaf in the middle was the teacher's desk, and on it lay -an ear of wheat, with several bottles of yeast well corked up. The -teacher was a pleasant, plump lady from Vienna, very wise, and so famous -for her good bread that she was a Professor of Grainology. - -When all were seated, she began with the wheat ear, and told them all -about it in such an interesting way that Lily felt as if she had never -known anything about the bread she ate before. The experiments with the -yeast were quite exciting,--for Fraulein Pretzel showed them how it -would work till it blew the cork out, and go fizzing up to the sky if it -was kept too long; how it would turn sour or flat, and spoil the bread -if care was not taken to use it just at the right moment; and how too -much would cause the loaf to rise till there was no substance to it. - -The children were very bright; for they were fed on the best kinds of -oatmeal and Graham bread, with very little white bread or hot cakes to -spoil their young stomachs. Hearty, happy boys and girls they were, and -their yeasty souls were very lively in them for they danced and sung, -and seemed as bright and gay as if acidity, heaviness, and mould were -quite unknown. - -Lily was very happy with them, and when school was done went home with -Sally and ate the best bread and milk for dinner that she ever tasted. -In the afternoon Johnny took her to the cornfield, and showed her how -they kept the growing ears free from mildew and worms. Then she went to -the bakehouse; and here she found her old friend Muffin hard at work -making Parker House rolls, for he was such a good cook he was set to -work at once on the lighter kinds of bread. - -"Well, is n't this better than Candy-land or Saccharissa?" he asked, as -he rolled and folded his bits of dough with a dab of butter tucked -inside. - -"Ever so much!" cried Lily. "I feel better already, and mean to learn -all I can. Mamma will be so pleased if I can make good bread when I go -home. She is rather old-fashioned, and likes me to be a nice -housekeeper. I did n't think bread interesting then, but I do now; and -Johnny's mother is going to teach me to make Indian cakes to-morrow." - -"Glad to hear it. Learn all you can, and tell other people how to make -healthy bodies and happy souls by eating good plain food. Not like -this, though these rolls are better than cake. I have to work my way up -to the perfect loaf, you know; and then, oh, then, I 'm a happy thing." - -"What happens then? Do you go on to some other wonderful place?" asked -Lily, as Muffin paused with a smile on his face. - -"Yes; I am eaten by some wise, good human being, and become a part of -him or her. That is immortality and heaven; for I may nourish a poet -and help him sing, or feed a good woman who makes the world better for -being in it, or be crumbed into the golden porringer of a baby prince -who is to rule a kingdom. Is n't that a noble way to live, and an end -worth working for?" asked Muffin, in a tone that made Lily feel as if -some sort of fine yeast had got into her, and was setting her brain to -work with new thoughts. - -"Yes, it is. I suppose all common things are made for that purpose, if -we only knew it; and people should be glad to do anything to help the -world along, even making good bread in a kitchen," answered Lily, in a -sober way that showed that her little mind was already digesting the new -food it had got. - -She stayed in Bread-land a long time, and enjoyed and learned a great -deal that she never forgot. But at last, when she had made the perfect -loaf, she wanted to go home, that her mother might see and taste it. - -"I 've put a good deal of myself into it, and I 'd love to think I had -given her strength or pleasure by my work," she said, as she and Sally -stood looking at the handsome loaf. - -"You can go whenever you like; just take the bread in your hands and -wish three times, and you 'll be wherever you say. I 'm sorry to have -you go, but I don't wonder you want to see your mother. Don't forget -what you have learned, and you will always be glad you came to us," said -Sally, kissing her good-by. - -"Where is Muffin? I can't go without seeing him, my dear old friend," -answered Lily, looking round for him. - -"He is here," said Sally, touching the loaf. "He was ready to go, and -chose to pass into your bread rather than any other; for he said he -loved you and would be glad to help feed so good a little girl." - -"How kind of him! I must be careful to grow wise and excellent, else he -will be disappointed and have died in vain," said Lily, touched by his -devotion. - -Then, bidding them all farewell, she hugged her loaf close, wished three -times to be in her own home, and like a flash she was there. - -Whether her friends believed the wonderful tale of her adventures I -cannot tell; but I know that she was a nice little housekeeper from that -day, and made such good bread that other girls came to learn of her. -She also grew from a sickly, fretful child into a fine, strong woman, -because she ate very little cake and candy, except at Christmas time, -when the oldest and the wisest love to make a short visit to Candyland. - - - - -[Illustration: As soon as he was alone, Jocko ... jumped on his back. -PAGE 70.] - - - - III. - - NAUGHTY JOCKO. - - -"A music-man! a music-man! Run quick, and see if he has got a monkey on -his organ," cried little Neddy, running to the window in a great hurry -one day. - -Yes; there was the monkey in his blue and red suit, with a funny little -cap, and the long tail trailing behind. But he did n't seem to be a -lively monkey; for he sat in a bunch, with his sad face turned anxiously -to his master, who kept pulling the chain to make him dance. The stiff -collar had made his neck sore; and when the man twitched, the poor thing -moaned and put up his little hand to hold the chain. He tried to dance, -but was so weak he could only hop a few steps, and stop panting for -breath. The cruel man would n't let him rest till Neddy called out,-- - -"Don't hurt him; let him come up here and get this cake, and rest while -you play. I 've got some pennies for you." - -So poor Jocko climbed slowly up the trellis, and sat on the window-ledge -trying to eat; but he was so tired he went to sleep, and when the man -pulled to wake him up, he slipped and fell, and lay as if he were dead. -Neddy and his aunt ran down to see if he was killed. The cross man -scolded and shook him; but he never moved, and the man said,-- - -"He is dead. I don't want him. I will sell him to some one to stuff." - -"No; his heart beats a little. Leave him here a few days, and we will -take care of him; and if he gets well, perhaps we will buy him," said -Aunt Jane, who liked to nurse even a sick monkey. - -The man said he was going on for a week through the towns near by, and -would call and see about it when he came back. Then he went away; and -Neddy and aunty put Jocko in a nice basket, and carried him in. The -minute the door was shut and he felt safe, the sly fellow peeped out -with one eye, and seeing only the kind little boy began to chatter and -kick off the shawl; for he was not much hurt, only tired and hungry, and -dreadfully afraid of the cruel man who beat and starved him. - -Neddy was delighted, and thought it very funny, and helped his aunt take -off the stiff collar and put some salve on the sore neck. Then they got -milk and cake; and when he had eaten a good dinner, Jocko curled himself -up and slept till the next day. He was quite lively in the morning; for -when Aunt Jane went to call Neddy, Jocko was not in his basket, and -looking round the room for him, she saw the little black thing lying on -the boy's pillow, with his arm round Neddy's neck like a queer baby. - -"My patience! I can't allow that," said the old lady, and went to pull -Jocko out. But he slipped away like an eel, and crept chattering and -burrowing down to the bottom of the bed, holding on to Neddy's toes, -till he waked up, howling that crabs were nipping him. - -Then they had a great frolic; and Jocko climbed all over the bed, up on -the tall wardrobe, and the shelf over the door, where the image of an -angel stood. He patted it, and hugged it, and looked so very funny with -his ugly black face by the pretty white one, that Neddy rolled on the -floor, and Aunt Jane laughed till her glasses flew off. By and by he -came down, and had a nice breakfast, and let them tie a red ribbon over -the bandage on his neck. He liked the gay color, and kept going to look -in the glass, and grin and chatter at his own image, which he evidently -admired. - -"Now, he shall go to walk with me, and all the children shall see my new -pet," said Neddy, as he marched off with Jock on his shoulder. - -Every one laughed at the funny little fellow with his twinkling eyes, -brown hands, and long tail, and Neddy felt very grand till they got to -the store; then troubles began. He put Jocko on a table near the door, -and told him to stay there while he did his errands. Now, close by was -the place where the candy was kept, and Jocko loved sweeties like any -girl; so he hopped along, and began to eat whatever he liked. Some boys -tried to stop him; and then he got angry at them for pulling his tail, -and threw handfuls of sugarplums at them. That was great fun; and the -more they laughed and scrambled and poked at him, the faster he showered -chocolates, caramels, and peppermints over them, till it looked as if it -had rained candy. The man was busy with Neddy at the other end of the -store; but when he heard the noise, both ran to see what was the matter. -Neither of them could stop naughty Jocko, who liked this game, and ran -up on the high shelves among the toys. Then down came little tubs and -dolls' stoves, tin trumpets and cradles, while boxes of leaden soldiers -and whole villages flew through the air, smash, bang, rattle, bump, all -over the floor. The man scolded, Neddy cried, the boys shouted, and -there was a lively time in that shop till a good slapping with a long -stick made Jock tumble into a tub of water where some curious fishes -lived; and then they caught him. - -Neddy was much ashamed, and told the man his aunt would pay for all the -broken things. Then he took his naughty pet, and started to go home and -tie him up, for it was plain this monkey was not to be trusted. But as -soon as they got out, Jocko ran up a tree and dropped on to a load of -hay passing underneath. Here he danced and pranced, and had a fine -time, throwing off the man's coat and rake, and eating some of the -dinner tied up in a cloth. The crusts of bread and the bones he threw -at the horse; this new kind of whip frightened the horse, and he ran -away down a steep hill, and upset the hay and broke the cart. Oh, such -a time! It was worse than the candy scrape; for the man swore, and the -horse was hurt, and people said the monkey ought to be shot, he did so -much mischief. Jocko did n't care a bit; he sat high up in a tree, and -chattered and scolded, and swung by his tail, and was so droll that -people could n't help laughing at him. Poor Neddy cried again, and went -home to tell his troubles to Aunt Jane, fearing that it would take all -the money in his bank to pay for the damage the bad monkey had done in -one hour. - -As soon as he was alone Jocko came skipping along, and jumped on his -back, and peeped at him, and patted his cheeks, and was so cunning and -good Neddy could n't whip him; but he shut him up in a closet to punish -him. - -Jocko was tired; so he went to sleep, and all was quiet till -dinner-time. They were ready for the pudding, and Neddy had saved a -place for a good plateful, as he liked snow-pudding, when shrieks were -heard in the kitchen, and Mary the maid rushed in to say,-- - -"Oh, ma'am, that horrid beast has spoilt the pudding, and is scaring -Katy out of her life!" - -They all ran; and there sat that naughty monkey on the table, throwing -the nice white snow all over poor cook, till her face looked as if she -was ready to be shaved. His own face looked the same, for he had eaten -all he wanted while the pudding stood cooling in the pantry. He had -crept out of a window in the closet, and had a fine rummage among the -sugar-buckets, butter-boxes, and milk-pans. - -Kate wailed, and Mary scolded; but Aunt Jane and grandpa laughed, and -Neddy chased Jock into the garden with the broom. They had to eat bread -and jelly for dessert, and it took the girls a long time to clear up the -mess the rascal made. - -"We will put his collar and chain on again, and keep him tied up all the -time till the man comes," said Aunt Jane. - -"But I can't catch him," sighed Neddy, watching the little imp whisk -about in the garden among the currant-bushes, chasing hens and tossing -green apples round in high glee. - -"Sit quietly down somewhere and wait till he is tired; then he will come -to you, and you can hold him fast," said Aunt Jane. - -So Neddy waited; and though he was much worried at his new pet's -naughtiness, he enjoyed his pranks like a boy. - -Grandpa took naps in the afternoon on the piazza, and he was dozing -comfortably when Jocko swung down from the grape-vine by his long tail, -and tickled the old gentleman on the nose with a straw. Grandpa -sneezed, and opened one eye to brush away the fly as he supposed. Then -he went to sleep again, and Jocko dropped a caterpillar on his bald -head; this made him open the other eye to see what that soft, creepy -thing could be. Neddy could n't help laughing, for he often wanted to -do just such things, but never dared, because grandpa was a very stern -old gentleman, and no one took liberties with him. Jocko was n't -afraid, however; and presently he crept to the table, stele the glasses -lying there, put them on, and taking up the paper held it before him, -chattering as if he were reading it, as he had seen people do. Neddy -laughed out loud at this, and clapped his hands, Jocko looked so like a -little old man, in spite of the tail curled up behind. This time -grandpa opened both eyes at once, and stared as if he saw a hobgoblin -before him; then he snatched off the spectacles, and caught up his cane, -crying angrily,-- - -"You rascal, how dare you!" - -But Jocko tossed the paper in his face, and with one jump lighted on the -back of old Tom, the big yellow cat, who lay asleep close by. Scared -half out of his wits, Tom spit and bounced; but Jocko held fast to his -collar, and had a fine race round the garden, while the girls laughed at -the funny sight, and Neddy shouted, "It's a circus; and there's the -monkey and the pony." Even grandpa smiled, especially when puss dashed -up a tree, and Jock tumbled off. He chased him, and they had a great -battle; but Tom's claws were sharp, and the monkey got a scratch on the -nose, and ran crying to Neddy for comfort. - -"Now, you naughty fellow, I 'll chain you up, and stop these dreadful -tricks. But you are great fun, and I can't whip you," said the boy; for -he knew what it was to enjoy a holiday, and poor Jocko had not had one -for a long time. - -Jocko ate some lunch, took a nap in the grass, and then was ready for -more frolics. Neddy had fastened him to a tree in the garden, so that -he could enjoy the sun and air, and catch grasshoppers if he liked. But -Jocko wanted something more; and presently Neddy, who was reading in his -hammock on the piazza, heard a great cackling among the hens, and looked -up to see the monkey swinging by his tail from a bough, holding the -great cock-a-doodle by his splendid tail, while all the twenty hens -clucked and cackled with wrath and fear at such a dreadful prank. - -"Now, that's too bad; I _will_ slap him this time," said Neddy, running -to save his handsome bird from destruction. But before he got there -poor cocky had pulled his fine tail-feathers all out in his struggles, -and when set free was so frightened and mortified that he ran away and -hid in the bushes, and the hens went to comfort him. - -Neddy gave Jocko a good whipping, and left him looking as meek as a -baby, all cuddled up in a little bunch, with his head in his hands as if -crying for his naughtiness. But he was n't sorry. Oh, dear, no! for in -half an hour he had picked every one of the sweet peas Aunt Jane was so -fond of, thrown all the tomatoes over the fence, and let the parrot out -of his cage. The sight of Polly walking into the parlor with a polite -"How are you, ma'am?" sent Aunt Jane to see what was going on. Neddy -was fast asleep in the hammock, worn out with his cares; and Jocko, -having unhooked his chain, was sitting on the chimney-top of a -neighbor's house, eating corn. - -"We shall not live to the end of the week if this sort of thing goes on. -I don't know what to do with the little beast; he 's as bad as an -elephant to take care of," said the poor lady, in despair, as she saw -Jocko throw his corncob down on the minister's hat as that stately -gentleman went by. - -As none of them could catch him, Miss Jane let him alone till Neddy -waked up and could go and find some of the big boys to help him. - -Jocko soon left the roof, and skipped in at a window that stood open. -It was little Nelly Brown's play-room, and she had left her pet doll -Maud Mabel Rose Matilda very ill in the best bed, while she went down to -get a poppy leaf to rub the darling's cheeks with, because she had a -high fever. Jocko took a fancy to the pretty bed, and after turning the -play-house topsy-turvy, he pulled poor Maud Mabel Rose Matilda out by -her flaxen hair, and stuffing her into the water-pitcher upside down, -got into the bed, drew the lace curtains, and prepared to doze -deliciously under the pink silk bed-cover. - -Up came Nelly, and went at once to the dear invalid, saying in her -motherly little voice,-- - -"Now, my darling child, lie quite still, and I won't hurt you one bit." - -But when she drew the curtain, instead of the lovely yellow-haired doll -in her ruffled nightcap, she saw an ugly little black face staring at -her, and a tiny hand holding the sheet fast. Nelly gave one scream, and -flew downstairs into the parlor where the Sewing-circle was at work, -frightening twenty-five excellent ladies by her cries, as she clung to -her mother, wailing,-- - -"A bogie! a bogie! I saw him, all black; and he snarled at me, and my -dolly is gone! What shall I do? oh, what shall I do?" - -There was great confusion, for all the ladies talked at once; and it so -happened that none of them knew anything about the monkey, therefore -they all agreed that Nelly was a foolish child, and had made a fuss -about nothing. She cried dismally, and kept saying to her mother,-- - -"Go and see; it's in my dolly's bed,--I found it there, and darling -Maudie is gone." - -"We _will_ go and see," said Mrs. Moses Merryweather,--a stout old lady, -who kept her six girls in such good order that _they_ would never have -dared to cry if ten monkeys had popped out at them. - -Miss Hetty Bumpus, a tall thin maiden lady, with a sharp eye and pointed -nose, went with her; but at the door that led to the dining-room both -stopped short, and after one look came flying back, calling out -together,-- - -"Mrs. Brown, your supper is spoilt! a dreadful beast has ruined it all!" - -Then twenty-five excited ladies flew across the hall to behold Jocko -sitting on the great cake in the middle of the table, his feet bathed in -cream from the overturned pitcher, while all around lay the ruins of -custards, tarts, biscuits, and sauce, not to mention nice napkins made -into hay-cocks, spoons, knives, and forks, on the floor, and the best -silver teapot in the fireplace. - -While Nelly told her tale and the ladies questioned and comforted her, -this bad monkey had skipped downstairs and had a delightful party all by -himself. He was just scraping the jelly out of a tart when they -disturbed him; and knowing that more slaps were in store for him if he -stayed, he at once walked calmly down the ravaged table, and vanished -out of the window carrying the silver tea-strainer with him to play -with. - -The ladies had no supper that night; and poor Mrs. Brown sent a note to -Aunt Jane, telling her the sad story, and adding that Nelly was quite -ill with the fright and the loss of dear Maud Mabel Rose Matilda, -drowned in the water-pitcher and forever spoilt. - -"John shall go after that man to-morrow, and bring him back to carry -this terrible monkey away. I can't live with him a week; he will cost -me a fortune, and wear us all out," said Aunt Jane, when Jocko was -safely shut up in the cellar, after six boys had chased him all over the -neighborhood before they caught him. - -Neddy was quite willing to let him go; but John was saved his journey, -for in the morning poor Jocko was found dead in a trap, where his -inquisitive head had been poked to see what the cheese tasted like. - -So he was buried by the river, and every one felt much relieved; for the -man never came back, thinking Jocko dead when he left him. But he had -not lived in vain; for after this day of trial, mischievous Neddy -behaved much better, and Aunt Jane could always calm his prankish spirit -by saying, as her finger pointed to a little collar and chain hanging on -the wall,-- - -"If you want to act like naughty Jocko, say so, and I 'll tie you up. -One monkey is enough for this family." - - - - -[Illustration: Kitty laughed, and began to dance... Such twirlings and -stoppings as she made.--PAGE 85.] - - - - IV. - - THE SKIPPING SHOES. - - -Once there was a little girl, named Kitty, who never wanted to do what -people asked her. She said "I won't" and "I can't," and did not run at -once pleasantly, as obliging children do. - -One day her mother gave her a pair of new shoes; and after a fuss about -putting them on, Kitty said, as she lay kicking on the floor,-- - -"I wish these were seven-leagued boots, like Jack the Giant Killer's; -then it would be easy to run errands all the time. Now, I hate to keep -trotting, and I don't like new shoes, and I won't stir a step." - -Just as she said that, the shoes gave a skip, and set her on her feet so -suddenly that it scared all the naughtiness out of her. She stood -looking at these curious shoes; and the bright buttons on them seemed to -wink at her like eyes, while the heels tapped on the floor a sort of -tune. Before she dared to stir, her mother called from the next room,-- - -"Kitty, run and tell the cook to make a pie for dinner; I forgot it." - -"I don't want to," began Kitty, with a whine as usual. - -But the words were hardly out of her mouth when the shoes gave one jump, -and took her downstairs, through the hall, and landed her at the kitchen -door. Her breath was nearly gone; but she gave the message, and turned -round, trying to see if the shoes would let her walk at all. They went -nicely till she wanted to turn into the china-closet where the cake was. -She was forbidden to touch it, but loved to take a bit when she could. -Now she found that her feet were fixed fast to the floor, and could not -be moved till her father said, as he passed the window close by,-- - -"You will have time to go to the post-office before school and get my -letters." - -"I can't," began Kitty; but she found she could, for away went the -shoes, out of the house at one bound, and trotted down the street so -fast that the maid who ran after her with her hat could not catch her. - -"I can't stop!" cried Kitty; and she did not till the shoes took her -straight into the office. - -"What's the hurry to-day?" asked the man, as he saw her without any hat, -all rosy and breathless, and her face puckered up as if she did not know -whether to laugh or to cry. - -"I won't tell any one about these dreadful shoes, and I 'll take them -off as soon as I get home. I hope they will go back slowly, or people -will think I 'm crazy," said Kitty to herself, as she took the letters -and went away. - -The shoes walked nicely along till she came to the bridge; and there she -wanted to stop and watch some boys in a boat, forgetting school and her -father's letters. But the shoes would n't stop, though she tried to -make them, and held on to the railing as hard as she could. Her feet -went on; and when she sat down they still dragged her along so steadily -that she had to go, and she got up feeling that there was something very -strange about these shoes. The minute she gave up, all went smoothly, -and she got home in good time. - -"I won't wear these horrid things another minute," said Kitty, sitting -on the doorstep and trying to unbutton the shoes. - -But not a button could she stir, though she got red and angry struggling -to do it. - -"Time for school; run away, little girl," called mamma from upstairs, as -the clock struck nine. - -"I won't!" said Kitty, crossly. - -But she did; for those' magic shoes danced her off, and landed her at -her desk in five minutes. - -"Well, I 'm not late; that's one comfort," she thought, wishing she had -come pleasantly, and not been whisked away without any luncheon. - -Her legs were so tired with the long skips that she was glad to sit -still; and that pleased the teacher, for generally she was fussing about -all lesson time. But at recess she got into trouble again; for one of -the children knocked down the house of corn-cobs she had built, and made -her angry. - -"Now, I 'll kick yours down, and see how you like it, Dolly." - -Up went her foot, but it did n't come down; it stayed in the air, and -there she stood looking as if she were going to dance. The children -laughed to see her, and she could do nothing till she said to Dolly in a -great hurry,-- - -"Never mind; if you didn't mean to, I'll forgive you." - -Then the foot went down, and Kitty felt so glad about it that she tried -to be pleasant, fearing some new caper of those dreadful shoes. She -began to see how they worked, and thought she would try if she had any -power over them. So, when one of the children wanted his ball, which -had bounced over the hedge, she said kindly,-- - -"Perhaps I can get it for you, Willy." - -And over she jumped as lightly as if she too were an india-rubber ball. - -"How could you do it?" cried the boys, much surprised; for not one of -them dared try such a high leap. - -Kitty laughed, and began to dance, feeling pleased and proud to find -there was a good side to the shoes after all. Such twirlings and -skippings as she made, such pretty steps and airy little bounds it was -pretty to see; for it seemed as if her feet were bewitched, and went of -themselves. The little girls were charmed, and tried to imitate her; -but no one could, and they stood in a circle watching her dance till the -bell rang, then all rushed in to tell about it. - -Kitty said it was her new shoes, and never told how queerly they acted, -hoping to have good times now. But she was mistaken. - -On the way home she wanted to stop and see her friend Bell's new doll; -but at the gate her feet stuck fast, and she had to give up her wishes -and go straight on, as mamma had told her always to do. - -"Run and pick a nice little dish of strawberries for dinner," said her -sister, as she went in. - -"I 'm too ti--" There was no time to finish, for the shoes landed her -in the middle of the strawberry bed at one jump. - -"I might as well be a grasshopper if I 'm to skip round like this," she -said, forgetting to feel tired out there in the pleasant garden, with -the robins picking berries close by, and a cool wind lifting the leaves -to show where the reddest and ripest ones hid. - -The little dish was soon filled, and she wanted to stay and eat a few, -warm and sweet from the vines; but the bell rang, and away she went, -over the wood-pile, across the piazza, and into the dining-room before -the berry in her mouth was half eaten. - -"How this child does rush about to-day!" said her mother. "It is so -delightful to have such a quick little errand-girl that I shall get her -to carry some bundles to my poor people this afternoon. - -"Oh, dear me! I do hate to lug those old clothes and bottles and -baskets of cold victuals round. Must I do it?" sighed Kitty, dismally, -while the shoes tapped on the floor under the table, as if to remind her -that she must, whether she liked it or not. - -"It would be right and kind, and would please me very much. But you may -do as you choose about it. I am very tired, and some one must go; for -the little Bryan baby is sick and needs what I send," said mamma, -looking disappointed. - -Kitty sat very still and sober for some time, and no one spoke to her. -She was making up her mind whether she would go pleasantly or be whisked -about like a grasshopper against her will. When dinner was over, she -said in a cheerful voice,-- - -"I 'll go, mamma; and when all the errands are done, may I come back -through Fairyland, as we call the little grove where the tall ferns -grow?" - -"Yes, dear; when you oblige me, I am happy to please you." - -"I 'm glad I decided to be good; now I shall have a lovely time," said -Kitty to herself, as she trotted away with a basket in one hand, a -bundle in the other, and some money in her pocket for a poor old woman -who needed help. - -The shoes went quietly along, and seemed to know just where to stop. -The sick baby's mother thanked her for the soft little nightgowns; the -lame girl smiled when she saw the books; the hungry children gathered -round the basket of food, like young birds eager to be fed; and the old -woman gave her a beautiful pink shell that her sailor son brought home -from sea. - -When all the errands were done Kitty skipped away to Fairyland, feeling -very happy, as people always do when they have done kind things. It was -a lovely place; for the ferns made green arches tall enough for little -girls to sit under, and the ground was covered with pretty green moss -and wood-flowers. Birds flew about in the pines, squirrels chattered in -the oaks, butterflies floated here and there, and from the pond near by -came the croak of frogs sunning their green backs on the mossy stones. - -"I wonder if the shoes will let me stop and rest; it is so cool here, -and I 'm so tired," said Kitty, as she came to a cosey nook at the foot -of a tree. - -The words were hardly out of her mouth when her feet folded under her, -and there she sat on a cushion of moss, like the queen of the wood on -her throne. Something lighted with a bump close by her; and looking -down she saw a large black cricket with a stiff tail, staring at her -curiously. - -"Bless my heart! I thought you were some relation of my cousin -Grasshopper's. You came down the hill with long leaps just like him; so -I stopped to say, How d' ye do," said the cricket, in its creaky voice. - -"I 'm not a grasshopper; but I have on fairy shoes to-day, and so do -many things that I never did before," answered Kitty, much surprised to -be able to understand what the cricket said. - -"It is midsummer day, and fairies can play whatever pranks they like. -If you did n't have those shoes on, you could n't understand what I say. -Hark, and hear those squirrels talk, and the birds, and the ants down -here. Make the most of this chance; for at sunset your shoes will stop -skipping, and the fun all be over." - -While the cricket talked Kitty did hear all sorts of little voices, -singing, laughing, chatting in the gayest way, and understood every word -they said. The squirrels called to one another as they raced about,-- - - "Here's a nut, there's a nut; - Hide it quick away, - In a hole, under leaves, - To eat some winter day. - Acorns sweet are plenty, - We will have them all: - Skip and scamper lively - Till the last ones fall." - - -The birds were singing softly,-- - - "Rock a bye, babies, - Your cradle hangs high; - Soft down your pillow, - Your curtain the sky. - Father will feed you, - While mother will sing, - And shelter our darlings - With her warm wing." - - -And the ants were saying to one another as they hurried in and out of -their little houses,-- - - "Work, neighbor, work! - Do not stop to play; - Wander far and wide, - Gather all you may. - We are never like - Idle butterflies, - But like the busy bees, - Industrious and wise." - - -"Ants always were dreadfully good, but butterflies are ever so much -prettier," said Kitty, listening to the little voices with wonder and -pleasure. - - "Hollo! hollo! - Come down below,-- - It's lovely and cool - Out here in the pool; - On a lily-pad float - For a nice green boat. - Here we sit and sing - In a pleasant ring; - Or leap-frog play, - In the jolliest way. - Our games have begun, - Come join in the fun." - - -"Dear me! what could I do over there in the mud with the queer green -frogs?" laughed Kitty, as this song was croaked at her. - - "No, no, come and fly - Through the sunny sky, - Or honey sip - From the rose's lip, - Or dance in the air, - Like spirits fair. - Come away, come away; - 'T is our holiday." - - -A cloud of lovely yellow butterflies flew up from a wild-rose bush, and -went dancing away higher and higher, till they vanished in the light -beyond the wood. - -"That is better than leap-frog. I wish my skipping shoes would let me -fly up somewhere, instead of carrying me on errands and where I ought to -go all the time," said Kitty, watching the pretty things glitter as they -flew. - -Just at that minute a clock struck, and away went the shoes over the -pool, the hill, the road, till they pranced in at the gate as the -tea-bell rang. Kitty amused the family by telling what she had done and -seen; but no one believed the Fairyland part, and her father said, -laughing,-- - -"Go on, my dear, making up little stories, and by and by you may be as -famous as Hans Christian Andersen, whose books you like so well." - -"The sun will soon set, and then my fun will be over; so I must skip -while I can," thought Kitty, and went waltzing round the lawn so -prettily that all the family came to see her. - -"She dances so well that she shall go to dancing-school," said her -mother, pleased with the pretty antics of her little girl. - -Kitty was delighted to hear that; for she had longed to go, and went on -skipping as hard as she could, that she might learn some of the graceful -steps the shoes took before the day was done. - -"Come, dear, stop now, and run up to your bath and bed. It has been a -long hot day, and you are tired; so get to sleep early, for Nursey wants -to go out," said her mother, as the sun went down behind the hills with -a last bright glimmer, like the wink of a great sleepy eye. - -"Oh, please, a few minutes more," began Kitty, but was off like a flash; -for the shoes trotted her upstairs so fast that she ran against old -Nursey, and down she went, splashing the water all over the floor, and -scolding in such a funny way that it made Kitty laugh so that she could -hardly pick her up again. - -By the time she was ready to undress the sun was quite gone, and the -shoes she took off were common ones again, for midsummer day was over. -But Kitty never forgot the little lessons she had learned: she tried to -run willingly when spoken to; she remembered the pretty steps and danced -like a fairy; and best of all, she always loved the innocent and -interesting little creatures in the woods and fields, and whenever she -was told she might go to play with them, she hurried away almost as -quickly as if she still wore the skipping shoes. - - - - -[Illustration: So Cocky was brought in, and petted.--PAGE 105.] - - - - V. - - COCKYLOO. - - -In the barnyard a gray hen sat on her nest, feeling very happy because -it was time for her eggs to hatch, and she hoped to have a fine brood of -chickens. Presently crack, crack, went the shells; "Peep, peep!" cried -the chicks; "Cluck, cluck!" called the hen; and out came ten downy -little things one after the other, all ready to run and eat and -scratch,--for chickens are not like babies, and don't have to be tended -at all. - -There were eight little hens and two little cockerels, one black and one -as white as snow, with yellow legs, bright eyes, and a tiny red comb on -his head. This was Cockyloo, the good chick; but the black one was -named Peck, and was a quarrelsome bad fowl, as we shall see. - -Mrs. Partlet, the mamma, was very proud of her fine family; for the -eight little daughters were all white and very pretty. She led them out -into the farmyard, clucking and scratching busily; for all were hungry, -and ran chirping round her to pick up the worms and seeds she found for -them. Cocky soon began to help take care of his sisters; and when a -nice corn or a fat bug was found, he would step back and let little -Downy or Snowball have it. But Peck would run and push them away, and -gobble up the food greedily. He chased them away from the pan where the -meal was, and picked the down off their necks if they tried to get their -share. His mother scolded him when the little ones ran to hide under -her wings; but he did n't care, and was very naughty. Cocky began to -crow when he was very young, and had such a fine voice that people liked -to hear his loud, clear "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" early in the morning; for -he woke before the sun was up, and began his song. Peck used to grumble -at being roused at dawn, for he was lazy; but the hens bustled up, and -were glad to get out of the hen-house. - -The father cock had been killed by a dog; so they made Cocky king of the -farmyard, and Peck was very jealous of him. - -"I came out of the shell first, and I am the oldest; so I ought to be -king," he said. - -"But we don't like you, because you are selfish, cross, and lazy. We -want Cocky; he is so lively, kind, and brave. He will make a splendid -bird, and he must be our king," answered the hens; and Peck had to mind, -or they would have pulled every feather out of his little tail. - -He resolved to do some harm to his good brother, and plagued him all he -could. One day, when Cocky was swinging with three of his sisters on a -bush that hung over the brook, Peck asked a stupid donkey feeding near -to come and put his heavy foot on the bush. He did it, and crack went -the branch, splash went the poor chicks into the water, and all were -drowned but Cocky, who flew across and was saved. Poor little Hop, -Chirp, and Downy went floating down the brook like balls of white foam, -and were never seen again. All the hens mourned for them, and put a -black feather in their heads to show how sorry they were. Mamma Partlet -was heart-broken to lose three darlings at once; but Cocky comforted -her, and never told how it happened, because he was ashamed to have -people know what a bad bird Peck was. - -A butterfly saw it all, and he told Granny Cockletop about it; and the -hens were so angry that they turned Peck out of the barnyard, and he had -to go and live in the woods alone. He said he did n't care; but he did, -and was very unhappy, and used to go and peep into the pleasant field -where the fowls scratched and talked together. He dared not show -himself, for they would have driven him out. But kind Cocky saw him, -and would run with some nice bit and creep through the fence into the -wood, saying,-- - -"Poor brother, I'm sorry for you, and I'll come and play with you, and -tell you the news." - -Now in this wood lived a fox, and he had been planning to eat Peck as -soon as he was fat; for he missed the good corn and meal he used to -have, and grew very thin living on grasshoppers and berries. While he -waited the sly fellow made friends with Peck, though the bird knew that -foxes ate hens. - -"I 'm not afraid, and I don't believe old Granny Cockletop's tales. I -can take care of myself, I guess," he said, and went on playing with the -fox, who got him to tell all about the hen-house,--how the door was -fastened, and where the plump chickens roosted, and what time they went -to bed,--so that he could creep in and steal a good supper by and by. -Silly Peck never guessed what harm he was doing, and only laughed when -Cocky said,-- - -"You will be sorry if you play with the fox. He is a bad fellow; so be -careful and sleep on a high branch, and keep out of his way, as I do." - -Cocky was fat and large, and the fox longed to eat him, but never could, -because he wisely ran home whenever he saw the rogue hiding in the wood. -This made Peck angry, for he wanted his brother to stay and play; and so -one day, when Cocky ran off in the midst of a nice game, Peck said to -the fox,-- - -"See here, if you want to catch that fellow, I 'll tell you how to do -it. He has promised to bring me some food to-night, when all the rest -are at roost. He will hide and not get shut up; then, when those cross -old biddies are asleep, he will cluck softly, and I am to go in and eat -all I want out of the pan. You hide on the top of the hen-house; and -while he talks to me, you can pounce on him. Then I shall be the only -cock here, and they will have to make me king." - -"All right," said the fox, much pleased with the plan, and very glad -that Peck had a chance to get fatter. - -So when it was night, Peck crept through the broken paling and waited -till he heard the signal. Now, good Cocky had saved up nice bits from -his own dinner, and put them in a paper hidden under a bush. He spread -them all out in the barnyard and called; and Peck came in a great hurry -to eat them, never stopping to say, "Thank you." - -Cocky stood by talking pleasantly till a little shower came up. - -"Peck, dear, put this nice thick paper over you; then you will be dry, -and can go on eating. I'll step under that burdock leaf and wait till -you are done," said Cocky; and Peck was too busy gobbling up the food to -remember anything else. - -Now the fox had just crept up on the hen-house roof; and when he peeped -down, there was just light enough to see a white thing bobbing about. - -"Ah, ha! that's Cockyloo; now for a good supper!" And with a jump he -seized Peck by the head before he could explain the mistake. - -One squawk, and the naughty bird was dead; but though the paper fell -off, and the fox saw what he had done, it was too late, and he began to -eat Peck up, while Cocky flew into a tree and crowed so loud that the -farmer ran with his gun and shot the fox before he could squeeze through -the hole in the fence with the fowl in his mouth. - -After that the hens felt safe, for there were no more foxes; and when -they heard about Peck they did not mourn at all, but liked Cocky better -than ever, and lived happily together, with nothing to trouble them. - -King Cockyloo grew to be a splendid bird,--pure white, with a tall red -comb on his head, long spurs on his yellow legs, many fine feathers in -his tail, and eyes that shone like diamonds. His crow was so loud that -it could be heard all over the neighborhood, and people used to say, -"Hark! hear Farmer Hunt's cock crow. Is n't it a sweet sound to wake us -in the dawn?" All the other cocks used to answer him, and there was a -fine matinée concert every day. - -He was a good brother, and led his five little sisters all about the -field, feeding, guarding, and amusing them; for mamma was lame now, and -could not stir far from the yard. It was a pretty sight to see Cocky -run home with a worm in his bill or a nice berry, and give it to his -mother, who was very proud of her handsome son. Even old Granny -Cockletop, who scolded about everything, liked him; and often said, as -the hens sat scuffling in the dust,-- - -"A fine bird, my dears, a very fine bird, and I know he will do -something remarkable before he dies." - -She was right for once; and this is what he did. - -One day the farmer had to go away and stay all night, leaving the old -lady alone with two boys. They were not afraid; for they had a gun, and -quite longed for a chance to fire it. Now it happened that the farmer -had a good deal of money in the house, and some bad men knew it; so they -waited for him to go away that they might steal it. Cocky was picking -about in the field when he heard voices behind the wall, and peeping -through a hole saw two shabby men hiding there. - -"At twelve, to-night, when all are asleep, we will creep in at the -kitchen window and steal the money. You shall watch on the outside and -whistle if any one comes along while I 'm looking for the box where the -farmer keeps it," said one man. - -"You need n't be afraid; there is no dog, and no one to wake the family, -so we are quite safe," said the other man; and then they both went to -sleep till night came. - -Cocky was much troubled, and did n't know what to do. He could not tell -the old lady about it; for he could only cackle and crow, and she would -not understand that language. So he went about all day looking very -sober, and would not chase grasshoppers, play hide-and-seek under the -big burdock leaves, or hunt the cricket with his sisters. At sunset he -did not go into the hen-house with the rest, but flew up to the shed -roof over the kitchen, and sat there in the cold ready to scare the -robbers with a loud crow, as he could do nothing else. - -At midnight the men came creeping along; one stopped outside, and the -other went in. Presently he handed a basket of silver out, and went back -for the money. Just as he came creeping along with the box, Cocky gave -a loud, long crow, that frightened the robbers and woke the boys. The -man with the basket ran away in such a hurry that he tumbled into a -well; the other was going to get out of the window, when Cocky flew down -and picked at his eyes and flapped his wings in his face, so that he -turned to run some other way, and met the boys, who fired at him and -shot him in the legs. The old lady popped her head out of the upper -window and rang the dinner-bell, and called "Fire! fire!" so loud that -it roused the neighbors, who came running to see what the trouble could -be. - -They fished one man out of the well and picked up the wounded one, and -carried them both off to prison. - -"Who caught them?" asked the people. - -"We did," cried the boys, very proud of what they had done; "but we -should n't have waked if our good Cocky had not crowed, and scared the -rascals. He deserves half the praise, for this is the second time he -has caught a thief." - -So Cocky was brought in, and petted, and called a fine fellow; and his -family were so proud of him they clucked about it for weeks afterward. - -When the robbers were tried, it was found that they were the men who had -robbed the bank, and taken a great deal of money; so every one was glad -to have them shut up for twenty years. It made a great stir, and people -would go to see Cocky and tell how he helped catch the men; and he was -so brave and handsome, they said at last,-- - -"We want a new weather-cock on our courthouse, and instead of an arrow -let us have a cock; and he shall look like this fine fellow." - -"Yes, yes," cried the young folks, much pleased; for they thought Cocky -ought to be remembered in some way. - -So a picture was taken, and Cocky stood very still, with his bright eye -on the man; then one like it was made of brass, and put high up on the -court-house, where all could see the splendid bird shining like gold, -and twirling about to tell which way the wind was. The children were -never tired of admiring him; and all the hens and chickens went in a -procession one moonlight night to see it,--yes, even Mamma Partlet and -Granny Cockletop, though one was lame and the other very old, so full of -pride were they in the great honor done King Cockyloo. - -This was not the end of his good deeds; and the last was the best of -all, though it cost him his life. He ruled for some years, and kept his -kingdom in good order; for no one would kill him, when many of the other -fowls were taken for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. But he did die -at last; and even then he was good and brave, as you shall hear. - -One of the boys wanted to smoke a pipe, and went behind the hen-house, -so nobody should see him do such a silly thing. He thought he heard his -father coming, and hid the pipe under the house. Some straw and dry -leaves lay about, and took fire, setting the place in a blaze; for the -boy ran away when he saw the mischief he had done, and the fire got to -burning nicely before the cries of the poor hens called people to help. -The door was locked, and could not be opened, because the key was in the -pocket of the naughty boy; so the farmer got an axe and chopped down the -wall, letting the poor biddies fly out, squawking and smoking. - -"Where is Cocky?" cried the other boy, as he counted the hens and missed -the king of the farmyard. - -"Burnt up, I 'm afraid," said the farmer, who was throwing water on the -flames. - -Alas! yes, he was; for when the fire was out they found good old Cocky -sitting on a nest, with his wide wings spread over some little chicks -whose mother had left them. They were too small to run away, and sat -chirping sadly till Cocky covered and kept them safe, though the smoke -choked _him_ to death. - -Every one was very sorry; and the children gave the good bird a fine -funeral, and buried him in the middle of the field, with a green mound -over him, and a white stone, on which was written,-- - - Here lies the bravest cock that ever crew: - We mourn for him with sorrow true. - Now nevermore at dawn his music shall we hear, - Waking the world like trumpet shrill and clear. - The hens all hang their heads, the chickens sadly peep; - The boys look sober, and the girls all weep. - Good-by, dear Cocky: sleep and rest. - With grass and daisies on your faithful breast; - And when you wake, brave bird, so good and true, - Clap your white wings and crow, "Cock-a-doodle-doo." - - - - -[Illustration: The lion walked awhile to rest himself.--PAGE 118.] - - - - VI. - - ROSY'S JOURNEY. - - -Rosy was a nice little girl who lived with her mother in a small house -in the woods. They were very poor, for the father had gone away to dig -gold, and did not come back; so they had to work hard to get food to eat -and clothes to wear. The mother spun yarn when she was able, for she -was often sick, and Rosy did all she could to help. She milked the red -cow and fed the hens; dug the garden, and went to town to sell the yarn -and the eggs. - -She was very good and sweet, and every one loved her; but the neighbors -were all poor, and could do little to help the child. So, when at last -the mother died, the cow and hens and house had to be sold to pay the -doctor and the debts. Then Rosy was left all alone, with no mother, no -home, and no money to buy clothes and dinners with. - -"What will you do?" said the people, who were very sorry for her. - -"I will go and find my father," answered Rosy, bravely. - -"But he is far away, and you don't know just where he is, up among the -mountains. Stay with us and spin on your little wheel, and we will buy -the yarn, and take care of you, dear little girl," said the kind people. - -"No, I must go; for mother told me to, and my father will be glad to -have me. I 'm not afraid, for every one is good to me," said Rosy, -gratefully. - -Then the people gave her a warm red cloak, and a basket with a little -loaf and bottle of milk in it, and some pennies to buy more to eat when -the bread was gone. They all kissed her, and wished her good luck; and -she trotted away through the wood to find her father. - -For some days she got on very well; for the wood-cutters were kind, and -let her sleep in their huts, and gave her things to eat. But by and by -she came to lonely places, where there were no houses; and then she was -afraid, and used to climb up in the trees to sleep, and had to eat -berries and leaves, like the Children in the Wood. - -She made a fire at night, so wild beasts would not come near her; and if -she met other travellers, she was so young and innocent no one had the -heart to hurt her. She was kind to everything she met; so all little -creatures were friends to her, as we shall see. - -One day, as she was resting by a river, she saw a tiny fish on the bank, -nearly dead for want of water. - -"Poor thing! go and be happy again," she said, softly taking him up, and -dropping him into the nice cool river. - -"Thank you, dear child; I '11 not forget, but will help you some day," -said the fish, when he had taken a good drink, and felt better. - -"Why, how can a tiny fish help such a great girl as I am?" laughed Rosy. - -"Wait and see," answered the fish, as he swam away with a flap of his -little tail. - -Rosy went on her way, and forgot all about it. But she never forgot to -be kind; and soon after, as she was looking in the grass for -strawberries, she found a field-mouse with a broken leg. - -"Help me to my nest, or my babies will starve," cried the poor thing. - -"Yes, I will; and bring these berries so that you can keep still till -your leg is better, and have something to eat." - -Rosy took the mouse carefully in her little hand, and tied up the broken -leg with a leaf of spearmint and a blade of grass. Then she carried her -to the nest under the roots of an old tree, where four baby mice were -squeaking sadly for their mother. She made a bed of thistledown for the -sick mouse, and put close within reach all the berries and seeds she -could find, and brought an acorn-cup of water from the spring, so they -could be comfortable. - -"Good little Rosy, I shall pay you for all this kindness some day," said -the mouse, when she was done. - -"I 'm afraid you are not big enough to do much," answered Rosy, as she -ran off to go on her journey. - -"Wait and see," called the mouse; and all the little ones squeaked, as -if they said the same. - -Some time after, as Rosy lay up in a tree, waiting for the sun to rise, -she heard a great buzzing close by, and saw a fly caught in a cobweb -that went from one twig to another. The big spider was trying to spin -him all up, and the poor fly was struggling to get away before his legs -and wings were helpless. - -Rosy put up her finger and pulled down the web, and the spider ran away -at once to hide under the leaves. But the happy fly sat on Rosy's hand, -cleaning his wings, and buzzing so loud for joy that it sounded like a -little trumpet. - -"You 've saved my life, and I 'll save yours, if I can," said the fly, -twinkling his bright eye at Rosy. - -"You silly thing, you can't help me," answered Rosy, climbing down, -while the fly buzzed away, saying, like the mouse and fish,-- - -"Wait and see; wait and see." - -Rosy trudged on and on, till at last she came to the sea. The mountains -were on the other side; but how should she get over the wide water? No -ships were there, and she had no money to hire one if there had been -any; so she sat on the shore, very tired and sad, and cried a few big -tears as salt as the sea. - -"Hullo!" called a bubbly sort of voice close by; and the fish popped up -his head. - -Rosy ran to see what he wanted. - -"I 've come to help you over the water," said the fish. - -"How can you, when I want a ship, and some one to show me the way?" -answered Rosy. - -"I shall just call my friend the whale, and he will take you over better -than a ship, because he won't get wrecked. Don't mind if he spouts and -flounces about a good deal, he is only playing; so you need n't be -frightened." - -Down dived the little fish, and Rosy waited to see what would happen; -for she did n't believe such a tiny thing could really bring a whale to -help her. - -Presently what looked like a small island came floating through the sea; -and turning round, so that its tail touched the shore, the whale said, -in a roaring voice that made her jump,-- - -"Come aboard, little girl, and hold on tight. I 'll carry you wherever -you like." - -It was rather a slippery bridge, and Rosy was rather scared at this big, -strange boat; but she got safely over, and held on fast; then, with a -roll and a plunge, off went the whale, spouting two fountains, while his -tail steered him like the rudder of a ship. - -Rosy liked it, and looked down into the deep sea, where all sorts of -queer and lovely things were to be seen. Great fishes came and looked -at her; dolphins played near to amuse her; the pretty nautilus sailed by -in its transparent boat; and porpoises made her laugh with their rough -play. Mermaids brought her pearls and red coral to wear, sea-apples to -eat, and at night sung her to sleep with their sweet lullabies. - -So she had a very pleasant voyage, and ran on shore with many thanks to -the good whale, who gave a splendid spout, and swam away. - -Then Rosy travelled along till she came to a desert. Hundreds of miles -of hot sand, with no trees or brooks or houses. - -"I never can go that way," she said; "I should starve, and soon be worn -out walking in that hot sand. What _shall_ I do?" - - "Quee, quee! - Wait and see: - You were good to me; - So here I come, - From my little home, - To help you willingly," - -said a friendly voice; and there was the mouse, looking at her with its -bright eyes full of gratitude. - -"Why, you dear little thing, I 'm very glad to see you; but I 'm sure -you can't help me across this desert," said Rosy, stroking its soft -back. - -"That's easy enough," answered the mouse, rubbing its paws briskly. "I -'ll just call my friend the lion; he lives here, and he 'll take you -across with pleasure." - -"Oh, I 'm afraid he 'd rather eat me. How dare you call that fierce -beast?" cried Rosy, much surprised. - -"I gnawed him out of a net once, and he promised to help me. He is a -noble animal, and he will keep his word." - -Then the mouse sang, in its shrill little voice,-- - - "O lion, grand, - Come over the sand, - And help me now, I pray! - Here 's a little lass, - Who wants to pass; - Please carry her on her way." - - -In a moment a loud roar was heard, and a splendid yellow lion, with -fiery eyes and a long mane, came bounding over the sand to meet them. - -"What can I do for you, tiny friend?" he said, looking at the mouse, who -was not a bit frightened, though Rosy hid behind a rock, expecting every -moment to be eaten. - -Mousie told him, and the good lion said pleasantly,-- - -"I 'll take the child along. Come on, my dear; sit on my back and hold -fast to my mane, for I 'm a swift horse, and you might fall off." - -Then he crouched down like a great cat, and Rosy climbed up, for he was -so kind she could not fear him; and away they went, racing over the sand -till her hair whistled in the wind. As soon as she got her breath, she -thought it great fun to go flying along, while other lions and tigers -rolled their fierce eyes at her, but dared not touch her; for this lion -was king of all, and she was quite safe. They met a train of camels -with loads on their backs; and the people travelling with them wondered -what queer thing was riding that fine lion. It looked like a very large -monkey in a red cloak, but went so fast they never saw that it was a -little girl. - -"How glad I am that I was kind to the mouse; for if the good little -creature had not helped me, I never could have crossed this desert," -said Rosy, as the lion walked awhile to rest himself. - -"And if the mouse had not gnawed me out of the net I never should have -come at her call. You see, little people can conquer big ones, and make -them gentle and friendly by kindness," answered the lion. - -Then away they went again, faster than ever, till they came to the green -country. Rosy thanked the good beast, and he ran back; for if any one -saw him, they would try to catch him. - -"Now I have only to climb up these mountains and find father," thought -Rosy, as she saw the great hills before her, with many steep roads -winding up to the top; and far, far away rose the smoke from the huts -where the men lived and dug for gold. She started off bravely, but took -the wrong road, and after climbing a long while found the path ended in -rocks over which she could not go. She was very tired and hungry; for -her food was gone, and there were no houses in this wild place. Night -was coming on, and it was so cold she was afraid she would freeze before -morning, but dared not go on lest she should fall down some steep hole -and be killed. Much discouraged, she lay down on the moss and cried a -little; then she tried to sleep, but something kept buzzing in her ear, -and looking carefully she saw a fly prancing about on the moss, as if -anxious to make her listen to his song,-- - - "Rosy, my dear, - Don't cry,--I 'm here - To help you all I can. - I 'm only a fly, - But you 'll see that I - Will keep my word like a man." - - -Rosy could n't help laughing to hear the brisk little fellow talk as if -he could do great things; but she was very glad to see him and hear his -cheerful song, so she held out her finger, and while he sat there told -him all her troubles. - -"Bless your heart! my friend the eagle will carry you right up the -mountains and leave you at your father's door," cried the fly; and he -was off with a flirt of his gauzy wings, for he meant what he said. - -Rosy was ready for her new horse, and not at all afraid after the whale -and the lion; so when a great eagle swooped down and alighted near her, -she just looked at his sharp claws, big eyes, and crooked beak as coolly -as if he had been a cock-robin. - -He liked her courage, and said kindly in his rough voice,-- - -"Hop up, little girl, and sit among my feathers. Hold me fast round the -neck, or you may grow dizzy and get a fall." - -Rosy nestled down among the thick gray feathers, and put both arms round -his neck; and whiz they went, up, up, up, higher and higher, till the -trees looked like grass, they were so far below. At first it was very -cold, and Rosy cuddled deeper into her feather bed; then, as they came -nearer to the sun, it grew warm, and she peeped out to see the huts -standing in a green spot on the top of the mountain. - -"Here we are. You'll find all the men are down in the mine at this -time. They won't come up till morning; so you will have to wait for -your father. Good-by; good luck, my dear." And the eagle soared away, -higher still, to his nest among the clouds. - -It was night now, but fires were burning in all the houses; so Rosy went -from hut to hut trying to find her father's, that she might rest while -she waited: at last in one the picture of a pretty little girl hung on -the wall, and under it was written, "My Rosy." Then she knew that this -was the right place; and she ate some supper, put on more wood, and went -to bed, for she wanted to be fresh when her father came in the morning. - -While she slept a storm came on,--thunder rolled and lightning flashed, -the wind blew a gale, and rain poured,--but Rosy never waked till dawn, -when she heard men shouting outside,-- - -"Run, run! The river is rising! We shall all be drowned!" - -Rosy ran out to see what was the matter, though the wind nearly blew her -away; she found that so much rain had made the river overflow till it -began to wash the banks away. - -"What shall I do? what shall I do?" cried Rosy, watching the men rush -about like ants, getting their bags of gold ready to carry off before -the water swept them away, if it became a flood. - -As if in answer to her cry, Rosy heard a voice say close by,-- - - "Splash, dash! - Rumble and crash! - Here come the beavers gay; - See what they do, - Rosy, for you, - Because you helped me one day." - -And there in the water was the little fish swimming about, while an army -of beavers began to pile up earth and stones in a high bank to keep the -river back. How they worked, digging and heaping with teeth and claws, -and beating the earth hard with their queer tails like shovels! - -Rosy and the men watched them work, glad to be safe, while the storm -cleared up; and by the time the dam was made, all danger was over. Rosy -looked into the faces of the rough men, hoping her father was there, and -was just going to ask about him, when a great shouting rose again, and -all began to run to the pit hole, saying,-- - -"The sand has fallen in! The poor fellows will be smothered! How can -we get them out? how can we get them out?" - -Rosy ran too, feeling as if her heart would break; for her father was -down in the mine, and would die soon if air did not come to him. The -men dug as hard as they could; but it was a long job, and they feared -they would not be in time. - -Suddenly hundreds of moles came scampering along, and began to burrow -down through the earth, making many holes for air to go in; for they -know how to build galleries through the ground better than men can. -Every one was so surprised they stopped to look on; for the dirt flew -like rain as the busy little fellows scratched and bored as if making an -underground railway. - -"What does it mean?" said the men. "They work faster than we can, and -better; but who sent them? Is this strange little girl a fairy?" - -Before Rosy could speak, all heard a shrill, small voice singing,-- - - "They come at my call; - And though they are small, - They 'll dig the passage clear: - I never forget; - We 'll save them yet, - For love of Rosy dear." - -Then all saw a little gray mouse sitting on a stone, waving her tail -about, and pointing with her tiny paw to show the moles where to dig. - -The men laughed; and Rosy was telling them who she was, when a cry came -from the pit, and they saw that the way was clear so they could pull the -buried men up. In a minute they got ropes, and soon had ten poor -fellows safe on the ground; pale and dirty, but all alive, and all -shouting as if they were crazy,-- - -"Tom's got it! Tom's got it! Hooray for Tom!" - -"What is it?" cried the others; and then they saw Tom come up with the -biggest lump of gold ever found in the mountains. - -Every one was glad of Tom's luck; for he was a good man, and had worked -a long time, and been sick, and could n't go back to his wife and child. -When he saw Rosy, he dropped the lump, and caught her up, saying,-- - -"My little girl! she 's better than a million pounds of gold." - -Then Rosy was very happy, and went back to the hut, and had a lovely -time telling her father all about her troubles and her travels. He cried -when he heard that the poor mother was dead before she could have any of -the good things the gold would buy them. - -"We will go away and be happy together in the pleasantest home I can -find, and never part any more, my darling," said the father, kissing -Rosy as she sat on his knee with her arms round his neck. - -She was just going to say something very sweet to comfort him, when a -fly lit on her arm and buzzed very loud,-- - - "Don't drive me away, - But hear what I say: - Bad men want the gold; - They will steal it to-night, - And you must take flight; - So be quiet and busy and bold." - - -"I was afraid some one would take my lump away. I 'll pack up at once, -and we will creep off while the men are busy at work; though I 'm afraid -we can't go fast enough to be safe, if they miss us and come after," -said Tom, bundling his gold into a bag and looking very sober; for some -of the miners were wild fellows, and might kill him for the sake of that -great lump. - -But the fly sang again,-- - - "Slip away with me, - And you will see - What a wise little thing am I; - For the road I show - No man can know, - Since it's up in the pathless sky." - - -Then they followed Buzz to a quiet nook in the wood; and there were the -eagle and his mate waiting to fly away with them so fast and so far that -no one could follow. Rosy and the bag of gold were put on the mother -eagle; Tom sat astride the king bird; and away they flew to a great -city, where the little girl and her father lived happily together all -their lives. - - - - -[Illustration: Poor Billy dangling from a bough, high above the ground. -PAGE 146.] - - - - VII. - - HOW THEY RAN AWAY. - - -Two little boys sat on the fence whittling arrows one fine day. Said -one little boy to the other little boy,-- - -"Let's do something jolly." - -"All right. What will we do?" - -"Run off to the woods and be hunters." - -"What can we hunt?" - -"Bears and foxes." - -"Mullin says there ain't any round here." - -"Well, we can shoot squirrels and snare woodchucks." - -"Have n't got any guns and trap." - -"We 've got our bows, and I found an old trap behind the barn." - -"What will we eat?" - -"Here 's our lunch; and when that's gone we can roast the squirrels and -cook the fish on a stick. I know how." - -"Where will you get the fire?" - -"Got matches in my pocket." - -"I 've got a lot of things we could use. Let's see." - -And as if satisfied at last, cautious Billy displayed his treasures, -while bold Tommy did the same. - -Besides the two knives there were strings, nails, matches, a piece of -putty, fish-hooks, and two very dirty handkerchiefs. - -"There, sir, that 's a first-rate fit-out for hunters; and with the -jolly basket of lunch Mrs. Mullin gave us, we can get on tip-top for two -or three days," said Tommy, eager to be off. - -"Where shall we sleep?" asked Billy, who liked to be comfortable both -night and day. - -"Oh, up in trees or on beds of leaves, like the fellows in our books. -If you are afraid, stay at home; I 'm going to have no end of a good -time." And Tommy crammed the things back into his pockets as if there -were no time to lose. - -"Pooh! I ain't afraid. Come on!" And jumping down Billy caught up his -rod, rather ashamed of his many questions. - -No one was looking at them, and they might have walked quietly off; but -that the "running away" might be all right, both raced down the road, -tumbled over a wall, and dashed into the woods as if a whole tribe of -wild Indians were after them. - -"Do you know the way?" panted Billy, when at last they stopped for -breath. - -"Yes, it winds right up the mountain; but we 'd better not keep to it, -or some one will see us and take us back. We are going to be _real_ -hunters and have adventures; so we must get lost, and find our way by -the sun and the stars," answered Tommy, who had read so many Boys' Books -his little head was a jumble of Texan Rangers, African Explorers, and -Buffalo Bills; and he burned to outdo them all. - -"What will our mothers say if we really get lost?" asked Billy, always -ready with a question. - -"Mine won't fuss. She lets me do what I like." - -That was true; for Tommy's poor mamma was tired of trying to keep the -lively little fellow in order, and had got used to seeing him come out -of all his scrapes without much harm. - -"Mine will be scared; she 's always afraid I 'm going to get hurt, so I -'m careful. But I guess I 'll risk it, and have some fun to tell about -when we go home," said Billy, trudging after Captain Tommy, who always -took the lead. - -These eleven-year-old boys were staying with their mothers at a -farm-house up among the mountains; and having got tired of the tame -bears, the big barn, the trout brook, the thirty colts at pasture, and -the society of the few little girls and younger boys at the hotel near -by, these fine fellows longed to break loose and "rough it in the bush," -as the hunters did in their favorite stories. - -Away they went, deeper and deeper into the great forest that covered the -side of the mountain. A pleasant place that August day; for it was cool -and green, with many brooks splashing over the rocks, or lying in brown -pools under the ferns. Squirrels chattered and raced in the tall pines; -now and then a gray rabbit skipped out of sight among the brakes, or a -strange bird flew by. Here and there blackberries grew in the open -places, sassafras bushes were plentiful, and black-birch bark was ready -for chewing. - -"Don't you call this nice?" asked Tommy, pausing at last in a little -dell where a noisy brook came tumbling down the mountain side, and the -pines sung overhead. - -"Yes; but I 'm awful hungry. Let's rest and eat our lunch," said Billy, -sitting down on a cushion of moss. - -"You always want to be stuffing and resting," answered sturdy Tommy, who -liked to be moving all the time. - -He took the fishing-basket, which hung over his shoulder by a strap, and -opened it carefully; for good Mrs. Mullin had packed a nice lunch of -bread and butter, cake and peaches, with a bottle of milk, and two large -pickles slipped in on the sly to please the boys. - -Tommy's face grew very sober as he looked in, for all he saw was a box -of worms for bait and an old jacket. - -"By George! we 've got the wrong basket. This is Mullin's, and he 's -gone off with our prog. Won't he be mad?" - -"Not as mad as I am. Why did n't you look? You are always in such a -hurry to start. What _shall_ we do now without anything to eat?" whined -Billy; for losing his lunch was a dreadful blow to him. - -"We shall have to catch some fish and eat blackberries. Which will you -do, old cry-baby?" said Tommy, laughing at the other boy's dismal face. - -"I 'll fish; I 'm so tired I can't go scratching round after berries. I -don't love 'em, either." And Billy began to fix his line and bait his -hook. - -"Lucky we got the worms; you can eat 'em if you can't wait for fish," -said Tommy, bustling about to empty the basket and pile up their few -possessions in a heap. "There's a quiet pool below here, you go and -fish there. I 'll pick the berries, and then show you how to get dinner -in the woods. This is our camp; so fly round and do your best." - -Then Tommy ran off to a place near by where he had seen the berries, -while Billy found a comfortable nook by the pool, and sat scowling at -the water so crossly, it was a wonder any trout came to his hook. But -the fat worms tempted several small ones, and he cheered up at the -prospect of food. Tommy whistled while he picked, and in half an hour -came back with two quarts of nice berries and an armful of dry sticks -for the fire. - -"We 'll have a jolly dinner, after all," he said, as the flames went -crackling up, and the dry leaves made a pleasant smell. - -"Got four, but don't see how we 'll ever cook 'em; no frying-pan," -grumbled Billy, throwing down the four little trout, which he had half -cleaned. - -"Don't want any. Broil 'em on the coals, or toast 'em on a forked -stick. I 'll show you how," said cheerful Tommy, whittling away, and -feeding his fire as much like a real hunter as a small boy could be. - -While he worked, Billy ate berries and sighed for bread and butter. At -last, after much trouble, two of the trout were half cooked and eagerly -eaten by the hungry boys. But they were very different from the nice -brown ones Mrs. Mullin gave them; for in spite of Tommy's struggles they -would fall in the ashes, and there was no salt to eat with them. By the -time the last were toasted, the young hunters were so hungry they could -have eaten anything, and not a berry was left. - -"I set the trap down there, for I saw a hole among the vines, and I -should n't wonder if we got a rabbit or something," said Tommy, when the -last bone was polished. "You go and catch some more fish, and I 'll see -if I have caught any old chap as he went home to dinner." - -Off ran Tommy; and the other boy went slowly back to the brook, wishing -with all his might he was at home eating sweet corn and berry pie. - -The trout had evidently gone to their dinners, for not one bite did poor -Billy get; and he was just falling asleep when a loud shout gave him -such a fright that he tumbled into the brook up to his knees. - -"I 've got him! Come and see! He's a bouncer," roared Tommy, from the -berry bushes some way off. - -Billy scrambled out, and went as fast as his wet boots would let him, to -see what the prize was. He found Tommy dancing wildly round a fat gray -animal, who was fighting to get his paws out of the trap, and making a -queer noise as he struggled about. - -"What is it?" asked Billy, getting behind a tree as fast as possible; -for the thing looked fierce, and he was very timid. - -"A raccoon, I guess, or a big woodchuck. Won't his fur make a fine cap? -I guess the other fellows will wish they 'd come with us," said Tommy, -prancing to and fro, without the least idea what to do with the -creature. - -"He 'll bite. We 'd better run away and wait till he 's dead," said -Billy. - -"Wish he 'd got his head in, then I could carry him off; but he does -look savage, so we'll have to leave him awhile, and get him when we come -back. But he's a real beauty." And Tommy looked proudly at the bunch -of gray fur scuffling in the sand. - -"Can we ever eat him?" asked hungry Billy, ready for a fried crocodile -if he could get it. - -"If he 's a raccoon, we can; but I don't know about woodchucks. The -fellows in my books don't seem to have caught any. He 's nice and fat; -we might try him when he 's dead," said Tommy, who cared more for the -skin to show than the best meal ever cooked. - -The sound of a gun echoing through the wood gave Tommy a good idea,-- - -"Let's find the man and get him to shoot this chap; then we need n't -wait, but skin him right away, and eat him too." - -Off they went to the camp; and catching up their things, the two hunters -hurried away in the direction of the sound, feeling glad to know that -some one was near them, for two or three hours of wood life made them a -little homesick. - -They ran and scrambled, and listened and called; but not until they had -gone a long way up the mountain did they find the man, resting in an old -hut left by the lumbermen. The remains of his dinner were spread on the -floor, and he lay smoking, and reading a newspaper, while his dog dozed -at his feet, close to a well-filled game-bag. - -He looked surprised when two dirty, wet little boys suddenly appeared -before him,--one grinning cheerfully, the other looking very dismal and -scared as the dog growled and glared at them as if they were two -rabbits. - -"Hollo!" said the man. - -"Hollo!" answered Tommy. - -"Who are you?" asked the man. - -"Hunters," said Tommy. - -"Had good luck?" And the man laughed. - -"First-rate. Got a raccoon in our trap, and we want you to come and -shoot him," answered Tommy, proudly. - -"Sure?" said the man, looking interested as well as amused. - -"No; but I think so." - -"What's he like?" - -Tommy described him, and was much disappointed when the man lay down -again, saying, with another laugh,-- - -"It's a woodchuck; he's no good." - -"But I want the skin." - -"Then don't shoot him, let him die; that's better for the skin," said -the man, who was tired and did n't want to stop for such poor game. - -All this time Billy had been staring hard at the sandwiches and bread -and cheese on the floor, and sniffing at them, as the dog sniffed at -him. - -"Want some grub?" asked the man, seeing the hungry look. - -"I just do! We left our lunch, and I 've only had two little trout and -some old berries since breakfast," answered Billy, with tears in his -eyes and a hand on his stomach. - -"Eat away then; I 'm done, and don't want the stuff." And the man took -up his paper as if glad to be let alone. - -It was lucky that the dog had been fed, for in ten minutes nothing was -left but the napkin; and the boys sat picking up the crumbs, much -refreshed, but ready for more. - -"Better be going home, my lads; it's pretty cold on the mountain after -sunset, and you are a long way from town," said the man, who had peeped -at them over his paper now and then, and saw, in spite of the dirt and -rips, that they were not farmer boys. - -"We don't live in town; we are at Mullin's, in the valley. No hurry; we -know the way, and we want to have some sport first. You seem to have -done well," answered Tommy, looking enviously from the gun to the -game-bag, out of which hung a rabbit's head and a squirrel's tail. - -"Pretty fair; but I want a shot at the bear. People tell me there is one -up here, and I 'm after him; for he kills the sheep, and might hurt some -of the young folks round here," said the man, loading his gun with a -very sober air; for he wanted to get rid of the boys and send them home. - -Billy looked alarmed; but Tommy's brown face beamed with joy as he said -eagerly,-- - -"I hope you 'll get him. I 'd rather shoot a bear than any other animal -but a lion. We don't have those here, and bears are scarce. Mullin said -he had n't heard of one for a long time; so this must be a young one, -for they killed the big one two years ago." - -That was true, and the man knew it. He did not really expect or want to -meet a bear, but thought the idea of one would send the little fellows -home at once. Finding one of them was unscared, he laughed, and said -with a nod to Tommy,-- - -"If I had time I 'd take you along, and show you how to hunt; but this -fat friend of yours could n't rough it with us, and we can't leave him -alone; so go ahead your own way. Only I wouldn't climb any higher, for -among the rocks you are sure to get hurt or lost." - -"Oh, I say, let's go! Such fun, Billy! I know you'll like it. A real -gun and dog and hunter! Come on, and don't be a molly-coddle," cried -Tommy, wild to go. - -"I won't! I'm tired, and I'm going home; you can go after your old -bears if you want to. I don't think much of hunting anyway, and wish I -had n't come," growled Billy, very cross at being left out, yet with no -desire to scramble any more. - -"Can't stop. Good-by. Get along home, and some day I 'll come and take -you out with me, little Leatherstocking," said the man, striding off -with the dear gun and dog and bag, leaving Billy to wonder what he meant -by that queer name, and Tommy to console himself with the promise made -him. - -"Let's go and see how old Chucky gets on," he said good-naturedly, when -the man vanished. - -"Not till I 'm rested. I can get a good nap on this pile of hay; then -we'll go home before it's late," answered lazy Billy, settling himself -on the rough bed the lumbermen had used. - -"I just wish I had a boy with some go in him; you ain't much better than -a girl," sighed Tommy, walking off to a pine-tree where some squirrels -seemed to be having a party, they chattered and raced up and down at -such a rate. - -He tried his bow and shot all his arrows many times in vain, for the -lively creatures gave him no chance. He had better luck with a brown -bird who sat in a bush and was hit full in the breast with the sharpest -arrow. The poor thing fluttered and fell, and its blood wet the green -leaves as it lay dying on the grass. Tommy was much pleased at first; -but as he stood watching its bright eye grow dim and its pretty brown -wings stop fluttering, he felt sorry that its happy little life was so -cruelly ended, and ashamed that his thoughtless fun had given so much -pain. - -"I 'll never shoot another bird except hawks after chickens, and I won't -brag about this one. It was so tame, and trusted me, I was very mean to -kill it." - -As he thought this, Tommy smoothed the ruffled feathers of the dead -thrush, and, making a little grave under the pine, buried it wrapped in -green leaves, and left it there where its mate could sing over it, and -no rude hands disturb its rest. - -"I 'll tell mamma and she will understand; but I _won't_ tell Billy. He -is such a greedy old chap he'll say I ought to have kept the poor bird -to eat," thought Tommy, as he went back to the hut, and sat there, -restringing his bow, till Billy woke up, much more amiable for his -sleep. - -They tried to find the woodchuck, but lost their way, and wandered -deeper into the great forest till they came to a rocky place and could -go no farther. They climbed up and tumbled down, turned back and went -round, looked at the sun and knew it was late, chewed sassafras bark and -checkerberry leaves for supper, and grew more and more worried and tired -as hour after hour went by and they saw no end to woods and rocks. Once -or twice they heard the hunter's gun far away, and called and tried to -find him. - -Tommy scolded Billy for not going with the man, who knew his way and was -probably safe in the valley when the last faint shot came up to them. -Billy cried, and reproached Tommy for proposing to run away; and both -felt very homesick for their mothers and their good safe beds at Farmer -Mullin's. - -The sun set, and found them in a dreary place full of rocks and blasted -trees half-way up the mountain. They were so tired they could hardly -walk, and longed to lie down anywhere to sleep; but, remembering the -hunter's story of the bear, they were afraid to do it, till Tommy -suggested climbing a tree, after making a fire at the foot of it to -scare away the bear, lest he climb too and get them. - -But, alas! the matches were left in their first camp; so they decided to -take turns to sleep and watch, since it was plain that they must spend -the night there. Billy went up first, and creeping into a good notch of -the bare tree tried to sleep, while brave Tommy, armed with a big stick, -marched to and fro below. Every few minutes a trembling voice would -call from above, "Is anything coming?" and an anxious voice would answer -from below, "Not yet. Hurry up and go to sleep! I want my turn." - -At last Billy began to snore, and then Tommy felt so lonely he could n't -bear it; so he climbed to a lower branch, and sat nodding and trying to -keep watch, till he too fell fast asleep, and the early moon saw the -poor boys roosting there like two little owls. - -A loud cry, a scrambling overhead, and then a great shaking and howling -waked Tommy so suddenly that he lost his wits for a moment and did not -know where he was. - -"The bear! the bear! don't let him get me! Tommy, Tommy, come and make -him let go," cried Billy, filling the quiet night with dismal howls. - -Tommy looked up, expecting to behold a large bear eating his unhappy -friend; but the moonlight showed him nothing but poor Billy dangling -from a bough, high above the ground, caught by his belt when he fell. -He had been dreaming of bears, and rolled off his perch; so there he -hung, kicking and wailing, half awake, and so scared it was long before -Tommy could make him believe that he was quite safe. - -How to get him down was the next question. The branch was not strong -enough to bear Tommy, though he climbed up and tried to unhook poor -Billy. The belt was firmly twisted at the back, and Billy could not -reach to undo it, nor could he get his legs round the branch to pull -himself up. There seemed no way but to unbuckle the belt and drop. -That he was afraid to try; for the ground was hard, and the fall a high -one. Fortunately both belt and buckle were strong; so he hung safely, -though very uncomfortably, while Tommy racked his boyish brain to find a -way to help him. - -Billy had just declared that he should be cut in two very soon if -something was not done for him, and Tommy was in despair, when they -thought they heard a far-off shout, and both answered it till their -throats were nearly split with screaming. - -"I seem to see a light moving round down that way," cried Billy from his -hook, pointing toward the valley. - -"They are looking for us, but they won't hear us. I 'll run and holler -louder, and bring 'em up here," answered Tommy, glad to do anything that -would put an end to this dreadful state of things. - -"Don't leave me! I may fall and be killed! The bear might come! Don't -go! don't go!" wailed Billy, longing to drop, but afraid. - -"I won't go far, and I 'll come back as quick as I can. You are safe up -there. Hold on, and we 'll soon get you down," answered Tommy, rushing -away helter-skelter, never minding where he went, and too much excited -to care for any damage. - -The moon was bright on the blasted trees; but when he came down among -the green pines, it grew dark, and he often stumbled and fell. Never -minding bumps and bruises, he scrambled over rocks, leaped fallen -trunks, floundered through brooks, and climbed down steep places, till, -with a reckless jump, he went heels over head into a deep hole, and lay -there for a moment stunned by the fall. It was an old bear-trap, long -unused, and fortunately well carpeted with dead leaves, or poor Tommy -would have broken his bones. - -When he came to himself he was so used up that he lay still for some -time in a sort of daze, too tired to know or care about anything, only -dimly conscious that somebody was lost in a tree or a well, and that, on -the whole, running away was not all fun. - -By and by the sound of a gun roused him; and remembering poor Billy, he -tried to get out of the pit,--for the moon showed him where he was. But -it was too deep, and he was too stiff with weariness and the fall to be -very nimble. So he shouted, and whistled, and raged about very like a -little bear caught in the pit. - -It is very difficult to find a lost person on these great mountains, and -many wander for hours not far from help, bewildered by the thick woods, -the deep ravines, and precipices which shut them in. Some have lost -their lives; and as Tommy lay on the leaves used up by his various -struggles, he thought of all the stories he had lately heard at the -farm, and began to wonder how it would feel to starve to death down -there, and to wish poor Billy could come to share his prison, that they -might die together, like the Babes in the Wood, or better still the Boy -Scouts lost on the prairies in that thrilling story, "Bill Boomerang, -the Wild Hunter of the West." - -"I guess mother is worried this time, because I never stayed out all -night before, and I never will again without leave. It's rather good -fun, though, if they only find me. I ain't afraid, and it is n't very -cold. I always wanted to sleep out, and now I 'm doing it. Wish poor -Billy was safely down and in this good bed with me. Won't he be scared -all alone there? Maybe the belt will break and he get hurt bumping -down. Sorry now I left him, he's such a 'fraid-cat. There's the gun -again! Guess it's that man after us. Hi! hollo! Here I am! Whoop! -Hurrah! Hi! hi! hi!" - -Tommy's meditations ended in a series of yells as loud as his shrill -little voice could make them, and he thought some one answered. But it -must have been an echo, for no one came; and after another rampage round -his prison, the poor boy nestled down among the leaves, and went fast -asleep because there was nothing else to do. - -So there they were, the two young hunters, lost at midnight on the -mountain,--one hanging like an apple on the old tree, and the other -sound asleep in a bear-pit. Their distracted mothers meantime were -weeping and wringing their hands at the farm, while all the men in the -neighborhood were out looking for the lost boys. The hunter on his -return to the hotel had reported meeting the runaways and his effort to -send them home in good season; so people knew where to look, and, led by -the man and dog, up the mountain went Mr. Mullin with his troop. It was -a mild night, and the moon shone high and clear; so the hunt was, on the -whole, rather easy and pleasant at first, and lanterns flashed through -the dark forest like fireflies, the lonely cliffs seemed alive with men, -and voices echoed in places where usually only the brooks babbled and -the hawks screamed. But as time went on, and no sign of the boys -appeared, the men grew anxious, and began to fear some serious harm had -come to the runaways. - -"I can't go home without them little shavers no way, 'specially Tommy," -said Mr. Mullin, as they stopped to rest after a hard climb through the -blasted grove. "He's a boy after my own heart, spry as a chipmunk, -smart as a young cockerel, and as full of mischief as a monkey. He ain't -afraid of anything, and I should n't be a mite surprised to find him -enjoyin' himself first-rate, and as cool as a coocumber." - -"The fat boy won't take it so easily, I fancy. If it had n't been for -him I 'd have kept the lively fellow with me, and shown him how to hunt. -Sorry now I did n't take them both home," said the man with the gun, -seeing his mistake too late, as people often do. - -"Maybe they 've fell down a precipice and got killed, like Moses Warner, -when he was lost," suggested a tall fellow, who had shouted himself -hoarse. - -"Hush up, and come on! The dog is barkin' yonder, and he may have found -'em," said the farmer, hurrying toward the place where the hound was -baying at something in a tree. - -It was poor Billy, hanging there still, half unconscious with weariness -and fear. The belt had slipped up under his arms, so he could breathe -easily; and there he was, looking like a queer sort of cone on the -blasted pine. - -"Wal, I never!" exclaimed the farmer, as the tall lad climbed up, and, -unhooking Billy, handed him down like a young bird, into the arms held -up to catch him. - -"He 's all right, only scared out of his wits. Come along and look for -the other one. I 'll warrant he went for help, and may be half-way home -by this time," said the hunter, who did n't take much interest in the -fat boy. - -Tommy's hat lay on the ground; and showing it to the dog, his master -told him to find the boy. The good hound sniffed about, and then set -off with his nose to the ground, following the zigzag track Tommy had -taken in his hurry. The hunter and several of the men went after him, -leaving the farmer with the others to take care of Billy. - -Presently the dog came to the bear-pit, and began to bark again. - -"He 's got him!" cried the men, much relieved; and rushing on soon saw -the good beast looking down at a little white object in one corner of -the dark hole. - -It was Tommy's face in the moonlight, for the rest of him was covered up -with leaves. The little round face seemed very quiet; and for a moment -the men stood quite still, fearing that the fall might have done the boy -some harm. Then the hunter leaped down, and gently touched the brown -cheek. It was warm, and a soft snore from the pug nose made the man -call out, much relieved,-- - -"He 's all right. Wake up here, little chap; you are wanted at home. -Had hunting enough for this time?" - -As he spoke, Tommy opened his eyes, gave a stretch, and said, "Hollo, -Billy," as calmly as if in his own bed at home. Then the rustle of the -leaves, the moonlight in his face, and the sight of several men staring -down at him startled him wide awake. - -"Did you shoot the big bear?" he asked, looking up at the hunter with a -grin. - -"No; but I caught a little one, and here he is," answered the man, -giving Tommy a roll in the leaves, much pleased because he did not whine -or make a fuss. - -"Got lost, didn't we? Oh, I say, where's Billy? I left him up a tree -like a coon, and he would n't come down," laughed Tommy, kicking off his -brown bed-clothes, and quite ready to get up now. - -They all laughed with him; and presently, when the story was told, they -pulled the boy out of the pit, and went back to join the other wanderer, -who was now sitting up eating the bread and butter Mrs. Mullin sent for -their very late supper. - -The men roared again, as the two boys told their various tribulations; -and when they had been refreshed, the party started for home, blowing -the tin horns, and firing shot after shot to let the scattered searchers -know that the lost children were found. Billy was very quiet, and -gladly rode on the various broad backs offered for his use; but Tommy -stoutly refused to be carried, and with an occasional "boost" over a -very rough place, walked all the way down on his own sturdy legs. He -was the hero of the adventure, and was never tired of relating how he -caught the woodchuck, cooked the fish, slid down the big rock, and went -to bed in the old bear-pit. But in his own little mind he resolved to -wait till he was older before he tried to be a hunter; and though he -caught several woodchucks that summer, he never shot another harmless -little bird. - - - - -[Illustration: A wasp flew out and stung her lips.--PAGE 159.] - - - - VIII. - - THE FAIRY BOX. - - -"T wish I had a magic bracelet like Rosamond's, that would prick me when -I was going to do wrong," said little May, as she put down the story she -had been reading. - -There was no one else in the room, but she heard a sweet voice sing -these words close to her ear:-- - - "Now hark, little May, - If you want to do right, - Under your pillow - Just look every night. - If you have been good - All through the day, - A gift you will find, - Useful or gay; - But if you have been - Cross, selfish, or wild, - A bad thing will come - For the naughty child. - So try, little dear, - And soon you will see - How easy and sweet - To grow good it will be." - - -May was very much surprised at this, and looked everywhere to see who -spoke, but could find no one. - -"I guess I dreamed it; but my eyes are wide open, and I can't make up -poetry, asleep or awake." - -As she said that, some one laughed; and the same voice sang again,-- - - "Ha, ha! you can't see, - Although I am here; - But listen to what - I say in your ear. - Tell no one of this, - Because, if you do, - My fun will be spoilt, - And so will yours too. - But if you are good, - And patient, and gay, - A real fairy will come - To see little May." - - -"Oh, how splendid that will be! I 'll try hard, and be as good as an -angel if I can only get one peep at a live fairy. I always said, there -were such people, and now I shall know how they look," cried the little -girl, so pleased that she danced all about the room, clapping her hands. - -Something bright darted out of the window from among the flowers that -stood there, and no more songs were heard; so May knew that the elf had -gone. - -"I 've got a fine secret all to myself, and I 'll keep it carefully. I -wonder what present will come to-night," she said, thinking this a very -interesting play. - -She was very good all day, and made no fuss about going to bed, though -usually she fretted, and wanted to play, and called for water, and -plagued poor Nursey in many ways. She got safely into her little nest, -and then was in such a hurry to see what was under her pillow that she -forgot, and called out crossly,-- - -"Do hurry and go away. Don't wait to hang up my clothes, you slow old -thing! Go, go!" - -That hurt Nurse's feelings, and she went away without her good-night -kiss. But May did n't care, and felt under her pillow the minute the -door was shut. A lamp was always left burning; so she could see the -little gold box she drew out. - -"How pretty! I hope there is some candy in it," she said, opening it -very carefully. - -Oh, dear! what _do_ you think happened? A wasp flew out and stung her -lips; then both wasp and box vanished, and May was left to cry alone, -with a sharp pain in the lips that said the unkind words. - -"What a dreadful present! I don't like that spiteful fairy who sends -such horrid things," she sobbed. - -Then she lay still and thought about it; for she dared not call any one, -because nobody must guess the secret. She knew in her own little heart -that the cross words hurt Nursey as the sting did her lips, and she felt -sorry. At once the smart got better, and by the time she had resolved -to ask the good old woman to forgive her, it was all gone. - -Next morning she kissed Nursey and begged pardon, and tried hard to be -good till tea-time; then she ran to see what nice things they were going -to have to eat, though she had often been told not to go into the -dining-room. No one was there; and on the table stood a dish of -delicious little cakes, all white like snowballs. - -"I must have just a taste, and I 'll tell mamma afterward," she said; -and before she knew it one little cake was eaten all up. - -"Nobody will miss it, and I can have another at tea. Now, a lump of -sugar and a sip of cream before mamma comes, I so like to pick round." - -Having done one wrong thing, May felt like going on; so she nibbled and -meddled with all sorts of forbidden things till she heard a step, then -she ran away; and by and by, when the bell rang, came in with the rest -as prim and proper as if she did not know how to play pranks. No one -missed the cake, and her mother gave her another, saying,-- - -"There, dear, is a nice plummy one for my good child." - -May turned red, and wanted to tell what she had done, but was ashamed -because there was company; and people thought she blushed like a modest -little girl at being praised. - -But when she went to bed she was almost afraid to look under the pillow, -knowing that she had done wrong. At last she slowly drew out the box, -and slowly opened it, expecting something to fly at her. All she saw -was a tiny black bag, that began at once to grow larger, till it was big -enough to hold her two hands. Then it tied itself tight round her -wrists, as if to keep these meddlesome hands out of mischief. - -"Well, this is very queer, but not so dreadful as the wasp. I hope no -one will see it when I 'm asleep. I do wish I 'd let those cakes and -things alone," sighed May, looking at the black bag, and vainly trying -to get her hands free. - -She cried herself to sleep, and when she woke the bag was gone. No one -had seen it; but she told her mamma about the cake, and promised not to -do so any more. - -"Now this shall be a truly good day, every bit of it," she said, as she -skipped away, feeling as light as a feather after she had confessed her -little sins. - -But, alas! it is so easy to forget and do wrong, that May spoilt her day -before dinner by going to the river and playing with the boats, in spite -of many orders not to do it. She did not tell of it, and went to a -party in the afternoon, where she was so merry she never remembered the -naughty thing till she was in bed and opened the fairy box. A little -chain appeared, which in a flash grew long and large, and fastened round -her ankles as if she were a prisoner. May liked to tumble about, and -was much disgusted to be chained in this way; but there was no help for -it, so she lay very still and had plenty of time to be sorry. - -"It is a good punishment for me, and I deserve it. I won't cry, but I -will--I _will_ remember." And May said her prayers very soberly, really -meaning to keep her word this time. - -All the next day she was very careful to keep her lips from cross words, -her hands from forbidden things, and her feet from going wrong. Nothing -spoilt this day, she watched so well; and when mamma gave the good-night -kiss, she said,-- - -"What shall I give my good little daughter, who has been gentle, -obedient, and busy all day?" - -"I want a white kitty, with blue eyes, and a pink ribbon on its neck," -answered May. - -"I'll try and find one. Now go to bed, deary, and happy dreams!" said -mamma, with many kisses on the rosy cheeks, and the smile that was a -reward. - -May was so busy thinking about the kitty and the good day that she -forgot the box till she heard a little "Mew, mew!" under her pillow. - -"Mercy me! what's that?" And she popped up her head to see. - -Out came the box; off flew the lid, and there, on a red cushion, lay a -white kit about two inches long. May could n't believe that it was -alive till it jumped out of its nest, stretched itself, and grew all at -once just the right size to play with and be pretty. Its eyes were -blue, its tail like a white plume, and a sweet pink bow was on its neck. -It danced all over the bed, ran up the curtains, hid under the clothes, -nipped May's toes, licked her face, patted her nose with its soft paw, -and winked at her in such a funny way that she laughed for joy at having -such a dear kitty. Presently, as if it knew that bed was the place to -lie quiet in, puss cuddled down in a little bunch and purred May to -sleep. - -"I suppose that darling kit will be gone like all the other things," -said May, as she waked up and looked round for her first pretty gift. - -No; there was the lovely thing sitting in the sun among the flower-pots, -washing her face and getting ready for play. What a fine frolic they -had; and how surprised every one was to see just the pussy May wanted! -They supposed it came as kitties often come; and May never told them it -was a fairy present, because she had promised not to. She was so happy -with little puss that she was good all day; and when she went to bed she -thought,-- - -"I wish I had a dog to play with darling Snowdrop, and run with me when -I go to walk." - -"Bow, wow, wow!" came from under the pillow; and out of the box trotted -a curly black dog, with long ears, a silver collar, and such bright, -kind eyes May was not a bit afraid of him, but loved him at once, and -named him Floss, he was so soft and silky. Pussy liked him too; and -when May was sleepy they both snuggled down in the same basket like two -good babies, and went to by-low. - -"Well, I never! What shall we find next?" said Nurse, when she saw the -dog in the morning. - -"Perhaps it will be an elephant, to fill the whole house, and scare you -out of your wits," laughed May, dancing about with Snowdrop chasing her -bare toes, while Floss shook and growled over her shoes as if they were -rats. - -"If your cousin John wants to give you any more animals, I wish he 'd -send a pony to take you to school, and save my old legs the pain of -trotting after you," said Nurse; for May did have a rich cousin who was -very fond of her, and often gave her nice things. - -"Perhaps he will," laughed May, much tickled with the idea that it was a -fairy, and not Cousin John, who sent the cunning little creatures to -her. - -But she did n't get the pony that night; for in the afternoon her mother -told her not to sit on the lawn, because it was damp, and May did not -mind, being busy with a nice story. So when she took up her box, a loud -sneeze seemed to blow the lid off, and all she saw was a bit of red -flannel. - -"What is this for?" she asked, much disappointed; and as if to answer, -the strip of flannel wrapped itself round her neck. - -"There! my throat _is_ sore, and I _am_ hoarse. I wonder how that fairy -knew I sat on the damp grass. I 'm so sorry; for I did want a pony, and -might have had it if I 'd only minded," said May, angry with herself for -spoiling all her fun. - -It _was_ spoilt; for she had such a cold next day she could n't go out -at all, but had to take medicine and keep by the fire, while the other -children had a lovely picnic. - -"I won't wish for anything to-night; I don't deserve a present, I was so -disobedient. But I _have_ tried to be patient," said May, feeling for -the box. - -The fairy had not forgotten her, and there was a beautiful picture-book, -full of new, nice stories printed in colored ink. - -"How splendid to read to-morrow while I 'm shut up!" she said, and went -to sleep very happily. - -All the next day she enjoyed the pretty pictures and funny tales, and -never complained or fretted at all, but was so much better the doctor -said she could go out to-morrow, if it was fine. - -"Now I will wish for the pony," said May, in her bed. But there was -nothing in the box except a little red-silk rope, like a halter. She -did not know what to do with it that night, but she did the next -morning; for just as she was dressed her brother called from the -garden,-- - -"May, look out and see what we found in the stable. None of us can -catch him, so do come and see if you can; your name is on the card tied -to his mane." - -May looked, and there was a snow-white pony racing about the yard as if -he was having a fine frolic. Then she knew the halter was for him, and -ran down to catch him. The minute she appeared, the pony went to her -and put his nose in her hand, neighing, as if he said,-- - -"This is my little mistress; I will mind her and serve her well." - -May was delighted, and very proud when the pony let her put on the -saddle and bridle that lay in the barn all ready to use. She jumped up -and rode gayly down the road; and Will and mamma and all the maids and -Floss and Snowdrop ran to see the pretty sight. The children at school -were much excited when she came trotting up, and all wanted to ride -Prince. He was very gentle, and every one had a ride; but May had the -best fun, for she could go every day for long trots by the carriage when -mamma and Will drove out. A blue habit and a hat with a long feather -were bought that afternoon; and May was so happy and contented at night -that she said to herself as she lay in bed,-- - -"I 'll wish for something for Will now, and see if I get it. I don't -want any more presents yet; I've had my share, and I'd love to give away -to other people who have no fairy box." - -So she wished for a nice boat, and in the box lay a key with the name -"Water Lily" on it. She guessed what it meant, and in the morning told -her brother to come to the river and see what she had for him. There -lay a pretty green and white boat, with cushioned seats, a sail all -spread, and at the mast-head a little flag flying in the wind, with the -words "Water Lily" on it in gold letters. - -Will was so surprised and pleased to find that it was his, he turned -heels over head on the grass, kissed May, and skipped into his boat, -crying, "All aboard!" as if eager to try it at once. - -May followed, and they sailed away down the lovely river, white with -real lilies, while the blackbirds sang in the green meadows on either -side, and boys and girls stopped on the bridges to see them pass. - -After that May kept on trying to be good, and wishing for things for -herself and other people, till she forgot how to be naughty, and was the -sweetest little girl in the world. Then there was no need of fairies to -help her; and one night the box was not under the pillow. - -"Well, I 've had my share of pretty things, and must learn to do -without. I 'm glad I tried; for now it is easy to be good, and I don't -need to be rewarded," said May, as she fell asleep, quite happy and -contented, though she did wish, she could have seen the fairy just once. - -Next morning the first thing she saw was a beautiful bracelet, shining -on the table; and while she stood admiring it, she heard the little -voice sing,-- - - "Here is the bracelet - For good little May - To wear on her arm - By night and by day. - When it shines like the sun, - All's going well; - But when you are bad, - A sharp prick will tell. - Farewell, little girl, - For now we must part. - Make a fairy-box, dear, - Of your own happy heart; - And take out for all - Sweet gifts every day, - Till all the year round - Is like beautiful May." - - -As the last words were sung, right before her eyes she saw a tiny -creature swinging on the rose that stood there in a vase,--a lovely elf, -with wings like a butterfly, a gauzy dress, and a star on her forehead. -She smiled, and waved her hand as she slowly rose and fluttered away -into the sunshine, till she vanished from sight, leaving May with the -magic bracelet on her arm, and the happy thought that at last she had -_really_ seen a fairy. - - - - -[Illustration: Johnny leaned forward to enjoy the long-desired "peek." -PAGE 183.] - - - - IX. - - A HOLE IN THE WALL. - - - PART I. - - -If any one had asked Johnny Morris who were his best friends, he would -have answered,-- - -"The sun and the wind, next to mother." - -Johnny lived in a little court that led off from one of the busiest -streets in the city,--a noisy street, where horse-car bells tinkled and -omnibuses rumbled all day long, going and coming from several great -depots near by. The court was a dull place, with only two or three -shabby houses in it, and a high blank wall at the end. - -The people who hurried by were too busy to do more than to glance at the -lame boy who sat in the sunshine against the wall, or to guess that -there was a picture-gallery and a circulating-library in the court. But -Johnny had both, and took such comfort in them that he never could be -grateful enough to the wind that brought him his books and pictures, nor -to the sun that made it possible for him to enjoy them in the open air, -far more than richer folk enjoy their fine galleries and libraries. - -A bad fall, some months before the time this story begins, did something -to Johnny's back which made his poor legs nearly useless, and changed -the lively, rosy boy into a pale cripple. His mother took in fine -washing, and worked hard to pay doctors' bills and feed and clothe her -boy, who could no longer run errands, help with the heavy tubs, or go to -school. He could only pick out laces for her to iron, lie on his bed in -pain for hours, and, each fair day, hobble out to sit in a little old -chair between the water-butt and the leaky tin boiler in which he kept -his library. - -But he was a happy boy, in spite of poverty and pain; and the day a -great gust came blowing fragments of a gay placard and a dusty newspaper -down the court to his feet, was the beginning of good fortune for -patient Johnny. There was a theatre in the street beyond, and other -pictured bits found their way to him; for the frolicsome wind liked to -whisk the papers around the corner, and chase them here and there till -they settled under the chair or flew wildly over the wall. - -Faces, animals, people, and big letters, all came to cheer the boy, who -was never tired of collecting these waifs and strays; cutting out the -big pictures to paste on the wall with the leavings of mother's starch, -and the smaller in the scrap-book he made out of stout brown wrappers or -newspapers, when he had read the latter carefully. Soon it was a very -gay wall; for mother helped, standing on a chair, to put the large -pictures up, when Johnny had covered all the space he could reach. The -books were laid carefully away in the boiler, after being smoothly -ironed out and named to suit Johnny's fancy by pasting letters on the -back. This was the circulating library; for not only did the papers -whisk about the court to begin with, but the books they afterward made -went the rounds among the neighbors till they were worn out. - -The old cobbler next door enjoyed reading the anecdotes on Sunday when -he could not work; the pale seamstress upstairs liked to look over -advertisements of the fine things which she longed for; and Patsey -Flynn, the newsboy, who went by each day to sell his papers at the -station, often paused to look at the play-bills,--for he adored the -theatre, and entertained Johnny with descriptions of the splendors there -to be beheld, till he felt as if he had really been, and had known all -the famous actors, from Humpty Dumpty to the great Salvini. - -Now and then a flock of dirty children would stray into the court and -ask to see the "pretty picters." Then Johnny was a proud and happy boy; -for, armed with a clothes-pole, he pointed out and explained the -beauties of his gallery, feeling that he was a public benefactor when -the poor babies thanked him warmly, and promised to come again and bring -all the nice papers they could pick up. - -These were Johnny's pleasures: but he had two sorrows,--one, a very real -one, his aching back; and the other, a boyish longing to climb the wall -and see what was on the other side, for it seemed a most wonderful and -delightful place to the poor child, shut up in that dismal court, with -no playmates and few comforts. - -He amused himself with imagining how it looked over there, and nearly -every night added some new charm to this unseen country, when his mother -told him fairy tales to get him to sleep. He peopled it with the dear -old characters all children know and love. The white cat that sat on -the wall was Puss in Boots to him, or Whittington's good friend. -Blue-beard's wives were hidden in the house of whose upper windows the -boy could just catch glimpses. Red Riding-hood met the wolf in the grove -of chestnuts that rustled over there; and Jack's Beanstalk grew up just -such a wall as that, he was sure. - -But the story he liked best was the "Sleeping Beauty in the Wood;" for -he was sure some lovely creature lived in that garden, and he longed to -get in to find and play with her. He actually planted a bean in a bit -of damp earth behind the water-barrel, and watched it grow, hoping for -as strong a ladder as Jack's. But the vine grew very slowly, and Johnny -was so impatient that he promised Patsey his best book "for his -ownty-donty," if he would climb up and report what was to be seen in -that enchanted garden. - -"Faix, and I will, thin." And up went good-natured Pat, after laying an -old board over the hogshead to stand on; for there were spikes all along -the top of the wall, and only cats and sparrows could walk there. - -Alas for Johnny's eager hopes, and alas for Pat's Sunday best! The -board broke, and splash went the climber, with a wild Irish howl that -startled Johnny half out of his wits and brought both Mrs. Morris and -the cobbler to the rescue. - -After this sad event Pat kept away for a time in high dudgeon, and -Johnny was more lonely than ever. But he was a cheery little soul; so -he was grateful for what joys he had, and worked away at his wall,--for -the March winds had brought him many treasures, and after April rains -were over, May sunshine made the court warm enough for him to be out -nearly all day. - -"I 'm so sorry Pat is mad, 'cause he saw this piece and told me about -it, and he 'd like to help me put up these pictures," said Johnny to -himself, one breezy morning, as he sat examining a big poster which the -wind had sent flying into his lap a few minutes before. - -The play was "Monte Cristo," and the pictures represented the hero -getting out of prison by making holes in the wall, among other -remarkable performances. - -"This is a jolly red one! Now, where will I put it to show best and not -spoil the other beauties?" - -As he spoke, Johnny turned his chair around and surveyed his gallery -with as much pride and satisfaction as if it held all the wonders of -art. - -It really was quite splendid; for every sort of picture shone in the -sun,--simpering ladies, tragic scenes, circus parades, labels from tin -cans, rosy tomatoes, yellow peaches, and purple plums, funny -advertisements, and gay bills of all kinds. None were perfect, but they -were arranged with care; and the effect was very fine, Johnny thought. - -Presently his eyes wandered from these treasures to the budding bushes -that nodded so tantalizingly over the wall. A grape-vine ran along the -top, trying to hide the sharp spikes; lilacs tossed their purple plumes -above it, and several tall chestnuts rose over all, making green tents -with their broad leaves, where spires of blossom began to show like -candles on a mammoth Christmas tree. Sparrows were chirping gayly -everywhere; the white cat, with a fresh blue bow, basked on the coping -of the wall, and from the depths of the enchanted garden came a sweet -voice singing,-- - - "And she bids you to come in, - With a dimple in your chin, - Billy boy, Billy boy." - - -Johnny smiled as he listened, and put his finger to the little dent in -his own chin, wishing the singer would finish this pleasing song. But -she never did, though he often heard that, as well as other childish -ditties, sung in the same gay voice, with bursts of laughter and the -sound of lively feet tripping up and down the boarded walks. Johnny -longed intensely to know who the singer was; for her music cheered his -solitude, and the mysterious sounds he heard in the garden increased his -wonder and his longing day by day. - -Sometimes a man's voice called, "Fay, where are you?" and Johnny was -sure "Fay" was short for Fairy. Another voice was often heard talking -in a strange, soft language, full of exclamations and pretty sounds. A -little dog barked, and answered to the name Pippo. Canaries carolled, -and some elfish bird scolded, screamed, and laughed so like a human -being, that Johnny felt sure that magic of some sort was at work next -door. - -A delicious fragrance was now wafted over the wall as of flowers, and -the poor boy imagined untold loveliness behind that cruel wall, as he -tended the dandelions his mother brought him from the Common, when she -had time to stop and gather them; for he loved flowers dearly, and tried -to make them out of colored paper, since he could have no sweeter sort. - -Now and then a soft, rushing sound excited his curiosity to such a pitch -that once he hobbled painfully up the court till he could see into the -trees; and once his eager eyes caught glimpses of a little creature, all -blue and white and gold, who peeped out from the green fans, and nodded, -and tried to toss him a cluster of the chestnut flowers. He stretched -his hands to her with speechless delight, forgetting his crutches, and -would have fallen if he had not caught by the shutter of a window so -quickly that he gave the poor back a sad wrench; and when he could look -up again, the fairy had vanished, and nothing was to be seen but the -leaves dancing in the wind. - -Johnny dared not try this again for fear of a fall, and every step cost -him a pang; but he never forgot it, and was thinking of it as he sat -staring at the wall on that memorable May day. - -"How I should like to peek in and see just how it all really looks! It -sounds and smells so summery and nice in there. I know it must be -splendid. I say, Pussy, can't you tell a feller what you see?" - -Johnny laughed as he spoke, and the white cat purred politely; for she -liked the boy who never threw stones at her, nor disturbed her naps. -But Puss could not describe the beauties of the happy hunting-ground -below; and, to console himself for the disappointment, Johnny went back -to his new picture. - -"Now, if this man in the play dug his way out. through a wall ten feet -thick with a rusty nail and a broken knife, I don't see why I could n't -pick away one brick and get a peek. It's all quiet in there now; here's -a good place, and nobody will know, if I stick a picture over the hole. -And I 'll try it, I declare I will!" - -Fired with the idea of acting Monte Cristo on a small scale, Johnny -caught up the old scissors in his lap, and began to dig out the mortar -around a brick already loose, and crumbling at the corners. His mother -smiled at his energy, then sighed and said, as she clapped her laces -with a heavy heart,-- - -"Ah, poor dear, if he only had his health he 'd make his way in the -world. But now he 's like to find a blank wall before him while he -lives, and none to help him over." - -Puss, in her white boots, sat aloft and looked on, wise as the cat in -the story, but offered no advice. The toad who lived behind the -water-barrel hopped under the few leaves of the struggling bean, like -Jack waiting to climb; and just then the noon bells began to ring as if -they sang clear and loud,-- - -"Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London." - -So, cheered by his friends, Johnny scraped and dug vigorously till the -old brick fell out, showing another behind it. Only pausing to take -breath, he caught up his crutch and gave two or three hearty pokes, -which soon cleared the way and let the sunshine stream through, while -the wind tossed the lilacs like triumphal banners, and the jolly -sparrows chirped,-- - -"Hail, the conquering hero comes!" - -Rather scared by his unexpected success, the boy sat silent for a moment -to see what would happen. But all was still; and presently, with a -beating heart, Johnny leaned forward to enjoy the long-desired "peek." -He could not see much; but that little increased his curiosity and -delight, for it seemed like looking into fairy-land, after the dust and -noise and dingy houses of the court. - -A bed of splendid tulips tossed their gay garments in the middle of a -grass-plot; a strange and brilliant bird sat dressing its feathers on a -golden cage; a little white dog dozed in the sun; and on a red carpet -under the trees lay the Princess, fast asleep. - -"It's all right," said Johnny, with a long sigh of pleasure; "that's the -Sleeping Beauty, sure enough. There 's the blue gown, the white -fur-cloak sweeping round, the pretty hair, and--yes--there's the old -nurse, spinning and nodding, just as she did in the picture-book mother -got me when I cried because I could n't go to see the play." - -This last discovery really did bewilder Johnny, and make him believe -that fairy tales _might_ be true, after all; for how could he know that -the strange woman was an Italian servant, in her native dress, with a -distaff in her hand? After pausing a moment, to rub his eyes, he took -another look, and made fresh discoveries by twisting his head about. A -basket of oranges stood near the Princess, a striped curtain hung from a -limb of the tree to keep the wind off, and several books fluttered their -pictured leaves temptingly before Johnny's longing eyes. - -"Oh, if I could only go in and eat 'em and read 'em and speak to 'em and -see all the splendid things!" thought the poor boy, as he looked from -one delight to another, and felt shut out from all. "I can't go and -wake her like the Prince did, but I do wish she 'd get up and do -something, now I _can_ see. I dare n't throw a stone, it might hit some -one, or holler, it might scare her. Pussy won't help, and the sparrows -are too busy scolding one another. I know! I 'll fly a kite over, and -that will please her any way. Don't believe she has kites; girls never -do." - -Eager to carry out his plan, Johnny tied a long string to his gayest -poster, and then fastening it to the pole with which he sometimes fished -in the water-cask, held it up to catch the fresh breezes blowing down -the court. His good friend, the wind, soon caught the idea, and with a -strong breath sent the red paper whisking over the wall, to hang a -moment on the trees and then drop among the tulips, where its frantic -struggles to escape waked the dog, and set him to racing and barking, as -Johnny hurriedly let the string go, and put his eye to his peep-hole. - -The eyes of the Princess were wide open now, and she clapped her hands -when Pippo brought the gay picture for her to see; while the old woman, -with a long yawn, went away, carrying her distaff, like a gun, over her -shoulder. - -"She likes it! I'm so glad. Wish I had some more to send over. This -will come off; I 'll poke it through, and maybe she will see it." - -Very much excited, Johnny recklessly tore from the wall his most -cherished picture, a gay flower-piece, just put up; and folding it, he -thrust it through the hole and waited to see what followed. - -Nothing but a rustle, a bark, and a queer croak from the splendid bird, -which set the canaries to trilling sweetly. - -"She don't see; maybe she will hear," said Johnny. And he began to -whistle like a mocking-bird; for this was his one accomplishment, and he -was proud of it. - -Presently he heard a funny burst of laughter from the parrot, and then -the voice said,-- - -"No, Polly, you can't sing like that bird. I wonder where he is? Among -the bushes over there, I think. Come, Pippo, let us go and find him." - -"Now she 's coming!" And Johnny grew red in the face trying to give his -best trills and chirrups. - -Nearer and nearer came the steps, the lilacs rustled as if shaken, and -presently the roll of paper vanished. A pause, and then the little -voice exclaimed, in a tone of great surprise,-- - -"Why, there 's a hole! I never saw it before. Oh! I can see the -street. How nice! how nice!" - -"She likes the hole! I wonder if she will like me?" And, emboldened by -these various successes, Johnny took another peep. This was the most -delicious one of all; for he looked right into a great blue eye, with -glimpses of golden hair above, a little round nose in the middle, and -red lips below. It was like a flash of sunshine, and Johnny winked, as -if dazzled; for the eye sparkled, the nose sniffed daintily, and the -pretty mouth broke into a laugh as the voice cried out delightedly,-- - -"I see some one! Who are you? Come and tell me!" - -"I 'm Johnny Morris," answered the boy, quite trembling with pleasure. - -"Did you make this nice hole?" - -"I just poked a brick, and it fell out." - -"Papa won't mind. Is that your bird?" - -"No; it's me. I whistled." - -"It's very pretty. Do it again," commanded the voice, as if used to -give orders. - -Johnny obeyed; and when he paused, out of breath, a small hand came -through the hole, grasping as many lilies of the valley as it could -hold, and the Princess graciously expressed her pleasure by saying,-- - -"I like it; you shall do it again, by and by. Here are some flowers for -you. Now we will talk. Are you a nice boy?" - -This was a poser; and Johnny answered meekly, with his nose luxuriously -buried in the lovely flowers,-- - -"Not very,--I 'm lame; I can't play like other fellers." - -"Porverino!" sighed the little voice, full of pity; and, in a moment, -three red-and-yellow tulips fell at Johnny's feet, making him feel as if -he really had slipped into fairy-land through that delightful hole. - -"Oh, thank you! Are n't they just elegant? I never see such beauties," -stammered the poor boy, grasping his treasures as if he feared they -might vanish away. - -"You shall have as many as you like. Nanna will scold, but papa won't -mind. Tell me more. What do you do over there?" asked the child, -eagerly. - -"Nothing but paste pictures and make books, when I don't ache too bad. -I used to help mother; but I got hurt, and I can't do much now," -answered the boy, ashamed to mention how many laces he patiently picked -or clapped, since it was all he could do to help. - -"If you like pictures, you shall come and see mine some day. I do a -great many. Papa shows me how. His are splendid. Do you draw or paint -yours?" - -"I only cut 'em out of papers, and stick 'em on this wall or put 'em in -scrap-books. I can't draw, and I have n't got no paints," answered -Johnny. - -"You should say 'have n't any paints.' I will come and see you some -day; and if I like you, I will let you have my old paint-box. Do you -want it?" - -"Guess I do!" - -"I think I _shall_ like you; so I 'll bring it when I come. Do you ache -much?" - -"Awfully, sometimes. Have to lay down all day, and can't do a thing." - -"Do you cry?" - -"No! I 'm too big for that. I whistle." - -"I _know_ I shall like you, because you are brave!" cried the impetuous -voice, with its pretty accent; and then an orange came tumbling through -the hole, as if the new acquaintance longed to do something to help the -"ache." - -"Is n't that a rouser! I do love 'em, but mother can't afford 'em -often." And Johnny took one delicious taste on the spot. - -"Then I shall give you many. We have loads at home, much finer than -these. Ah, you should see our garden there!" - -"Where do you live?" Johnny ventured to ask; for there was a homesick -sound to the voice as it said those last words. - -"In Rome. Here we only stay a year, while papa arranges his affairs; -then we go back, and I am happy." - -"I should think you 'd be happy in there. It looks real splendid to me, -and I 've been longing to see it ever since I could come out." - -"It's a dull place to me. I like better to be where it's always warm, -and people are more beautiful than here. Are _you_ beautiful?" - -"What queer questions she does ask!" And poor Johnny was so perplexed -he could only stammer, with a laugh,-- - -"I guess not. Boys don't care for looks." - -"Peep, and let me see. I like pretty persons," commanded the voice. - -"Don't she order round?" thought Johnny, as he obeyed. But he liked it, -and showed such a smiling face at the peep-hole, that Princess Fay was -pleased to say, after a long look at him,-- - -"No, you are not beautiful; but your eyes are bright, and you look -pleasant, so I don't mind the freckles on your nose and the whiteness of -your face. I think you are good. I am sorry for you, and I shall lend -you a book to read when the pain comes." - -"I could n't wait for that if I had a book. I do love so to read!" And -Johnny laughed out from sheer delight at the thought of a new book; for -he seldom got one, being too poor to buy them, and too helpless to enjoy -the free libraries of the city. - -"Then you shall have it _now_." And there was another quick rush in the -garden, followed by the appearance of a fat little book, slowly pushed -through the hole in the wall. - -"This is the only one that will pass. You will like Hans Andersen's -fairy tales, I know. Keep it as long as you please. I have many more." - -"You're so good! I wish I had something for you," said the boy, quite -overcome by this sweet friendliness. - -"Let me see one of _your_ books. They will be new to me. I 'm tired of -all mine." - -Quick as a flash, off went the cover of the old boiler, and out came -half-a-dozen of Johnny's best works, to be crammed through the wall, -with the earnest request,-- - -"Keep 'em all; they're not good for much, but they 're the best I 've -got. I 'll do some prettier ones as soon as I can find more nice -pictures and pieces." - -"They look very interesting. I thank you. I shall go and read them now, -and then come and talk again. Addio, Giovanni." - -"Good-by, Miss." - -Thus ended the first interview of little Pyramus and Thisbe through the -hole in the wall, while puss sat up above and played moonshine with her -yellow eyes. - - - - PART II. - - -After that day a new life began for Johnny, and he flourished like a -poor little plant that has struggled out of some dark corner into the -sunshine. All sorts of delightful things happened, and good times -really seemed to have come. The mysterious papa made no objection to -the liberties taken with his wall, being busy with his own affairs, and -glad to have his little girl happy. Old Nanna, being more careful, came -to see the new neighbors, and was disarmed at once by the affliction of -the boy and the gentle manners of the mother. She brought all the -curtains of the house for Mrs. Morris to do up, and in her pretty broken -English praised Johnny's gallery and library, promising to bring Fay to -see him some day. - -Meantime the little people prattled daily together, and all manner of -things came and went between them. Flowers, fruit, books, and bon-bons -kept Johnny in a state of bliss, and inspired him with such brilliant -inventions that the Princess never knew what agreeable surprise would -come next. Astonishing kites flew over the wall, and tissue balloons -exploded in the flower-beds. All the birds of the air seemed to live in -that court; for the boy whistled and piped till he was hoarse, because -she liked it. The last of the long-hoarded cents came out of his tin -bank to buy paper and pictures for the gay little books he made for her. -His side of the wall was ravaged that hers might be adorned; and, as the -last offering his grateful heart could give, he poked the toad through -the hole, to live among the lilies and eat the flies that began to buzz -about her Highness when she came to give her orders to her devoted -subjects. - -She always called the lad Giovanni, because she thought it a prettier -name than John; and she was never tired of telling stories, asking -questions, and making plans. The favorite one was what they would do -when Johnny came to see her, as she had been promised he should when -papa was not too busy to let them enjoy the charms of the studio; for -Fay was a true artist's child, and thought nothing so lovely as -pictures. Johnny thought so, too, and dreamed of the happy day when he -should go and see the wonders his little friend described so well. - -"I think it will be to-morrow; for papa has a lazy fit coming on, and -then he always plays with me and lets me rummage where I like, while he -goes out or smokes in the garden. So be ready; and if he says you can -come, I will have the flag up early and you can hurry." - -These agreeable remarks were breathed into Johnny's willing ear about a -fortnight after the acquaintance began; and he hastened to promise, -adding soberly, a minute after,-- - -"Mother says she's afraid it will be too much for me to go around and up -steps, and see new things; for I get tired so easy, and then the pain -comes on. But I don't care how I ache if I can only see the -pictures--and you." - -"Won't you ever be any better? Nanna thinks you might." - -"So does mother, if we had money to go away in the country, and eat nice -things, and have doctors. But we can't; so it's no use worrying." And -Johnny gave a great sigh. - -"I wish papa was rich, then he would give you money. He works hard to -make enough to go back to Italy, so I cannot ask him; but perhaps I can -sell _my_ pictures also, and get a little. Papa's friends often offer -me sweets for kisses; I will have money instead, and that will help. -Yes, I shall do it." And Fay clapped her hands decidedly. - -"Don't you mind about it. I 'm going to learn to mend shoes. Mr. -Pegget says he 'll teach me. That does n't need legs, and he gets -enough to live on very well." - -"It is n't pretty work. Nanna can teach you to braid straw as she did -at home; that is easy and nice, and the baskets sell very well, she -says. I shall speak to her about it, and you can try to-morrow when you -come." - -"I will. Do you really think I _can_ come, then?" And Johnny stood up -to try his legs; for he dreaded the long walk, as it seemed to him. - -"I will go at once and ask papa." - -Away flew Fay, and soon came back with a glad "Yes!" that sent Johnny -hobbling in to tell his mother, and beg her to mend the elbows of his -only jacket; for, suddenly, his old clothes looked so shabby he feared -to show himself to the neighbors he so longed to see. - -"Hurrah! I 'm really going to-morrow. And you, too, mammy dear," cried -the boy, waving his crutch so vigorously that he slipped and fell. - -"Never mind; I 'm used to it. Pull me up, and I 'll rest while we talk -about it," he said cheerily, as his mother helped him to the bed, where -he forgot his pain in thinking of the delights in store for him. - -Next day, the flag was flying from the wall, and Fay early at the hole, -but no Johnny came; and when Nanna went to see what kept him, she -returned with the sad news that the poor boy was suffering much, and -would not be able to stir for some days. - -"Let me go and see him," begged Fay, imploringly. - -"Cara mia, it is no place for you. So dark, so damp, so poor, it is -enough to break the heart," said Nanna, decidedly. - -"If papa was here, he would let me go. I shall not play; I shall sit -here and make some plans for my poor boy." - -Nanna left her indignant little mistress, and went to cook a nice bowl -of soup for Johnny; while Fay concocted a fine plan, and, what was more -remarkable, carried it out. - -For a week it rained, for a week Johnny lay in pain, and for a week Fay -worked quietly at her little easel in the corner of the studio, while -her father put the last touches to his fine picture, too busy to take -much notice of the child. On Saturday the sun shone, Johnny was better, -and the great picture was done. So were the small ones; for as her -father sat resting after his work, Fay went to him, with a tired but -happy face, and, putting several drawings into his hand, told her -cherished plan. - -"Papa, you said you would pay me a dollar for every good copy I made of -the cast you gave me. I tried very hard, and here are three. I want -some money very, very much. Could you pay for these?" - -"They are excellent," said the artist, after carefully looking at them. -"You _have_ tried, my good child, and here are your well-earned dollars. -What do you want them for?" - -"To help my boy. I want him to come in here and see the pictures, and -let Nanna teach him to plait baskets; and he can rest, and you will like -him, and he might get well if he had some money, and I have three -quarters the friends gave me instead of bonbons. Would that be enough -to send poor Giovanni into the country and have doctors?" - -No wonder Fay's papa was bewildered by this queer jumble, because, being -absorbed in his work, he had never heard half the child had told him, -and had forgotten all about Johnny. Now he listened with half an ear, -studying the effect of sunshine upon his picture meantime, while Fay -told him the little story, and begged to know how much money it would -take to make Johnny's back well. - -"Bless your sweet soul, my darling, it would need more than I can spare -or you earn in a year. By and by, when I am at leisure, we will see -what can be done," answered papa, smoking comfortably, as he lay on the -sofa in the large studio at the top of the house. - -"You say that about a great many things, papa. 'By and by' won't be -long enough to do all you promise then. I like _now_ much better, and -poor Giovanni needs the country more than you need cigars or I new -frocks," said Fay, stroking her father's tired forehead and looking at -him with an imploring face. - -"My dear, I cannot give up my cigar, for in this soothing smoke I find -inspiration, and though you are a little angel, you must be clothed; so -wait a bit, and we will attend to the boy--later." He was going to say -"by and by" again, but paused just in time, with a laugh. - -"Then _I_ shall take him to the country all myself. I cannot wait for -this hateful 'by and by.' I know how I shall do it, and at once. Now, -now!" cried Fay, losing patience; and with an indignant glance at the -lazy papa, who seemed going to sleep, she dashed out of the room, down -many stairs, through the kitchen, startling Nanna and scattering the -salad as if a whirlwind had gone by, and never paused for breath till -she stood before the garden wall with a little hatchet in her hand. - -"This shall be the country for him till I get enough money to send him -away. I will show what _I_ can do. He pulled out two bricks. _I_ will -beat down the wall, and he _shall_ come in at once," panted Fay; and she -gave a great blow at the bricks, bent on having her will without -delay,--for she was an impetuous little creature, full of love and pity -for the poor boy pining for the fresh air and sunshine, of which she had -so much. - -Bang, bang, went the little hatchet, and down came one brick after -another, till the hole was large enough for Fay to thrust her head -through; and being breathless by that time, she paused to rest and take -a look at Johnny's court. - -Meanwhile Nanna, having collected her lettuce leaves and her wits, went -to see what the child was about; and finding her at work like a little -fury, the old woman hurried up to tell "the Signor," Fay's papa, that -his little daughter was about to destroy the garden and bury herself -under the ruins of the wall. This report, delivered with groans and -wringing of the hands, roused the artist and sent him to the rescue, as -he well knew that his angel was a very energetic one, and capable of -great destruction. - -When he arrived, he beheld a cloud of dust, a pile of bricks among the -lilies, and the feet of his child sticking out of a large hole in the -wall, while her head and shoulders were on the other side. Much amused, -yet fearful that the stone coping might come down on her, he pulled her -back with the assurance that he would listen and help her now -immediately, if there was such need of haste. - -But he grew sober when he saw Fay's face; for it was bathed in tears, -her hands were bleeding, and dust covered her from head to foot. - -"My darling, what afflicts you? Tell papa, and he will do anything you -wish." - -"No, you will forget, you will say 'Wait;' and now that I have seen it -all, I cannot stop till I get him out of that dreadful place. Look, -look, and see if it is not sad to live there all in pain and darkness, -and so poor." - -As she spoke, Fay urged her father toward the hole; and to please her he -looked, seeing the dull court, the noisy street beyond, and close by the -low room, where Johnny's mother worked all day, while the poor boy's -pale face was dimly seen as he lay on his bed waiting for deliverance. - -"Well, well, it _is_ a pitiful case; and easily mended, since Fay is so -eager about it. Hope the lad is all she says, and nothing catching -about his illness. Nanna can tell me." - -Then he drew back his head, and leading Fay to the seat, took her on his -knee, all flushed, dirty, and tearful as she was, soothing her by saying -tenderly,-- - -"Now let me hear all about it, and be sure I 'll not forget. What shall -I do to please you, dear, before you pull down the house about my ears?" - -Then Fay told her tale all over again; and being no longer busy, her -father found it very touching, with the dear, grimy little face looking -into his, and the wounded hands clasped beseechingly as she pleaded for -poor Johnny. - -"God bless your tender heart, child; you shall have him in here -to-morrow, and we will see what can be done for those pathetic legs of -his. But listen, Fay, I have an easier way to do it than yours, and a -grand surprise for the boy. Time is short, but it can be done; and to -show you that I am in earnest, I will go this instant and begin the -work. Come and wash your face while I get on my boots, and then we will -go together." - -At these words Fay threw her arms about papa's neck and gave him many -grateful kisses, stopping in the midst to ask,-- - -"Truly, _now_?" - -"See if it is not so." And putting her down, papa went off with great -strides, while she ran laughing after him, all her doubts set at rest by -this agreeable energy on his part. - -If Johnny had not been asleep in the back room, he would have seen -strange and pleasant sights that afternoon and evening; for something -went on in the court that delighted his mother, amused the artist, and -made Fay the happiest child in Boston. No one was to tell till the next -day, that Johnny's surprise might be quite perfect, and Mrs. Morris sat -up till eleven to get his old clothes in order; for Fay's papa had been -to see her, and became interested in the boy, as no one could help being -when they saw his patient little face. - -So hammers rang, trowels scraped, shovels dug, and wonderful changes -were made, while Fay danced about in the moonlight, like Puck intent -upon some pretty prank, and papa quoted _Snout_,[#] the tinker's parting -words, as appropriate to the hour,-- - - "Thus have I, wall, my part discharged so; - And, being done, thus wall away doth go." - - -[#] A character in Shakspeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream." - - - - PART III. - - -A lovely Sunday morning dawned without a cloud; and even in the dingy -court the May sunshine shone warmly, and the spring breezes blew freshly -from green fields far away. Johnny begged to go out; and being much -better, his mother consented, helping him to dress with such a bright -face and eager hands that the boy said innocently,-- - -"How glad you are when I get over a bad turn! I don't know what you 'd -do if I ever got well." - -"My poor dear, I begin to think you _will_ pick up, now the good weather -has come and you have got a little friend to play with. God bless her!" - -Why his mother should suddenly hug him tight, and then brush his hair so -carefully, with tears in her eyes, he did not understand; but was in -such a hurry to get out, he could only give her a good kiss, and hobble -away to see how his gallery fared after the rain, and to take a joyful -"peek" at the enchanted garden. - -Mrs. Morris kept close behind him, and it was well she did; for he -nearly tumbled down, so great was his surprise when he beheld the old -familiar wall after the good fairies Love and Pity had worked their -pretty miracle in the moonlight. - -The ragged hole had changed to a little arched door, painted red. On -either side stood a green tub, with a tall oleander in full bloom; from -the arch above hung a great bunch of gay flowers; and before the -threshold lay a letter directed to "Signor Giovanni Morris," in a -childish hand. - -As soon as he recovered from the agreeable shock of this splendid -transformation scene, Johnny sank into his chair, where a soft cushion -had been placed, and read his note, with little sighs of rapture at the -charming prospect opening before him. - - -DEAR GIOVANNI,--Papa has made this nice gate, so you can come in when -you like and not be tired. We are to have two keys, and no one else can -open it. A little bell is to ring when we pull the cord, and we can run -and see what we want. The paint is wet. Papa did it, and the men put up -the door last night. I helped them, and did not go in my bed till ten. -It was very nice to do it so. I hope you will like it. Come in as soon -as you can; I am all ready. - -Your friend, - FAY. - - -"Mother, she must be a real fairy to do all that, mustn't she?" said -Johnny, leaning back to look at the dear door behind which lay such -happiness for him. - -"Yes, my sonny, she is the right sort of good fairy, and I just wish I -could do her washing for love the rest of her blessed little life," -answered Mrs. Morris, in a burst of grateful ardor. - -"You shall! you shall! Do come in! I cannot wait another minute!" -cried an eager little voice as the red door flew open; and there stood -Fay, looking very like a happy elf in her fresh white frock, a wreath of -spring flowers on her pretty hair, and a tall green wand in her hand, -while the brilliant bird sat on her shoulder, and the little white dog -danced about her feet. - - "So she bids you to come in, - With a dimple in your chin, - Billy boy, Billy boy," - -sung the child, remembering how Johnny liked that song; and waving her -wand, she went slowly backward as the boy, with a shining face, passed -under the blooming arch into a new world, full of sunshine, liberty, and -sweet companionship. - -Neither Johnny nor his mother ever forgot that happy day, for it was the -beginning of help and hope to both just when life seemed hardest and the -future looked darkest. - -Papa kept out of sight, but enjoyed peeps at the little party as they -sat under the chestnuts, Nanna and Fay doing the honors of the garden to -their guests with Italian grace and skill, while the poor mother folded -her tired hands with unutterable content, and the boy looked like a -happy soul in heaven. - -Sabbath silence, broken only by the chime of bells and the feet of -church-goers, brooded over the city; sunshine made golden shadows on the -grass; the sweet wind brought spring odors from the woods; and every -flower seemed to nod and beckon, as if welcoming the new playmate to -their lovely home. - -While the women talked together, Fay led Johnny up and down her little -world, showing all her favorite nooks, making him rest often on the -seats that stood all about, and amusing him immensely by relating the -various fanciful plays with which she beguiled her loneliness. - -"Now we can have much nicer ones; for you will tell me yours, and we can -do great things," she said, when she had displayed her big -rocking-horse, her grotto full of ferns, her mimic sea, where a fleet of -toy boats lay at anchor in the basin of an old fountain, her fairy-land -under the lilacs, with paper elves sitting among the leaves, her swing, -that tossed one high up among the green boughs, and the basket of white -kittens, where Topaz, the yellow-eyed cat, now purred with maternal -pride. Books were piled on the rustic table, and all the pictures Fay -thought worthy to be seen. - -Here also appeared a nice lunch, before the visitors could remember it -was noon and tear themselves away. Such enchanted grapes and oranges -Johnny never ate before; such delightful little tarts and Italian messes -of various sorts; even the bread and butter seemed glorified because -served in a plate trimmed with leaves and cut in dainty bits. Coffee -that perfumed the air put heart into poor Mrs. Morris, who half starved -herself that the boy might be fed; and he drank milk till Nanna said, -laughing, as she refilled the pitcher,-- - -"He takes more than both the blessed lambs we used to feed for Saint -Agnes in the convent at home. And he is truly welcome, the dear child, -to the best we have; for he is as innocent and helpless as they." - -"What does she mean?" whispered Johnny to Fay, rather abashed at having -forgotten his manners in the satisfaction which three mugfuls of good -milk had given him. - -So, sitting in the big rustic chair beside him, Fay told the pretty -story of the lambs who are dedicated to Saint Agnes, with ribbons tied -to their snowy wool, and then raised with care till their fleeces are -shorn to make garments for the Pope. A fit tale for the day, the child -thought, and went on to tell about the wonders of Rome till Johnny's -head was filled with a splendid confusion of new ideas, in which Saint -Peter's and apple-tarts, holy lambs and red doors, ancient images and -dear little girls, were delightfully mixed. It all seemed like a fairy -tale, and nothing was too wonderful or lovely to happen on that -memorable day. - -So when Fay's papa at last appeared, finding it impossible to keep away -from the happy little party any longer, Johnny decided at once that the -handsome man in the velvet coat was the king of the enchanted land, and -gazed at him with reverence and awe. A most gracious king he proved to -be; for after talking pleasantly to Mrs. Morris, and joking Fay on -storming the walls, he proposed to carry Johnny off, and catching him -up, strode away with the astonished boy on his shoulder, while the -little girl danced before to open doors and clear the way. - -Johnny thought he could n't be surprised any more; but when he had -mounted many stairs and found himself in a great room with a glass roof, -full of rich curtains, strange armor, pretty things, and pictures -everywhere, he just sat in the big chair where he was placed, and stared -in silent delight. - -"This is papa's studio, and that the famous picture, and here is where I -work; and is n't it pleasant? and aren't you glad to see it?" said Fay, -skipping about to do the honors of the place. - -"I don't believe heaven is beautifuller," answered Johnny, in a low -tone, as his eyes went from the green tree-tops peeping in at the -windows to the great sunny picture of a Roman garden, with pretty -children at play among the crumbling statues and fountains. - -"I 'm glad you like it, for we mean to have you come here a great deal. -I sit to papa very often, and get _so_ tired; and you can talk to me, -and then you can see me draw and model in clay, and then we 'll go in -the garden, and Nanna will show you how to make baskets, and _then_ we -'ll play." - -Johnny nodded and beamed at this charming prospect, and for an hour -explored the mysteries of the studio, with Fay for a guide and papa for -an amused spectator. He liked the boy more and more, and was glad Fay -had so harmless a playmate to expend her energies and compassion upon. -He assented to every plan proposed, and really hoped to be able to help -these poor neighbors; for he had a kind heart, and loved his little -daughter even more than his art. - -When at last Mrs. Morris found courage to call Johnny away, he went -without a word, and lay down in the dingy room, his face still shining -with the happy thoughts that filled his mind, hungry for just such -pleasures, and never fed before. - -After that day everything went smoothly, and both children blossomed -like the flowers in that pleasant garden, where the magic of love and -pity, fresh air and sunshine, soon worked miracles. Fay learned -patience and gentleness from Johnny; he grew daily stronger on the -better food Nanna gave him, and the exercise he was tempted to take; and -both spent very happy days working and playing, sometimes under the -trees, where the pretty baskets were made, or in the studio, where both -pairs of small hands modelled graceful things in clay, or daubed amazing -pictures with the artist's old brushes and discarded canvases. - -Mrs. Morris washed everything washable in the house, and did up Fay's -frocks so daintily that she looked more like an elf than ever when her -head shone out from the fluted frills, like the yellow middle of a daisy -with its white petals all spread. - -As he watched the children playing together, the artist, having no great -work in hand, made several pretty sketches of them, and then had a fine -idea of painting the garden scene where Fay first talked to Johnny. It -pleased his fancy, and the little people sat for him nicely; so he made -a charming thing of it, putting in the cat, dog, bird, and toad as the -various characters in Shakspeare's lovely play, while the flowers were -the elves, peeping and listening in all manner of merry, pretty ways. - -He called it "Little Pyramus and Thisbe," and it so pleased a certain -rich lady that she paid a large price for it; and then, discovering that -it told a true story, she generously added enough to send Johnny and his -mother to the country, when Fay and her father were ready to go. - -But it was to a lovelier land than the boy had ever read of in his fairy -books, and to a happier life than mending shoes in the dingy court. In -the autumn they all sailed gayly away together, to live for years in -sunny Italy, where Johnny grew tall and strong, and learned to paint -with a kind master and a faithful young friend, who always rejoiced that -she found and delivered him, thanks to the wonderful hole in the wall. - - - - -[Illustration: She got too lazy to care for anything but sleeping and -eating. PAGE 219.] - - - - X. - - THE PIGGY GIRL. - - -"I won't be washed! I won't be washed!" screamed little Betty, kicking -and slapping the maid who undressed her one night. - -"You 'd better go and live with the pigs, dirty child," said Maria, -scrubbing away at two very grubby hands. - -"I wish I could! I love to be dirty,--I will be dirty!" roared Betty, -throwing the sponge out of the window and the soap under the table. - -Maria could do nothing with her; so she bundled her into bed half wiped, -telling her to go to sleep right away. - -"I won't! I 'll go and live with Mrs. Gleason's pigs, and have nothing -to do but eat and sleep, and roll in the dirt, and never, never be -washed any more," said Betty to herself. - -She lay thinking about it and blinking at the moon for a while; then she -got up very softly, and crept down the back stairs, through the garden, -to the sty where two nice little pigs were fast asleep among the straw -in their small house. They only grunted when Betty crept into a corner, -laughing at the fun it would be to play piggy and live here with no -Maria to wash her and no careful mamma to keep saying,-- - -"Put on a clean apron, dear!" - -Next morning she was waked up by hearing Mrs. Gleason pour milk into the -trough. She lay very still till the woman was gone; then she crept out -and drank all she wanted, and took the best bits of cold potato and -bread for her breakfast, and the lazy pigs did not get up till she was -done. While they ate and rooted in the dirt, Betty slept as long as she -liked, with no school, no errands, no patchwork to do. She liked it, -and kept hidden till night; then she went home, and opened the little -window in the store closet, and got in and took as many good things to -eat and carry away as she liked. She had a fine walk in her nightgown, -and saw the flowers asleep, heard the little birds chirp in the nest, -and watched the fireflies and moths at their pretty play. No one saw -her but the cats; and they played with her, and hopped at her toes, in -the moonlight, and had great fun. - -When she was tired she went to sleep with the pigs, and dozed all the -next day, only coming out to eat and drink when the milk was brought and -the cold bits; for Mrs. Gleason took good care of her pigs, and gave -them clean straw often, and kept them as nice as she could. - -Betty lived in this queer way a long time, and soon looked more like a -pig than a little girl; for her nightgown got dirty, her hair was never -combed, her face was never washed, and she loved to dig in the mud till -her hands looked like paws. She never talked, but began to grunt as the -pigs did, and burrowed into the straw to sleep, and squealed when they -crowded her, and quarrelled over the food, eating with her nose in the -trough like a real pig. At first she used to play about at night, and -steal things to eat; and people set traps to catch the thief in their -gardens, and the cook in her own house scolded about the rats that -carried off the cake and pies out of her pantry. But by and by she got -too lazy and fat to care for anything but sleeping and eating, and never -left the sty. She went on her hands and knees now, and began to wonder -if a little tail would n't grow and her nose change to a snout. - -All summer she played be a pig, and thought it good fun; but when the -autumn came it was cold, and she longed for her nice warm flannel -nightgown, and got tired of cold victuals, and began to wish she had a -fire to sit by and good buckwheat cakes to eat. She was ashamed to go -home, and wondered what she should do after this silly frolic. She -asked the pigs how they managed in winter; but they only grunted, and -she could not remember what became of them, for the sty was always empty -in cold weather. - -One dreadful night she found out. She was smuggled down between the -great fat piggies to keep warm; but her toes were cold, and she was -trying to pull the straw over them when she heard Mr. Gleason say to his -boy,-- - -"We must kill those pigs to-morrow. They are fat enough; so come and -help me sharpen the big knife." - -"Oh, dear, what will become of _me_?" thought Betty, as she heard the -grindstone go round and round as the knife got sharper and sharper. "I -look so like a pig they will kill me too, and make me into sausages if I -don't run away. I 'm tired of playing piggy, and I 'd rather be washed -a hundred times a day than be put in a pork barrel." - -So she lay trembling till morning; then she ran through the garden and -found the back door open. It was very early, and no one saw her, for -the cook was in the shed getting wood to make her fire; so Betty slipped -upstairs to the nursery and was going to whisk into bed, when she saw in -the glass an ugly black creature, all rags and dirt, with rumpled hair, -and a little round nose covered with mud. - -"Can it be me?" she said. "How horrid I am!" And she could not spoil -her nice white bed, but hopped into the bathtub and had a good -scrubbing. Next she got a clean nightgown, and brushed her hair, and -cut her long nails, and looked like a tidy little girl again. - -Then she lay down in her cosey crib with the pink cover and the lace -curtains, and fell fast asleep, glad to have clean sheets, soft -blankets, and her own little pillow once more. - - -"Come, darling, wake up and see the new frock I have got for you, and -the nice ruffled apron. It's Thanksgiving day, and all the cousins are -coming to dinner," said her mamma, with a soft kiss on the rosy cheek. - -Betty started up, screaming,-- - -"Don't kill me! Oh, please don't! I 'm not a truly pig, I 'm a little -girl; and if you'll let me run home, I 'll never fret when I 'm washed -again." - -"What is the dear child afraid of?" said mamma, cuddling her close, and -laughing to see Betty stare wildly about for the fat pigs and the stuffy -sty. - -She told her mother all about the queer time she had had, and was much -surprised to hear mamma say,-- - -"It was all a dream, dear; you have been safely asleep in your little -bed ever since you slapped poor Maria last night." - -"Well, I 'm glad I dreamed it, for it has made me love to be clean. -Come, Maria, soap and scrub as much as you like, I won't kick and scream -ever any more," cried Betty, skipping about, glad to be safe in her -pleasant home and no longer a dirty, lazy piggy girl. - - - - -[Illustration: She was rocking a small tadpole to sleep.--PAGE 238.] - - - - XI. - THE THREE FROGS. - - -Hop, Croak, and Splash were three little frogs who lived in a pleasant -river, and had merry times swimming about or hopping on the green grass. -At night they sat on the bank and sung together, very sweetly they -thought; and if boats came by they skipped into the water, heels over -head, with a great splashing and noise. - -Hop was not contented with this quiet life; he wanted to see the world, -and kept asking his brother Croak to go and travel with him. - -"I 'm tired of poking about in this stupid river, with no fun but -leap-frog and singing. I want to know what is over that hill, and I 'm -going to find out. You can stay and doze in the mud if you please. I -'ve got more spirit than that, and I 'm off." - -So away went Hop, singing gayly,-- - - "A frog he would a-wooing go, - Whether his mammy would let him or no, - With a roly-poly, gammon and spinach, - Heigh-ho, said Anthony Rowley." - - -His good little sister Splash begged him to stay, for the world was full -of danger and he was too young to go alone. But Hop told her not to -worry. Girls ought to keep at home, for they could n't take care of -themselves; but fine young fellows should see something of life before -they settled down. His friend Turtle had invited him to go; and if such -a slow chap as Creeper could start on a journey, of course the best -jumper in the river would get on all right. - -While he was saying good-by, the turtle had crept up the bank and was -well on his way to the road beyond. Hop skipped after him; and when -they had got to the hill-top they stopped to rest,--Creeper in the road -on the warm sand, and Hop among some daisies close by. - -"How big the world is!" he said, staring with his great eyes; for he had -never seen houses before, and the village looked as grand to him as -London would to us. "I like it, and I know I shall have a splendid -time. Come on, slow coach! I see fountains over there, and want a good -drink." - -Just as he spoke a cart came by; and before poor Creeper could get out -of the way, a wheel crushed him to death. - -"Mercy on us! what horrid monsters those are!" cried Hop, leaping as -fast as his legs could take him into a garden near by, where he lay -trembling and scared half out of his wits. He thought the cart was a -creature; and every time he heard the rumble of wheels his heart beat -and he clasped his hands in fear as he sat under the burdock leaves. At -last it seemed so quiet he ventured out, and had a lovely time in the -nasturtium-bed, catching flies and playing bo-peep with a little bird. -Then he hopped to the grass-plot, where the sprinkler was whizzing -round, and took a refreshing bath. He was just puffing his skin out and -winking with pleasure when a fat toad, who lived under the piazza, told -him very crossly to "clear out." - -"You are a very rude old person, and I shall do as I like. This is not -your garden; so you need n't goggle at me," answered saucy Hop, opening -his wide mouth to laugh at the toad, who was so fat he could n't take -long leaps like the lively frog. - -"Very well, dandiprat, I shall call the cat; and she will make you skip, -unless you want that fine green jacket torn off your back by her sharp -claws," said the toad, hopping slowly away to the sunny corner where a -gray cat lay dozing. - -"Pooh'! I 'm not afraid," said Hop; for he had never seen a cat, and -thought the toad made it all up. - -So he took a leisurely stroll down the walk, looking about him as if he -owned the whole garden. Presently he saw a pretty little creature -playing with leaves, and hurried on to speak to it, being eager to find -friends in this pleasant place. You see, when the toad told the cat -about the stranger, pussy only gaped and went to sleep again, not caring -to play with any one. But the kitten who lay beside her was curious to -see a frog, and ran off at once to find him. Hop did not know that this -was the cat's daughter, till kitty pounced on him as if he had been a -mouse, and instead of playing some nice game and telling all about the -new world, as Hop expected, she clawed and bit him, tossed him up, and -let him bump down again on the hard ground. He tried to get away, but -she let him hop a little and then pounced again, cuffing him with her -paws, and dragging him about till he was half dead. - -He believed the old toad now, and thought the end of the world had come. -It would have been the end of the world for him, if a dog had not -bounced into the garden and made kitty fly up a tree, spitting and -glaring like a little dragon. Poor Hop crept under a gooseberry bush, -and lay there longing for gentle Splash to tie up his wounds and comfort -his pain with spearmint from the river side and a cool lily-pad for a -wet sheet to pack him in. - -"It is an awful world, and I wish I was safe at home," he sighed, as the -sun grew hot, the water was turned off, and the wind stopped blowing. - -But he was too feeble to hop away, and lay there panting till night, -when a shower saved his life; and early in the morning he started to -find the river before he got into any more troubles. - -He went very slowly, being lame and sore; but got out of the garden and -was just planning to give one tremendous leap over the road, for fear he -should get crushed as Creeper did, when he heard a soft rustling behind -him, and saw a long, slender gray thing, with very bright eyes and a -little tongue that darted out and in like a flash. - -"I see no cruel claws; so it can't be a cat," thought Hop, feeling timid -now about making new friends. - -"Pretty fellow, come here and talk to me," hissed the snake, longing to -eat the nice little froggie. - -Hop felt rather nervous, but wished to be polite; so he let the stranger -coil lovingly round him and look right into his face while listening to -the tale of woe he gladly told. Presently he found he could not stir at -all, nor move his eyes from the fiery eyes before him, and the darting -tongue seemed ready to sting. Then he was frightened, and tried to -escape; but he only gave one leap, for the snake caught him by the hind -legs and held him fast, while swallowing him slowly down. - -"Help, help!" cried Hop, in despair. "Croak! Splash! oh, come and save -me, save me!" - -But there was no help; and in a few moments there was no frog, for the -last leg had vanished down the snake's throat. Poor little Hop! - - -Croak was a noisy fellow, and kept up a great racket trying to sing -louder than any of the other frogs; for he was very proud of his voice, -and sat on a log at night saying, "Ker honk! ker honk!" till every one -was tired of hearing him. - -The old ones told him not to wear his throat out till his voice was -stronger; but he thought they envied him its power and sweetness, and -croaked away louder than ever. - -The boys who came to the river to bathe used to mock him, and try to see -which frog sung so loud. This pleased him; and instead of keeping still -and staying among his friends, silly Croak went and sat on a rock alone, -that all might see and hear the great singer. - -"Now," said the boys, "we can catch him and keep him in a tub; and when -we are tired of his noise we can rap him on the head and make him be -still." - -So while the vain frog sat croaking at the top of his voice, two of the -boys swam up to the rock and threw a net over him. He kicked and -struggled; but they had him fast, and tied him up in a bundle till they -got to the tub, and there they left him with a little grass, saying,-- - -"Now sing away, old fellow, and make yourself comfortable." - -But Croak could not sing, he was so frightened and unhappy; for he was -hungry and tired, and they did n't give him the right things to eat, nor -any mossy log to rest on. They poked him with sticks, took him up to -look at his funny toes, opened his big mouth, and held him by one leg to -see him kick. He tried to climb out; but the sides of the tub were -slippery, and he had to give it up. He kept swimming and floating till -he was tired out, and ate bread-crumbs and grass to keep from starving; -but he was very miserable, though children came to hear him sing, and he -had nothing else to do. - -"This is n't what I meant," sighed Croak, "and if ever I get out of this -old tub, I 'll keep very still and never try to make a noise in the -world again." - -Among the children was one kind little girl who pitied the poor frog, -and one day when she was alone took him up carefully and put him on the -grass, saying,-- - -"Run away, froggie, home to your mamma, and don't tell the boys I set -you free." - -"Thank you, my dear; those bad boys will never see or hear me again," -answered Croak, hopping off as fast as he could go, never minding in his -hurry that he was not taking the road to the river. - -After he had gone a long way he came to a tank where a great many frogs -seemed to be having a very nice time; for there was plenty of food, -stones to sit on, and fresh water flowing in all the time. - -"Ah! these must be very elegant people to live in this luxurious way. -They sing pretty well, but not one has a splendid deep voice like mine. -I 'll jump in and astonish them with my best song," said Croak, after he -had watched and listened for a while. - -If he had only known that these frogs were kept there to be fattened for -an old French gentleman to eat, he would have skipped away and saved his -life; but he was so anxious to show off his voice, that he gave a jump -and went splash into the tank, startling the others and making a great -commotion. He liked that; and getting up on the highest stone, gave -them his favorite "Ker honk" song, till the air rang with the sound. - -The other frogs were much impressed, for they thought it fine music; so -they gathered round, and shook hands and welcomed the stranger, sure -that he must be a distinguished musician, he put on such airs. Now -Croak was in his glory, and puffed himself out, and goggled at the -lady-frogs till they put up their fans of green flag to hide their -smiles. The young fellows tried to imitate him, till the tank was such -a noisy place the old gentleman said to his cook,-- - -"Kill off a dozen of the fattest for dinner, and stop that din out -there." - -The frogs had told Croak that every now and then some of them were -chosen to go and live in the great house; and all were eager to find out -what good fortune had happened to their friends, for none ever came back -to tell the sad truth. So when they saw the man in the white cap and -apron come to the tank and look down at them, they all began to skip and -prance, hoping to be chosen. - -With a long-handled net the cook picked out the fattest and put them in -a covered pail till he had his dozen. Croak had not been there long -enough to get very plump, so he would have escaped that time if he had -held his tongue. But he could n't keep still, and made such a terrible -noise the cook said,-- - -"I must catch and quiet that rascal, or my master will go distracted." -So he held the net open; and that silly frog hopped in, little dreaming -that he had sung his last song. - -"Now we shall see fine things. Good-by, you poor dears! Be patient -till your turn comes," he cried, as the bucket was carried away to the -kitchen. - -Croak was disappointed when he saw nothing but pots and pans and a great -fire; for the vain fellow really thought he was chosen to sing before -some fine people. But his disappointment turned to horror when he saw -his friends taken out one by one and their poor little legs cut off to -fry for dinner. That was the only part the cook used, and the rest he -threw away. Croak was left to the last, as he was not to be eaten; and -while he waited his turn, he dashed distractedly round and round the -pail, trying to get away, and croaking so dismally it was a wonder the -cook did not take pity on him. But he did not, and was just going -toward the pail with the big knife in his hand, when the old gentleman -came down to see if his orders were obeyed, for he thought a great deal -of his dinner. All the poor little legs lay in the pan ready to cook; -and he was so pleased that he said, looking at the thin frog swimming -about in that lively way,-- - -"Ah! this is a very brisk fellow. I will put him in my aquarium; the -gold-fish and the crab will like a little society, I think." - -Then, catching Croak by one leg, he carried him upstairs and threw him -into the great glass box where several pretty gold-fish and one cross -crab lived together. Croak was so glad to escape frying that he was -very quiet, humble, and good; and though his new home was a prison, he -tried to be contented, and never complained when the lovely fish called -him ugly and the cross crab nipped his toes. He was homesick, and -longed sadly for the pleasant river, the jolly games he used to have, -and his dear little sister. He never sang now, fearing to be killed if -he did; but when the windows stood open through the summer night and he -heard the music of his friends, he put his hands before his face and -cried such bitter tears that the water grew quite salt. He bore it as -long as he could; but his heart broke at last, and one day poor Croak -was found floating on the top of the tank quite dead. So that was the -end of him. - - -Good little Splash lived at home all safe and happy, and was so kind to -every one that her neighbors loved her dearly and sung her praises at -their evening concerts. - -Now, the Frog Prince wished to marry, and was looking about for a wife, -as he was very particular. So he wrapped himself up in a dead-leaf -cloak, put an empty nut-shell on his head for a hood, and leaning on a -bulrush staff, went hobbling along by the river like a poor old woman, -begging at the different houses, that he might see how the lady-frogs -behaved at home. - -When he rode out as the Prince on a field-mouse, with flags flying, and -all his court about him, the young lady-frogs stood modestly by their -mammas, all in their best, and curtsied sweetly as he went by. But now -he came to the back doors, a poor beggar, and it was very different. -Some were lazy and lay late in their beds of river weeds, while the -mothers did the work; some were greedy and ate all the best flies -themselves; others slapped and scolded their little brothers and sisters -instead of taking care of them; and nearly all were vain. The Prince -caught many looking at their bright eyes in still pools, or putting on -crowns of water flowers, or bathing in dew to keep the freckles from -their faces. They were always ready to dance at balls, to go boating, -or sing at the concerts where all could hear them; but few were busy, -sweet, and dutiful at home, and the Prince nowhere found the bride he -wanted. He was very fond of music; so he listened to the concerts, and -soon began to wonder why they all sang a song with this chorus,-- - - "Who is the fairest that swims in our river? - Who is the dearest frog under the sun? - Whose life is full of the sweetest endeavor? - Who is our busiest, happiest one? - Splash, Splash, darling thing! - All delight her praise to sing." - - -"I must find this lovely creature and see if she is all they say, -because if she is I 'll make a Princess of her in the twinkling of an -eye," said the Prince; and he set off to look for Splash, for he was a -very energetic frog. - -He soon found her, for she was always busy doing something for her -neighbors; and he watched her teaching the little tadpoles to swim, -helping the old frogs out to sit in the sun when damp weather gave them -rheumatism, or taking care of the sick ones, or feeding the poor, or -running errands for busy mammas with large families and lazy daughters. - -In her own little home all was as neat as wax, but so lonely she did not -like to stay there much. All day she helped others, and at evening sat -at her door and thought sadly of her lost brothers. She was very pretty -in her neat, gray gown and white apron, with her bright eyes, gentle -face, and sweet voice; though she seldom sung, except lullabies to the -little frogs and the sick folks. - -She was rocking a small tadpole to sleep in this way one day, when the -disguised Prince came hobbling along, and asked for a bit to eat. -Putting little Wiggle in his cobweb hammock, Splash said kindly,-- - -"Yes, old mother, come in and rest while I get you some dinner. Here 's -a soft cushion of moss, and a leaf of water fresh from the spring." - -The Prince sat a long time talking with her, and hearing about her -brothers, and seeing how sweet she was. He made up his mind to marry at -once; for frogs don't spend a long time and much money getting -ready,--they just wash up their green and gray suits, and invite their -friends to the wedding. The bride can always find a delicate cobweb on -the grass for a veil, and that is all she needs. - -The Prince thought he would try one thing more; so he said to her,-- - -"I 'm very lame; will you take me to the palace? I want to see the -Prince. Do you know him?" - -"No; I 'm only a humble creature, and he would n't care to know me," -said Splash, modestly. "But I admire him very much, he is so brave and -just and good. I love to see him go by, and always peep behind my -curtain, he is such a splendid sight." - -The Prince blushed under the nut-shell cap at such praise, and was sure, -from the way Splash spoke, that she loved him a little bit. So he was -very happy and wanted to dance, but kept quiet and leaned on her arm as -she led him down the bank, put him nicely on a lily-pad, and rowed away, -smiling at him and talking so sweetly he got fonder and fonder of her -every moment. - -At last they came to the palace, all made of white water-lilies, with -red cardinal-flowers for flags, floors of green moss, and pink toadstool -tables spread with acorn cups of honey, berries, and all the dainties -frogs love; for the Prince had sent a telegram by the wind to have a -feast ready. - -"Come in. I have something for you in return for your kindness to me. -I 'm not what I seem, and in a moment you shall see who your new friend -is," said the Prince, leading her into the great hall where the throne -was. - -Then he left her, wondering what was to happen, while he hurried to -throw off his old things and to put on his green velvet suit, his crown -of cowslip, and the tall rush that was his sceptre. He looked very -splendid, with white silk stockings on his long legs, his fine eyes -shining, and his speckled waistcoat puffed out with the joy of his -heart. - -The trumpets sounded; all the frogs of the court came marching in, with -the Prince at the head; and when they were seated at the tables, he took -astonished Splash by the hand, and said in a loud voice,-- - -"This is your Queen,--the best, the loveliest in the land! Bring the -wedding veil; let the bells ring, and shout with me, 'Hurrah! hurrah for -Queen Splash!'" - - - - -[Illustration: They did n't look like heroines, those two shabby little -girls. PAGE 242.] - - - - XII. - BAA! BAA! - - - BAA THE FIRST. - - -They did n't look at all like heroines, those two shabby little girls, -as they trotted down the hill, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. -Their bare feet were scratched and brown, their hands were red with -berry stains, and their freckled faces shone with heat under the -flapping sun-bonnets. But Patty and Tilda were going to do a fine piece -of work, although they did not know it then, and were very full of their -own small affairs as they went briskly toward the station to sell -berries. - -The tongues went as fast as the feet; for this was a great expedition, -and both were much excited about it - -"Don't they look lovely?" said Tilda, proudly surveying her sister's -load as she paused to change a heavy pail from one arm to the other. - -"Perfectly de-licious! I know folks will buy 'em, if we ain't too -scared to offer 'em," answered Patty, stopping also to settle the two -dozen little birch baskets full of red raspberries which she carried, -prettily set forth, on an old waiter, trimmed with scarlet -bunch-berries, white everlasting, and green leaves. - -"I sha'n't be. I 'll go right along and holler real loud,--see if I -don't. I'm bound to have our books and boots for next winter; so just -keep thinking how nice they'll be, and push ahead," said stout-hearted -Tilda, the leader of the expedition. - -"Hurry up. I want to have time to sprinkle the posies, so they'll look -fresh when the train comes. I hope there'll be lots of children in it; -they always want to eat, ma says." - -"It was real mean of Elviry Morris to go and offer to sell cheaper up to -the hotel than we did, and spoil our market. Guess she'll wish she'd -thought of this when we tell what we 've done down here." And both -children laughed with satisfaction as they trudged along, never minding -the two hot, dusty miles they had to go. - -The station was out of the village, and the long trains carrying summer -travellers to the mountains stopped there once a day to meet the stages -for different places. It was a pleasant spot, with a great pond on one -side, deep forests on the other, and in the distance glimpses of gray -peaks or green slopes inviting the weary city people to come and rest. - -Every one seemed glad to get out during the ten minutes' pause, even if -their journey was not yet ended; and while they stood about, enjoying -the fresh air from the pond, or watching the stages load up, Tilda and -Patty planned to offer their tempting little baskets of fresh fruit and -flowers. It was a great effort, and their hearts beat with childish -hope and fear as they came in sight of the station, with no one about -but the jolly stage-drivers lounging in the shade. - -"Plenty of time. Let's go to the pond and wash off the dust and get a -drink. Folks won't see us behind those cars," said Tilda, glad to slip -out of sight till the train arrived; for even her courage seemed to ooze -away as the important moment approached. - -A long cattle-train stood on a side track waiting for the other one to -pass; and while the little girls splashed their feet in the cool water, -or drank from their hands, a pitiful sound filled the air. Hundreds of -sheep, closely packed in the cars and suffering agonies from dust and -heat and thirst, thrust their poor noses through the bars, bleating -frantically; for the sight of all that water, so near yet so impossible -to reach, drove them wild. Those farther down the track, who could not -see the blue lake, could smell it, and took up the cry till the woods -echoed with it, and even the careless drivers said, with a glance of -pity,-- - -"Hard on the poor critters this hot day, ain't it?" - -"Oh, Tilda, hear 'em baa, and see 'em crowd this side to get at the -water! Let's take 'em some in our pickin' dishes. It's so dreadful to -be dry," said tender-hearted Patty, filling her pint cup, and running to -offer it to the nearest pathetic nose outstretched to meet it. A dozen -thirsty tongues tried to lap it, and in the struggle the little cup was -soon emptied; but Patty ran for more, and Tilda did the same, both -getting so excited over the distress of the poor creatures that they -never heard the far-off whistle of their train, and continued running to -and fro on their errand of mercy, careless of their own weary feet, hot -faces, and the precious flowers withering in the sun. - -They did not see a party of people sitting near by under the trees, who -watched them and listened to their eager talk with smiling interest. - -"Run, Patty; this poor little one is half dead. Throw some water in his -face while I make this big one stop walking on him. Oh, dear! There -are so many! We can't help half, and our mugs are so small!" - -"I know what I 'll do, Tilda,--tip out the berries into my apron, and -bring up a nice lot at once," cried Patty, half beside herself with -pity. - -"It will spoil your apron and mash the berries, but never mind. I don't -care if we don't sell one if we can help these poor dear lammies," -answered energetic Tilda, dashing into the pond up to her ankles to fill -the pail, while Patty piled up the fruit in her plaid apron. - -"Oh, my patience me! the train is coming!" cried Patty, as a shrill -shriek woke the echoes, and an approaching rumble was heard. - -"Let it come. I won't leave this sheep till it's better. You go and -sell the first lot; I 'll come as quick as I can," commanded Tilda, so -busy reviving the exhausted animal that she could not stop even to begin -the cherished new plan. - -"I don't dare go alone; you come and call out, and I 'll hold the -waiter," quavered poor Patty, looking sadly scared as the long train -rolled by with a head at every window. - -"Don't be a goose. Stay here and work, then; I 'll go and sell every -basket. I 'm so mad about these poor things, I ain't afraid of -anybody," cried Tilda, with a last refreshing splash among the few -favored sheep, as she caught up the tray and marched off to the -platform,--a very hot, wet, shabby little girl, but with a breast full -of the just indignation and tender pity that go to redress half the -wrongs of this great world. - -"Oh, mamma, see the pretty baskets! do buy some, I 'm so thirsty and -tired," exclaimed more than one eager little traveller, as Tilda held up -her tray, crying bravely,-- - -"Fresh berries! fresh berries! ten cents! only ten cents!" - -They were all gone in ten minutes; and if Patty had been with her, the -pail might have been emptied before the train left. But the other -little Samaritan was hard at work; and when her sister joined her, -proudly displaying a handful of silver, she was prouder still to show -her woolly invalid feebly nibbling grass from her hand. - -"We might have sold everyone,--folks liked 'em ever so much; and next -time we 'll have two dozen baskets apiece. But we 'll have to be spry, -for some of the children fuss about picking out the one they like. It's -real fun, Patty," said Tilda, tying up the precious dimes in a corner of -her dingy little handkerchief. - -"So's this," answered the other, with a last loving pat of her patient's -nose, as the train began to move, and car after car of suffering sheep -passed them with plaintive cries and vain efforts to reach the blessed -water of which they were in such dreadful need. - -Poor Patty could n't bear it. She was hot, tired, and unhappy because -she could do so little; and when her pitying eyes lost sight of that -load of misery, she just sat down and cried. - -But Tilda scolded as she carefully put the unsold berries back into the -pail, still unconscious of the people behind the elder-bushes by the -pond. - -"That's the wickedest thing that ever was; and I just wish I was a man, -so I could see about it. I 'd put all the railroad folks in those cars, -and keep 'em there hours and hours and hours, going by ponds all the -time; and I 'd have ice-cream, too, where they could n't get a bit, and -lots of fans, and other folks all cool and comfortable, never caring how -hot and tired and thirsty they were. Yes, I would! and then we'd see -how _they_ like it." - -Here indignant Tilda had to stop for breath, and refreshed herself by -sucking berry-juice off her fingers. - -"We _must_ do something about it. I can't be happy to think of those -poor lammies going so far without any water. It's awful to be dry," -sobbed Patty, drinking her own tears as they fell. - -"If I had a hose, I 'd come every day and hose all over the cars; that -would do some good. Anyway, we 'll bring the other big pail, and water -all we can," said Tilda, whose active brain was always ready with a -plan. - -"Then we sha'n't sell our berries," began Patty, despondently; for all -the world was saddened to her just then by the sight she had seen. - -"We 'll come earlier, and both work real hard till our train is in. -Then I 'll sell, and you go on watering with both pails. It's hard -work, but we can take turns. What ever shall we do with all these -berries? The under ones are smashed, so we 'll eat 'em; but these are -nice, only who will buy 'em?" And Tilda looked soberly at the spoiled -apron and the four quarts of raspberries picked with so much care in the -hot sun. - -"I will," said a pleasant voice; and a young lady came out from the -bushes just as the good fairy appears to the maidens in old tales. - -Both little girls started and stared, and were covered with confusion -when other heads popped up, and a stout gentleman came toward them, -smiling so good-naturedly that they were not afraid. - -"We are having a picnic in the woods, and would like these nice berries -for our supper, if you want to sell them," said the lady, holding out a -pretty basket. - -"Yes, ma'am, we do. You can have 'em all. They 're a little mashed; so -we won't ask but ten cents a quart, though we expected to get twelve," -said Tilda, who was a real Yankee, and had an eye to business. - -"What do you charge for watering the sheep?" asked the stout gentleman, -looking kindly at Patty, who at once retired into the depths of her -sun-bonnet, like a snail into its shell. - -"Nothing, sir. Was n't it horrid to see those poor things? That's what -made her cry. She's real tender-hearted, and she could n't bear it; so -we let the berries go, and did what we could," answered Tilda, with such -an earnest little face that it looked pretty in spite of tan and -freckles and dust. - -"Yes, it was very sad, and we must see about it. Here's something to -pay for the berries, also for the water." And the gentleman threw a -bright half-dollar into Tilda's lap and another into Patty's, just as if -he was used to tossing money about in that delightful manner. - -The little girls did n't know what to say to him; but they beamed at -every one, and surveyed the pretty silver pieces as if they were very -precious in their sight. - -"What will you do with them?" asked the lady, in the friendly sort of -voice that always gets a ready answer. - -"Oh, we are saving up to buy books and rubber boots, so we can go to -school next winter. We live two miles from school, and wear out lots of -boots, and get colds when it's wet. We had _Pewmonia_ last spring, and -ma said we _must_ have rubber boots, and we might earn 'em in -berry-time," said Tilda, eagerly. - -"Yes, and _she's_ real smart, and _she's_ going to be promoted, and -_must_ have new books, and they cost so much, and ma ain't rich, so we -get 'em ourselves," added sister Patty, forgetting bashfulness in -sisterly pride. - -"That's brave. How much will it take for the boots and the books?" -asked the lady, with a glance at the old gentleman, who was eating -berries out of her basket. - -"As much as five dollars, I guess. We want to get a shawl for ma, so -she can go to meetin'. It's a secret, and we pick every day real hard, -'cause berries don't last long," said Tilda, wisely. - -"_She_ thought of coming down here. We felt so bad about losing our -place at the hotel, and did n't know what to do, till Tilda made this -plan. I think it's a splendid one." And Patty eyed her half-dollar -with immense satisfaction. - -"Don't spoil the plan, Alice. I 'm passing every week while you are up -here, and I 'll see to the success of the affair," said the old -gentleman, with a nod; adding, in a louder tone, "These are very fine -berries, and I want you to take four quarts every other day to Miller's -farm over there. You know the place?" - -"Yes, sir! yes, sir!" cried two eager voices; for the children felt as -if a rain of half-dollars was about to set in. - -"I come up every Saturday and go down Monday; and I shall look out for -you here, and you can water the sheep as much as you like. They need it, -poor beasts!" added the old gentleman. - -"We will, sir! we will!" cried the children, with faces so full of -innocent gratitude and good will that the young lady stooped and kissed -them both. - -"Now, my dear, we must be off, and not keep our friends waiting any -longer," said the old gentleman, turning toward the heads still bobbing -about behind the bushes. - -"Good-by, good-by. We won't forget the berries and the sheep," called -the children, waving the stained apron like a banner, and showing every -white tooth in the beaming smiles they sent after these new friends. - -"Nor I my lambs," said Alice to herself, as she followed her father to -the boat. - -"What will ma say when we tell her and show her this heap of money?" -exclaimed Tilda, pouring the dimes into her lap, and rapturously -chinking the big half-dollars before she tied them all up again. - -"I hope we sha'n't be robbed going home. You 'd better hide it in your -breast, else some one might see it," said prudent Patty, oppressed by -the responsibility of so much wealth. - -"There goes the boat!" cried Tilda. "Don't it look lovely? Those are -the nicest folks I ever saw." - -"She's perfectly elegant. I 'd like a white dress and a hat just like -that. When she kissed me, the long feather was as soft as a bird's wing -on my cheeks, and her hair was all curling round like the picture we cut -out of the paper." And Patty gazed after the boat as if this little -touch of romance in her hard-working life was delightful to her. - -"They must be awful rich, to want so many berries. We shall have to fly -round to get enough for them and the car folks too. Let's go right off -now to that thick place we left this morning, else Elviry may get ahead -of us," said practical Tilda, jumping up, ready to make hay while the -sun shone. But neither of them dreamed what a fine crop they were to -get in that summer, all owing to their readiness in answering that -pitiful "Baa! baa!" - - - - BAA THE SECOND. - - -A very warm and a very busy week followed, for the berries were -punctually delivered at the farm, and successfully sold at the station; -and, best of all, the sheep were as faithfully watered as two little -pails and two little girls could do it. Every one else forgot them. -Mr. Benson was a busy old gentleman far away in the city; Miss Alice was -driving, boating, and picnicking all day long; and the men at the depot -had no orders to care for the poor beasts. But Tilda and Patty never -forgot; and, rain or shine, they were there when the long train came in, -waiting to do what they could, with dripping pails, handfuls of grass, -or green branches, to refresh these suffering travellers for whom no -thought was taken. - -The rough stage-drivers laughed at them, the brakemen ordered them away, -and the station-master said they were "little fools;" but nothing -daunted the small sisters of charity, and in a few days they were let -alone. Their arms were very tired lifting the pails, their backs ached -with lugging so much water, and mother would not let them wear any but -their oldest clothes for such wet work; so they had their trials, but -bore them bravely, and never expected to be thanked. - -When Saturday came round, and Miss Alice drove to meet her father, she -remembered the little girls, and looked for them. Up at the farm she -enjoyed her berries, and ordered them to be promptly paid for, but was -either asleep or away when they arrived, and so had not seen the -children. The sight of Patty, hastily scrambling a clean apron over her -old frock, as she waited for the train with her tray of fruit, made the -young lady leave the phaeton and go to meet the child, asking, with a -smile,-- - -"Where is the black-eyed sister? Not ill, I hope. - -"No, ma'am; she's watering the sheep. She's so strong she does it -better 'n I do, and I sell the baskets," answered Patty, rejoicing -secretly in the clean faded apron that hid her shabbiness. - -"Ah, I forgot _my_ lambs; but you were faithful to yours, you good -little things! Have you done it every day?" - -"Yes, 'm. Ma said, if we promised, we _must_ do it; and we like it. -Only there 's such a lot of 'em, and we get pretty tired." And Patty -rubbed her arms as if they ached. - -"I 'll speak to papa about it this very day. It will be a good time; for -Mr. Jacobs, the president of the road, is coming up to spend Sunday, and -they must do something for the poor beasts," said Miss Alice, ashamed to -be outdone by two little girls. - -"That will be so nice. We read a piece in a paper our teacher lends us, -and I brought it down to show Mr. Weed, the depot man. He said it was a -shame, but nobody could help it; so we thought we 'd tell him about the -law we found." And Patty eagerly drew a worn copy of "Our Dumb Animals" -from her pocket to show the little paragraph to this all-powerful friend -who knew the railroad king. - -Miss Alice read:-- - -"An act of Congress provides that at the end of every twenty-eight -hours' journey animals shall be given five hours' rest, and duly fed and -watered, unless shipped in cars having accommodations for the care of -live-stock on board." - -"There!" cried Patty, "that's the law; and ma says these sheep come ever -so far, and ought to be watered. Do tell the president, and ask him to -see to it. There was another piece about some poor pigs and cows being -ninety-two hours without water and food. It was awful." - -"I _will_ tell him. Here 's our train. Run to your berries. I 'll -find papa, and show him this." - -As Miss Alice spoke, the cars thundered into the little station, and a -brief bustle ensued, during which Patty was too busy to see what -happened. - -Mr. Benson and another stout old gentleman got out; and the minute Miss -Alice had been kissed, she said very earnestly,-- - -"Wait a little, please; I want to settle a very important piece of -business before we go home." - -Then, while the gentlemen listened indulgently, she told the story, -showed the bit in the paper, and pointing out Patty, added warmly,-- - -"That's one good child. Come and see the other, and you will agree with -me that something ought to be done to relieve their kind little hearts -and arms, if not out of mercy to the animals, who can't be called dumb -in this case, though we have been deaf too long." - -"My wilful girl must have her way. Come and get a whiff of fresh air, -Jacobs." And Mr. Benson followed his daughter across the track, glad to -get out of the bustle. - -Yes, Tilda was there, and at work so energetically that they dared not -approach, but stood looking and laughing for a moment. Two pails of -water stood near her, and with a long-handled dipper she was serving all -she could reach; those which were packed on the upper tier she could -only refresh by a well-aimed splash, which was eagerly welcomed, and -much enjoyed by all parties,--for Tilda got well showered herself, but -did not care a bit, for it was a melting July day. - -"That is a very little thing to do, but it is the cup of cold water -which _we_ have forgotten," said Miss Alice, softly, while the air was -full of cries of longing as the blue lake shone before the thirsty -beasts. - -"Jacobs, we must attend to this." - -"Benson, we will. I 'll look into the matter, and report at the next -meeting." - -That was all they said; but Alice clapped her hands, for she knew the -thing would be done, and smiled like sunshine on the two old gentlemen, -who presently watched the long train rumble away, with shakes and nods -of the gray heads, which expressed both pity and determination. - -The other train soon followed, and Patty came running over with her -empty tray and a handful of silver to join Tilda, who sat down upon her -upturned pail, tired out. - -"Papa will see to it, children; and, thanks to you, the sheep will soon -be more comfortable," said Miss Alice, joining them. - -"Oh, goody! I hope they'll be quick; it's so hot, there 's ever so many -dead ones to-day, and I can't help 'em," answered Tilda, fanning herself -with her bonnet, and wiping the drops off her red face. - -Miss Alice took a pretty straw fan out of her pocket and handed it to -her, with a look of respect for the faithful little soul who did her -duty so well. - -"Ask for me when you come to the farm to-night. I shall have some hats -and aprons for you, and I want to know you better," she said, -remembering the broad-brimmed hats and ready-made aprons in the village -store. - -"Thank you, ma'am. We 'll come. Now we won't have to do this wet work -we 'd like to be neat and nice," said Patty, gratefully. - -"Do you always sell all your berries down here?" asked Miss Alice, -watching Tilda tie up the dimes. - -"Yes, indeed; and we could sell more if both of us went. But ma said we -were making lots of money, and it was n't best to get rich too fast," -answered Tilda, wisely. - -"That's a good thing for us to remember, Benson, especially just now, -and not count the cost of this little improvement in our cattle cars too -closely," said Mr. Jacobs, as the old gentlemen came up in time to hear -Tilda's speech. - -"Your mother is a remarkable woman; I must come and see her," added Mr. -Benson. - -"Yes, sir; she is. She'd be pleased to see you any day." And Tilda -stood up respectfully as her elders addressed her. - -"Getting too rich, are you? Then I suppose it would n't do to ask you -to invest this in your business for me?" asked Mr. Jacobs, holding up -two silver dollars, as if he felt bashful about offering them. - -Two pairs of eyes sparkled; and Patty's hand went out involuntarily, as -she thought how many things she could get with all that money. - -"Would they buy a lamb? and would you like to use it that way?" asked -Tilda, in a business-like tone. - -"I guess Miller would let you have one for that sum if Miss Alice makes -the bargain, and I _should_ very much like to start a flock if you would -attend to it for me," answered Mr. Jacobs, with a laughing nod at the -young lady, who seemed to understand that way of making bargains. - -"We 'd like it ever so much! We 've wanted a lamb all summer; and we've -got a nice rocky pasture, with lots of pennyroyal and berry bushes and a -brook, for it to live in. We could get one ourselves now we are so -rich; but we 'd rather buy more things for ma, and mend the roof 'fore -the snow comes: it's so old, rain runs down on our bed sometimes." - -"That's bad; but you seem fond of water, and look as if it agreed with -you," said Mr. Jacobs, playfully poking Tilda's soaked apron with his -cane. - -They all laughed; and Mr. Benson said, looking at his watch,-- - -"Come, Alice, we must go. I want my dinner, and so does Jacobs. -Good-by, little water-witches. I 'll see you again." - -"Do you s'pose they 'll remember the lambs and hats, and all they -promised?" asked Patty, as the others turned away. - -"I don't believe they will. Rich folks are so busy having good times -they are apt to forget poor folks, seems to me," answered Tilda, shaking -her head like a little Solomon. - -"Bless my heart, what a sharp child that is! We must not disappoint her; -so remind me, Alice, to make a memorandum of all this business," -whispered Mr. Benson, who heard every word. - -"The President is a _very_ nice man, and I know _he_ 'll keep his word. -See! he dropped the money in my tray, and I never saw him do it," cried -Patty, pouncing on the dollars like a robin on a worm. - -"There's a compliment for you, and well worth the money. Such -confidence is beautiful," said Mr. Jacobs, laughing. - -"Well, I 've learned a little lesson, and I 'll lay it to heart so well -I won't let either of you forget," added Alice, as they drove away; -while Tilda and Patty trudged home, quite unconscious that they had set -an example which their elders were not ashamed to follow. - -So many delightful things happened after this that the children felt as -if they had got into a fairy tale. First of all, two nice rough straw -hats and four useful aprons were given them that very night. Next day -Miss Alice went to see their mother, and found an excellent woman, -trying to bring up her girls, with no one to help her. - -Then somehow the roof got mended, and the fence, so that passing cattle -could not devastate the little beds where the children carefully -cultivated wild flowers from the woods and hills. There seemed to be a -sudden call for berries in the neighborhood,--for the story of the small -Samaritans went about, and even while they laughed, people felt an -interest in the children, and were glad to help them; so the dimes in -the spoutless teapot rose like a silver tide, and visions of new gowns, -and maybe sleds, danced through the busy little brains. - -But, best and most wonderful of all, the old gentlemen did _not_ forget -the sheep. It was astonishing how quickly and easily it was all done, -when once those who had the power found both the will and the way. -Every one was interested now: the stage-drivers joked no more; the -brakemen lent a hand with the buckets while waiting for better means of -relief; and cross Mr. Weed patted Tilda and Patty on the head, and -pointed them out to strangers as the "nice little girls who stirred up -the railroad folks." Children from the hotel came to look at them, and -Elviry Morris was filled with regret that she had no share in this -interesting affair. - -Thus the little pail of water they offered for pity's sake kept the -memory of this much-needed mercy green till the lake poured its full -tide along the channel made for it, and there was no more suffering on -that road. - -The first day the new pumps were tried every one went to see them work; -and earliest of all were Tilda and Patty, in pink aprons and wreaths of -evergreens round their new hats, in honor of the day. It was sweet to -see their intense satisfaction as the water streamed into the troughs, -and the thirsty sheep drank so gratefully. The innocent little souls -did not know how many approving glances were cast upon them as they sat -on a log, with the tired arms folded, two trays of berries at their feet -now, and two faces beaming with the joy of a great hope beautifully -fulfilled. - -Presently a party from the hotel appeared; and something was evidently -going to happen, for the boys and girls kept dodging behind the cars to -see if they were coming. Tilda and Patty wondered who or what, but kept -modestly apart upon their log, glad to see that the fine folks enjoyed -the sight about as much as they did. - -A rattle was heard along the road, a wagon stopped behind the station, -and an excited boy came flying over the track to make the mysterious -announcement to the other children,-- - -"They 've got 'em, and they are regular beauties." - -"More pumps or troughs, I guess. Well, we can't have too many," said -Tilda, with an eye to the business under way. - -"I wish those folks would n't stare so. I s'pose it's the new aprons -with pockets," whispered bashful Patty, longing for the old cape-bonnet -to retire into. - -But both forgot pumps and pockets in a moment, as a striking procession -appeared round the corner. Mr. Benson, trying not to laugh, but shining -with heat and fun, led a very white lamb with a red bow on its neck; and -behind him came Miss Alice, leading another lamb with a blue bow. She -looked very much in earnest, and more like a good fairy than ever, as -she carried out her little surprise. People looked and laughed; but -every one seemed to understand the joke at once, and were very quiet -when Mr. Benson held up his hand, and said, in a voice which was earnest -as well as merry,-- - -"Here, my little girls, are two friends of those poor fellows yonder -come to thank you for your pity, and to prove, I hope, that rich people -are not always too busy with their own good times to remember their -poorer neighbors. Take them, my dears, and God bless you!" - -"I did n't forget my lambs this time, but have been taming these for -you; and Mr. Jacobs begs you will accept them, with his love," added -Miss Alice, as the two pretty creatures were led up to their new owners, -wagging their tails and working their noses in the most amiable manner, -though evidently much amazed at the scene. - -Tilda and Patty were so surprised that they were dumb with delight, and -could only blush and pat the woolly heads, feeling more like story-book -girls than ever. The other children, charmed with this pleasant ending -to the pretty story, set up a cheer; the men joined in it with a will; -while the ladies waved their parasols, and all the sheep seemed to add -to the chorus their grateful "Baa! baa!" - - - - - _University Press: John Wilson & Son, Cambridge._ - - - - - * * * * * - - - - - - - _Messrs. Roberts Brothers' Publications._ - - - - LOUISA M. ALCOTT'S WRITINGS - - -"_Miss Alcott is really a benefactor of households._"--H. H. - -"_Miss Alcott has a faculty of entering into the lives and feelings of -children that is conspicuously wanting in most writers who address them -and to this cause, to the consciousness among her readers that they are -hearing about people like themselves, instead of abstract qualities -labelled with names, the popularity of her books is due._"--Mrs. SARAH -J. HALE. - -"_Dear Aunt Jo! You are embalmed in the thoughts and loves of thousands -of little men and little women._"--EXCHANGE. - - -Little Women; or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. With illustrations. Two -volumes. 16mo. $3.00 - -The same, complete in one volume. With illustrations. 16mo. $1.50 - -Hospital Sketches, and Camp and Fireside Stories. With illustrations. -16mo. $1.50 - -An Old-Fashioned Girl. With illustrations. 16mo. $1.50 - -Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys. With illustrations. -16mo. $1.50 - -Eight Cousins; or, The Aunt-Hill. With illustrations. 16mo. $1.50 - -Rose In Bloom. A sequel to "Eight Cousins." 16mo. $1.50 - -Under the Lilacs. With illustrations. 16mo. $1.50 - -Jack and Jill. A Village Story. With illustrations. 16mo. $1.50 - -Work: A Story of Experience. With character illustrations by Sol -Eytinge. 16mo. $1.50 - -Moods. A Novel. New edition, revised and enlarged. 16mo. $1.50 - -Silver Pitchers and Independence. A Centennial Love Story. 16mo. $1.25 - -Proverb Stories. 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The books comprising -this set are as follows, viz.:-- - -Little Women; Little Men; Eight Cousins; Under the Lilacs; An -Old-Fashioned Girl; Hospital Sketches; Rose in Bloom; Jack and Jill. 8 -large 16mo volumes in a handsome box. $12.00 - - -_These books are for sale at all bookstores, or will be mailed, -post-paid, on receipt of price, to any address_. - - - MRS. DODGE'S POPULAR BOOK - - -[Illustration: A PORTRAIT OF DOROTHY AT SIXTEEN.] - - - DONALD AND DOROTHY. - - BY MARY MAPES DODGE. - - Beautifully Illustrated and Bound. Price $2.00. - - - _An honest tribute from an admiring friend_. - -"DEAR MRS. DODGE,--I have just finished your book called 'Donald and -Dorothy' for the third or fourth time, and would like very much to know -whether Dorothy is a real person, and if so, what is her name? I am -nearly as old as Dorothy was at the close of the book, so am very much -interested in her. I would also like to know how old she is, and where -she lives. 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