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diff --git a/old/56322-0.txt b/old/56322-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6e34da2..0000000 --- a/old/56322-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11724 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Mary Frances Story Book, by Jane Eayre Fryer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Mary Frances Story Book - or Adventures Among the Story People - -Author: Jane Eayre Fryer - -Illustrator: Edwin John Prittie - -Release Date: January 6, 2018 [EBook #56322] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARY FRANCES STORY BOOK *** - - - - -Produced by Emmy, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - ---------------------------------------- - This ebook is dedicated to - EMMY - friend, colleague, mentor, role model, - who fell off the planet far too soon. - ---------------------------------------- - - - - -[Illustration: _For all boys and girls who love stories. -Jane Eayre Fryer_] - - - - -_Books by Jane Eayre Fryer_ - - THE MARY FRANCES COOK BOOK - _Or, Adventures Among the Kitchen People_ - PRICE $2.00 NET - - THE MARY FRANCES SEWING BOOK - _Or, Adventures Among the Thimble People_ - PRICE $2.00 NET - - THE MARY FRANCES HOUSEKEEPER - _Or, Adventures Among the Doll People_ - PRICE $2.00 NET - - THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN BOOK - _Or, Adventures Among the Garden People_ - PRICE $2.00 NET - - THE MARY FRANCES KNITTING AND CROCHETING BOOK - _Or, Adventures Among the Knitting People_ - PRICE $2.00 NET - - THE MARY FRANCES FIRST AID BOOK - PRICE $1.25 NET - - THE MARY FRANCES STORY BOOK - _Or, Adventures Among the Story People_ - PRICE $2.00 NET - - THE MARY FRANCES BIBLE STORY BOOK - _Or, Adventures Among the Bible People_ - PRICE $2.00 NET - - THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY - _PUBLISHERS_ 1006-1016 ARCH STREET, PHILADELPHIA - - - - -[Illustration: THEY COULD SEE THAT THE PIRATE’S SHIP WAS KEEPING -THE DISTANCE THE SAME AS AT FIRST BETWEEN THEM] - - - - -[Illustration] - - THE MARY FRANCES STORY BOOK - - OR - - ADVENTURES AMONG THE STORY PEOPLE - - _by_ - JANE EAYRE FRYER - - ILLUSTRATED BY - EDWIN JOHN PRITTIE - - THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY - PHILADELPHIA, PA. - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY - THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY - _Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London_ - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - MADE IN THE - U.S.A. - - - - -PREFACE - - -THE MARY FRANCES STORY BOOK is different from the other Mary Frances -Books. They are part lessons and part story; they teach something -about cooking and sewing, knitting and crocheting, housekeeping and -gardening, and first-aid--and tell a story, too; but THE MARY FRANCES -STORY BOOK is all story. - -On a summer afternoon Mary Frances took a holiday and sailed away -across the blue water to an island--an island formed by the top of a -coral mountain resting in a sea of blue; oh, so blue--a brighter blue -than the water in your mother’s bluing tub--not the blue that makes you -feel sad and blue, but the blue that makes you laugh with happiness. -The island itself and the roofs of the houses were coral white, and -the green was the green of the palm and banana and mahogany tree. The -breezes that blew over them were the warm, soft breezes of the southern -sun. This island was the “enchanted island” of the good story-tellers -which Mary Frances was allowed to visit. The story people who lived -there believed in truth and beauty, and courage and kindness, and these -were the theme of their stories. Like all good islands, this island -had enemies, but they came to a bad end, as, in the long run, all evil -persons will; and truth and beauty, and courage and kindness won the -day, as they always must in every land where the searchlight of the sun -flashes its beams. - -As may be imagined, when Mary Frances came home she had not only one, -but many stories to tell; and they are written in this book. - - J. E. F. - MERCHANTVILLE, N. J. - - - - -ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - - -For kind permission to use copyrighted and other material, the author -is indebted to the following: Milton Bradley Company, for “The -Closing Door”, from _Mother Stories_, by Maud Lindsay; Little, Brown -& Company, for “Tom Goes Down the Well”, from _Mice at Play_, by Neil -Forest; Presbyterian Board of Publication, for “Gloomy Gus and the -Christmas Cat”, by Alfred Westfall, and “Ann Catches a Thief”, by Daisy -Gilbert; McLoughlin Brothers, for “Patty and Her Pitcher”; The Beacon -Press, for “The Brahmin, the Tiger, and the Jackal”, from _First Book -of Religion_; Cassel & Company, for “Music Bewitched”, by Hartley -Richards; American Baptist Publication Society, for “John and Margaret -Paton Among Savages”, by Grace E. Craig; Bobbs-Merrill Company, for -“Your Flag and My Flag”, from _The Trail to Boyland_, by Wilbur D. -Nesbit, copyright 1904. Acknowledgment is also due to Cassell, Petter, -Galpin & Company, for “The Bubble Story”, “Mischievous Anna and Peter”, -and “The Cat and the Carrots”. - - - - -CONTENTS - - -THE TRIP TO STORY ISLAND - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. ON THE SHORE 15 - - II. THE GOOD FERRY PUTS OUT TO SEA 18 - - III. THE PIRATE’S CAT 23 - - IV. THE STORY OF THE LOST STORY 26 - - V. LAND AHOY 29 - - VI. THE OLD WITCH AND THE IRON-CHAIN CURTAIN 35 - - VII. FINDING THE LOST STORY 37 - - VIII. THE PIRATE CHASES THE GOOD FERRY 42 - - IX. THE TERRIBLE PUNISHMENT OF THE PIRATE AND THE - OLD WITCH 44 - - X. THE BUBBLE STORY _Anon._ 47 - - -STORIES TOLD THE FIRST DAY - - XI. MISCHIEVOUS ANNA AND PETER _Anon._ 55 - - XII. DIAMONDS AND TOADS _Macé’s Fairy Tales_ 61 - - XIII. THE MAGIC NECKLACE _Macé’s Fairy Tales_ 67 - - XIV. THE CAT AND THE CARROTS _Anon._ 73 - - XV. THE BRAHMIN, THE TIGER, AND - THE JACKAL _Hindu Folk Tale_ 79 - - XVI. THE RED DRAGON _Anon._ 82 - - XVII. TWO POEMS 84 - - If I Could Crow 84 - - The Twins 85 - - XVIII. TINY’S ADVENTURES IN TINYTOWN 87 - - Tiny Gets Lost 88 - - Tiny Is Put in the Lock-up 91 - - Tiny Is Adopted 94 - - Tiny Discovers a Fire 100 - - XIX. TINY HAS MORE ADVENTURES 102 - - Tiny Saves a Baby’s Life 104 - - Tiny Goes Shopping 107 - - Tiny’s Mother Finds Her 111 - - -STORIES TOLD THE SECOND DAY - - XX. THE MAGIC MASK _Old Tale_--Retold 119 - - XXI. THE CLOSING DOOR _Maud Lindsay_ 126 - - XXII. TOM GOES DOWN THE WELL _Neil Forest_ 130 - - XXIII. GLOOMY GUS AND THE CHRISTMAS CAT _Alfred Westfall_ 139 - - XXIV. PATTY AND HER PITCHER _Crowquill’s Fairy Tales_ 146 - - In the Magic Circle 146 - - The Wonderful Pitcher 147 - - The Well-dressed Stranger 154 - - Patty in Trouble 156 - - The Pitcher to the Rescue 158 - - -THE STORIES OF THE THIRD DAY - - XXV. SIR GALAHAD _Sir Thomas Malory_--Adapted 165 - - King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 165 - - Galahad Receives the Order of Knighthood 167 - - The Adventure of the Sword in the Stone 168 - - Sir Galahad Sits in the Perilous Seat 170 - - Sir Galahad Wins the Sword of Balin le Savage 173 - - The Knights of the Round Table Set Out in Quest - of the Holy Grail 176 - - Sir Galahad Finds a White Shield with a Red - Cross 178 - - Sir Launcelot and Sir Percival Attack Sir - Galahad 182 - - The Adventure of the Gentlewoman, the Mysterious - Ship, and the Sword of the Strange Belt 185 - - The Gentlewoman Risks Her Life for Another 191 - - Sir Galahad Meets a Knight in White Armor 193 - - Sir Galahad Achieves His Quest, and Bears the - Holy Grail Across the Sea 195 - - The Passing of Sir Galahad, the End of Sir - Percival, and the Return of Sir Bors to - Camelot 200 - - XXVI. HOW SIR LAUNFAL ACHIEVED THE HOLY GRAIL - _James Russell Lowell_--Retold 203 - - -THE STORIES OF THE FOURTH DAY - - XXVII. MUSIC BEWITCHED _Hartley Richards_ 211 - - Bob’s Three Foes 211 - - Father Pan’s Revenge 215 - - XXVIII. ANN CATCHES A THIEF _Daisy Gilbert_ 219 - - XXIX. JOHN AND MARGARET PATON AMONG SAVAGES - _Grace E. Craig_ 226 - - XXX. THE STRANGE GUEST _Washington Irving_-- - Retold from _The Spectre Bridegroom_ 233 - - The Wedding Feast 240 - - The Midnight Music 244 - - XXXI. ROBERT OF SICILY _Henry W. Longfellow_--Retold 248 - - XXXII. THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY _Edward Everett Hale_-- - Retold 254 - - XXXIII. YOUR FLAG AND MY FLAG _Wilbur D. Nesbit_ 264 - - -THE LAST DAY ON STORY ISLAND - - THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH, A FAIRY TALE - OF HOME _Charles Dickens_--Adapted 271 - - XXXIV. CHIRP THE FIRST 271 - - The Peerybingles 271 - - The Strange Old Gentleman 274 - - Caleb Plummer 277 - - Tackleton 279 - - Dot is Upset 281 - - XXXV. CHIRP THE SECOND 285 - - Bertha, the Blind Girl, and Her Father 285 - - Tackleton Comes In 288 - - Bertha’s Eyes 291 - - The Carrier’s Cart 293 - - The Party at Caleb’s 298 - - The Shadow on the Hearth 302 - - XXXVI. CHIRP THE THIRD 306 - - John Listens to the Cricket 306 - - John Blames Himself 308 - - Caleb Confesses His Deceit 312 - - The Dead Returns to Life 316 - - Tackleton Does the Unexpected 321 - - -THE RETURN HOME - - XXXVII. GOOD-BY, MARY FRANCES. COME AGAIN! 325 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - THEY COULD SEE THAT THE PIRATE’S SHIP WAS KEEPING THE - DISTANCE THE SAME AS AT FIRST BETWEEN THEM _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - MARY FRANCES LEANED DOWN AND CAUGHT HOLD OF HIS FINS 21 - - “JUST SOME FLYING FISH,” ANSWERED THE CAT 31 - - SHE FED HIM A LITTLE AT A TIME WITH A MEDICINE DROPPER 39 - - ON ONE OF THE FLOWERS WAS PERCHED A TINY FAIRY 49 - - THEY WERE AS HIGH UP IN THE AIR AS THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN 57 - - SHE DRANK LONG AND EAGERLY 63 - - HE THREW THE NECKLACE AROUND CORALIE’S NECK 69 - - “HAVE YOU NO FEELINGS?” SAID THE CARROT 75 - - “WOW!” SHRIEKED THE DRAGON 82 - - JUST AT HER FEET LAY THE TINIEST LITTLE BIT OF A TOWN 89 - - THE PONY CANTERED ALL THE WAY DOWN THE STREET 99 - - SHE RAN AS FAST AS SHE COULD AND WAS JUST IN TIME TO DRAG - THE BABY OUT OF THE WAY OF THE WAGON 105 - - “MOTHER!” SHE CRIED. “OH, MOTHER!” 113 - - THE MAGIC MASK WAS READY, AND HERLO TRIED IT ON THE - KING’S FACE 123 - - BUT ALL THE UNITED EFFORTS OF BESS AND BOB AND ARCHIE’S - LEFT ARM COULD NOT RAISE TOM 135 - - HE SWUNG DOWN THE TRAIL WITH A SPEED THAT MOCKED THE WIND - AT HIS BACK 143 - - SHE THEN TOUCHED THE PITCHER WITH HER WAND 150 - - “BE NOT ALARMED, DEAR MISTRESS,” SAID THE PITCHER 157 - - IMMEDIATELY HE GRASPED THE SWORD BY THE HANDLE, BUT - COULD NOT STIR IT 171 - - THEN SIR GALAHAD TOOK HIS PLACE IN THE FIELD 175 - - A MONK LED HIM BEHIND THE ALTAR WHERE THE SHIELD HUNG - AS WHITE AS SNOW, BUT IN THE CENTER WAS A RED CROSS 181 - - THE DAMSEL RODE AS FAST AS HER HORSE WOULD GALLOP THAT - NIGHT AND ALL THE NEXT DAY TILL THEY CAME IN SIGHT OF - THE SEA 187 - - SLOWLY SLEEP CAME UPON HIM AND HE DREAMED 205 - - AWAY WENT THE SCHOOLMASTER’S LEGS, CUTTING SUCH CAPERS - AS THE WORLD NEVER LOOKED UPON BEFORE 217 - - BEFORE THE DOOR OF A LOW, THATCHED HUT STOOD A FAIR-HAIRED - YOUNG WOMAN 227 - - ONCE HE THOUGHT HE SAW THEM 237 - - A TALL FIGURE STOOD AMONG THE SHADOWS OF THE TREES 243 - - TOWARD THE VERY LAST, ROBERT THE JESTER RODE ON A PIEBALD - PONY 251 - - HE FLUNG THE BOOK INTO THE SEA 257 - - YOUR FLAG AND MY FLAG 265 - - “IF YOU PLEASE, I WAS TO BE LEFT TILL CALLED FOR” 275 - - THERE WERE HOUSES IN IT, FURNISHED AND UNFURNISHED, FOR - DOLLS OF ALL STATIONS IN LIFE 286 - - THEY JOGGED ON FOR SOME TIME IN SILENCE 297 - - - - -THE TRIP TO STORY ISLAND - - ON THE SHORE.--THE GOOD FERRY PUTS OUT TO SEA.--THE PIRATE’S - CAT.--THE LOST STORY.--LAND AHOY.--THE OLD WITCH AND THE IRON-CHAIN - CURTAIN.--FINDING THE LOST STORY.--THE PIRATE CHASES THE GOOD - FERRY.--THE TERRIBLE PUNISHMENT OF THE PIRATE AND THE OLD WITCH.--THE - BUBBLE STORY. - - - - -THE TRIP TO STORY ISLAND - -I - -ON THE SHORE - - -“IF only--” whispered Mary Frances to herself, as she closed the book -she had been reading, “if only one could find the ‘enchanted island,’ -and the ‘hidden treasure of stories’--I wish--I wish the story told how -to get there!” - -She was sitting on the branches of a tree, which were so bent that they -formed a sort of hammocky rocking chair. The tree was close to the -bank of the river, and away in the distance the whitecaps of the ocean -rolled up and broke upon the beach. - -“It’s quite a journey,” said a small voice, “quite a long journey.” - -Mary Frances looked all around, but could not find where the voice came -from. - -“You see, it’s out at sea,” continued the voice; “and only one boat and -one passenger a year. What’s more----” - -This last was uttered with a deep sigh. - -“Why, where are you? Who are you?” asked Mary Frances, springing up. - -“Here I am, but I won’t be long,” continued the voice. “You’d better -look lively, for I can’t cling to this fence much longer. Besides, I am -almost out of element!” - -Then the little girl saw a dolphin sitting on the top rail of the -fence, holding on with one fin. - -“Oh!” she cried, “do you really know where the ‘enchanted island’ is? -Will you tell me how to get there?” - -“That I will!” said the dolphin. “That I will, if you’ll get me a -little of my element first.” - -“What is that?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Why, you couldn’t live without yours for one minute! I’ll die if I -don’t get some soon!” - -“Oh, dear, what can it be? Whatever in the world is your element? I -don’t want you to die!” - -“Be quick!” cried the dolphin, fanning himself with the other fin. “I -feel very faint!” - -“I’ll get some water!” Stooping quickly, Mary Frances filled her hat. -Before she could dash it over him, the dolphin ducked his head into the -hatful of water. - -“Thank you,” he said, raising his head. “You’re not so dull after all. -Water is my element; air is yours.” - -“Of course,” said Mary Frances; but she wondered why the dolphin didn’t -jump back into the water. - -“The reason is that it takes me so long to climb a fence!” - -“Oh!” said Mary Frances, although she didn’t see why the dolphin had to -sit on a fence to talk. - -“So that there’ll be no offense!” said the dolphin, after staring at -her for a while; “but to refer to the trip--have you a ticket?” - -“Why, no, I don’t think I have.” Mary Frances searched in her pockets, -and pulled out some ribbon, a doll’s wig, a thimble, and a piece of -paper. - -“That’s the ticket!” exclaimed the dolphin, pointing with his fin. “All -you need to do is to sign it. Have you a pencil?” - -Mary Frances searched again in her pockets, while the dolphin looked on -anxiously, but couldn’t find one. - -“Well, never mind; just pull out one of my whiskers,” he said. “It will -write right well.” - -“But I might hurt you!” cried Mary Frances. - -“Not if you take that loose one,” he said, pointing with his fin. - -Very gently Mary Frances pulled it, and out it came. - -“Sign your name!” cried the dolphin excitedly. “Right at the end of the -paper!” - -“Excuse me,” said Mary Frances; “my father says that no one should ever -sign a paper without reading it.” - -“That’s good reading!” said the dolphin. “Read it!” - -And Mary Frances read: - - +--------------------------------+ - | Good for | - | One First Class Passage | - | to | - | Story Island | - | | - | * * * | - | | - | I Believe in All Good Fairies. | - | Signed ------------ | - | No. 1,234,567. | - +--------------------------------+ - -“Of course, I’ll sign that!” said Mary Frances, gravely using the -dolphin’s whisker. - -At that, the dolphin fell over with a great splash into the water. - -“Oh!” screamed Mary Frances, “you’ll be drowned!” But, just at that -moment, up came the dolphin’s head out of the water. - -“My element!” he said. Then Mary Frances laughed to think how soon she -had forgotten. - -“Hold your ticket and wait right where you are!” the dolphin called -out, swimming away. - -Mary Frances watched the splashing tail and shining back flashing in -the sun. Two or three times he leaped playfully in the air, turned -somersaults in the water, and then disappeared from sight in the little -cove near the mouth of the river. - - - - -II - -THE GOOD FERRY PUTS OUT TO SEA - - -“OH, my,” thought Mary Frances; “oh, my, I hope he won’t forget!” - -After a little while, she caught sight of the dolphin swimming around -the little high peninsula on one side of the cove. He seemed to be -piloting something, for every few seconds he would leap up and look -around as if to make sure that everything was as it should be. - -Soon Mary Frances saw a beautiful little sailboat rounding the point. -Surely it was following the dolphin. As it drew nearer she could read -the name in gold letters on the prow, The Good Ferry. - -A brisk wind filled the white sails and brought the boat so swiftly -up the river that the dolphin had to swim with all his might to keep -ahead. As she came to anchor in the shallow water near the bank, the -dolphin called out, “Have you your ticket?” - -“Yes,” answered Mary Frances, holding it up to view. - -“Then step on my back and jump aboard!” said the dolphin. - -As Mary Frances placed her foot on the dolphin as on a bridge, he -suddenly arched his back and tossed her aboard. - -“Take plenty of time to look the ship over,” he called out; “and don’t -lose your ticket!” - -Then the dolphin, with The Good Ferry following in his wake, swam down -the river and put out to sea. - -The Good Ferry was a charming little boat, graceful in every line. It -wasn’t any longer than a large rowboat, but it seemed to have every -comfort provided. There was on deck a comfortable deck chair; upon it -was spread a beautiful steamer rug. - -“I’ll take a nice nap, after I look the boat over,” thought Mary -Frances. - -As she made her way into the cabin, she uttered a cry of delight--and -no wonder. Any girl would have loved it. The walls and woodwork were -ivory white. Soft pink and light blue hangings fluttered at the -windows. A large bowl, filled with pink roses and turquoise blue -larkspurs, stood on the little golden dressing table with its folding -mirrors. - -A little ivory-white princess dresser, with its full-length mirror, -stood across one corner, and an ivory-white bed across the other -corner. On the rocking-chair, and bed, and dresser were painted pink -and blue flowers, and the covers of the table, bed and dresser were -embroidered with the same designs. - -There was a wardrobe in a corner, and in it Mary Frances found the -loveliest dressing gown of pink crêpe de chine, embroidered with sprays -of light blue forget-me-nots, and white daisies with yellow centers, -and pink roses; and a pair of light blue bedroom slippers and silk -stockings, and a boudoir cap and nightgown, and a big steamer coat and -cap--all just the right size. - -“Just like a grown-up young lady,” she thought. - -There were two more doors; one led to a pretty white bathroom, and the -other to a little dining-room, lined with mirrors. - -“I can’t get lonesome,” thought Mary Frances, “with so many ‘me’s’ -about me;” and she laughed, and, just as she laughed, food appeared -on the table. There were chicken soup, and celery, and olives, and -crackers. - -“Oh, dear! How hungry I am!” she exclaimed. “I guess this is meant for -me;” and she sat down on the one chair at the table and began to eat -the soup. - -“I feel lots better!” said she, finishing the last drop. “It’s not -good table manners to tip this plate,” she thought; “but I guess my -reflections will excuse me,” and she bowed to the pictures of herself -in the mirrors, and laughed. - -Then suddenly the soup course disappeared from the table, and in its -place there were roast turkey and cranberry sauce, and roasted sweet -potatoes and apple sauce, and the many other things which go to make an -all-around feast. - -“How wonderful!” exclaimed Mary Frances, helping herself to turkey. -“But how stupid to eat by myself, with only myself for company.” -Just then she looked out of the porthole window and saw the dolphin, -swimming ahead of the little ship. - -“I’ll go invite the dolphin to dinner,” she thought; and went on deck. - -Imagine her surprise to find that there was no land in sight. Neither -was there any ship. The only other thing than the dolphin was the -sea-gulls flying overhead. - -“Hallo! Hallo!” shouted Mary Frances, making a trumpet of her hands. -“Mr. Dolphin, Mr. Dolphin, one moment, please!” - -The dolphin turned and looked at her. “Yes?” he asked, raising one -eyebrow. - -“Please, Mr. Dolphin, do you ever eat? I am lonesome, eating all alone.” - -“I eat only fish,” said the dolphin. “They are in my element, you see. -I do not find my food out of my element.” - -“Oh, as to that,” replied Mary Frances, “I will fill a bowl with your -element, if you will only accept the invitation.” - -“Agreed!” said the dolphin, swimming to the rope ladder hanging over -the side of the ship. Mary Frances leaned down and caught hold of his -fins, when within reach, and helped him up. - -When the dolphin reached the deck, she picked up a fire-pail with a -rope attached, threw it overside, and brought up a pail of water. Then -she hastened to the dining-room and brought a bowl. - -After that she helped the dolphin to the dining table. The only chair -was clamped in place to the floor, just as on any steamer, and she -could not move it. So she changed her place to the side of the table. -As the chair was a revolving one, like a desk chair, she turned and -turned it until it reached the right height for the dolphin. She placed -the bowl of water, “element” she called it, at the dolphin’s place. - -[Illustration: MARY FRANCES LEANED DOWN AND CAUGHT HOLD OF HIS -FINS] - -“Is there anything on the table, Mr. Dolphin,” she asked, “which you -would like?” - -“Yes,” sighed the dolphin, “I would like some more salt in my element -soup.” - -Mary Frances gravely shook the salt-shaker over the bowl for a full -minute. The dolphin tasted the water. “A little more, please,” he said. - -So Mary Frances emptied almost all the rest of the salt out of -the shaker into the bowl. The dolphin dipped in his head. “That’s -excellent,” he said, smacking his lips. - -“Mercy,” thought Mary Frances, “I do hope he won’t turn into a salt -mackerel.” - -“Salt Smackerel is my pet name,” said the dolphin, smacking his lips -again, and wiping them with his fin. - -“I hardly dare think,” thought Mary Frances, “yet I can’t help -thinking, can I? What queer table manners he has! I suppose his mother -never taught him not to smack his lips when he eats--just to chew with -the lips closed.” - -“I chew all I choose!” exclaimed the dolphin. “My mother never sat at a -table, you see.” - -“Oh!” said Mary Frances, “did she stand?” - -“Three feet high in her stocking feet,” solemnly declared the dolphin, -which Mary Frances didn’t consider an answer at all; but was too polite -to say anything that might be annoying to a guest. - -“I wonder what I can give him for dessert?” she thought. - -“If you please,” said the dolphin, and Mary Frances noticed that he -was very pale, “if you please, I do not care for any. You see, I have -deserted my post--that is enough dessert for me, and I shouldn’t wonder -if I’d be punished enough for it in a minute--Oh! Oh! what is that! -It’s the pirate’s cat!” and with a scream, he leaped out of the window -into the water. - - - - -III - -THE PIRATE’S CAT - - -“ME-OW! me-ow!” came the cat’s voice from the door. - -“Oh, Kitty! Kitty!” cried Mary Frances, running toward it. “Why, -wherever did you come from? I thought I had looked all over the ship.” - -“Indeed,” replied the cat, “even if you had, and you have not, you -wouldn’t have found me. The pirate’s been watching a year to throw me -on board The Good Ferry.” - -“Oh,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “the pirate--why, I haven’t seen any -pirate!” - -“Of course you haven’t,” said the cat; “he’s too smart for that. He’s -been watching for a time when the dolphin had deserted his post.” - -“Oh, dear,” thought Mary Frances, “it was all my fault;” but out loud -she said, “Well, no great harm can come of it, anyway. Won’t you have -some dinner?” - -“Yes, thank you,” said the cat, looking longingly at the table. - -“Take this chair,” invited Mary Frances, pointing to the dolphin’s -place. - -The cat leaped up on the chair, and carefully tucked a napkin into -the collar on its neck. Mary Frances filled a plate with turkey and -potatoes and gravy, and set it before the cat, who politely waited for -her to take her place and begin to eat. - -“Do not wait for me, Kitty,” said his hostess; “I’ve finished this -course, thank you.” - -Soon nothing was left on the plate. - -Just as Mary Frances was going to suggest that ice cream might make a -nice dessert, the cat began to tremble. It trembled so that the ship -shook all over. - -“Why, what is the matter?” asked Mary Frances. “Are you chilly?” - -“Oh, dear, no,” replied the cat, its teeth chattering. “Oh, dear, no; -but I forgot! The pirate will hang me! He will! He will!” - -“Why will he hang you?” asked Mary Frances, quite bewildered, and a -little frightened. - -“Speak softly,” said the cat. “Come here, and I’ll whisper.” And behind -his upraised paw, he told, “The pirate ordered me to eat the dolphin; -and to bring his right fin to prove that I’d done it. And now I’m too -full of dinner to do it.” - -“Eat him, indeed!” said Mary Frances, angrily. “I’d like to see you!” - -“Oh, would you?” cried the cat. “If you only hadn’t given me so much -dinner, you might have had the pleasure--that is, if the dolphin had -come aboard again. You see, I can’t do it now; I can’t catch him in -the water. And the pirate said he’d come for me in an hour and nine -minutes. It’s close to that now,” glancing at the clock. “Oh, what -shall I do?” - -“Why does the pirate want the dolphin killed?” - -“Hush!” exclaimed the cat. “Speak softly! Come here! I’ll whisper the -reason to you. It’s on account of the lost story. He thinks you might -find it, and if the dolphin is destroyed, he can run down The Good -Ferry. He can’t do the work himself, for he is bound in chains on his -own ship, but he has prisoners on board whom he orders about, just as -he did me. He can’t get within miles of The Good Ferry if the dolphin -is guiding her. He was so mad that he didn’t notice when the dolphin -first came aboard that the foam from his mouth was strong soapsuds, and -washed the black decks of the pirate ship snow white.” - -“But,” said Mary Frances, “you forget--if the dolphin guides the ship, -the pirate can’t get you!” - -At that the cat began to laugh joyously, and it laughed so hard that -Mary Frances laughed too; and suddenly the meat course disappeared off -the table and a huge block of ice cream appeared in its place, and Mary -Frances and the cat--you know what they did. - - - - -IV - -THE STORY OF THE LOST STORY - - -“LET’S go on deck,” said Mary Frances, when they had finished, “and -perhaps you can tell me more about the lost story. But first you must -solemnly promise that you will not eat the dolphin.” - -“I solemnly promise,” said the cat, with upraised paw. - -“Very well,” said Mary Frances, leading the way to the deck chair, on -which she lay down, while the cat curled himself up on a coil of rope -near her head. - -“It happened in this way,” began the cat, in a low tone of voice, as he -nervously looked around. “You know the ‘enchanted island’ is Storyland, -and the home of the Story People. The Story King and Queen have ruled -there forever. Well, one day a wicked fellow, who had always said -there were no such things as fairies, somehow got into the ‘enchanted -island’--it has always been a mystery to me how he did it--and stole a -story, and carried it away and hid it. The trouble is that no fairy is -allowed to find it. The boy or girl who takes it back will be the first -person allowed to enter the ‘enchanted island’ since it was lost.” - -“Do you know where it is hidden?” asked Mary Frances. - -“I have a slight idea,” whispered the cat. - -“Is it on board the pirate ship?” she asked. - -“It cannot be. I have searched -everywhere--everywhere--everywhere-everywhere--” drowsily replied the -cat. Mary Frances noticed that his eyes were closing. - -“Just one thing more before you go to sleep, Puss; just one thing -more,” she said. “Do you know how long it will take to reach the -‘enchanted island’?” - - “And they sailed away, - A year and a day, - To the land where the palm tree grew,” - -murmured the cat; and, shake him as she might, that was the only answer -Mary Frances could get, until, at length, she could get no answer at -all. - -After she was certain he was asleep, she went to the bow of the boat -and called softly to the dolphin. - -He swam up close alongside. “Are you all right?” he asked. - -“I am, indeed,” replied Mary Frances; “but I want to tell you what the -cat told me. First, I want to say that he will not hurt you because he -is horribly afraid of the pirate, and he knows that he is safe on The -Good Ferry as long as you protect it.” - -“That’s right!” said the dolphin. “And now, how about the cat’s tale?” - -Then Mary Frances told the dolphin the story the cat had told her. - -“Why can’t we search for it now?” she asked. - -“Well,” replied the dolphin, “I am not exactly sure about the -cat’s tale myself, and every year I take one person direct to the -island--that’s my orders--that’s my orders. None of them have ever -found the lost story--so I’ve taken them direct home. That’s been my -orders; that’s been my orders. Better go on, I say; better not take -anybody else’s word, I say, I say.” - -“All right,” said Mary Frances, “just as you say; but a year’s a pretty -long time.” - -“That depends,” replied the dolphin. - - “A year is queer - If it’s full of fear, - A year’s a day - If it’s full of play; - And I’ve heard say - A year will leap, - If you’re sound asleep.” - -And away it swam. - -And then Mary Frances noticed that the sky was getting dark, and she -realized that she was very sleepy. She made her way to the white cabin -and undressed and went to bed, wearing the pretty clothing which she -found in the wardrobe. - -“If I waken suddenly, and want to go on deck, I’ll have on my -negligee,” she thought, as she tied the dressing gown in place and -slipped on the boudoir cap. - - - - -V - -LAND AHOY! - - -MARY FRANCES awoke with a start, and rubbed her eyes. - -“Surely I heard somebody call,” she said. - -Again came the call, “Land ahoy! Land ahoy!” - -“Why, that is what they called out on Columbus’ ship when they -discovered America!” thought Mary Frances, hurriedly dressing. “I -wonder if we are discovering anything.” - -It was just getting light as she ran out on deck. At first she did not -see any living thing except the dolphin, which was swimming ahead of -the boat. She gazed around on the water. It was a deep blue color. - -“It looks like the tub of bluing water when Nora rinses the clothes,” -she thought. “I wonder if it will color anything?” She ran to the -railing, dipped up a pailful and dropped in her handkerchief. “Just -clear water,” she said; and hung it up to dry. - -“Land ahoy!” came the call once more. Mary Frances looked up at the -sails. There was the cat. He was sitting on the rope ladder, and -holding his forepaws like a telescope. As soon as he saw Mary Frances, -he pointed ahead and shouted, “Land ahoy!” Then she saw a dim outline -of coast. - -The cat scrambled down the rigging, and ran up to her. “Story Island! -See!” he said. - -“Why,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “why, how long have I been asleep? I -thought you said something about a year!” - -“Ha, ha!” laughed the cat. “A year and a day, I said, and that it -nearly is. You have been asleep just three hundred and sixty-five days -and some hours.” - -“Have I really?” exclaimed Mary Frances; then hearing a sudden splash -in the water, “Oh, what was that? Was it the pirate?” - -“That? That wasn’t anything to be afraid of--just some flying fish,” -answered the cat. - -“Do they really have wings?” asked Mary Frances. - -“They certainly do. Come, let us look into the water and see if there -are any near the boat,” said the cat. - -“Oh, oh, oh,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “what a beautiful fish I see! -It has a tail of gold and a head of blue--turquoise blue. Isn’t it -beautiful! See it, there!” - -“Yes, I do,” said the cat; “it is an angel fish.” - -“An angel fish! That’s just the right name for it,” said Mary Frances. - -“Yes, I believe somebody who tasted one named it that,” said the cat. - -“Surely nobody would eat such a beautiful creature,” Mary Frances said. - -The cat smiled. “Its beauty is more than skin deep,” he said. - -“Well, I wouldn’t eat anything so lovely,” said Mary Frances. - -“That reminds me of a rhyme a fish taught me,” said the cat. - -“That sounds mighty fishy,” thought Mary Frances, but she did not say -anything. - -“Shall I say it for you?” and without waiting to hear, he went on: - - “Oh, mother, if you lived down in the sea - And a fish you had to be, - What kind of fish would be your wish? - My own would be--an angel fish. - - “With nose of loveliest turquoise blue, - And tail-wings of yellowest golden hue-- - I’m sure my most angelic wish - Is to be an angel fish. - - “Don’t you suppose when fishes die - Their dream is never toward the sky; - But if they’re good, their dearest wish - Is to be an angel fish?” - -[Illustration: “JUST SOME FLYING FISH,” ANSWERED THE CAT] - -“That is a pretty angelic wish, I’ll say,” added the cat. “Oh, there -are some of the flying fish,” pointing to a distance from the boat. - -“They are not anything like as pretty as the angel fish,” said Mary -Frances. - -“Oh, see the whale spouting!” exclaimed the cat, running to the other -side of the boat. - -And Mary Frances saw the long fountain of water shooting up in the air. - -“My,” said the cat, “if I could just catch that whale, I could feed -every hungry cat I ever heard of.” - -“Why, how big is it?” asked Mary Frances. - -“It’s twenty times as long as half again, and double the quarter wide,” -said the cat. - -“How large is that, if you please?” asked Mary Frances. - -“If the length is multiplied by the thickness and then by breadth, -it will give the correct volume,” said the cat; “at least, that’s -according to tickle.” - -“Tickle?” asked Mary Frances. “What is tickle?” - -“Tickle is short for arithmetickle,” replied the cat. - -“Oh?” said Mary Frances, “we don’t call it arithmetickle; we called it -arithmetic.” - -“That is nothing like so pretty a name,” said the cat, “and you get the -same result.” - -“But the size of the whale--” said Mary Frances, “what is it?” - -“Can’t you do a simple little problem like that--when I’ve given you -the rule?” asked the cat. - -Mary Frances did not like to say that she had to give it up. - -“Let bygones be bygones,” said the cat, “and look up ‘whales’ in the -dictionary when you reach the island.” - -“Oh, yes,” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Oh, I can see--I think I can see -some houses! Oh, look, Cat, look! They are pure white!” - -“Don’t you know why?” asked the cat. - -“I suppose they are painted,” said Mary Frances. - -“Painted, me whiskers!” exclaimed the cat. “They are not painted. They -are made of coral.” - -“What is coral?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Come, I will show you,” said the cat, leading the way to the middle of -the deck. - -He lifted a wooden cover. Underneath was a deep box. The bottom of the -box was made of glass. - -“Now, you can see the bottom of the sea,” said the cat. “See? See? See -the bottom of the sea?” - -“Oh, look at those white trees!” cried Mary Frances, gazing down into -the clear water through the glass. - -The cat laughed. “They are not trees,” he said; “they are coral -formations;” and he told her about the tiny coral insects which build -coral growth by fastening their tiny shell bodies to each other. - -“Do they know they are making trees?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Oh, my, no,” said the cat. “They just grow naturally, like any other -babies. Sometimes they make fan-like forms, or sponge-shaped ones.” - -“Did they build the white houses over on the island?” asked Mary -Frances. - -“Of course not,” said the cat; “what a curious question. They live only -in the sea. The houses are up in the air--but they built the island.” - -“Not that big island!” exclaimed Mary Frances. - -“You have not contradicted me before,” said the cat. “If you know all -about it----” - -“I beg your pardon,” said Mary Frances, very humbly. “Will you please -tell me the rest?” - -“They rest on the bottom of the ocean,” said the cat. “The houses are -made of the coral which is dug out of the cellars,” he went on. “But, -come, let us get ready; we are getting near port,” and he began to wash -his face and smooth back his whiskers. - -Mary Frances took the hint, and went into the cabin. - -She tidied her hair, and put on a fresh ribbon, and when she went on -deck, she took her pocket mirror with her. - - - - -VI - -THE OLD WITCH AND THE IRON-CHAIN CURTAIN - - -“ARE my whiskers straight? Is my fur smooth? Is my face clean, please?” -asked the cat without stopping, as soon as he saw her. - -“You may see for yourself,” said Mary Frances, holding the pocket -mirror before him. - -“Ah,” he said, giving a sigh of relief. “I look absolutely scrubbed; I -guess I’ll do!” - -“Dear me!” said Mary Frances. “I do wonder how it will seem. Isn’t -this a beautiful place? But I wonder why it looks so misty around the -island. Can’t we ask the dolphin?” - -“I guess we’d better not,” said the cat. “You see, a pilot doesn’t like -to be questioned.” - -“There is a boat coming this way!” exclaimed Mary Frances. - -The cat began to shiver. His fur stood up on end. His tail lashed to -and fro. - -“It’s the old witch’s boat!” he cried. “She’s the pirate’s wife. I’m -not afraid! I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid, though!” And he kept on -saying, “I’m not afraid!” so often that Mary Frances began to laugh. - -“St-stop that laughing!” came the voice of the old witch. “St-stop that -laughing this instant, unless you have the lost st-story!” - -“And if we have it, Madam Witch,” called out the cat, “what then?” - -By this time the boat was quite near. They could see the old witch -tremble. She turned almost as white as snow. Her two front teeth -chattered. - -“If you had it, the curtain would part!” she suddenly exclaimed, -laughing. “I forgot for a moment! Don’t try to fool me, Cat! Away with -you! Away with you! Find it, if you can! Find it, if you can! Ha, ha! -Ha, ha! Haw, haw, haw!” and she waved an oar at the boat. - -Then Mary Frances saw that all around the island was stretched an -iron-chain curtain. - -“Don’t look at it, S-Sissy,” said the old witch. “It’s so s-strong that -s-steel will not s-saw it. It will remain about St-Story Island, and -will not open until the lost st-story is found; and until it is found -not a boy or girl in the world will hear a new st-story!” - -“We will find it!” shouted Mary Frances. “We will find it and bring it -back and open the curtain!” - -“Ha, ha!” laughed the old witch, holding her sides. “Ha, ha! it’s well -hid. It’s well hid. You’ll be old and gray before you find it, I’ll -warrant--and as for the cat, he’ll be so old he will sh-shake around in -his s-skin, I’ll warrant. Ha, ha! Be off! Be off!” and, quickly turning -her boat, she rowed away. - - - - -VII - -FINDING THE LOST STORY - - -THE cat looked at Mary Frances. - -Mary Frances looked at the cat. - -“Ha, ha, and ha, ha!” said the cat. “We’ll laugh at her some day!” - -“We will!” said Mary Frances, “we will, Puss! Let us call the dolphin.” - -The dolphin swam up at that moment. - -“Whither now?” it asked. “Where shall we go, Cat?” - -“64° 40´ W., 32° 40´ N.,” said the cat; and the dolphin swam ahead, -turned the boat, and soon the island was out of sight. - -“Come, I am hungry!” said Mary Frances. “Let us go into the -dining-room.” - -“The dolphin has plenty of element soup,” she thought. - -There was the table spread with a fine feast, and both she and the cat -enjoyed it. - -Just as they were finishing dessert, they heard a pounding noise. They -rushed out on deck. The noise was made by the dolphin hitting the side -of the boat with its tail. - -It whispered two words, “Pirate Ship,” and swam ahead again. - -The cat made a telescope with his paws, and looked out over the water. -“Sure enough!” he cried, in fear. “Oh, my! Oh, my! and I haven’t eaten -the dolphin!” - -“For shame!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “For shame! You have forgotten -that he can’t come very near while the dolphin is at his post!” - -“Oh, yes; that is so. Excuse me, please. But what does the pirate mean -by coming, I wonder?” - -“Do you suppose he thinks we may be near finding the story?” asked Mary -Frances. - -“That’s it!” exclaimed the cat. “I’ll wager my whiskers that’s his -idea. So that if we espy it he’ll get it first.” - -“Do you think we’ll find it?” asked Mary Frances. - -“My fur feels as though we would,” said the cat. “Please tell me, is it -sending out sparks?” - -It was growing quite late in the afternoon, and quite dusky. Mary -Frances, to her astonishment, saw great showers of electric sparks -coming from the cat’s body. - -“You look like a sparkler on the Fourth of July, Cat,” she said. - -“Oh, isn’t that fine!” said the cat. “You see, it’s this way--the -nearer we get to the story, the more sparklier my fur gets.” - -“So we must be quite near,” said Mary Frances; “for I don’t see how you -could get much more sparklier.” - -“I forgot to tell you,” said the cat, “that after we find the story, -the dolphin’s power to keep the pirate away is gone. We’ll have to race -like a rocket to beat his boat.” - -“Oh, my, what is the matter!” exclaimed Mary Frances, as the cat -suddenly jumped high in the air, sending out a shower of sparks that -fell at her feet on the deck. Over the side of the boat he fell, and -all was dark as a pocket. - -“Oh, Kitty, Kitty,” cried the frightened girl, running to look into -the water, but she saw nothing of the cat. Neither could she see the -dolphin. She could see the dim light of the pirate’s ship, and it -seemed quite near. - -“Whatever shall I do?” thought Mary Frances. “I really believe I am -going to cry.” - -Just at that minute she heard a scratching on the side of The Good -Ferry. - -“Who’s there?” she whispered. - -[Illustration: SHE FED HIM A LITTLE AT A TIME WITH A MEDICINE -DROPPER] - -No answer came. Just another scratching. - -“Who’s there?” she asked again. - -“Me-ow!” came a faint voice. - -Mary Frances could see better now, for her eyes were getting accustomed -to the darkness. - -“Is it you, Puss?” she asked, peering down into the water. - -When she saw it was the cat, she quickly let down the rope ladder, and -the cat climbed aboard, and fell in a wet heap at her feet. - -She lifted him carefully and carried him to the steamer chair. She did -not notice that something dropped from his mouth as she lifted him. - -She dried his wet fur, and went to the dining-room to get him a drink -of water. There she saw a bowl of beef tea, which she took to him. She -fed him a little at a time with a medicine dropper which she had found -in the bathroom. - -At length he opened his eyes. - -“Where is it?” he asked. - -“Where is what?” asked Mary Frances. - -“The lost story,” whispered the cat. “I carried it in my mouth. That is -why I couldn’t answer you when you asked who was there.” - -“I didn’t see it,” said Mary Frances. - -“Oh, dear, oh dear!” exclaimed the cat. “It must be on deck! Let us -look for it!” - -“You are not able yet,” said Mary Frances. “Lie still! I will look! Was -it a roll or a book?” - -“It was a glass bottle,” said the cat, “and it may have rolled back -into the sea--if that is what you mean by ‘was it a roll?’” - -Mary Frances went down on her hands and knees. - -She crept all over the deck, feeling for it in the darkness. After a -while the cat helped. - -They worked all night, but could find nothing. In the morning, as it -grew light, they both saw a dark green bottle caught in the top of the -rope ladder which was fastened to the side of the boat. So lightly was -the bottle held that it might easily have fallen back into the water -and been lost again. - -Mary Frances lifted it carefully. It was labeled--THE LOST -STORY. - -The bottle was sealed with a cork, and inside was a roll of paper. - -“Oh, isn’t it too good to be true!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Where -shall we hide it?” - -“Let’s label it CATSUP and put it on the side table in the -dining-room,” said the cat. “Put the new label right over the old one,” -he added. - -“That’s a splendid idea!” cried Mary Frances. “I’ll do it right away!” - - - - -VIII - -THE PIRATE CHASES THE GOOD FERRY - - -WHEN Mary Frances came on deck again, The Good Ferry was plowing the -water so fast that a deep furrow of foam followed her. The dolphin was -swimming so fast that it made deep waves with the motion of its tail. - -Although going so rapidly, they could see that the pirate’s black ship -was keeping the distance the same as at first between them. - -“I believe he is gaining,” at length said the cat, who was using his -paws for a telescope. - -Mary Frances looked a little pale, but smiled. “I think we will make -more time in a minute,” she said. “Let’s drop something overboard, and -he may stop to pick it up.” - -So they filled a suitcase with paper, and dropped it over the side. - -They were delighted when they saw the pirate’s ship stop to pick it up. -They could hear the loud ravings of the pirate when he found nothing -inside. - -The rest of the trip was very exciting, for the pirate’s ship at one -time was so close that they heard the pirate say to the cook, “Blast -ye! Blast ye! Why don’t ye jump aboard? Ye can make it in two jumps!” - -“Jump yourself!” replied the cook. - -Faster and faster swam the dolphin; faster and faster sailed The Good -Ferry. Try as he would, the pirate could not overtake them. They saw -him plainly, half a knot behind, jumping up and down on his deck, -shaking his angry fists. As they reached the island he turned and gave -up the chase in defeat. - -When they came to the wharf, there stood the old witch, drinking ink -out of a bottle. - -“Ha, ha!” she honked. “S-so ye think ye’ve got the lost st-story, do -ye? Well, ye haven’t; s-so there!” - -Then she began to wave her arms about her head, laughing wildly. As -Mary Frances stepped off the boat the old witch tried to snatch the -story bottle out of her hand. - -“Oh, you can’t scare me,” said Mary Frances. “Step aside, please,” and -as she pushed past the wild old witch, the great iron-chain curtain -fell with a crash, and before her was Fairyland, or Storyland, which, -as you know, are one and the same. - - - - -IX - -THE TERRIBLE PUNISHMENT OF THE PIRATE AND THE OLD WITCH - - -MARY FRANCES heard music and singing. She heard the words: - - Who’s the bravest in this land? - She who holds in her right hand - The long lost precious story; - She’s the bravest in this land. - -Then Mary Frances remembered, and stepped forward with the story. - -She was met by a beautiful young lady, who introduced herself as the -Story Lady, and a small company of story people, who led her to the -castle of the King and Queen of Story Island. They took her into the -court, where the rulers sat in state. - -“Welcome!” said the Story King, rising. - -“Welcome!” said the Story Queen, rising. - -Then the King made a speech. - -“You have done us a great service, young friend,” he said; “and we hope -to do something for you to show how much we appreciate it.” - -“Sir,” said Mary Frances, handing him the bottle, “if it had not been -for the dolphin and the cat, I never could have found the story.” - -“The dolphin has been rewarded,” said the Story King; “he has had his -head cut off----” - -“Oh,” cried Mary Frances, “the poor, dear dolphin!” - -“And has been turned again into a prince!” added the Story Queen. “He -was the prince who kissed the Sleeping Beauty, and was under the spell -of the old witch outside the chain curtain.” - -“And the cat has been rewarded,” said the King. “He has charge of all -the cats and kittens in all the stories ever told, or ever-to-be-told.” - -This made Mary Frances happy, for she knew the cat would love that -charge. - -“Now,” said the Story King, “if you are not too tired, we will get over -the business of trying the pirate and the witch!” - -“I am not tired, thank you,” said Mary Frances, “for I slept three -hundred and sixty-five days and nights on my way here.” - -“Good!” said the King. “Please have this seat,” and he led her to a -deep blue velvet chair. - -The King then touched a button under the table, and a door opened. - -In came a large man with a large beard. Mary Frances knew him at once. -He was Blue Beard. He was trembling terribly. - -“Fetch in the pirate, Blue Beard,” ordered the King. - -Blue Beard bowed and left the room. Soon there came the clanging of -chains, and Blue Beard led the pirate into the room, all wound up in -a great section of the iron-chain curtain. He was dreadfully pale and -very angry. His mouth was frothing and his breath was coming out of his -nostrils like smoke. - -He glowered at Mary Frances as though he would like to bite her, but -she was not afraid. - -“Behave!” said the King. “You cannot frighten a person who has been so -brave as to part the iron-chain curtain. If she had been afraid of the -old witch, the curtain would not have parted, and all the children in -the world would have been still waiting for new stories.” - -He turned to the Queen. “Have you a fitting punishment, my dear?” he -asked. - -“I have,” said the Queen, very solemnly. “It is this: the pirate shall -_never again hear a story or read a story_!” - -On hearing his fate the pirate screamed, “Anything rather than that! -Please have mercy!” And he fell down in a dead faint. - -Blue Beard dragged him out. Immediately after, the King ordered the old -witch in. - -“Tell the story of the lost story,” ordered the King. - -“Oh, S-Sir,” stammered the old witch, “Oh, S-Sir, the pirate st-stole -it, and took it on his sh-ship, and I st-stole it from him and put it -in a bottle, and was going to bring it back, but I lost it overboard in -a st-storm. I didn’t want the pirate to know I took it, for he would -have beaten me to death.” - -“Why did you try to take it from this young lady?” asked the Queen. - -The old witch hung her head. “Because I wanted to keep it for -my-s-self,” she said. - -“Well, what shall her punishment be, my dear?” asked the King. - -“She shall be punished by never hearing the end of a story,” declared -the Queen. “_Only to the middle of a story shall she hear--never to the -end._” - -Then the old witch gave a loud shriek, and ran out of the room as fast -as she could. The King sent a giant after her, and had him lock both -the pirate and the old witch up in big iron baskets, and carry them off -to the end of Snowwhere. - -“And now, my dear,” said the King, “what is to be our dear little -friend’s reward?” - -“Two rewards shall be hers,” replied the Queen. “One is that she shall -know that all the children of the world can have new stories every day; -and the other is that she can stay with us for a visit and hear all the -stories she wishes to hear.” - -“Very good,” said the King. “Let us now hear the lost story.” And all -the Story People sat down to form a double circle. - -With that the Story Lady, dressed like a butterfly, came dancing in. -The King opened the green bottle, took out the roll of paper and handed -it to her. She took her place at the end just where the circle closed, -and began to read aloud the lost story, which is entitled “The Bubble -Story.” - - - - -X - -THE BUBBLE STORY - - -LILLA walked through the garden, saying-- - -“I should like to be a princess,” for she had been reading a story -about a princess who had only to say “Come,” and anything she wished -for came at once. - -It was a hot summer day, and she sat down on a mossy bank under an elm -tree thinking what she should wish for if she had the power of the -princess. All at once the garden seemed strange to her, and she heard a -voice saying: - - “If you take a rose from me - You will then a princess be.” - -She looked up and saw an aster growing in a green flower-pot which she -had never seen before; and on one of the flowers was perched a tiny -fairy. - -“And you can have everything you can wish for except one thing. If you -wish for that you will lose the rose.” - -“And what is that?” asked Lilla, taking the rose which the fairy -offered her. - -“You must never ask for soap bubbles.” - -“Oh, soap bubbles? Of course, I shall not wish for them!” said Lilla. - -“Whenever you want anything,” said the fairy, “just say: - - “Rose, Rose, bring to me - Everything I wish to see.” - -“You will be a princess as long as you keep the rose. But you must -never ask for soap bubbles. Good-by; now I must go back to my home.” - -So the fairy went to Fairyland, and Lilla went home; but no one knew -her, because she was now a princess with long hair and a golden crown. - -“I will go up to the castle on the hill,” thought Lilla; “princesses go -there to stay.” - -At the castle they were expecting a princess, so they thought Lilla -must be the one who was coming, and they gave her a grand room, all -hung with velvet curtains, to sleep in. On the table was a silver box -which Lilla thought just right to keep her rose in. - -“Now, I shall try what I can do with my rose,” thought Lilla. So she -thought of a box of toys, and said: - - “Rose, Rose, bring to me - Everything I wish to see.” - -Scarcely had she spoken when a maid came to say that a box had come for -her. - -When the box was opened, Lilla saw so many pretty things that she -thought she would like a Christmas tree to hang them on, and again she -said: - - “Rose, Rose, bring to me - Everything I wish to see.” - -And in a few minutes a Christmas tree arrived hung all over with gold -and silver drops, and colored lights, and bonbons, and still more -bonbons, and gifts of all kinds. - -The people at the castle had never seen such a beautiful Christmas -tree, and they were delighted with the gifts which Lilla divided among -them. - -Day after day Lilla asked her rose for something new, and every day -more and more beautiful things came, till not only her own room, but -the whole castle was full of them. - -She gave them away to every one, for she soon grew tired of them. - -[Illustration: ON ONE OF THE FLOWERS WAS PERCHED A TINY FAIRY] - -Every day she was trying to think of something she did not have, but at -last there seemed nothing left to wish for. - -That was when she began to long for--soap bubbles, which were the only -things she must not have. - -“But how beautiful thousands of soap bubbles would look, floating about -in the sunshine with rainbow colors upon them,” she thought. - -She could think of nothing else, and grew quite sad because she could -not ask for soap bubbles. - -So one day, she went into the garden, taking her rose with her. “Shall -I ask? or shall I not?” she kept thinking, but she could not make up -her mind. - -So she counted on the buttons of her dress. - - “Yes; no; yes; no; yes; no; - My mother told me to say-- - Yes; no.” - -“Oh, dear,” sighed Lilla, “I wanted it to come, ‘yes’--I am going to -ask for them!” - -So she said the magic rhyme: - - “Rose, Rose, bring to me - Everything I wish to see.” - -But no soap bubbles came. She looked all around the garden, even up in -the branches of the trees, but no bubbles were to be seen. - -Then she grew impatient; she took the rose, and said: - - “Rose, Rose, bring to me - Everything I wish to see.” - -Then suddenly the air was filled with soap bubbles; little ones, big -ones, floated all over the garden. - -“Oh, aren’t they lovely!” cried Lilla, holding out her arms to catch -some; and then a bubble larger than the others opened, and closed -around the golden rose, and lifted it out of her hand, floated quickly -away with it, higher, higher, higher, until Lilla could no longer see -it. - -She watched and watched until only two soap bubbles were to be seen; -then she sank on her knees, and stretched out her hands after them. - -But it was too late; her rose was gone, the bubbles were gone, and she -was no longer a princess. Her hair was as short as it ever had been, -and her crown had disappeared. - -It was of no use to return to the castle now, as the people would not -know her. Where should she go? What could she do? She was so worried -that she cried aloud, and you can imagine how glad she was to hear her -own mother’s voice saying: - -“Lilla, dear, you must have fallen asleep. Come, wake up! Tell mother -about your dream.” - -“Why, mother, it was just like a story,” said Lilla, sitting up and -rubbing her eyes. - -Then she told her mother all about it. - -“A very pretty story,” said her mother, “and one that shows you that -people who can have almost everything they wish for, are not really -happier than others. There is always something just out of their reach, -and that makes them discontented with what they have.” - -“Yes, even soap bubbles,” said Lilla, laughing. - - * * * * * - -“That’s a good story--too good to be lost,” said the Story King, when -the Story Lady finished. - -“Yes, but we have better, and you shall hear some of them to-morrow,” -said the Story Queen to Mary Frances, smiling graciously. - -Then to the people she announced: - -“There will be a reception in the court of honor this evening to our -visitor, Mary Frances, the finder of the lost story. As it is now dark, -let every one retire and prepare.” - -Then all the people applauded, formed in line and marched out, each -bowing to the King, Queen and Mary Frances, who stood rather timidly in -her place with the Story Lady beside her. - -After the others were gone, the Story Lady turned to her and said: - -“The Queen has planned for you to be in my charge during your visit, -and all you wish to see or hear is at your command.” - -“How kind, and how perfectly lovely!” exclaimed Mary Frances, clapping -her hands. “I couldn’t possibly wish for anything I would rather have -than to be with you!” - -This pleased the Story Lady greatly, and she led the way to their -apartments. - -I wish I had the time and space to tell you more about the wonderful -and delightful reception--how Mary Frances stood in line with the King -and Queen, and was introduced to all the people of the island as a -distinguished visitor whose deed would never be forgotten as long as -stories were told. - -But if I were to relate all they said and did this book would not hold -one-quarter of the stories which the Story Lady had planned for Mary -Frances to hear. - -The revels continued far into the night; and when at last they ended, -Mary Frances retired to her apartment, excited and happy. As the Story -Lady kissed her good-night, she said: - -“To-morrow will be the first day.” - - - - -STORIES TOLD THE FIRST DAY - - MISCHIEVOUS ANNA AND PETER.--DIAMONDS AND TOADS.--THE MAGIC - NECKLACE.--THE CAT AND THE CARROTS.--THE BRAHMIN, THE TIGER, AND - THE JACKAL.--THE RED DRAGON.--TWO POEMS.--TINY’S ADVENTURES IN - TINYTOWN.--MORE ADVENTURES. - - - - -STORIES TOLD THE FIRST DAY - -XI - -MISCHIEVOUS ANNA AND PETER - - -NOW, you must know that the Story People met at a certain hour every -day to hear and to tell stories, new and old; for, as you may well -believe, it is no small task to provide stories enough to feed the -story-hungry children of the world. - -Accordingly, when all were assembled, the Story King in his place, and -Mary Frances in the seat of honor beside the Story Queen, the Story -Lady began to tell the story of Mischievous Anna and Peter. - - * * * * * - -Anna and Peter were always in mischief. One day they climbed to the top -of a high wall. It was a fairy wall, and it grew higher and higher, -until at last it went so high that they got frightened, for they did -not know how they should get down again. So they held tight by each -other and the wall, and began to cry. - -But no one heard them. For they were far away from home; besides, they -were as high up in the air as the top of a mountain. - -“Oh! oh! oh!” sobbed Anna. - -“Oh! oh! oh!” sobbed Peter. - -And their eyes were red and their faces quite wet and dirty. - -“I shall fall,” said Peter. - -“I can’t hold on much longer,” said Anna. And then they both sobbed -“Oh! oh! oh!” again. - -Then they heard a voice saying, “Oh! oh! oh!” after them. Only it was -not any one crying, for the “oh! oh! oh!” had a very sweet sound. - -They could not look round, for they dared not move their heads, and -they dared not look down for fear of getting dizzy. But the voice -seemed to be coming nearer. And so it was, for a fairy gate, with a -tree beside it, and a little bit of ground to stand upon, was shooting -up into the air just as the wall had done. And when it was as high as -the wall it stopped, and Peter and Anna saw that a boy was leaning -against the gate. He was playing on a whistle-pipe, and that made the -sound they had heard. - -“I will play you a tune,” said the boy. And he played so softly and -sweetly that Peter and Anna left off crying. - -“How did you come up?” asked Anna. - -“On the gate,” said the boy. - -“How are you going down?” asked Peter. - -“On the gate, to be sure,” said the boy; “I have only to say-- - - “Gate, gate, let me go - Far down to the earth below.” - -And as he said the words, down he went. - -“Let us also try,” said Anna. - - “Wall, wall, let us go - Far down to the earth below.” - -Then down went the wall to the ground, and Peter and Anna slid off, and -stood staring at the boy, who was still playing on his pipe. - -“What do you want most?” asked the boy. “My pipe will bring anything I -ask for.” - -“A silk frock with a flounce and a sash, and a bonnet with blue -ribbons,” said Anna, who was fond of fine clothes. - -“A new suit and pair of leather reins to play at horses with,” said -Peter. - -The boy played a lively tune, and before Anna could say “ready,” she -found herself dressed in a fine new frock; while Peter had the reins -in his hands, and a new suit of clothes with a great frill and a round -hat. - -[Illustration: THEY WERE AS HIGH UP IN THE AIR AS THE TOP OF A -MOUNTAIN] - -Then the boy said “Good-by,” and Peter and Anna went towards home. - -“I will go this way,” said Peter. - -“I will go that,” said Anna. - -So they parted. - -Anna, as she walked along, heard little feet behind her; and when she -reached the steps leading to her home she looked round, and what was -her surprise when she saw a large mouse dressed like a lady, with a -parasol in its hand. - - “I am the Countess Mouse - Coming to your house; - With you I’ll stay - Every day,” - -said the mouse. - -Now Anna was afraid of mice, and she said, “But I do not want you; -besides, we have a large cat that will eat you up.” - -“No, it will not; I am a fairy mouse, and can eat up the cat if I -please.” - -Anna was much frightened; this was truly a dreadful mouse. - -“Go away! Oh, go away!” she said. - -“No,” answered the mouse; “as long as you wear my clothes I shall stay -with you and take care of them.” - -“They are not yours,” said Anna; “a boy with a whistle-pipe gave them -to me.” - -“But he piped to me for them,” said the mouse; “I have wardrobes full -in my castle. You are quite welcome to them; but I must see that you do -not spoil them. I shall sit by you at dinner, and play with you, and -walk out with you, and sleep on your pillow at night.” - -“Oh dear! oh dear!” said Anna; “I wish I had never asked for a silk -frock and bonnet.” - -“Shall I take them back?” - - “Oh yes! oh yes! please, Countess Mouse, - Take them all back to your house.” - -“Well, as you have made a rhyme, I will do so,” said the mouse, and she -slapped Anna’s arm sharply with her parasol. Then Anna’s new clothes -fell off, and she found herself in her old cotton dress again. And the -mouse grew larger and larger, and ran away to her castle with the silk -frock and the grand bonnet. - -Now while this was happening to Anna a queer-looking man in a peaked -hat and long overcoat said to Peter, “Shall I be your horse?” - -“Yes,” said Peter. And the man took the reins, and they went along -merrily enough. - -When they were close by his home, Peter said, “I am going in here.” - -But the man said-- - - “No, no, you are going with me; - These are my reins, you cannot get free.” - -“They cannot be yours,” said Peter; “a boy with a whistle-pipe gave -them to me.” - -“Ah, but he got them from me! I am a saddler, and have hundreds of -them. And I want some little boys to help me to make more.” - -“I don’t want to go,” said Peter. - -But he could not loose the reins, and the man pulled him along faster -and faster. - - “Oh! oh! oh! I should be glad - If these reins I hadn’t had,” - -said Peter. - -“As you have made a rhyme,” said the man, “I’ll take them back, and you -may go home.” - -Then the man hit Peter sharply with one end of the reins, and his new -suit fell off, and he found himself in his old pinafore. - -Then Peter went home and told Anna what had happened to him; and Anna -told Peter all about the mouse, and they both thought that they had had -a lucky escape. - -Just then the boy with the pipe came down the street. And the pipe -played these words-- - - “Keep out of mischief; you never know - What may come to cause you woe; - What you may think is very good fun, - May give you trouble before you’ve done.” - -Then the boy turned round the corner of the street, and Anna and Peter -never saw him again. - - * * * * * - -“My, but the mouse must have looked cunning!” Mary Frances said. “Thank -you for telling me that story. I--I wish----” - -“Would you like to hear another--about Isabella and her cruel -stepsisters?” asked the Story Lady. - -“I should love to hear it!” replied Mary Frances. - -The story people smiled and nodded, and the Story Lady proceeded. - - - - -XII - -DIAMONDS AND TOADS - - -ONCE upon a time there was a dear little girl named Isabella. She lived -with her father, and her stepmother, and her two stepsisters. - -Isabella was a pretty child and had sweet manners. Her stepsisters were -not pretty, and they and their mother were jealous of Isabella. - -They seldom spoke kindly to her; they made her do the hard work of the -home, and treated her in a harsh manner, very much as Cinderella’s -stepmother and stepsisters treated Cinderella. - -One of her hard duties was to fetch the water for the household from -the well just outside the village. - -It was quite a long walk to the well, and after Isabella had worked all -the morning, cooking, and washing the dishes, and washing and ironing, -or sweeping, she felt sometimes that she was too tired to go so far and -carry home such a heavy load. - -One day after washing and ironing, she said, “I wish one of you girls -would go with me to the well to-day, and help me bring back the water. -I am so tired.” - -“Indeed, they shall not!” exclaimed her stepmother angrily. “What do -you think--that my daughters shall wait on you?” - -“I do not care to get tanned in the sun,” yawned one. - -“I do not wish my hands to look as though I work,” said the other -haughtily. - -So Isabella set out alone. She sat down to rest several times on her -way, but after a while she reached the well. It was an old-fashioned -affair, and had a moss-covered bucket on a long chain which wound on -a roller. It was not hard work to drop the bucket down the well, but -it was hard work to turn the handle of the roller until the dripping -bucket reached the top. It was still harder work to empty the bucket -into the pail she carried. - -This day, when Isabella came to the well there was an old woman sitting -on the well-curb. She was a wretched-looking old woman. She wore an old -shawl about her head and shoulders. - -When she saw Isabella she said, “Good-morrow, little maid.” - -“Good morning,” said the little girl. “How do you do?” - -“I should do very well, thank you,” said the old woman, “if I had a -drink of water.” - -“That you shall soon have,” said Isabella, forgetting her own tiredness -because she felt sorry for her. - -Isabella soon had the well bucket up, filled her pail, and then held it -so that the thirsty woman could drink out of the side. She drank long -and eagerly. - -“Thank you,” she said at length. “Dear child, you will never be sorry -for your kindness;” and she rose and walked away. - -Isabella threw away the rest of the water, and after refilling her -pail, set out for home. - -When she reached the house, her stepmother said, “You are late! Where -have you been?” - -Isabella opened her mouth to answer--and what do you think happened? -Out fell diamonds and roses. - -Quickly the stepmother called her daughters and they began to sweep -them up. - -“Where have you been?” cried the stepsisters. “What has happened to -you?” - -Isabella tried to think what could have brought such a thing about, for -she was as much surprised as any of them, but she could not think of -anything unusual except the meeting with the old woman. - -“Speak!” demanded her stepmother. “Are you trying to hide something -from us?” - -[Illustration: SHE DRANK LONG AND EAGERLY] - -Isabella said that she had met a strange old lady at the well, but that -she could not remember anything else that had not happened every time -she had gone for water. - -Every once in a while as she was speaking diamonds and roses fell from -her mouth. - -“You need not go for the water the next time,” said her stepmother. “I -shall send my own girls.” - -The next day the two stepsisters went to fetch the water. - -When they came to the well, there sat the old ragged woman on the curb. - -“Good-morrow, young maidens,” said the old woman. - -The stepsisters just stared at her. - -“My, it is a warm day,” said the old woman, “and I am very thirsty. -Will you give me a drink of water?” - -“Indeed, we will not!” said the older one haughtily. - -“The very idea!” exclaimed the younger one, looking at the old woman’s -ragged clothes. “I should think not!” - -Then they drew the water, all the time complaining and groaning about -the hard work. - -When they started to go home, the old woman spoke. - -“You are not kind,” she said, “you will be sorry.” But they only -laughed and hurried away. - -Their mother met them at the door. - -“Well, my dears,” she said, “how fared you? Did you meet any good -fortune?” - -“All we saw was an old woman at the well--such a ragged, wretched old -thing she was, too!” answered one girl. - -“And she wanted us to give her a drink of water. The idea!” the other -girl said at the same time. - -With the last words, out of their mouths fell several snakes and toads, -which went scudding across the floor. - -Their mother screamed and, gathering her skirts about her, jumped on a -chair. - -“Oh, where have you been?” she cried. “What has happened to you?” - -And when the girls told her that they did not know, more snakes and -toads fell from their mouths. - -“This is an outrage!” exclaimed their mother. “Isabella has formed some -terrible plot against you. She is to blame! Go bring her here, and I -shall punish her. I shall whip her until she tells us the charm she has -found.” - -The girls ran out, and soon came back dragging Isabella between them. - -Just as they reached their mother a bright light appeared in the room, -and suddenly a beautiful fairy stood before them. - -“Do not touch Isabella!” she said to the stepmother. “She is not in -the least to blame for your children’s misfortune. Their cruel fate is -their own fault. When I met Isabella at the well and asked her for a -drink of water, she gave it to me gladly and willingly, but when I met -your daughters and asked them for a drink they treated me proudly and -unkindly.” - -“You!” exclaimed the stepmother, looking upon the radiant creature with -her shining fairy robes about her. “Met you, and would not give you a -drink of water!” - -The fairy smiled. “Ah, yes; it was I, but I did not look then as I now -do. I was the ragged old woman at the well.” - -“If they had known it was you--” said the stepmother. - -“If they had known it was I,” the fairy said, “how could I have judged -whether they were kind of heart, and polite to old people, and helpful -to people in need?” - -“When I met Isabella,” the fairy went on, “I looked just as when I met -your daughters, and she was very polite and kind to me, and gave me a -drink, holding the pail while I drank, even though she was very tired. -Because only polite and kind words came from her mouth, I gave her a -good fairy gift, and because only impolite and unkind words came from -the mouths of your daughters, I gave them another kind of gift.” - -“Oh, please take back the one you gave them,” pleaded the mother. - -“Do you mean Isabella’s gift, too?” asked the fairy. - -“Oh, no,” the mother said. “Let her have her gift--but please, please -take away the awful gift of my daughters!” - -“Let me see,” said the fairy, “what Isabella says about that. Shall I -take back the gift of your stepsisters, my dear?” - -“Oh, please, please do!” cried Isabella. “I am so sorry that they are -unhappy.” - -“Very well, then,” said the fairy. “For Isabella’s sake, I shall take -their gifts back, but only on one condition--that they promise to be -kind and polite from now on.” - -“Oh, we promise! We promise!” cried both stepsisters at once. - -“Unless you keep your promise,” said the fairy, “the snakes and toads -will come from your mouths again.” And the fairy disappeared as -suddenly as she had come. - -But the snakes and toads did not come again, for the stepsisters and -their mother were very kind to every one ever after, and Isabella lived -a happy life from that day. - - * * * * * - -“They just had to keep their promise, didn’t they?” commented Mary -Frances. “I am glad they did, for I do not like people to break -promises.” - -“Neither do I,” agreed the Story Lady; “and that reminds me of one of -our favorite stories--Coralie and the Magic Necklace.” - -“Oh,” said Mary Frances, “but I like a story with magic in it.” - -“Very well,” said the Story Lady, “I will tell you the story.” - - - - -XIII - -THE MAGIC NECKLACE - - -ONCE there was a girl whose name was Coralie. She was a very pretty -girl, and very clever. She was so bright in her lessons at school that -all she needed to do was to read them over once, and she knew them. - -She lived in a pretty home, and was a great pet. Her parents loved -her dearly, and although they were not well off, they gave Coralie -everything she wished for that they could afford. So, you see, she had -all the comforts of life, if not the luxuries. - -You would think she would have been a very happy child, wouldn’t you? -Well, she would have been if she had not had one very dreadful fault. -Sometimes she told only half the truth; sometimes she told only quarter -the truth; sometimes she stretched the truth so far that she broke it. - -Her parents did everything they could to cure her of her dreadful -fault, but everything failed. Even being in her room for a whole day -with only bread and butter and milk did not help her. At last they -became almost desperate. - -One evening, after Coralie had gone to bed, her father said, “There is -only one thing left, I suppose. We must take Coralie to the magician, -Merlin.” - -“Yes,” replied her mother with a sigh, “it is the only thing I can -think of. You need not go, dear husband, for it will mean the loss of -several days’ work. I will take her myself. We can start to-morrow -morning.” - -So in the morning, her mother and Coralie set out on their journey. - -Now, the enchanter, Merlin, knew untruthful people even a long way -off. He could tell them by their odor. So as Coralie and her mother -drew near his palace, which was built of frosted glass, he threw some -incense on the fire to keep himself from becoming ill. - -At length, Coralie’s mother rang the door bell, and Merlin himself came -to the door. “Good afternoon,” he said. - -“Good afternoon,” replied Coralie’s mother; “we have come a long -distance to see you, sir, because----” - -Merlin raised his hand. “I know all about the reason,” he said. “You -have come to see me because you cannot make your daughter tell the -truth. She is one of the most untruthful children that ever lived. I -know, because her lies often make me ill. When I smelled her coming, I -had to burn incense;” and he frowned terribly. - -You can imagine how this frightened Coralie. She hid behind her mother. -Her mother seemed frightened, too. - -“Oh, sir,” she begged, “please deal as gently with her as you can. We -love her so dearly. We are so grieved that we cannot cure her our own -selves.” - -“Do not fear,” answered the magician. “I am not going to hurt her. All -that I wish to do is to make her a present.” - -So he invited them into the palace, and led the way to his workroom. -All the woodwork in the room was light green. The windows were studded -with red and blue and green jewels, and they threw rainbow colors on -the floor. - -Merlin went to a golden table, and, opening a drawer, took out a -beautiful amethyst necklace, with a diamond clasp. He threw the -necklace around Coralie’s neck. - -“That is all,” he said to her mother. “You may go. I am going to lend -my magic necklace of truth to Coralie. I shall come for it in one -year.” Then he turned to Coralie, and said, “Do not take it off. If -you do, great harm may come to you. Good-by,” and he clapped his hands -twice. - -[Illustration: HE THREW THE NECKLACE AROUND CORALIE’S NECK] - -Two slaves appeared, and after bowing before Merlin, showed Coralie and -her mother to the door. - -Coralie, of course, was delighted with the necklace. All her life long -she had wished for jewelry, but her parents could not afford to get her -anything but the pretty seal ring which she wore. As to getting such a -necklace as Merlin had given her, it would have taken everything they -owned in the world to so much as buy the diamond clasp. - -When she went back to school, the girls all gathered about her and -began to admire the necklace. - -“Isn’t it beautiful!” they exclaimed. “What a lucky girl! Your people -must have fallen heirs to a fortune!” - -“Isn’t it pretty!” said Coralie, lifting the sparkling string for them -to see better. “Yes, my father and mother gave it to me. You see, I -have been ill, and they were so glad when I got well that they gave me -this for a present.” - -“Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried the girls. - -And no wonder they did, for all the sparkle left the necklace, and it -looked dull and old and scratched. - -“What is the matter?” asked Coralie. “Don’t you think my parents could -give it to me? They bought it, and paid an immense sum for it.” - -At that falsehood, the necklace turned from the light purple amethyst -color to a dull gray agate, and the diamond clasp to a mud-color shade. -Then Coralie saw what had happened, and she was frightened. - -“No,” she said, “they did not give it to me. We went to the magician, -Merlin, and he lent it to me.” - -At these truthful words, the necklace became as beautiful as ever. But -the children began to laugh. - -“What are you laughing at?” asked Coralie. “You needn’t make fun. -Merlin was very glad to see us. When he saw us in the distance he sent -his carriage to meet us. It was drawn by two fawn-colored horses, and -the coachman wore livery. There was a great feast spread for us, and -each of us had a servant in back of our chairs. We had golden plates to -eat from, and----” - -Suddenly Coralie stopped speaking, for the children were laughing at -her harder than ever. She looked down at her necklace. No wonder they -laughed. It was dull again in color, and had grown so long it rested -upon the ground. - -“Ho, ho, Coralie!” cried one. “Come, now! You are stretching the truth! -Set us right!” - -“Well,” confessed Coralie, “Merlin didn’t send any one to meet us. We -walked, and we were in his palace only a little while.” - -At these words, the necklace shrank to its right size, and resumed its -own beautiful color. - -“But now, Coralie,” cried the children, “but now tell us truly where -you got the necklace. Did the magician give it to you?” - -“Yes,” said Coralie, “he just handed it to me without saying a word. I -think he----” - -She did not finish the sentence, for the necklace had suddenly grown so -tight that it was choking her, and she was gasping for breath. - -“Come, come, Coralie!” cried one of the girls. “You are keeping back -part of the truth! Tell the truth! What happened?” - -“He said I was one of the most untruthful persons in the world,” -admitted Coralie; and the necklace became itself again. - -And so things kept on. Every time Coralie tried to say one untruthful -thing, the necklace behaved in some queer, frightful way. Even the -children became sorry for her, for she began to look worried all the -time. - -“If I were you, I’d take the necklace back,” one of the girls told her. -“It gives you no happiness at all.” - -“Indeed it doesn’t,” said Coralie, “I wish I----” - -“Why don’t you take it back?” the girl asked. - -Now, Coralie did not wish to tell her, and kept still, for she was -wondering what she could possibly say; but the necklace began to act -wildly. The stones began to dance up and down so hard that they hurt -her. - -“Merlin told me I must not take it off,” she said. “If I should do so, -great harm would come to me. He is coming for it when I’ve worn it for -a year.” - -And the necklace shone just a little more brightly than before, and the -diamond clasp sparkled so that it would have dazzled your eyes to look -at it. - -And after that Coralie began to lose the worried look, for the telling -of the truth was beginning to be a habit with her. The necklace very -seldom had to remind her, for every day it grew easier for her to tell -the truth. - -And when Merlin came for his necklace, he brought her a far more -beautiful gift than the necklace, but it was one that she could not -wear showily. It was a necklace of pearls, pearls of great price which -she wore just over her heart. You see, Merlin needed his magic necklace -for another child who did not tell the truth. - -Nobody knows where the magic necklace is to-day; but if I were a child -in the habit of telling falsehoods, I should not feel quite sure that -it would not be found again. - - * * * * * - -“Will it?” asked Mary Frances, as the Story Lady finished the story. - -“It may be,” said the Story King. “I have an idea where it is. Why? Do -you know any children who do not speak the truth?” - -“I--I am sorry to say that I do,” Mary Frances said. “I do not know -many, though. I know two who do not always tell the truth; and I know -one child who isn’t kind to her pet cat. I wish I knew a story to tell -her when I go home.” - -“All right, perhaps you would like to hear the story of Linda.” - -“Please tell it to me?” she asked. - -So the Story Lady told the story of “The Cat and the Carrots.” - - - - -XIV - -THE CAT AND THE CARROTS - - -LINDA was a little girl who rarely thought of any one but herself. She -would take the warmest place by the fire and the largest piece of cake -on the dish, or the finest apple or pear; and she would take away the -toys from the other children, and did not care for anything as long as -she was amused herself. - -Her mother was very sorry to see that Linda was selfish, and used to -talk very seriously to her about it, and to tell her that no one would -love her if she did not mend her ways. - -But Linda did not care, and she did not believe what her mother said. - -“You will always love me, Mother,” said she. - -“Perhaps so,” said her mother; “but then you are my own little girl, -and it is my duty to take care of you. Besides, I shall be very sorry -for you, because you will be very unhappy. But no one else will care -for you. Every one will dislike you because you are selfish--every one -in the world.” - -Linda did not say anything, but the words “every one in the world” -came into her head many times during the day, and at night they came -into her dreams, and she fancied she saw the words written in letters -of fire, from which the flames shot up in all directions, and she was -saying half aloud, “The bed will be on fire,” when a voice said-- - -“But you are not in bed, you are in the farmyard.” - -Then she looked round, and saw that she was near the barn, and that -there was a ladder not far off, and a great barrel close by. Also -there was a heap of carrots, which Linda began to toss about, and to -snap in two, and to pull the leaves off; and at last she was throwing -them all into the duck-pond, when a voice suddenly said, “Stop!” - -Linda looked round, but no one was to be seen. - -“Stop!” said the voice again. - -Then Linda looked down, and seated upon a stone she saw a carrot whose -green top-knot of leaves she had broken off. Two little legs and two -little arms had sprouted out, and it had eyes and a mouth, but no nose. - -“Have you no feelings?” said the carrot. “Is it not enough to be taken -from my home in the earth, without being knocked about and flung into a -duck-pond? How would you like it?” - -“I’m not a carrot,” said Linda. - -“You don’t care for any one but yourself,” replied the carrot, growing -redder and redder; “no one likes you, not even carrots, and you will -find that some day people will pay you back for being so selfish. I am -going to begin at once. Come carrots, carrots, carrots!” he shouted. - - “In and out - Whirl about; - Pinch and beat her; - Let her know - Selfishness will bring her woe; - Come at once and greet her.” - -Then suddenly all the carrots that were lying about sprang up, and -those that were in the duck-pond sprang out of it. They were joined by -those in the gardens near, and they came trooping along like an army. -They could walk as well in the air as on the ground; and they whirled -around Linda and pulled her hair and pinched her arms, till she cried -aloud for mercy. - - “Ho! ho! ho! only see - What it is our foe to be,” - -shouted the carrots, as they twirled up and down and round and round. - -[Illustration: “HAVE YOU NO FEELINGS?” SAID THE CARROT] - -The air was full of carrots, and the ground was covered by them, and -Linda made up her mind that if she ever got clear of them she would -never meddle with a carrot again as long as she lived. She kept off -their blows as long as she could, but at last she was too tired to do -so any longer, and she sank down to the ground crying, “Oh, please -leave off! please leave off!” - - “We now have done, - But we’ve had some fun,” - -said the carrot who had first spoken to her. - -“Carrots, depart,” said he, waving his hand. - -The last carrot had said “Good-by,” but Linda had not spoken. - -She waited till she thought he had gone, and then she looked up. The -carrot certainly was not there, but a large cat was sitting beside her. - -“Topsy, poor Topsy!” said Linda. - -But Topsy put up her back, and her eyes looked very fierce. - -“Poor Topsy, indeed!” said the cat, angrily; “don’t think to coax me, -you never think of me in the house, you pull my whiskers and my tail, -and you never give me a bit of meat, or anything nice that you are -eating; and this morning, though I sat on the chair beside you, longing -for a little new milk, you drank it all up--you did not leave me a -drop. You are the most selfish little girl I know, and I don’t like -you, so I am going to scratch you.” - -“Oh dear! oh dear!” said Linda, “please don’t. The carrots have -punished me till I am quite sore.” - - “Cats, cats, one and all, - Tabby, tortoise-shell, come when I call, - Gray and yellow, black and white - Cats and kittens, come hither to-night.” - -called the cat loudly. - -Ah! all the cats and kittens in the world must have come. So many! And -they all thronged round her, and sat upon her shoulders, and clung -round her arms. - -“All the cats in the world hate you,” said Topsy. - -“We do! we do! we do!” mewed the cats. “She never cares what becomes of -poor cats and kittens.” - -Then the cats tumbled over each other, and tumbled over Linda, and -crowded round her and upon her, until she was sitting under a heap of -cats, with only her face peeping out, and Topsy was crouching in front, -looking fiercely at her. - -“Now that you cannot stir,” said Topsy, “I am going to scratch you.” - -“Oh! oh! oh!” shrieked Linda, and she gave such a start that all the -cats fell down upon the ground; and at that moment she opened her eyes, -and found herself in her bed, with her mother standing beside her. - -“What is the matter?” asked her mother, for she had heard Linda scream. - -“Oh! oh! oh!” sobbed Linda, “I have had such a horrid dream.” - -“Well, it was only a dream. You are awake now, and I am with you.” - -“Every one in the world hates me, even the cats and the carrots,” -sobbed Linda, and bit by bit she told her mother all her dream. - -“It was such a horrid dream, and I was so frightened,” said Linda, “I -can’t think why it came.” - -“I will tell you,” said her mother; “it came out of your own heart. -You had been thinking of the words I said to you, that every one would -dislike you but myself. I am glad that you have had this dream, for it -shows me that my words have sunk into my little girl’s heart, and I -hope now that she will try to improve.” - -“I will try,” said Linda. - -And she did try, and whenever she was inclined to do any selfish act -she thought of her wonderful dream, and said to herself, “I should not -wish all the world to be like the cats and the carrots.” - - * * * * * - -“That’s a good story,” said Mary Frances to the Queen. “I shall try to -remember it.” - -“It is a good story,” replied the Queen, smiling; “but we have still -better, as you shall hear.” - -Here a page boy who sat on a stool at the foot of the Story Lady began -to fidget, as if to ask a question. - -“Well, what is it, Roland?” asked the Story Lady. - -“If you please, can’t we have a story about a boy?” answered Roland. - -“Yes,” said the Story Lady; “you shall have two stories--one about a -tiger, and the other about a page boy who killed a dragon.” - - - - -XV - -THE BRAHMIN, THE TIGER, AND THE JACKAL - - -ONCE upon a time a Brahmin, who was walking along the road, came upon -an iron cage in which some men had shut up a great Tiger. - -As the Brahmin passed by, the Tiger called out: - -“O brother Brahmin, brother Brahmin, have pity on me, and let me out -for only one minute! I am so thirsty I shall die unless I can have a -drink of water.” - -“I am afraid,” said the Brahmin, “that if I let you out you will eat -me.” - -“No, indeed,” said the Tiger. “As soon as I have had some water, I will -go back to my cage.” - -Then the Brahmin was sorry for the thirsty beast, and opened the cage -door. Instantly the Tiger jumped out, and cried, “I will eat you first -and drink the water afterwards.” - -“Do not be in such a hurry,” said the Brahmin. “Let us ask the opinions -of six, and, if they all say it is fair for you to kill me, then I am -willing to die.” - -“Very well,” said the Tiger, “we will ask the first six living things -we meet.” - -So they walked on till they came to a Banyan-tree, and the Brahmin -said, “Banyan-tree, Banyan-tree, hear and judge.” - -“Let me hear,” said the Banyan-tree. - -“This Tiger,” said the Brahmin, “begged me to let him out of his cage -to drink a little water and he promised not to hurt me. Now that he is -free, he wishes to eat me. Is it fair that he should do so?” - -Then the Banyan-tree said: “Men come to rest in my cool shade. When -they have rested, they break my branches and scatter my leaves. They -are a cruel race. Let the Tiger eat the man.” - -“Tiger, Tiger,” said the Brahmin, “do not eat me yet. You said that you -would hear the judgment of six.” - -“Very well,” said the Tiger, and they went on their way. Soon they met -a Camel. - -“Camel, Camel,” cried the Brahmin, “hear and judge.” - -“Let me hear,” said the Camel. - -Then the Brahmin told his story. - -“When I was young and strong and could work, my master took good care -of me,” said the Camel; “but now that I am old, he starves me and beats -me without mercy. Men are a cruel race. Let the Tiger eat the man.” - -The Tiger would have killed the Brahmin then and there, but he said: - -“Tiger, Tiger, do not eat me yet. You said that you would hear the -judgment of six.” - -“Very well,” said the Tiger, and they went on their way. Soon they saw -an Ox lying near the road. - -“Brother Ox, brother Ox,” cried the Brahmin, “hear and judge.” - -“Let me hear,” said the Ox, and the Brahmin told his story. - -“When I was young,” said the Ox, “my master was kind to me. Now that I -am too old to work he has left me here to die. Men are a cruel race. -Let the Tiger eat the man.” - -They next saw an Eagle flying through the air, and the Brahmin cried: - -“O Eagle, great Eagle, hear and judge.” - -“Let me hear,” said the Eagle. - -The Brahmin told his story, and the Eagle said: - -“Whenever men see me, they try to shoot me; they climb the rocks to my -nest and steal away my little ones. Men are a cruel race. Let the Tiger -eat the man.” - -Then the Tiger began to roar, but the Brahmin said, “Wait! we have yet -two to ask.” - -Soon they saw an Alligator, and the Brahmin told his story. But the -Alligator said: - -“Whenever I put my nose out of the water, men torment me. They are a -cruel race. Let the Tiger eat the man.” - -The Brahmin was now in despair, but the Tiger was willing to keep his -word. And the sixth judge was a Jackal. Now the Jackal is a miserable -little beast whom no one likes, but he listened to the Brahmin’s story. - -“You must show me just where it was and how it happened,” said the -Jackal. - -So they all went back to the cage. - -“I was here,” said the Brahmin, standing in the road. - -“And I was in the cage,” said the Tiger. - -“Which way were you looking?” said the Jackal; “and show me the side of -the cage where you stood.” - -“I was on this side,” said the Tiger, jumping into the cage. - -“Oh, yes, I see,” said the Jackal. “And was the cage door shut?” - -“Shut and bolted,” said the Brahmin. - -“Then shut and bolt it,” said the Jackal. - -When the Brahmin had done this, the Jackal said: “O wicked and -ungrateful Tiger, you would have killed the good Brahmin who opened -your cage door. Your cruelty shall be punished, for no one will ever -let you out again. Go your way, friend Brahmin, and go in peace.” - - * * * * * - -“Good for the jackal!” said Roland, clapping his hands. “Now for the -dragon!” - -So the Story Lady went right on. - - - - -XVI - -THE RED DRAGON - - -THERE lived in a marsh near a certain village, a red dragon which -terrorized all the people round about; so the king of the country -offered a great reward to any one who would kill the frightful beast. - -A great many knights of the king’s army went out one after the other to -slay it, and each came back with a wonderful tale of how he had fought -with the dragon; and, after wounding it, had given up the fight only -for fear of being slain by the monster. - -“Never mind; you will have better success next time,” the kind king -would say to each defeated knight. Then he would give him a valuable -gift as a reward for his brave effort. - -There was among the king’s pages a little boy who was a great butterfly -hunter. The king’s librarian paid him a gold piece for every new -butterfly he found. - -This page was a great favorite of the king, and often rode with him on -long journeys. One day when the king stopped in the neighborhood in -which the dragon lived, the page boy slipped off with his net to hunt -butterflies; and, in chasing a rare specimen, lost his way and wandered -into the very swamp where the dragon was roaming about. - -When the fierce old dragon saw the boy, he came rushing and roaring -at him in a great rage. The frightened boy looked around; there were -no trees to climb for safety, and he knew that if he ran he could not -escape, for run as he might, the dragon could run still faster. - -[Illustration: “WOW,” SHRIEKED THE DRAGON] - -He had nothing with which to fight except his butterfly net. The net -was fastened to the end of a long stout stick, and the boy decided to -defend himself with this as best he could. When the monster charged -down upon him, bellowing fearfully, he raised his stick and thrust it -with all his might into the bulging side of the beast. - -“Wow!” shrieked the dragon; and with a puff it went up in the air and -burst, just as a balloon does when a hole is slashed in its cover. - -The fierce old dragon was nothing but skin and air! - -When he was sure it was quite dead, the boy grasped the empty dragon -skin by its spiked tail, and dragged it back to the castle and showed -it to the king. He was the maddest king you ever heard of when he saw -the dead dragon lying there, and sent off at once for the bold knights -who had pretended to fight it so bravely. - -“You old humbugs,” he cried. “There lies the red dragon you bragged so -much about fighting. It wasn’t a thing but skin and air. If any one of -you had so much as touched it with the point of a sword, it would have -gone to pieces, as it did when my brave page boy struck it with his -butterfly net.” - -The cowardly knights had no word to say. So the king ordered them to -give the gifts they had received for fighting the dragon to the page -boy, who was then so rich that he was able to buy a castle of his own. -When he grew up, he was known as one of the bravest knights of that -country. - - - - -XVII - -TWO POEMS - - -“THE page was pretty brave,” said Roland. “When I was little I used -to be scared of the dark, and my mother taught me a poem about being -brave.” - -“Oh, say it for us, please!” cried a girl near him. - -The boy shook his head in refusal, but Mary Frances gave him a smile -and said, encouragingly, “Please, I want to hear it.” - -Then Roland rose, made a bow, and recited his poem: - - -IF I COULD CROW - - Sometimes I waken up at night, - And cannot see a speck of light; - I snuggle down into my bed, - And pull the clothes in overhead. - - I look and peer into the dark, - As something seems to whisper, “Hark!” - Then, with an awful sudden jump, - My heart begins to thump and thump. - - Oh, my, I think I’ll be so brave, - And all my courage try to save; - Then, as I feel my courage go, - Our yellow rooster starts to crow. - - Then I’m ashamed, and feel so small - To think that I’m not brave at all; - To know that in the black, black night, - Our rooster crows--no soul in sight. - - He flaps his wings and crows for fair; - His voice sounds like he didn’t care-- - Oh, well, what if I’m scared--I know - I’d be brave, too, if I could crow! - -Just at this point the cat came bouncing into their midst. - -“I have just time enough,” he said, breathlessly; “if you are quite -ready, I will begin.” - -You should have heard the children shout! - -“We are quite ready! Go on, Puss! Begin, please,” they cried. - -So the cat made a bow, twirled his whiskers, and began: - - -THE TWINS[A] - - There were two little kittens, a black and a gray, - And grandmother said, with a frown: - “It never will do to keep them both, - The black one we better drown. - - “Don’t cry, my dear,” to tiny Bess, - “One kitten’s enough to keep; - Now run to nurse, for ’tis growing late, - And time you were fast asleep.” - - The morrow dawned, and rosy and sweet - Came little Bess from her nap; - The nurse said, “Go into mother’s room, - And look in grandmother’s lap.” - - “Come here,” said grandmother, with a smile, - From the rocking-chair where she sat; - “God has sent you two little brothers; - Now what do you think of that?” - - Bess looked at the babies a moment, - With their wee heads, yellow and brown, - And then to grandmother soberly said, - “Which one are you going to drown?” - -[A] Author unknown. - -As soon as he had finished, he waltzed around three times, turned a -somersault, and bounded out of the circle as quickly as he had appeared. - -When the Story People had stopped laughing the Story King rose and -waved his hand and said: - -“That will do for to-day; we must not tire our guest.” - -“Oh, I am not tired,” said Mary Frances; “I could listen to such -stories forever.” - -“Dear child, I believe you love stories as much as we do,” said the -Queen, smiling at her enthusiasm. “Well, you shall have a delightful -surprise to-morrow.” - - * * * * * - -While the stories were being told, Mary Frances had noticed a little -dried-up man, sitting at a table near the Story Lady, and writing -rapidly with an immense quill pen. Before him was a pile of white paper -and an inkwell. As she told the story he wrote it down, keeping even -pace with her words. Mary Frances had never seen any one write so fast -and she watched him, fascinated. Almost without an effort his pen flew -over the paper, and as the last word of the story left the Story Lady’s -lips his pen stopped. Then he folded his papers neatly and laid them on -the table. - -As Mary Frances was passing out with the Story Lady, this little man, -much to her surprise, stepped up and handed her the papers he had been -writing. - -“These,” said he, “are your copies of the stories you have just heard.” - -“Oh, thank you, thank you,” she replied, hesitating to take them. - -“Yes, they are for you,” said the Story Lady. “This is the Ready -Writer; he will give you copies of all the stories you hear.” - -“Oh, thank you,” said Mary Frances again to the Ready Writer. “How fast -you write! You must be the fastest writer in the world!” - -The little man bowed and retired, evidently much pleased with her -praise of his skill. - - - - -XVIII - -TINY’S ADVENTURES IN TINYTOWN - - -“BEFORE it grows dark, I have something to show you--one of the most -interesting sights on Story Island,” said the Story Lady. “But we must -hasten, because darkness falls here very suddenly; it drops like a -curtain--all at once.” - -Together they walked down the castle steps and through the town. All -was so strange to Mary Frances; the houses, the streets--everything was -so fairy-like or story-like, and yet so familiar, that it seemed as if -she had seen them all before. - -“You live in Story Land, indeed,” said Mary Frances, gazing eagerly -about her. - -“Yes,” returned the Story Lady, “we are not a very matter-of-fact -people.” - -Soon they came to a beautiful park on the outskirts of the town. - -“This is the Queen’s Garden,” said the Story Lady. “Here are many of -the trees, flowers and birds you read about in the story books.” - -“Oh! Oh!” cried Mary Frances, with delight, as she looked about her. - -Many of the wonders were strange, but here and there others were -familiar and she lingered to examine them. - -“Not too long,” warned the Story Lady, smiling, “or darkness will -overtake us. Here is a surprise for you.” - -They came to an enclosure, surrounded by a white picket-fence about a -foot high. - -“What a tiny little town!” cried Mary Frances, looking down. - -“Yes, that is what we call it--Tinytown.” - -“Why, it’s just like the towns at home,” said Mary Frances, looking -closer. “There’s the school and the flag-staff, the public square and -the fountain, the church, the fire-house, the stores and houses--just -as they are at home! Oh, where did you get it?” - -“We found it in your country,” replied the Story Lady; “and we brought -it here and set it up just as you see it and named it after Tiny, the -girl who discovered it--but it’s a long story.” - -“Oh, won’t you tell me the story?” - -“Yes; this evening.” - -Mary Frances walked all around the fence and examined the little town -minutely. “To think of finding that on Story Island!” she exclaimed. At -the same time she felt a little pang of homesickness, but said nothing -about it. - -“Now we must hasten home,” said the Story Lady. - -As it was broad daylight, Mary Frances thought it rather strange to -hurry so, but just as they reached the castle, darkness fell and the -daylight went just as if some one had pressed a button and shut it out. - -That evening while they were resting comfortably in their apartments, -the Story Lady related Tiny’s Adventures in Tinytown just as they are -set down here. - - -_Tiny Gets Lost_ - -Tiny was out in the woods hunting chestnuts, when a bird flew overhead, -a bright-colored bird. - -Tiny saw the bird twice before she was certain it was a flicker. - -At first it seemed like a golden streak of yellow as it flew by, but -when it rested on a low bush, she felt sure there wasn’t any yellow -about it. Instead, it was bluish-gray and brown. On its head was the -most beautiful crescent of red. Its throat was a warm leaf-brown, -specked with polka-dots of black. - -[Illustration: JUST AT HER FEET LAY THE TINIEST LITTLE BIT OF A -TOWN] - -“Strange!” thought Tiny, tiptoeing nearer and nearer. “Oh, no, it’s not -strange at all. Why, it’s a flicker--a golden-winged woodpecker. Its -wings are lined with yellow. Of course it looked like a yellow bird -when flying overhead.” - -“Wick--wick--wick--wick--follow--me.” The bird flew on a little farther. - -“I will catch up soon, birdie!” Tiny called, and hurried to the branch -where the bird was sitting. - -“Wick--wick!” On and on it flew, Tiny following, when suddenly it -disappeared entirely, and there was Tiny miles out in the forest, and -not knowing the way back home at all. And not a single thing to eat, -either. - -“My, now I am scared!--but I won’t cry! I’m nine years old, and I won’t -cry! I’ll look around and see if there isn’t something I can think to -do,” but a big tear blinded her eye. - -“Where’s my handkerchief? Where ever did I put my handkerchief?” She -looked in her pocket. “But if I’m not going to cry, what do I need it -for?” she asked herself, and brushed away a big drop with the back of -her hand. - -“Oh, oh, look!” Tiny laughed so that the woods echoed, and no wonder -she did--for just at her feet lay the tiniest little bit of a town with -real houses, no bigger than bird-houses; real people, too, not much -taller than pins; real street-lamps no bigger than pencils; real carts -no bigger than peanuts; real horses no bigger than katydids. In the -center of the town was a lovely little fountain. From the fountain, -walks led in four directions. - -Houses and public buildings were along these walks; and scattered on -the green lawns were pretty flower-beds. - -“Oh, what a lovely cottage!” cried Tiny, spying a beautiful little -house near the edge of the village. - -“I’m going to pick it up! No, I’ll stoop down and look at it. People -may be inside. If I picked it up they might be hurt and frightened.” - -She leaned over and examined it closely, but was careful not to step -into the town. - -The walls were covered with vines, and geraniums bloomed at the -windows. Charming white curtains hung on the sashes, showing off the -brilliant color of the geraniums. - -Smoke was coming out of the chimney. - -“My, the people who live in that cottage must be getting supper!” The -little girl spoke softly to herself. “It seems to me I can smell it -cooking. What tiny little bits of dishes they must use--smaller than -the littlest ones I own. Why, an acorn would be almost large enough for -a bath tub for the house.” - -Tiny laughed gayly at the idea. - -“I’ll wait here for a minute or two to see if anybody comes out of the -door,” she said, taking a seat on the twisted roots of a nearby tree; -but, although she waited patiently for several minutes, no one appeared. - -“How I wonder who lives in such a dear little home!” she thought. “It -must be fun to live in such a beautiful little house. My, isn’t the -whole town too sweet for anything! How I’d like to live there!” - -She put her toe on the gravel walk which led across the tiny little -town, and, in a second she was no longer a big girl; she was as little -as a pin herself, only, of course, not so thin as a pin, but just the -right size for the house. - - -_Tiny is Put in the Lock-up_ - -Tiny rubbed her tiny little eyes with her tiny little hand, and looked -about her in amazement. She was very near the cottage she had so much -admired. “I’d love to peep in the windows,” she thought, “but it would -be so rude. I guess I’ll walk over toward the fountain.” - -“Oh, here comes a hand-organ and a little monkey!” Tiny put her hand -in her pocket to find a penny, but all she found there were three -chestnuts, each no bigger than a period. “Poor little monkey!” said -Tiny as he came up to her, lifting his hat, “you must be tired. I -wonder if you’d like these nuts.” - -The monkey smelled of the nuts, lifted his hat, looked at his master, -and nodding his thanks, began to eat them. - -“He no tired,” said the Italian organ-grinder. “He work only two hours -a day.” - -“Good!” said Tiny. “Does he play the rest of the day?” - -“He play, play, play,” smiled the man, and passed down the street. - -“My,” thought Tiny, as she walked along, “I wish I had taken some money -with me this morning. If I had a nickel, I’d buy some bananas from that -banana-man’s fruit-stand. I certainly am hungry.” - -“Want banan’s?” inquired the man as she stood looking at his wares. - -Tiny nodded. “I haven’t any money,” she said, trying to keep from -crying. - -“Never mind,” smiled the man, “I had little girl once. She gone. She -die. I give banan’s you.” He handed her a half-dozen bananas no bigger -than pencil points. - -“Oh, thank you,” said Tiny. “I’ll never forget how kind you are.” - -But the man was on his way down the street before she finished. - -She felt much better after eating and stood for quite a while watching -the little fountain play and splash. - -Away in the distance she heard a dog bark, and at the edge of the -village she saw a tiny newsboy and with him a tiny dog, no bigger than -a capital letter. Under his arm he carried tiny newspapers no bigger -than postage stamps. - -“Not much news in such a tiny paper!” thought Tiny, watching the -fountain splash. “Some day I’ll buy one to see what it says.” - -Suddenly she realized it was getting dark; people passed by her and -went into the houses. She felt very lonely and a little frightened. -“Oh, dear,” she thought, “I do wonder where I’ll sleep to-night? I -wonder if it’s against the law to sleep on the park benches?” She went -over and sat down on one. “I guess I’ll try sleeping here, anyhow.” - -She was just going to stretch out, when she saw a policeman coming -toward her just as fast as he could walk. - -“Come, come!” he said. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you around here -before! What’s your name? Where do you live?” - -“Please, Mr. Policeman”--Tiny tried to keep her voice from shaking--“my -name is Tiny and I’m lost.” - -“Tiny! Tiny! Tiny what? What’s your other name?” - -“They call me ‘Tiny girl’,” said Tiny. - -“Tiny Girl!” grunted the policeman. “Girl! I’ve never heard of a Mr. -Girl or a Mrs. Girl around here! Oh, I know--I understand now--you’ve -run away from home--that’s what you’ve done!” - -“Oh, no, sir,” began Tiny, but the policeman took her hand, and walked -toward the town hall. - -“You’ll have to sleep over there to-night,” said he, pointing to the -building, “in care of the police matron; and in the morning we’ll see -what we can find out. Children that run away we always put in the -lock-up.” - -They were inside the door now, and the policeman rapped three times on -the tiny table. Out came the police matron. Tiny thought she looked -rather severe. - -“Matron,” said the policeman, “I found this little girl on one of the -park benches. She cannot tell me where she lives--she says she’s lost -and that her last name is Girl--Tiny Girl. You know there is no family -of the name of Girl in this whole town. Put her to sleep in a bed and -if anything turns up to-night to show who she is, I’ll let you know. In -the morning we’ll investigate. Good night.” - -“Good night, Mr. Officer,” said the police matron. - -“Come,” she said to Tiny, “let me wash you and comb your hair, and -give you some bread and milk. I’m certainly sorry such a little girl -should be a runaway. Your clothes show you have a careful mother.” - -“I didn’t run away,” sobbed Tiny; “I tell you I didn’t!” - -“How did you come here, then?” asked the matron, stopping combing her -hair. - -“I was a big, real girl,” said Tiny, “and--and I was walking in the -woods, with my mother’s permission, when a bird flew ahead of me and -he beckoned me to come on. I wandered and wandered and I came to this -place. I stepped on the walk, and--and--and--I--melted into the tiny -little thing I am--so there! How I wish I had my mother----” - -“Oh, what a story! What an awful story!” cried the police matron. “Stop -right away! We don’t allow children to tell lies here!” - -“It’s not a story,” began Tiny, but the police matron dragged her to a -tiny bedroom, and undressed her and put her to bed. - -“You will have your supper in bed,” said she, “then I’ll be sure of -where you are!” And she brought a bowl no bigger than a cherry-stone -full of bread and milk for Tiny’s supper. - -At first Tiny couldn’t eat a mouthful, but she was really very hungry, -and finally she ate it all up. - -“Mother will find me somehow,” she thought, as she slipped out of bed -and knelt to say her prayers. - - -_Tiny is Adopted_ - -The next morning Tiny was awakened by a knock at her door. - -“Good morning,” smiled the police matron. “I have a delightful surprise -for you.” - -“Good morning. What can it be?” cried Tiny. “Did my mother----?” - -“You’ve nearly guessed,” nodded the police matron, helping her put on -her shoes and stockings. “You’re going to have a mother, for a dear old -lady--Mrs. Bountiful--wants to adopt you.” - -“To adopt me? Why, I thought all adopted children lived in orphanages.” - -“Oh, my, no!” exclaimed the police matron. “Children that run away are -often----” - -“I didn’t run away!” Tiny stamped her tiny foot. “I tell you I didn’t.” - -“Come, come,” said the police matron, “you don’t want me to tell your -new friend that you have a bad temper and tell stories.” - -Tiny certainly did not, and as she was now washed and dressed she went -down-stairs with the police matron. - -“Here she is, madam,” said the police matron very politely as she led -Tiny to where the dearest bit of an old lady was sitting. - -“Oh, you dear child!” exclaimed the tiny lady. “You’ve had no -breakfast, have you?” - -“I just got up,” whispered Tiny, not liking to let her think that the -matron had been neglectful. - -“Well, well,” smiled the little old lady, “we’ll soon see to that. I -have my automobile outside. Good-by, Mrs. Matron.” And taking Tiny by -the hand she went out. - -“This is my son,” said the little old lady, as they walked up to the -car. “He can drive an automobile beautifully. Shake hands with Tiny, -Martin.” - -“How do you do?” - -“Pleased to meet you,” said Martin, lifting his tiny cap. - -“Let us drive right home,” said his mother. “This dear little girl -hasn’t had any breakfast.” They climbed in, and away Martin drove, down -the street through the village park, past the fountain, over to the -edge of the village, up to--where do you think?--right up in front of -the cottage which Tiny had first seen in the little village. - -“Oh, isn’t it a beau-ti-ful home!” she cried. - -“How glad we are that you like it,” said the little lady. “Welcome to -Rose Cottage.” - -“Walk--right--in--Welcome--to--Rose--Cottage,” cried a new voice as -they entered. It was a shrill, nasal voice. - -Tiny looked around, but saw no one. “Look! I’m--right--here,” cried the -voice again. - -The little lady laughed. “All right, Polly,” she called, and Tiny saw -in one corner of the room a pretty green-and-red-and-yellow poll-parrot. - -She wanted to go nearer and pet him, but his mistress hurried her to -the breakfast table. - -“Let--us--take--a drive,” called out Polly presently. - -“Why, yes, let us. Shall we go now, Martin?” asked Mrs. Bountiful. - -“Yes, Mother,” smiled the big boy. - -“Take--us--all,” called Polly, -“Take--us--all--don’t--forget--the--monk.” - -“Why,” asked Tiny, who had been very quiet, “what does he mean?” - -“He means,” laughed the little lady, “that we take Martin’s pet monkey -and Polly for a drive quite often--and they are both very much spoiled.” - -“Oh, how lovely!” cried Tiny. “Have you a monkey, too?” - -Martin brought the monkey, and his mother took the parrot, and they all -got into the automobile. - -“Where do we go first, Mother?” asked Martin. - -“Will you excuse me, dear,” the little lady asked, “if I whisper? I -want to surprise you.” - -Tiny nodded and smiled, as his mother leaned over to reach Martin’s ear. - -They drove along the park and over into the business part of the -village, up to the livery-stables and stopped. - -“Good morning, ma’am,” the liveryman said. - -“Bring him out,” nodded the little lady, and the man disappeared into -the stables. - -Soon he led out the dearest little brown-and-white Shetland pony--no -bigger than a cricket. - -“Oh, oh, oh!” cried Tiny. “I’d like to kiss him!” - -The little old lady laughed delightedly. - -“He’s yours,” she cried. “Get out and try to ride him.” - -Martin helped her into the wee saddle, the liveryman gave her a tiny -whip and the pony cantered all the way down the street and back again. - -“Oh, I never thought I’d own a real live pony,” sighed Tiny, patting -the little thing’s neck. “It seems too good to be true.” - -“Let us go down to the candy shop,” said Tiny’s fairy godmother. - -The candy shop wasn’t far away and when they drew up outside, Martin -fastened the pony to the lamp-post. The little old lady took Tiny into -the shop. - -“Here, dear,” she said, opening her purse, “are two dollars. Spend them -both. You can have all the candy and ice cream you want.” - -So Tiny ate five plates of ice cream and three boxes of candy. - -“It was splendid,” she said to the little lady when they’d gotten home. -“I’d like to kiss you for all these lovely times.” - -“I’m so glad, dear motherless child,” said the little lady with tears -in her eyes. - -“But I’m not motherless--” began Tiny. - -“There, there, we’ll forget about that,” interrupted her new mother. - -That night she tucked Tiny into bed quite early. - -I must tell you about Tiny’s bedroom. All the woodwork and furniture -were white. On the floor was a rose-colored carpet, with a border -of pink and white roses and green leaves. At the windows were white -curtains with pink roses along each edge. On the little white bureau -was a tiny set of golden brushes and combs and boxes and bottles, and -in a gold vase on the dressing-table was a very beautiful bouquet of -tiny real roses. - -Everything was so sweet that Tiny used up nearly every word of praise -she knew, and she fell asleep before the little lady had finished -tucking her in bed. - -It must have been near midnight when Tiny was awakened very suddenly by -an awful pain. - -She cried out loudly for her mother. - -The little lady hastened to her room. - -“You poor dear!” she cried. “Martin shall go immediately for Doctor -Curum.” - -Martin was back with the doctor before Tiny realized he had started. - -“Well, well,” said the doctor, looking Tiny over, “this young lady has -been having too good a time--eh?” - -“Oh, Doctor,” cried the little old lady, “will she die? It is my fault. -I gave her too much candy.” - -“Don’t worry,” smiled the doctor, quickly opening his case. “These -medicines will cure her.” - -“I will stay with you, dear,” said the little lady, after seeing the -doctor to the door. - -Tiny soon fell asleep and did not wake until early daylight. - -“My, I feel all right,” she thought, stretching her little arms over -her head. “How glad I am! But what smells so queer? I believe it’s -smoke! Oh, it is! Something’s on fire!” - -She sprang out of bed. The little lady had fallen asleep in the tiny -white rocking-chair on the other side of Tiny’s bed. She looked so -sweet in her rose kimono with a sweet smile on her lips, that Tiny -hadn’t the heart to waken her. - -“How tired she must be,” thought Tiny. “I’ll find out where the fire is -first.” - -She slipped into her clothes, and was soon out-of-doors. She saw -immediately where the fire was--over on the next avenue, where smoke -and flame were coming out of the roof of a building. - -[Illustration: THE PONY CANTERED ALL THE WAY DOWN THE STREET] - - -_Tiny Discovers a Fire_ - -“Oh, oh,” thought Tiny, “what shall I do? I know!” as she spied the -pony in the stable where Martin had put him the night before. “I’ll -ride over to the fire-house and tell them, and then I’ll ride to the -house and warn the people.” - -“Do your best, Love Trot,” she whispered to the dappled pony. - -He pricked up his ears, and picked up his feet, and in no time to speak -of Tiny was at the fire-house. - -Just as she reached the door, a big dog (at least it seemed big to -Tiny, for it was almost the size of Love Trot) came around the corner -of the building. He raised up his head and barked as he ran toward her. - -Tiny was so scared that she quickly jumped on the pony and was going to -ride away, when a window of the fire-house opened and a man called out: - -“Don’t be afraid, little girl, that’s Big Jim, the fire dog. He helps -with all the fires. He won’t bite you. Lie down, Jim.” - -Jim spread himself down at the pony’s side, wagged his tail, and looked -up at Tiny with big brown eyes which seemed to say he was sorry he -frightened her. - -She soon explained her errand and was riding at full speed to the house -that was on fire. - -Down the street clanged the engine drawn by the beautiful little -fire horses. Then came the hose-wagon, and then all the firemen with -the ladders, and Big Jim, who was riding as though he were the most -important member of the fire company. - -Meanwhile, the little lady awoke. She sniffed the air and opened her -eyes. - -“Tiny,” she said, “how are you, dear? It seems to me I smell smoke. -Doesn’t it to you?” - -She looked at the bed. - -“Where has the child gone?” she cried. “All her clothes are gone, too!” - -“Martin! Martin!” she called. “Martin, get right up, and go to the -police station in the town hall. Tiny has run away--has run away again!” - -“All right, Mother,” answered Martin from his room. “I’m already -dressed, I’ll ride the pony right over there.” But Trot was gone, and -Martin ran all the way. - -“Why, why didn’t you take your automobile and chase after her?” asked -the policeman when Martin told him the story. “That’s the best thing to -do now. I’d go help you--but I’m needed at the fire. You’d better start -right away, you don’t want to lose any time.” - -“Oh, yes,” answered Martin, “I know. I know. I’ll go right home and -take out the car--but where do you think I had better chase to first?” - -“Inquire of the first person you meet,” called out the policeman. - -Martin and his mother were soon in the car, but there were few people -on the street, as nearly all had gone to the fire. - -“Drive on a way,” said the distracted little lady. “Drive anywhere. -It’s better than sitting still.” - -They hadn’t gone very far before they saw Tiny riding Trot toward them. - -“Were you worried?” she called, hailing them from a distance. “I went -to the fire-house to warn them of the fire.” She explained it all to -them as she came up to the car; how she wakened, and smelled the smoke, -and how she didn’t like to waken the little lady, and how she saw Trot -fastened in the stable, and how she rode him to the fire-house. - -“Dear, dear girlie,” said the little lady. “How brave you are! I’m so -glad you didn’t run away again.” - -“I never ran away,” answered Tiny. “I never, never ran away!” - -“We know you did once, dear,” said the little lady; “but we’re trying -to forget that.” - - - - -XIX - -TINY HAS MORE ADVENTURES - - -“IT seems to me,” said the little lady, a few days after the fire, -“that it would be nice for you to start in school, Tiny dear. I met -Miss Spectacles yesterday, and she asked me whether I was not going to -send you soon. ‘I don’t want the truant officer to inquire into the -case,’ she explained.” - -“Oh, nothing could please me better!” exclaimed Tiny. “I love you -dearly, but it would just be splendid to know some children.” - -Martin and the little lady took Tiny in the automobile to the -schoolhouse, which was the most delightful school building Tiny could -imagine. It stood on the center of a green lawn. All kinds of swings -and games were arranged in the playgrounds. The little lady introduced -Tiny to her teacher. - -“I’m glad to have so brave a child under my care,” smiled Miss -Spectacles, “for I’ve heard all about Tiny and the fire.” - -Tiny blushed and stood on one foot. “It didn’t seem very brave to me,” -she said, “but I’m glad you think you’ll like me.” - -After the little lady had gone, the teacher showed Tiny to a desk -and gave her lesson-books. Tiny studied the lessons well, and when -recess-time came was quite ready for play. - -The children stared at her a good deal, for no doubt they too had heard -about the fire, and many had seen her on her pony; but she was so -friendly in her manner that the girls soon overcame their shyness and -began to talk with her. - -There was one particularly pretty girl who was especially nice to Tiny, -and gave her half her apple to eat. There was another little girl -whose mother combed her hair in one braid at the back of her head. -Just as she started to talk with Tiny, one of the boys came along, and -pulled the little girl’s hair. - -“Hello, Piggy,” he said. “Hello, Piggy. Piggy-wiggy, Piggy-wiggy.” - -“Oh, dear,” said the little girl, “I do wish they wouldn’t call me -names.” - -“For shame!” Tiny called to the boy. “It is dreadfully rude for you to -call names. I won’t like you one bit if you call names.” - -“Ha, ha!” laughed the boy. “I don’t care! Piggy-wiggy wears a pig-tail.” - -“Never mind, dear,” said Tiny. “I believe I can make him stop.” - -Then the bell rang. - -After school Tiny went to the boy. “Listen,” she said, “what’ll you -take to stop calling names?” - -“What’ll I take?” repeated the boy. - -“Yes,” said Tiny, “will you promise to stop if I give you ten cents?” - -“Nope,” said the boy. “It’s too much fun.” - -“Will you take a quarter?” - -“Nope.” - -“Well,” said Tiny, “that’s all I have. I spent all the rest of my money -for ice cream and cake.” - -“Say,” said the boy, “are you offering for honest?” - -“Certainly,” said Tiny. - -“Well, then, I’ll take a ride on your pony to stop. How about that?” - -“Oh--” began Tiny, “I----” - -“I’ll always call her Piggy if you don’t,” said the boy. - -“How far?” asked Tiny. - -“Far’s I want to go,” answered the boy. - -“I’ll let you know to-morrow,” said Tiny, for that was the last thing -she wanted to pay, and she was worried. - -“I’m afraid school doesn’t agree with our Tiny,” said the little lady -to Martin that evening, “she is so quiet.” - -Tiny, who was playing the pretty white piano, turned. - -“I was thinking, dear lady,” she said, and she told of Piggy-wiggy. - -“Humph,” said Martin. “That’s easy. Let me know who that fellow is and -I’ll stop him.” - -“Can’t you manage better than that, son?” asked his mother. “Why not -let the boy ride Trot when you and Tiny are nearby in the car, and can -see that he is treated right?” - -“That’s a splendid idea,” cried Tiny, kissing the little lady. “Will -you, Martin? I know the boy is just crazy to ride the pony.” - -So a plan was agreed upon, and the boy did have a ride on Love Trot, -and he did stop calling the little girl names, and Tiny had the joy of -knowing she had made two people happy. - - -_Tiny Saves a Baby’s Life_ - -“Tiny,” said the little lady after school the next day, “don’t you want -to run over to the grocery shop and get some sugar for the pudding?” - -“Indeed I do,” laughed Tiny; “there’s nothing I like better than -pudding, you know.” - -The grocerman was very pleasant and Tiny noticed he gave her extra good -weight. - -“Shall I send it home for you, Miss?” he asked as his grocery wagon -drove up. - -“No, thank you,” said Tiny, “I’ll carry it,” and the wagon drove on. - -As Tiny reached the corner, she saw a baby toddling across the street. - -“I wonder that baby’s mother lets it go out alone,” thought Tiny. - -[Illustration: SHE RAN AS FAST AS SHE COULD AND WAS JUST IN TIME TO -DRAG THE BABY OUT OF THE WAY OF THE WAGON] - -Just at that minute the grocer’s horse and wagon dashed around the -corner. Tiny saw in a moment what would happen if somebody didn’t run -to the baby, so dropping her bag of sugar, which burst open and spread -all over the ground, she ran as fast as she could and was just in the -nick of time to drag the baby out of the way of the wagon. - -“Bless me! Bless me!” panted the policeman, running up. “I hurried as -fast as I could. If it hadn’t been for this little girl,” he continued -to the baby’s mother, who was now crying, “that baby would---- Why, -it’s the little girl that ran away! How do you do?” - -“I didn’t run away,” sobbed Tiny; “I didn’t.” - -“Well, well,” said the policeman, “I guess we can begin to forget it by -this time. After the fire warning and this----” But Tiny was hurrying -away to the store to get more sugar. - -“I do hope they won’t worry at home,” she thought. - -“That’s the girl,” said the grocer’s boy as Tiny went into the store. -“She was just in time.” - -He had been telling about the near-accident. - -The grocer couldn’t thank Tiny enough for saving the baby’s life, and -he asked her to ride in the grocery wagon so that she would get home -sooner. - -“I was so afraid you would worry, dear lady,” she said as she told the -story, “and I spilled all the sugar--every bit.” - -“Oh, my dear, I’m so thankful you were not hurt,” said the little lady, -“that I would give a hundred bags of sugar--you, dear brave little -heroine,” as she took her on her lap. - -“My mother,” began Tiny, “was something like you and----” - -“Hush, dear,” said the little lady, smoothing her hair. - -“You like to go to school, don’t you?” she asked to change the subject. - -“My, I never enjoyed school so much in all my life,” said Tiny. - -“Oh, you used to go, of course, didn’t you?” - -“Always,” said Tiny, “my father was--” and her voice began to sound -full of tears. - -“Strange,” said the little lady to herself. “Very strange why she ran -away. Maybe we’ll find out some day. I’ll inquire again if the police -have found out anything more about her.” - - -_Tiny Goes Shopping_ - -The next morning Tiny took her pig-bank from the mantel and began to -count her money. - -“Wasn’t your mother dear to give me all this spending money, Martin?” -said Tiny to Martin as he came into the room. “I do wonder how much -there is; won’t you please help me count it?” - -“Seven dollars and eighteen cents,” counted Martin, laying down the -last coin. “My! that’s a lot of money, Tiny. What are you going to do -with it?” - -“Oh, Martin, don’t tell, please. Oh, it must be a secret! I do want it -to be a surprise!” - -“Wild horses couldn’t drag it out of me,” said Martin; “but what’s the -secret?” - -“Why, Saturday is your mother’s birthday, and I’m going to buy her a -present.” - -“Grand. What will you buy?” he asked. - -“I really don’t know,” said Tiny, “but I’m going shopping this -afternoon after school. I’ve had permission to get out early, because I -told Miss Spectacles about the surprise.” - -“Wasn’t that kind of her!” said Martin. - -“People are often kinder than they seem,” said Tiny. - -Just as she put the bank in its place on the mantel, Mrs. Bountiful -came in. “Why, dear,” said she, “what a saving little girl you are; I -haven’t given you any money in a long time; here is a dollar.” - -“Oh, thank you,” said Tiny, “but you have been so good to me, I don’t -like----” - -“Never mind, dear,” said the little lady. “Come, it’s time to go to -school.” - -“I’ll be ready in a minute, as soon as I get my books.” - -“Here is a banana for recess,” said Mrs. Bountiful, following her and -kissing her good-by. - -On her way out as Tiny passed the mantel, she quickly slipped her bank -into her school-bag. - -“Good-by, all,” said she. - -She could scarcely wait for the time to come for her to go shopping, -and it seemed almost a week until Miss Spectacles nodded her head that -she might be dismissed. - -On her way to the store, she would put her hand in her school-bag every -once in a while to see if the bank was safe. - -She had been to the Globe Department Store with Mrs. Bountiful more -than once. - -“What shall I buy?” she thought. - -Just then she noticed a cute little china cat. She picked it up. -“That’s certainly cute,” she thought, “but not very useful,” so she -put it down and picked up a little stuffed dog. “Neither is that,” she -concluded and put it down. - -“Do you wish anything?” asked the saleslady politely. - -“No, thank you,” replied Tiny. - -She picked up several funny little images, and was so much interested -that she did not notice that any one was near until she heard a voice, -a man’s voice, speaking to the saleslady in an undertone: “I’ve been -watching that child for some time, Miss Sellum; please keep an eye on -her.” - -“Oh, I don’t think she’d take anything, Mr. Knockem,” replied the girl. - -Tiny looked around. No one was in sight except the pretty saleslady and -a tall, haughty-looking man. - -“I wonder who they mean?” thought Tiny. “Oh, they must mean me because -I touched those things,” and she burst into tears. - -“I never stole anything in my life--not a single--thing--ever,” she -sobbed. “I’m Mrs. Bountiful’s--little--girl----” - -“Mercy!” exclaimed Miss Sellum. - -“Pardon me, Miss,” begged the floor-walker--for that was who Mr. -Knockem was, and right scared he was, too, for Mrs. Bountiful was -one of their best customers. “I didn’t mean any harm. Can I be of -assistance to you?” - -“Why, sir,” said Tiny, drying her eyes, “it’s all right--I shouldn’t -have touched anything, I know, but--I’m trying to select a present for -Mrs. Bountiful’s birthday. It comes Saturday, you see----” - -“Oh, that’s it, that’s it, is it?” asked a new voice. It was so kind, -and full of joy that Tiny knew she’d like its owner before she looked -up at the kindly, bald-headed gentleman who had joined them. - -“Leave the little miss to me, Mr. Knockem,” he said. - -“Oh, certainly, Mr. Storem; certainly, sir,” said the floor-walker. - -“Well, my dear,” said the stout gentleman, “I believe I can help you. -I know Mrs. Bountiful quite well. The other day she was in the store -inquiring for vanity hand-bags.” - -“The kind all filled with golden powder boxes, and mirrors, and coin -holders?” asked Tiny eagerly. - -“Yes,” smiled Mr. Storem, “and here they are at this counter. Miss -Prettyman, will you show those bags to Miss----” - -“My name is Tiny, sir,” said the little girl, much pleased with the -lady, who brought several bags for her to see. - -“How much is this?” she asked, selecting a charming violet one, lined -with dainty flowered silk. - -“Five dollars,” said Miss Prettyman. “I’ve sold bags for years, but I -never saw so lovely a one at that price.” - -“I’ll take that, please,” said Tiny, reaching into her school-bag for -her bank. - -“Oh, dear,” she cried, “how am I going to get the money out of my pig?” - -You should have heard Mr. Storem laugh. “Well, well,” he said, “I guess -I’ll have to help you.” - -So he helped Tiny “fish” out the five dollars. - -Just then some one called him away. - -“I’ll be back in a few minutes, Miss Tiny,” he said. - -When the cash girl returned with the parcel, the saleslady handed it -over to Tiny just as if she were grown up. - -“Gee,” exclaimed the cash girl, “ain’t she swell, Miss Prettyman, with -the owner of the store escorting her around!” - -“Is he? Does he own this store?” asked Tiny, wide-eyed. - -“Yes, Miss Tiny,” said Miss Prettyman. - -Just at that moment Mr. Storem returned. - -“Is there anything else, Miss Tiny?” - -“Oh, I don’t like to trouble you, sir,” began Tiny. - -“Tut! Tut! Don’t mention it, little one,” said he. “The gentleman -who just called me told me you are the little girl who warned the -people about the fire, and saved the baby’s life. It is an honor to do -anything to help you.” - -Tiny blushed. “Thank you. Well, if it isn’t too much trouble, please -show me where I can get some beads to make a necklace for Mrs. -Bountiful.” - -“Certainly, certainly,” said Mr. Storem. “Right this way.” - -Tiny selected some beautiful beads, and Mr. Storem helped her again in -getting the money from her bank. - -“Mrs. Bountiful will love the necklace if I make it,” she said. “She -told me it is the kindness and the thought more than the costliness of -a gift that counts. My own mother always----” - -“Your own mother!” exclaimed Mr. Storem. “Your own! Isn’t Mrs. -Bountiful your mother?” - -“Why, no, sir,” exclaimed Tiny. - -“I read it in the Tinytown News. I read about a little girl who ran -away,” interrupted Mr. Storem. - -“I didn’t,” said Tiny. “I didn’t run away, but nobody believes me.” - -“I do, dear,” smiled the big man. “I do!” and Tiny loved him for it. - -“Good-by!” she said, “and thank you! Thank you more than I can tell -you.” - -It was rather late when she reached Rose Cottage, but the little lady -had been called out to see a sick neighbor, so she was able to hide her -gifts away. Finally Saturday came. Tiny wrapped her gifts in tissue -paper and tied them with blue ribbon, and laid them on the breakfast -table at Mrs. Bountiful’s place. - -The little lady was delighted. She opened the bag and took out the -purse and powder box and examined them and looked at herself in the -mirror. - -“Oh, you made the necklace yourself? Isn’t it lovely, my dear?” she -sighed. “You are just such a darling, loving, thoughtful little girl as -I always dreamed of for my own daughter.” - -“Put on your finery, Mother,” said Martin, handing her the bag and -throwing the necklace over her head. - -“My present,” exclaimed Martin, “is in my room,” and, excusing himself, -he brought a pretty hand-carved tea-table. - -“I made it for you myself, Mother.” - -“Was there ever such a happy old lady as I!” cried Mrs. Bountiful, -putting her arms around both the children. - -“Was there ever one who gave other people so much happiness?” asked -Tiny. - - -_Tiny’s Mother Finds Her_ - -“I wish I could tell mother about everything,” thought Tiny as she -walked along the road to school. “My, what perfectly lovely times I -have had, and how dear the little lady is; but I do miss mother. How -frightened she must be!” - -A tear dropped from her eye. - -“I won’t cry, though,” she thought. “Mother surely will find me! I know -she’s looking everywhere!” - -Just then she noticed a tiny little bird in the branches of the tree -overhead. - -“Wick--wick!” he sang. - -“Oh, you pretty little thing,” cried Tiny. - -The bird flew to a low bush, Tiny following. On and on they went, until -Tiny was surprised to find herself at the end of the town. - -“Why, I’m almost lost again,” she thought, “I better turn back.” - -“Wick--wick!” sang the bird, as he alighted on a tree just outside the -town. - -To Tiny’s amazement, he was no longer a little bird, but the same big -golden-winged woodpecker that she had followed into the forest when -she left home. She was just about to run after him when a shadow fell -across the roadway and she looked up. - -“Mother!” she cried. “Oh, Mother!” - -For the shadow was that of her mother who had gone out into the woods -to look for her. - -She stretched out her tiny little arms, but she was so very small her -mother didn’t see her. - -“Oh, Mother, here I am,” she cried, running toward her. - -She stepped off the edge of Tinytown, and in a second she was her own -self again, as big as ever. - -How she laughed and cried and hugged and kissed her mother. Then she -told all about Tinytown--just as I’ve told you, and showed her the -lovely little Rose Cottage, the town hall, the school house, the -church, the fire-engine house and the shops. - -“Mother, they were all so perfectly dear to me I hate to leave them,” -she said. - -“Why, Tiny, girl,” laughed her mother, “we can visit Tinytown again, -now we know where it is--then you can always keep your friends.” - -“Yes, and I can explain to them, Mother dear, how they were mistaken, -and I didn’t run away.” - -But when Tiny and her mother came to look for it a few days later, -Tinytown was gone. The Story People had taken it for their own. - -[Illustration: “MOTHER!” SHE CRIED. “OH, MOTHER!”] - - * * * * * - -“What a sweet story!” exclaimed Mary Frances, when the Story Lady -finished. - -“Yes, it is a sweet story,” she returned, “and we were so glad to get -it, and the town, too. It shows our children how the children of other -countries live.” - -“Aren’t you tired after telling so many stories?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Oh, no, I never grow tired of hearing and telling stories; but I like -to hear you talk. Won’t you tell me something from your country?” - -“Yes--let me see. All I can think of is a little poem about a robin and -a buttercup.” - -“Do let me hear it.” - -So she recited-- - -THE ROBIN AND THE BUTTERCUP[B] - - Down in the field, one day in June, - The flowers all bloomed together, - Save one, who tried to hide herself, - And drooped that pleasant weather. - - A robin, who had flown too high, - And felt a little lazy, - Was resting near a buttercup, - Who wished she were a daisy. - - For daisies grow so trig and tall! - She always had a passion - For wearing frills around her neck, - In just the daisies’ fashion. - - And buttercups must always be - The same old tiresome color; - While daisies dress in gold and white, - Although their gold is duller. - - “Dear Robin,” said the sad young flower, - “Perhaps you’d not mind trying - To find a nice white frill for me, - Some day when you are flying?” - - “You silly thing!” the robin said, - “I think you must be crazy; - I’d rather be my honest self - Than any made-up daisy. - - “You’re nicer in your own bright gown, - The little children love you; - Be the best buttercup you can, - And think no flower above you. - - “Though swallows leave me out of sight, - We’d better keep our places; - Perhaps the world would go all wrong, - With one too many daisies. - - “Look bravely up into the sky, - And be content with knowing - That God wished for a buttercup - Just here, where you are growing.” - -[B] Sarah Orne Jewett. - -“Oh, thank you,” said the Story Lady, “I like that. You must write it -down for me. To-morrow you shall have a lot of stories.” - - - - -STORIES TOLD THE SECOND DAY - - THE MAGIC MASK.--THE CLOSING DOOR.--TOM GOES DOWN THE - WELL.--GLOOMY GUS AND THE CHRISTMAS CAT.--PATTY AND HER PITCHER. - - - - -STORIES TOLD THE SECOND DAY - -XX - -THE MAGIC MASK - - -WHEN all the Story People were assembled, the Story King in his place, -Mary Frances in the seat of honor beside the Story Queen, the Ready -Writer at his table with pen in hand, the Story Lady began to tell one -story after another. Even the clock ticked softly, as if listening, and -no sound was heard except the sweet music of her voice as it ran from -story to story, until five in all were told. - - * * * * * - -Many years ago, a little prince was born in a rich country across -the sea. He had long been wished for, and great was the rejoicing -throughout the land when he came. - -As you may suppose, he was given everything he wanted. Indeed, if he -were denied anything for a moment, he would set up so great a cry that -the servants would run in haste to bring him what he desired; and if he -were opposed by any one he would frown and stamp his foot, and throw -himself into such a rage that his whole face would become ugly and -distorted, and the little children would run in fear from him. - -When he grew up, he delighted to fight; and nothing pleased him better -than to put on his armor and helmet and ride forth at the head of his -army. - -He won many, many victories, and his country grew richer and stronger -than it had ever been before. - -By and by the time came when his father, the king, died, and the prince -took his place. Then he wished for a queen, and began to think of a -beautiful princess he had met in one of the cities which he ruled over. -And the more he thought about her, the more anxious he was that she -should become his wife. No one else was half so fair and lovely to his -eyes. - -So one day, he made up his mind to go to see the princess. He bade his -servants deck him out in regal splendor, and put on him his royal robes -and his jeweled crown. - -“How do I look?” he asked his valet. “Did I ever appear more handsome?” - -“Oh, no, your majesty,” replied the valet. “If you will look in the -long mirror, you will see that.” - -When the king looked in the glass, he saw a wonderful reflection. -His robe was of velvet and satin in royal purple and green, jeweled, -trimmed, and embroidered--nothing was wanting in the costume. Then he -saw his own face--all seamed with frowns and hard, cruel lines. - -“Oh,” he thought, “such a face will frighten the lovely princess! What -shall I do? She will never be willing to marry me!” - -And he sent all his servants away, and sat down in a fit of melancholy; -or, as some people say, “in a fit of the blues.” - -For hours he just sat and glowered. Once a page approached him to say -that his luncheon was served, but he told him to be gone before he -ordered his head chopped off. You can imagine how fast the page ran -away. When the page told the other servants, they said, “We must not go -near him until he rings for us when he comes out of his angry mood.” - -After a while the bell did ring, and in fear and trembling the valet -went to see what the king wished. - -“Tell the groom to saddle my best steed and have it at the palace steps -within ten minutes, and do you undress me and put me in my riding -suit.” - -Quickly the change was made, quickly the horse was saddled, quickly the -king was mounted and riding away. - -“No!” he thundered, when the groom rode up to attend him on his -journey. “No one comes with me! I ride alone!” - -Through forest and dale, through valley, stream, and over stubble -the king rode, on, and on, and on, until he came to the home of the -enchanter, Herlo. - -Thrice he knocked at the door, and a deep voice bade him enter. - -“Good-day, Enchanter,” said the king, lifting the latch and entering; -“I have come on a most important errand.” - -“I know your errand,” replied Herlo; “you wish to gain the princess -Viola for a wife, and you fear she will not love you enough to marry -you.” - -“How can she, when she sees my face?” said the king. “I have come to -ask your help. Is there anything you can do for me?” - -The enchanter stopped to think, then he raised his head and told the -king, “Yes; I have a plan, but it needs your own help. I can change -your features if you will do as I tell you.” - -The king was very glad, and he promised to do everything the enchanter -bade him do. - -“Very well,” said Herlo. “I will make you a magic mask of thinnest wax. -It will be exactly the shape of your face, and no one will know that -you are wearing it except yourself. I will paint it with my magic paint -so that your features will look kind and pleasant, instead of fierce -and stern. I will fasten it upon your face so that you need never take -it off.” - -“Make it”--said the king, “as handsome and attractive as you possibly -can, and I will pay you any price you ask.” - -“This I can do only with your help,” Herlo explained; “only on this one -condition--that you keep your own face in exactly the lines I shall -paint. One angry frown or one cruel smile will crack the mask apart and -ruin it, and I can never replace it.” - -Now the king wanted the princess for his queen more than anything else -he had ever wished for, so he said, “Yes, I promise. Tell me what I -shall do to keep the mask from cracking.” - -“You must not lose your temper,” the enchanter told him. “You must -think kind thoughts. You must try to make your people happy. You must -help them, not by fighting, but by building libraries and schools and -hospitals. You must see that there are none of your subjects in want; -you must try to relieve all suffering, even of animals. You must follow -this rule: - - Help the weak if you are strong; - Love the old if you are young; - Own a fault if you are wrong; - When you’re angry, hold your tongue. - -“Call here again within ten days, and the mask will be ready. Good-by.” - -So the king rode away with happiness in his heart. - -The ten days passed slowly enough, and he could scarcely wait for the -last day to come. Early in the morning, he again rode alone to the home -of the enchanter. - -The magic mask was ready, and Herlo tried it on the king’s face. It -fitted exactly, but it transformed his countenance. Gone was the ugly -scowl; gone, the frown between his eyes; gone, the thin, straight, -sullen lips. In their stead were pleasant smiles; and kind, tender -eyes; and merciful, unselfish lips. - -And again the king rode away with happiness in his heart, for Herlo had -shown him his face in a glass. - -The next day, he rode with his retinue of courtiers to the home of the -lovely princess, and she thought him all that could be desired, and -promised to be his wife. - -And one wonderful day in the springtime they were married. Two years -sped quickly away in great joy and happiness, for the princess found -her husband to be even more kind and forbearing than she had thought -he would be. The servants never could understand what had happened to -change the king. Instead of being frightened by his presence, they were -only too glad to serve him, and his royal household was the happiest in -the world. - -[Illustration: THE MAGIC MASK WAS READY, AND HERLO TRIED IT ON THE -KING’S FACE] - -You would think that the king would have then been satisfied, wouldn’t -you? But he was not quite satisfied, for one thing troubled him. - -When the queen would smile in approval of his kindness, and his -self-control, he would think, “I wish I had not deceived my dear wife. -I wish she knew my own self.” - -At last he could bear it no longer, and so one day he rode for the -third time to the home of the enchanter, Herlo. And again Herlo met him -at the door. The king said: - -“O Herlo, I have come to you to ask you to take back your magic mask. -I cannot wear it any longer, because I cannot bear to deceive my dear -wife who thinks me so kind and good. Better the truth than to deceive -so true and kind a person as my queen.” - -“I warn you,” replied Herlo, “that if I once take off the magic mask, -you can never have it replaced. Think carefully before I remove it.” - -“Yes,” said the king, “I know, and I have weighed the question -carefully. It is better to be my own true self than to live behind a -false face. Better that the queen should despise me than to live under -false pretenses and have her love when unworthy.” - -So the enchanter took off the mask, and bade the king good-speed. - -You can imagine how the king felt as he rode home this time; how he -dreaded looking into his glass, although he knew he must do so before -he entered the presence of the queen; and how he feared that what he -most prized in this world was about to be lost--his wife’s loving trust -in him. - -But can you imagine his joy when he looked into the glass and saw his -own face--for his own face was handsomer than the mask! The ugly frown -and the wicked, cruel lines were gone, for his face had been molded -into the exact likeness of the mask; and when he came into the presence -of his wife she saw no difference in him. He was the husband she had -always so much honored and loved. - - * * * * * - -“And they lived happily ever after,” finished the Story Lady. Then -after a slight pause, she went on: “Now we will have a little goblin -story.” - - - - -XXI - -THE CLOSING DOOR - - -THERE was once a little girl, who had a dear little room, all her own, -which was full of treasures, and was as lovely as love could make it. - -You never could imagine, no matter how you tried, a room more beautiful -than hers; for it was white and shining from the snowy floor to the -ceiling, which looked as if it might have been made of a fleecy cloud. -The curtains at the windows were like the petals of a lily, and the -little bed was like swan’s down. - -There were white pansies, too, that bloomed in the windows, and a dove -whose voice was sweet as music; and among her treasures she had a -string of pearls which she was to wear about her neck when the king of -the country sent for her, as he had promised to do some day. - -This string of pearls grew longer and more beautiful as the little girl -grew older, for a new pearl was given her as soon as she waked up each -morning; and every one was a gift from this king, who bade her keep -them fair. - -Her mother helped her to take care of them and of all the other -beautiful things in her room. Every morning, after the new pearl was -slipped on the string, they would set the room in order; and every -evening they would look over the treasures and enjoy them together, -while they carefully wiped away any specks of dust that had gotten in -during the day and made the room less lovely. - -There were several doors and windows, which the little girl could open -and shut just as she pleased, in this room; but there was one door -which was always open, and that was the one which led into her mother’s -room. - -No matter what Little Daughter was doing, she was happier if her mother -was near; and, although she sometimes ran away into her own room and -played by herself, she always bounded out at her mother’s first call, -and sprang into her mother’s arms, gladder than ever to be with her -because she had been away. - -Now one day when the little girl was playing alone, she had a visitor -who came in without knocking and who seemed, at first, very much out -of place in the shining white room, for he was a goblin and as black -as a lump of coal. He had not been there more than a very few minutes, -however, before nearly everything in the room began to look more like -him and less like driven snow; and although the little girl thought -that he was very strange and ugly when she first saw him, she soon grew -used to him, and found him an entertaining playfellow. - -She wanted to call her mother to see him; but he said: - -“Oh! no; we are having such a nice time together, and she’s busy, you -know.” - -So the little girl did not call; and the mother, who was making a dress -of fine lace for her darling, did not dream that a goblin was in the -little white room. - -The goblin did not make any noise, you know, for he tiptoed all the -time, as if he were afraid; and if he heard a sound he would jump. But -he was a merry goblin, and he amused the little girl so much that she -did not notice the change in her dear room. - -The curtains grew dingy, the floor dusty, and the ceiling looked as if -it might have been made of a rain cloud; but the child played on, and -got out all her treasures to show to her visitor. - -The pansies drooped and faded, the white dove hid its head beneath its -wing and moaned; and the last pearl on the precious string grew dark -when the goblin touched it with his smutty fingers. - -“Oh, dear me,” said the little girl when she saw this, “I must call my -mother; for these are the pearls that I must wear to the king’s court -when he sends for me.” - -“Never mind,” said the goblin, “we can wash it, and if it isn’t just as -white as before, what difference does it make about one pearl?” - -“But mother says that they all must be as fair as the morning,” -insisted the little girl, ready to cry. “And what will she say when she -sees this one?” - -“You shut the door, then,” said the goblin, pointing to the door that -had never been closed, “and I’ll wash the pearl.” - -So the little girl ran to close the door, and the goblin began to rub -the pearl; but it only seemed to grow darker. Now the door had been -open so long that it was hard to move, and it creaked on its hinges -as the little girl tried to close it. When the mother heard this she -looked up to see what was the matter. She had been thinking about the -dress which she was making; but when she saw the closing door, her -heart stood still with fear; for she knew that if it once closed tight -she might never be able to open it again. - -She dropped her fine laces and ran towards the door, calling, “Little -Daughter! Little Daughter! Where are you?” and she reached out her -hands to stop the door. - -But as soon as the little girl heard that loving voice she answered: - -“Mother! Oh, Mother! I need you so! My pearl is turning black and -everything is wrong!” and, flinging the door wide open, she ran into -her mother’s arms. - -When the two went together into the little room, the goblin had gone. -The pansies now bloomed again, and the white dove cooed in peace; -but there was much work for the mother and daughter, and they rubbed -and scrubbed and washed and swept and dusted, till the room was -so beautiful that you would not have known that a goblin had been -there--except for the one pearl which was a little blue always, even -when the king was ready for Little Daughter to come to his court, -although that was not until she was a very old woman. - -As for the door, it was never closed again; for Little Daughter and her -mother put two golden hearts against it and nothing in this world could -have shut it then. - - * * * * * - -As the story ended, the Story Lady paused while the clock ticked twice, -and then said, “Next we will have a funny story about a silver teapot.” - - - - -XXII - -TOM GOES DOWN THE WELL - - -“I SEE it, I see it!” cried Tom eagerly, balancing himself perilously -over the well-curb. “It’s down at the bottom!” - -“Did you suppose it would float?” asked Bess, with a touch of scorn in -her tones. - -“Let me see,” cried Bob, pushing forward. - -“You clear out,” said Archie; “you’re to blame for dropping it in; -you’d better go before you tumble in yourself, you little goose.” - -Archie’s broken arm felt very stiff to-day, and his temper was slightly -damaged, too. All four children gathered around the well, at the bottom -of which lay the silver teapot, like truth, bright and shining, but -apparently not to be recovered by mortals. - -Mr. Bradley had gone to the village, and the children were determined -to get the silver teapot up before his return, for as yet they had not -thought it necessary to mention its disappearance, and Mr. Bradley was -not the man to notice its absence. - -“Of course, if it was lost we should have to tell,” Bess had said to -her brother; “but as long as we know where it is, and that it’s safe, -there’s no need to say anything about it.” - -“Well, what’s to be done?” asked Archie. “I can’t go after it, with my -broken arm.” - -“Now I suppose we will hear of nothing but your broken arm for a month, -and you’ll shirk everything for it. ‘I can’t study ’cause my arm’s -broken; I can’t go errands ’cause my arm’s broken; I can’t go to church -’cause my arm’s broken;’ that will be your whine, Archie; but don’t try -your dodges on me, for I won’t stand it. If it really hurts you, I’m -sorry, and I’ll lick any fellow that touches you till you get well -again, but none of your humbug. Of course you can’t go down the well; -you couldn’t if your arm wasn’t broken.” This was from Tom. - -Meanwhile Bess had gone to the house for a long fishing-pole, and soon -returned carrying it. - -“We’ll fasten a hook to the end of it, and fish the teapot up,” said -she. - -“Ho, ho! Do you suppose it will bite like a fish?” laughed Tom. - -“No, I do not, Tom Bradley. But I suppose if I tie a string to the -pole, and fasten an iron hook to one end, with a stone to keep it down, -that I can wiggle it round in the water till the hook catches in the -handle, and then we can drag it up; that’s what I suppose,” answered -Bess, preparing to carry out her design. - -“There’s something in that, Bess; you’re not so stupid as you look. -Give me the pole and let me try.” - -“No, go and get one for yourself.” - -“Where will I find the hook?” - -“In the smoke-house, where I got mine.” - -“Oh, get me one, too,” cried Bob. - -“And me one, too,” cried Archie. - -Before half an hour had passed, the four children, all armed with -fishing-poles, were intently wiggling in the water, catching their -hooks in the stones by the side of the well, entangling their lines, -digging their elbows into each other’s sides, in their frantic attempts -to pull their hooks loose; scolding, pushing, and getting generally -excited. - -Every few moments Tom would pull Bess back by her sun-bonnet, and save -her from tumbling over in her eagerness; but so far from being grateful -to her deliverer, Bess resented the treatment indignantly. - -“Stop jerking my head so,” she cried. - -“You’ll be in, in a minute; you’d have been in then if I hadn’t jerked -you,” answered Tom. - -“Well, what if I had! Let me alone. If I go in, that’s my own lookout.” - -“Your own look in, you mean. My gracious, wouldn’t you astonish the -toads down there! But you’d get your face clean.” - -“Now, Tom, you let me be; I ’most had it that time!” - -“So you’ve said forty times. This is all humbug; I’m going down on the -rope for it.” - -“Oh, no, Tom, please don’t. Indeed, you’ll be drowned; the rope will -break; you’ll kill yourself; you’ll catch cold,” cried Bess, in alarm. -She could fight Tom all day long, when in the mood for it; but to see -him deliberately rush into danger, or to contemplate the fact that a -hair of his precious head might be hurt, was more than our intrepid -Bess could bear. - -“Pooh! girl! coward!” retorted thankless Tom, pointing the finger of -scorn at his sister. “Who’s afraid of what? Stand back, small boys, I’m -going in,” and Tom began to divest himself of his jacket. - -“You’ll poison the water,” suggested Archie. - -“It will be so cold,” moaned Bob. But nobody took any notice of Bob; he -was treated with great contempt, and much hustled, as the author of the -mischief. All felt that if Tom came to grief, Bob would be answerable. - -“I’ll scream for a hundred years without stopping, Tom,” cried Bess -wildly. “You shan’t go down, you shan’t; I’ll call some one. Murray! -Peter! Maggie! O-o-o-o-o-o-o-me! O-o-o-oh, o-o-o-o-o-me!” - -“Stop screaming, and help,” said Tom, who had his shirt sleeves rolled -up to the elbow, and his pantaloons to his knee--why, no one but Tom -could tell. “Now do you three hold on tight to this bucket; don’t let -go for a moment; pull away as hard as you can when I tell you to. Now -for it!” - -And without more ado, Tom clung to the other rope with his hands, and -twisted his feet around the bucket handle. - -“Hold on tight, and let me down easy,” said Tom, and the three -children clung desperately to their rope, and lowered him little by -little. Long experience in rescuing cats from a watery grave in the -well had taught the children how to manage the ropes and buckets; but -they had not calculated on the fact that Tom would be heavier than a -cat; and it was with red faces and straining muscles that they dragged -away on their rope. However, they were able to keep Tom steady, and -he, clinging with one hand to his rope, and pushing himself away from -the sides of the well with the other, made his dangerous descent as -successfully as though his coadjutors had been gifted with Samson’s -strength. A sudden splash and shiver told them he had reached the -water, and a shout of triumph declared that the teapot was rescued. - -As Tom shouted, all three children let go the rope and rushed to the -side of the well to look at the victorious hero. - -It was a most fortunate circumstance that the water in the well was -low, and that Tom, plunged suddenly to the bottom by this unexpected -movement, was able, after much scrambling, to stand upright with his -head out of water; otherwise the earthly career of Thomas Bradley would -have been brought to a sudden and untimely end. - -As it was, he stood in the cold water up to his shoulders, clinging -still to the rope, holding the teapot with one hand, and wildly -vociferating to his admiring audience whose heads hung over the -well-curb, and their faces, as seen in this position by Tom, looked -like those of grinning fiends. - -“What made you let go?” roared Tom, and his voice sounded hollow and -unnatural as it resounded from the depths of his cool and shady retreat. - -“Oh, Tom, have you got it? Have you really? Ain’t it cold? Are you -hurt? Were you scared? Is the teapot broken?” were a few of the -questions that came faintly to him from above and sounded very unlike -angel whispers to the diver for teapots, who stood first on one leg, -then on the other, to prevent equal cramp in both. - -“Draw me up! You silly children! You goose of a Bess! Why don’t you -draw me up?” - -“We’re so tired?” called down Archie. “I helped to lower you with only -one arm, but I can’t drag any more. My arm’s broken.” - -“Bess! draw me up, I tell you!” screamed Tom from below. - -“I will, Tom; I’m going to,” answered Bess, who now reached up and -recovered the bucket, that had flown with a jerk to the top of the -well-roof when it had been so suddenly abandoned. - -But all the united efforts of Bess and Bob and Archie’s left arm -could not raise Tom. After a desperate tug he was raised an inch, and -suddenly lowered again. The result was a splash, a scramble below, -and Tom’s voice sputtering incoherent invectives. Again and again -the children tugged, and again and again Tom splashed, scrambled and -sputtered. - -At last a red, anxious face looked down to him, and Bessie’s voice, -choked with tears, called out: - -“Oh, Tom, do hold on till I call Maggie; we can’t get you up.” - -Away ran Bess to call help, followed by Archie; but Bob, whose ideas on -some points were as yet but feebly developed, seized one of the long -poles, and began to poke at his brother with it, under the impression -that some good would come of these unaided efforts. - -“Bob, be done! You’ll put my eye out!” cried poor Tom, desperately, as -the swinging iron hook circled around his head. - -“Catch hold! Catch hold!” cried Bob, getting excited as he saw how near -he came to grappling his brother. - -“Just let me get up once, and I’ll catch hold,” muttered Tom, -wrathfully; then, raising his voice, he yelled as loud as he could for -help. “Pete! P-e-e-e-e-ter! P-e-e-e-e-e-e-ter!” - -But Peter was a mile away, and consequently could not hear. Maggie had -improved the occasion of her master’s absence to visit her friend and -neighbor, Miss Flaherty, for half an hour; and Kate, summoned from her -baking, came to the rescue, but only assisted by wringing her hands and -wailing. - -[Illustration: BUT ALL THE UNITED EFFORTS OF BESS AND BOB AND -ARCHIE’S LEFT ARM COULD NOT RAISE TOM] - -“Och, he’s lost wid the cold! Shure an’ he’ll get his death now! Arrah, -what childer yez arre!” - -“Take hold of the rope and pull,” cried Bess. - -“I couldn’t rise him; shure an’ I’d only pull him up be snaps, and -dhrop him again,” said Kate, who showed a lamentable want of confidence -in her own abilities. - -“Oh, do something!” cried Bess, now almost beside herself with fear; -“do something, Kate. Oh, where is Murray?” - -“Garn for a load o’ wood, and won’t be home till night,” answered Kate. - -“Oh, Tom, can’t you shinny up the rope?” called down Bess. - -“No. I’m too stiff now with cold; besides, I couldn’t do it anyway,” -moaned the captive Tom, who looked like a Triton blowing on a -conch-shell, as he stood with uplifted teapot. He seemed to think the -teapot should be kept dry at all hazards, and wearied his arm to keep -it above water. - -“I’ll run next door and call Mr. Wilson,” said Bess, more hopefully, -and started on this errand, while Kate, suddenly inspired, rushed -to the kitchen sink, where stood the iron pump, connected by a pipe -with the well, and began to pump vigorously, apparently with the -anticipation of seeing Tom ooze through the spout, for which purpose, -and to make the matter surer, she removed the filter. - -As Bess ran she was suddenly stopped at the gate by the sight of a -carriage which had just driven up, and out of which now stepped Aunt -Maria and Aunt Maria’s husband, Uncle Daniel. These were the very -grimmest and grandest of all the relations. When they came to see -mamma, Bess had always to sit perfectly still on a chair, answer very -politely, have her very best dress on, her hair parted directly in -the middle and be intensely proper. As for the boys, they suffered -the torture by soap and water, and endured their new jackets, could -not whittle, nor whistle, nor wrestle, and were sustained under these -tribulations only by the expectation of a very good dinner and a -“bully” dessert! - -The white-and-gold china always came out on these occasions, the best -double-damask tablecloth and napkins, the heaviest silver forks and -spoons, the silver salt-cellars, and--oh, agony of agonies!--the silver -teapot! - -For one awful moment Bess stood stunned. Then her anxiety for Tom -overcame every other consideration, and before Aunt Maria could say, -“How do you do, Elizabeth?” she had caught her uncle by his august -coat-tail and in a piteous voice besought him to come and pull on the -rope. - -“Pull on a rope, Elizabeth!” said Uncle Daniel in mild astonishment. -“Why should I pull on a rope, my dear?” and Aunt Maria murmured, “Very -astonishing thing for a child to say.” - -“Oh, come quick! Hurry faster! Tom’s down in the well!” cried Bess, -with freely flowing tears. - -“Tom down a well! And how did he get there?” - -Uncle Daniel never hurried, and required a reason, always, for the hope -that was in his friends. - -“He went down for the teapot,” sobbed Bess, “the silver teapot, and we -can’t pull him up again; and he’s all cramped with cold. Oh, do hurry!” - -“The silver teapot down the well; my mother’s silver teapot! Daniel, -didn’t I always say that Mary Bradley should never have had that -teapot? This must be looked into.” - -And with dignified strides Aunt Maria marched to the well. - -Tom’s teeth by this time were chattering so that he fully expected -they would all drop out, and the three fishers were so completely -demoralized by their fears as to be speechless. - -Uncle Daniel was a slow man. He leisurely looked down at Tom, then -up at the wheel, then at the rope, and calmly remarked, “All new, I -see.” Then he slowly took off his coat, and as slowly carried it into -the house, stopped to give an order to his coachman, who had driven -around to the stable, and came with measured pace to where the three -frightened children stood listening to Aunt Maria, who was doing her -duty by them strictly and fully. - -Uncle Daniel then took hold of the rope, gave a long, strong, calm -pull, and in an instant, Tom, “dripping with coolness, arose from the -well.” - - * * * * * - -As soon as they had stopped laughing, the story teller said: - -“I will now tell you a Christmas story of the Great Northwest.” - - - - -XXIII - -GLOOMY GUS AND THE CHRISTMAS CAT - - -THE Canadian miner was the first of the men to finish “washing up,” on -his return from the mine. - -“Where’s Barbara?” he asked, tossing his towel at a peg. - -“She has a little cold and I put her to bed,” replied Mrs. St. Clair. - -The anxiety in the mother’s voice kept him from asking any more -questions. He followed the other men in to supper. - -“It seems lonesome without Barbara,” said McGill, the mining engineer. - -The rough men had made a pet of the laughing, blue-eyed little girl, -and they missed her. She had slipped into their lives so quietly that -they did not realize how much they looked forward to seeing her at -the end of the day. And Barbara returned their love. A mining camp is -hardly the place for a child, but Barbara’s father was dead, and her -mother became the cook at the Little Bear Mine. - -After supper the men sat in a grave, silent circle before the great -open fireplace. There seemed to be nothing to talk about. Other -evenings these big, rough men had had Barbara to romp with, all except -Gloomy Gus. - -But then Gloomy Gus never showed any interest in anything. He was -a big, gruff Swede, whose name appeared on the company’s books as -Gustavus Schwarstun. To the men, however, he was “Gloomy Gus.” - -“This will give me a chance to finish her snowshoes,” the Canadian -finally said, with an assumed air of gayety. “Christmas is almost here.” - -He went to the bunk room and returned with a pair of small snowshoes he -was making. - -Every one of the men was making Barbara a present--every one but Gloomy -Gus. McGill eyed him sharply. - -The big Swede did something which at another time would have met with -a roar of laughter; but not a man smiled when he pulled a ball of red -yarn and a half-knitted mitten out of his pocket. - -“I learned how to do it in the old country,” he said as he busied his -rough, calloused fingers with the crude pine knitting needles he had -made. He had unraveled the sleeve of a new red sweater to get the yarn -he needed. - -The men found it hard to work that evening, and trooped off to their -bunks earlier than usual. - -McGill remained. He went down the hall to Mrs. St. Clair’s room, where -a light was still burning, and tapped gently. - -“I’m going to put a cot in the mess room and sleep in there to-night,” -he told her. “You may need me.” - -It was after midnight when she called him. McGill found the little -patient’s fever high. He listened to Barbara’s labored breathing and -counted her pulse. - -When he looked up, he found Mrs. St. Clair watching him anxiously. He -knew from her eyes that she shared his fear--the fear that Barbara -might have pneumonia. McGill had helped the doctor fight several cases -of the disease in those mountains. They had generally been losing -fights, but he set to work. - -The big, hobnailed boots of the men fell softly on the rough floors as -their wearers slipped in for breakfast. They had prepared it themselves -and ate it silently. During the meal McGill came in. He looked worried -and did not eat. After they had finished the men waited for him to -speak. - -“It’s pneumonia,” he said briefly. - -That was all. Soon the men slipped off quietly to the mine, and McGill -went back to Barbara. - -By night Barbara was delirious. - -“It looks bad,” McGill admitted to the men. “She is fretting over that -cat.” - -When Barbara came to the Little Bear Mine, she had brought with her a -small Maltese kitten, her dearest possession. The death of the little -kitten a week before had been the greatest tragedy in her young life. - -After supper the men tried to work on their presents, but somehow the -work dragged. The hours passed, but the men did not leave the mess -room. Toward midnight McGill came out to them. “Mrs. St. Clair says you -had better come in now if you want to see her. She’s--she’s going!” - -The whole crew, from mucker to foreman, tiptoed down the hall--all -except Gus. He didn’t seem to notice that they went. - -Into the sick room they filed and stood in a little embarrassed group -by the door. Barbara tossed fretfully on the bed, her eyes glowing with -unnatural brightness. - -“I want a kitty, Santa Claus! I want my kitty!” she wailed feebly. - -The Canadian miner, tears rolling down his cheeks, left the room. The -others followed. - -Gus was still in his place by the fire when they returned. - -“I can’t stand it to see her begging for that kitten,” said the -Canadian. “I would risk my life to get one for her. I’d try to get to -Telluride, if I thought I could get back in time to do any good.” - -A minute afterwards Gus got up slowly and went out to the bunk room. - -But Gus did not stop there long. He drew on an extra sweater, rubber -coat and furs, snatched his skis and pole, and slipped from the house. - -It was after midnight. The thermometer registered way below zero. The -wind swirled down from the mountain tops with the lash of a gale. But -Gus did not mind the storm; a master of the ski, he swung down the -trail with a speed that mocked the wind at his back. - -Telluride, the nearest town, was thirteen miles away, the only route -leading there being over a zigzag pack trail. From the mine this trail -descends the crest of a ridge until it strikes the edge of the canyon, -staggers back and forth down the steep face of the canyon, then for the -rest of the way meekly follows the river. - -It is only a pack trail, narrow and dangerous at best. During the -summer a line of burros or donkeys winds along it, bringing down ore -from the mine and carrying back provisions. But when winter sets in, -the trail becomes very dangerous, and the zigzags have caused the death -of many prospectors who have stayed too late in the mountains, or taken -the trail too early in the spring. - -Gus had little difficulty down the first part of the trail. In an hour -he reached the zigzags. They were covered with hanging masses of snow -that threatened with every blast to go grinding down the wall of the -canyon. - -By his pole Gus held himself on to the side of the canyon, moving -cautiously across hanging drifts. He made his way only by grim, -desperate effort. - -At the end of thirty minutes of hard struggle he stood half-way down -the trail. Then a savage blast tore a pile of clinging snow from the -top and drove it at him. Gus saw it start, gathering speed and bulk as -it came. The whole mountain side began to move. Tons of hard-packed -snow were slipping, and he was directly in their path. There was no way -of dodging the avalanche--he must outrace it. - -There was no time to zigzag back and forth down the side of the canyon; -he had to take as direct a route as the avalanche. He threw his pole -from his grasp and shot ahead of the oncoming mass of snow. Death was -behind him. Before him rocks jutted out to trip him, and jump-offs -endangered his course. - -[Illustration: HE SWUNG DOWN THE TRAIL WITH A SPEED THAT MOCKED THE -WIND AT HIS BACK] - -But he rode his skis with reckless abandon, leaping, twisting, dodging -down the slope. Behind him crashed the snow. He was veering to the left -to escape its path. - -A leap brought him to the bottom of the canyon. But before he could -glide to safety, a mass of snow at the side of the slide caught and -hurled him before it, bruised and half buried. - -A desperate struggle freed him. His skis were broken, his muscles were -bruised and twisted. - -It was half-past three when he reached the outskirts of the town. -Mounting the steps of the first house, he rained heavy blows upon the -door. The owner stuck his head out of a window. “Who’s there?” he asked. - -“Give me a cat!” Gus ordered in a rough voice. - -“Are you crazy?” yelled the enraged man at the window. - -“I’ve got to have a cat! I’m from the Little Bear! Cook’s little girl -is sick--pneumonia! She’s goin’ to die if we don’t get her a cat!” - -“From the Little Bear? Over the zigzags? Impossible!” - -“Give me a cat or I’ll break your door in!” - -Presently a light glimmered through the night and a hastily clad man -joined Gus. A search of the neighborhood produced a cat and fresh skis. -In half an hour Gus was on the trail back. - -At the mine the men had not gone to their bunks that night. They -huddled before the fireplace, awaiting the dreaded news. McGill slipped -by now and then on some errand. - -The night dragged through, and Christmas dawned. - -Christmas! This was the first time they had planned a real Christmas -since they left their homes years ago. But now the heart had been taken -out of the day. - -They sat down to a listless breakfast. McGill came in. - -“She’s still fighting. She’s got to win or lose pretty soon,” he said. - -They did not go to the mine that morning. It was the first Christmas -the Little Bear Mine had not run. - -At ten o’clock McGill came in to report. - -“Boys, I can’t stand it any longer. She’s wearing her strength away -fretting for that cat. I’m not sure that a cat would really quiet her, -and I hardly believe any living man can make it to Telluride, but I’m -going to try.” - -“No, you’re not,” said the Canadian. “She needs you here. Besides, -you’re worn out. I’ll get the cat.” - -“We’ll draw for it,” said the men. - -“No use. Gus and I are the only two good enough on skis to have a -fighting chance.” - -“Gus! That brute hasn’t got the heart of a mine mule! He wouldn’t go at -the point of a gun! Where is he? I haven’t seen him since last night,” -stormed the foreman. - -Silently the men watched the Canadian prepare for the trail. They were -rough men, who held life cheaply, but not one of them believed a man -had a chance to make the trail and return safely. - -Suddenly the door opened and Gus staggered in. He tried to cross the -room, but his worn-out muscles refused to act, and he sank to the floor. - -The men sprang to him, laid him on a cot, pulled off his furs, and -unbuttoned his coat. Underneath the coat was an old sack. One of -the men gave it a shake. Out on the floor rolled a half-frozen, -half-smothered kitten. It told the story; it told them that Gus was a -hero. - -The next morning when consciousness returned to Gus, the men carried -his cot into Barbara’s room. On the bed he could see a little figure, -frail and worn, but sleeping the restful sleep of exhaustion. One -little arm was outside the covers, hugging up closely a fluff of a -kitten. Beside the bed, he saw the mother, smiling happily through her -tears, for she knew that Barbara would get well. - - - - -XXIV - -PATTY AND HER PITCHER - - -AT the end of the story the Story Lady paused a moment, and then said: -“We will now leave the cold and snowy world and come back to our warm -and pleasant Fairyland and to the story of Patty and her Pitcher.” - -“This is the delightful surprise I spoke of,” said the Story Queen to -Mary Frances. “Just watch the magic circle.” - -Mary Frances noticed a large circle drawn on the carpet, about which -all the Story People were grouped. - -“You are going to hear the story and see it acted at the same time. The -Story Lady will control the action with her voice.” - - -_In the Magic Circle_ - -Mary Frances sat listening entranced to the voice of the Story Lady. It -flowed on and on like sweet music, now rising, now falling, filling the -ear with charming sound, and the imagination with a perfect picture of -the story she was telling. - -The story began: - -“The most charming little girl in her native village was Patty--” - -At the words a little girl, Patty, not much bigger than Tiny of -Tinytown sprang up in the circle with her little home and the village -all about her. - -“The pigeons flew down--to coo around her--” - -And they flew down and cooed. - -“The chickens fed from her hand--” - -And the chickens came running. - -“The cat rolled over her feet and purred--” - -And the cat did it. - -“The steady old dog, Bluff, cut his liveliest capers--” - -And Bluff did it. - -As the story fell from the Story Lady’s lips there was instant -obedience in the village of the magic circle. The characters obeyed the -voice instantly, just as the feet of children dancing obey the music of -the piano. So the story flowed on--the acting kept pace with the voice -and did everything the words said. - -Mary Frances sat spellbound, for she had never seen anything so -beautiful as the way in which that wonderful voice brought every player -and every action to her ears and eyes at the same time. - -This is the story. If you keep your eyes on the magic circle you can -see it as Mary Frances saw it--through the veil of words. - - * * * * * - - -_The Wonderful Pitcher_ - -The most charming little girl in her native village, was Patty; at -least, so all the neighbors said, and what everybody says ought to have -some truth in it. - -Patty deserved their kind words, for she loved everybody and -everything, and in return she was loved by all who knew her. The -pigeons flew down from their little house to coo around her; the -chickens fed from her hand; the cat rolled over her feet and purred -with pleasure; and even the steady old dog, Bluff, put himself to the -trouble of cutting his liveliest capers to attract her attention. - -Patty was always busy, too, about something. When she was no higher -than your knee, she used to bustle about and do little things in the -handiest manner; and as for sewing, she was the pattern child at the -dame’s school, where her sampler was hung upon the wall, as a guide to -the other children. - -She lived in a little cottage with her parents, who were now old and -very poor, and depended upon their little daughter for many things -which they were too feeble to do for themselves. One of her daily -duties was to go to the spring for water. - -She would dip her pitcher into the clear, bright liquid, and sing her -sweet little songs, with a voice that made every one who passed that -way stop to listen with delight. - -Upon one of her journeys to the spring, occurred the great event of her -life, of which I am now about to tell you. - -Patty had filled her pitcher at the spring, and was carrying it home -with some little difficulty, for it was quite heavy when filled. When -almost in sight of her cottage, she saw a poor, old, travel-worn woman -sitting by the wayside, as if overcome by the fatigue of a long journey. - -She sat upon the trunk of a fallen tree; her face was as brown as a -nut, and covered with a complete network of wrinkles, while her dim -eyes looked dull and sunken. At her back was tied a bundle which seemed -quite large enough for a strong man to carry. - -She watched Patty as she came near, and cast eager eyes upon the water -in the pitcher, which seemed so cool and tempting; and after looking at -Patty’s rosy, good-natured face, she asked for some water. - -“Dear little child,” said she in a feeble voice, “give me a drink from -your pitcher, for I am very old, and faint, and weary.” - -“To be sure, mother, and welcome,” said Patty, sweetly, as she raised -up the pitcher so that the old woman could drink. - -Long and eagerly did the poor creature drink of the delicious water; so -long, indeed, that Patty was much surprised at her extreme thirst. - -“Thank you, my darling. Heaven will reward you for your kindness,” said -the old woman. - -“Oh, you are quite welcome, mother,” said Patty again, shouldering her -pitcher, and going cheerfully on her way, singing in the lightness -of her heart, at the pleasure of having relieved the poor woman’s -distress. - -But she had not gone far before she was overtaken by a large dog, who -seemed to be bound upon a long journey; for he was covered with dust, -his eyes were bloodshot, and his parched tongue hung from his mouth to -catch the cool air. - -“Poor fellow,” said Patty, in a kind voice. - -The dog turned around at the words, and stopped to look at her. She -held out her hand, and he came nearer. She then set down her pitcher -to caress him, but he strove eagerly to reach the pitcher which his -instinct told him contained water. Patty understood his wants, and held -the pitcher to the poor dog so that he could drink with comfort. - -He lapped and lapped, until she began to think he would never leave -off. At last, he looked up into her face, and licked her hand in -gratitude; then, after bounding and gamboling about to show how -refreshed he was, trotted on his way. - -Patty now looked into her pitcher and found that it was more than half -empty, so that she must take all her journey over again; for it was of -no use going home with a pitcher but half full. - -As she rose, she saw some hare-bells by the side of the road which -appeared to be in a very drooping, dusty state, so she at once poured -over them all the water that remained in the pitcher. - -Then, with her pitcher once more upon her shoulder, she turned her -steps again toward the spring, without a single regret at the double -work she had to do. She traveled blithely on over the dusty road, -cheering the way with her sweet songs, and soon arrived once more at -the margin of the spring. - -Resting for a few minutes in the shade, she gazed sleepily at the -bubbling water, and all kinds of fanciful thoughts passed through her -mind. She was just dropping off into a little nap, when she thought she -heard some one call her by name. It was a sweet little voice, and Patty -could hardly distinguish it from the tinkling of the spring. - -She rose quickly to her feet, and looked in every direction for the -owner of the voice, but in vain; till suddenly casting eyes upon the -spring, she saw, to her amazement, a dear little face looking up at her -from the water; and presently there stood before her one of the most -beautiful little creatures Patty had ever seen. - -She balanced lightly upon the surface of the rippling water, where she -seemed to stand with the same ease as Patty did upon the land, and was -really no higher than the pitcher. - -“So, Patty,” said she, “so you have come back again, my dear?” - -“Yes, Madam,” replied Patty, who, to say the truth, felt somewhat -alarmed; “yes, Madam, because I----” - -“I know all about it,” said the fairy, for it was a fairy, you know; -“and it is because I do know, that you see me here, for I am now come -to make you a useful present.” - -“A present!” said Patty, with a pleased surprise. - -“Yes, and such a one,” replied the fairy, “as will be a lasting reward -for your goodness of heart toward others, and your little care for -yourself. You blush because you do not remember the many kind things -you have done, and I am the more pleased to see that you think I am -giving you unmerited praise. - -“That you think so little of all the kind actions which are the -ornament of your life, assures me of the purity of your motives; for it -is our duty to forget the good we do to others, and to remember only -the good that others do to us. You have always done so, my dear Patty. - -“To reward you, I will place a spell upon your pitcher, which will -always be full of water or milk, as you may desire. It will also be -able to move and work whenever you wish it, and will always prove your -firm friend in any trouble. - -“If it should, by any mishap, be parted from you, it will easily, by -its magic powers, be able to find you; and in whatever position you -may happen to be, you will always find it by your side, as adviser and -friend; so put your pitcher on the ground, and look into it.” - -[Illustration: SHE THEN TOUCHED THE PITCHER WITH HER WAND] - -Patty did so, and to her surprise, saw the bright water gradually -rising until the pitcher was full to the brim. When she saw it was full -she tried to lift it, but found it too heavy for her strength. - -“You need not trouble yourself to carry it,” said the fairy, smiling; -“it will save you all further trouble on that score.” - -She then touched the pitcher with her wand, when to Patty’s greater -surprise, two very well-formed legs grew out of the bottom, and a pair -of neat little arms appeared at the top of the vessel, which, as soon -as it was firm on its legs, made a very polite bow to Patty as its -future mistress. - -“Now, Patty,” said the fairy, “follow your pitcher, and you cannot -possibly go wrong;” and as she finished speaking, she gradually faded -away, and at last broke into a thousand sparkling drops, which mingled -with the bubbling stream, and were soon borne away on its bosom. - -Patty rubbed her eyes as if to make sure that she was awake; for the -whole thing seemed to her like a wonderful dream. She coughed aloud, -and at last began to pinch herself until she found it painful, when she -finally concluded that she must be really awake. But more convincing -than all, there stood the saucy brown pitcher firmly upon its sturdy -green legs, with its toes turned out in the politest manner of the day, -and its little fists planted in its sides in a style that was very -business-like indeed. - -“Quite ready to start, mistress,” said a little voice that made Patty -jump, for the fairy had not told her that the pitcher could speak; but -screwing up courage, she said: “Come on, then, Pitcher,” and set the -example by starting off into a run. - -And didn’t the pitcher follow her in good earnest! Indeed, it ran so -fast that it soon overtook her, and not only that, but it ran beyond -her, long before she got half-way home. - -But the most surprising thing was that, although it hopped along with -the most wonderful strides and jumps over the rough places in its path, -it did not spill one single drop of water in its progress. This puzzled -Patty, who, with her utmost care, could never avoid wetting her dress -whenever she had tried to run with the pitcher, even half full. - -“What will people think when we get into the village?” thought Patty, -as she looked at her strange companion; “I’m sure they will be -frightened, and what will father and mother say when they see what I -have brought home with me?” - -“Do not trouble yourself about that,” said the pitcher, who seemed to -know her thoughts; “your parents will soon get accustomed to me, and be -much pleased when they see how handy I am, for you do not yet know half -of my good qualities.” - -As he was speaking, they came to a very high stile. “Shall I help you -over?” said Patty, thinking of his short legs. - -“Oh, dear, no,” said the pitcher; “see how little I need it.” And, -so saying, he skipped over the stile in the most graceful manner. As -he did so, a dog who was passing put his tail between his legs, and -after two or three very weak barks, scurried off in evident fright and -surprise. - -A man was at the same time coming along the road with a slow and -pompous walk--for he was the squire of the village--who, upon seeing -the strange pitcher clear the stile, was rendered almost speechless -with amazement; but as soon as he saw the little legs speeding toward -him, he uttered one loud exclamation of terror, and fled! - -His hat flew one way, his cane another, and his cloak mounted into the -air like wings. Being very fat, however, he had not gone far before his -legs failed him, and he lay kicking in a furze bush, roaring for help. -Patty could not help laughing at the sight, but the pitcher, trotting -on with the greatest unconcern, soon reached the cottage door to the -astonishment of Patty’s parents. - -The pitcher walked quietly into the cottage, and sat down in a corner, -tucking its legs carefully under it, so that no one could see them. The -neighbors, therefore, who had been alarmed at the squire’s account of -his fright and disaster, and came to the cottage in crowds, only saw a -pitcher, such as they all had at home, and put the old squire down as -being a little bit out of his mind. - -Patty was awakened next morning by hearing a noise below, as if someone -was very busy with the furniture. She heard the chairs pushed about, -and presently the handle of a pail klink down as plain as could be. So -she put on her clothes and crept down stairs. She peeped cautiously -through the red curtains at the bottom, and there, to her wondering -surprise, she saw, what do you think?--not any thieves, but the -astonishing pitcher; and what do you think it was doing? Why, it was -mopping up the red tiles of the floor as handily as if it had never -done anything else all the days of its life; and more wonderful still, -the fire was made, and was burning brightly upon the hearth! - -We can imagine a pitcher of water washing the floor, but we cannot -imagine it doing anything else with a fire except putting it out. But, -no! the fire was lighted, the kettle was on, and there it was, merrily -singing a little song about breakfast being nearly ready. - -“Good morning, dear mistress,” said the pitcher, cheerfully; “you need -not trouble yourself to do anything but grow and improve your mind; for -from henceforth you will have but little labor to do, as I am here to -do it for you.” - -You may suppose that Patty was well pleased to hear this, for she was -now growing to be a tall girl, and felt a great desire to improve -herself with books, which as yet she had had very little time to do, -having been so much taken up with her household cares. - -When Patty was left alone in the evening with the pitcher, she told him -how much she was obliged to him for all he had done, and how much she -wished to learn; but did not know what to do for books, as she had read -the few she already possessed, many times over. - -“Oh, I can soon help you there,” said the pitcher, “for you have only -to wish, and I will yield you as much milk as you desire. You can -then make butter and cheese, and go sell them at the market town; buy -as many books as you like, and have something left for other purposes -besides.” - -No sooner said than done. Patty set out all the pans she had, and all -she could borrow from her kind neighbors, and as fast as they came the -pitcher ran about and filled them; so that she soon had plenty of cream -for her butter and cheese. - -She had only to ask, and a good neighbor lent her a churn, while the -pitcher furnished a pair of arms to do the churning, and such butter -was produced as had not been seen in the village for many a day. You -may suppose that Patty was pleased; and as for her dear old parents, -they hardly knew what to make of it all. - -The same good neighbor lent her a gentle horse and some baskets; and -early one lovely morning, she started for the market-town, to which the -pleased pitcher pointed out the way. He did not go with her, as he said -the people of the town were not accustomed to see brown pitchers with -legs, so he should stay at home and see about making the cheese. - -Patty rode cheerfully on her way, looking as happy and handsome as -the best farmer’s daughter of them all--so everybody in the market -said--and she soon sold all her butter at the very best prices of the -day. - -And so Patty went on thriving, and doing good to every one in need, -until in course of time, she grew into a beautiful and lovable young -woman, living in comfort with her old parents in one of the prettiest -cottages in the village. - -Every one said that she deserved her good fortune; no one envied her; -she was loved by young and old; so, as you may well believe, she was -happy as the day is long. - - -_The Well-dressed Stranger_ - -And now, a wonderful thing came to pass, which changed the whole course -of Patty’s simple and contented life. One evening, she was standing -in her garden, feeding her pigeons, when a well-dressed stranger -approached the gate. After looking at her with admiration for a moment, -he bowed gracefully, at the same time removing his plumed hat, and, in -the politest manner, inquired the way to the next town. - -Patty answered him pleasantly, and as she spoke, the music of her voice -and the charming modesty of her manner seemed to strike the young man -with surprise and pleasure. - -He looked at her intently for a moment, which made Patty’s eyes seek -the ground in blushing confusion; then bowing again with greater -respect than before, he proceeded slowly on his way, often looking back -for another glimpse of sweet Patty. - -And now, as you probably guess, the handsome young stranger came again -and again, although he knew his way very well indeed between the -village and the neighboring town. At last she found that it was the way -to her heart he was seeking. He told her parents that he was rich, and -wished to have a wife of whom every one spoke well. He did not care how -poor she might be, so that she loved him; since he had wealth enough -for both, and could choose to marry when and where he pleased. - -You must not suppose, however, that Patty fell into the arms of the -young stranger at once. He coaxed her a great deal before she consented -to be his wife; as she wanted to make sure that he was as upright in -character as he was handsome in appearance. - -The parents smiled as they looked upon the ardent and handsome lover, -whom, however, they did not think a bit too good for their darling -Patty; and so, in as short a time as was possible, they were happily -married. - -Now the stranger who had married Patty was a prince in disguise; and -the pretty cottage-girl became a great princess, surrounded with all -the splendor of her high station! - -Did Patty now forget her early home and her old friend, the pitcher? -No, she did not, for the pitcher went with her; but her parents wished -to end their days in the peaceful village where they were born. In the -splendid state in which she now lived, the pitcher was as useful to her -as before, though in a different way. When the poor came to the palace -gate, he gave them bread and nourishing soup for their families, for -which they daily blessed the kind princess who relieved their wants. -So you see the pitcher, although now not called upon to work, still -continued, in the name of his mistress, to do good to all around. - - -_Patty in Trouble_ - -But, alas! the best of us cannot escape from envious hearts and wicked -tongues, and so it befell with Patty. Her dream of happiness was short. -Many of the wicked courtiers envied her the love of the people, to whom -Patty was endeared by her gentle kindness; and they whispered slanders -into the ears of the prince, her husband, who at last, I am sorry to -say, was weak enough to listen to them; for they aroused his fears by -telling him that she was trying to bribe the people by her charities to -rebel against him. - -They also said that she was served by evil spirits, and pointed to the -good and innocent pitcher as a proof of their wicked tales. Alas for -human weakness! The prince at last became convinced of her guilt; and -although his heart ached, he had her put into one of the dungeons of -the palace; and there poor Patty was left to mourn over the too easy -belief of her husband in her guilt. - -She did not, however, mourn long, for as night came on, the prison door -gently opened, and there, to her great delight, she saw the faithful -pitcher, with a bunch of keys in his hand. - -“Come,” said he, “let us return to your peaceful home, and show your -husband that it is his heart and not his riches that you covet. He will -come back to reason and repentance when he finds he has lost you.” - -Poor Patty followed him in deep grief; but they had not gone far in -their flight, when she perceived with alarm, that they were followed by -a band of soldiers. She screamed with fright. - -[Illustration: “BE NOT ALARMED, DEAR MISTRESS,” SAID THE -PITCHER] - - -_The Pitcher to the Rescue_ - -“Be not alarmed, dear mistress,” said the pitcher; “I will soon stop -their pursuit.” So saying, he bent over the side of a rock and poured -out a cataract of water through the valley in which the soldiers were -marching. - -Soon the water swelled into huge waves, which swept the soldiers from -their path, and compelled them to save their lives by swimming to the -nearest land, when, wet and dispirited, they soon returned to their -master, the foolish prince. - -That night Patty slept once more beneath the sheltering roof of her -parents, who, as you may suppose, received their darling with open arms. - -She once more found herself in her beloved garden, and the flowers, as -you may believe, were often watered with her tears. It was but natural -that her thoughts should wander to the home of her husband, and that -she should grieve over his cruelty in return for her pure and ardent -love. Hope, however, whispered to her, in the midst of her tears, that -he would yet learn how false the stories were that had caused not only -her unhappiness, but his also. The pitcher, too, was always at her side -to give her comfort in her silent sorrow. - -And thus days and weeks rolled on, but no news or messenger reached -her from her husband. Had he entirely abandoned her? Or did he believe -her to have been swept by the torrent that had so nearly drowned his -soldiers, who were too busy looking out for their own safety to notice -what had become of her? - -She hoped that it was so, as that in a measure would excuse him; and -even now, he might be mourning her as lost to him forever! For surely, -she thought, long ere this the evil tongues must have appeared to him -in their true light. - -One morning, she rose earlier than usual. She was restless and could -not sleep. The pure air was cool and refreshing to her fevered brow. -Looking sadly around her, she saw the dear old pitcher trimming the -flowers just like an experienced gardener. - -“Good morning, dear mistress,” said he, rubbing his hands cheerfully; -“you are up betimes to-day, for the sun has hardly yet peeped into the -valley. I am glad you are so early afoot. As you see, I am taking extra -care with the garden, for I expect visitors to-day!” - -“Visitors?” said Patty with an inquiring look. - -“Yes, visitors,” said the pitcher, from whose mouth issued a low, -chuckling laugh; “I can distinctly hear footsteps in the distance, and -they are coming this way. Listen! they are now near enough for mortal -ears to hear!” - -And so they were; nearer and nearer they came. Presently the figure -of a traveler, with a hood over his face, came in sight. He stopped a -moment, threw back his hood, and stood, struck with amazement; for it -was the prince, her husband, who believed her to be dead--drowned in -the valley, after she had escaped from prison! - -“This,” said the pitcher, “is the visitor I expected. Believing you to -be dead, he has wandered in many lands to cure his grief; and at last -ventured to this quiet cottage to see once more the spot where he first -had the good fortune to meet you. He has bitterly grieved over the sin -he has committed in believing you guilty of coveting his riches, when -he alone was all your riches and your delight. - -“That you are still alive, is the reward for his sincere repentance. -He finds you in your parents’ home where he saw you first, regretting -nothing of your past life, except the loss of the husband you love so -well.” - -The faithful pitcher here ceased speaking. The prince rushed forward -with a cry of delight, and knelt at Patty’s feet and begged her -forgiveness. - -The pitcher, like a discreet friend, placed her hand in his, and went -into the cottage. - -The prince now happy in his love, which had increased a hundred fold, -wished at once to return to his palace; and desired to send forward a -messenger, so that he might bring back his recovered wife in triumph. -The pitcher, upon this, came out and joined them. - -“Prince,” said he, “spare yourself this trouble. I am here to render -a last service to my mistress. Since your sincere love now leaves -nothing for her to desire, the fairy who appointed me to reward her -for the greatest of human virtues--self-denial, now recalls me to her -water-palace.” - -Behold! As he ceased speaking, jets of sparkling water rose high in the -air from his mouth, until the valley was filled by a lovely lake, upon -which floated a gilded barge, manned by stout rowers in the prince’s -livery, and gay with flags of all colors. - -Patty then took an affectionate leave of her parents, and she and -her husband stepped into the barge. Still the water flowed from the -pitcher’s mouth, until the lake grew into a mighty river, down which -they floated until they came in sight of their beautiful home, standing -high upon the rocks which bordered the stream. - -Hundreds of flags floated from the towers, and booming cannon sent -forth a noisy welcome. Crowds of rejoicing people stood to receive -their beloved mistress, whose kindness had long ago endeared her to -their grateful hearts; and, when at length they landed, the people -rushed forward--happy if they even succeeded in kissing the hem of her -garment. - -After that Patty lived many years in peace and prosperity; but the -magic pitcher was seen no more, for Patty was happy, and its loving -task was done. - - * * * * * - -As the Story Lady ceased speaking, the actors vanished from the magic -circle into thin air. - -“Oh, I wish I could learn to tell stories like that!” exclaimed Mary -Frances. - -“You can,” said the Story King, heartily; “for you have come to the -home of good story-tellers.” - -“Yes, you can, my dear, because you love stories,” said the Story Queen. - -“And for that reason you will always be young,” added the Story King; -“for good story-tellers never grow old.” - -“It seems too good to be true; the Story Lady is so wonderful,” -returned Mary Frances. - -This outspoken admiration pleased the Story People very much, for they -were very proud of their Story Lady. - -Now the Ready Writer folded the copies of the five stories; stepped up -with a funny little bow and handed them to their guest as before; and -that was the end of the Second Day. - - - - -THE STORIES OF THE THIRD DAY - -SIR GALAHAD - - KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE.--GALAHAD RECEIVES - THE ORDER OF KNIGHTHOOD.--THE ADVENTURE OF THE SWORD IN THE - STONE.--SIR GALAHAD SITS IN THE PERILOUS SEAT.--SIR GALAHAD WINS - THE SWORD OF BALIN LE SAVAGE.--THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE - SET OUT IN QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAIL.--SIR GALAHAD FINDS A WHITE - SHIELD WITH A RED CROSS.--SIR LAUNCELOT AND SIR PERCIVAL ATTACK - SIR GALAHAD.--THE ADVENTURE OF THE GENTLEWOMAN, THE MYSTERIOUS - SHIP, AND THE SWORD OF THE STRANGE BELT.--THE GENTLEWOMAN RISKS - HER LIFE FOR ANOTHER.--SIR GALAHAD MEETS A KNIGHT IN WHITE - ARMOR.--SIR GALAHAD ACHIEVES HIS QUEST, AND BEARS THE HOLY GRAIL - ACROSS THE SEA.--THE PASSING OF SIR GALAHAD, THE END OF SIR - PERCIVAL, AND THE RETURN OF SIR BORS TO CAMELOT.--HOW SIR LAUNFAL - ACHIEVED THE HOLY GRAIL. - - - - -THE STORIES OF THE THIRD DAY - -XXV - -SIR GALAHAD - - -_King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table_ - -WHEN the Story People were assembled on the third day, the Story Lady -began: - -In the early days of Britain there lived a noble king, Arthur, and -his brave knights of the Round Table. The king and his knights were -famous for their feats of arms, their deeds of valor, and their many -adventures. Among them none was nobler and braver than King Arthur, -until Galahad came; but Galahad surpassed them all, because he -accomplished the feat in which so many failed--he conquered himself, as -you shall hear. - -Now King Arthur held his court three times a year, at Christmas, at -Easter, and at Pentecost, in the lovely town of Camelot. Here stood -Camelot Castle, with its high towers and great jousting field in the -meadow by the river, where the knights held their tournaments and -performed their feats of arms. - -At these times all the brave knights of Christendom flocked to Camelot, -and the bravest were chosen to sit at the Round Table, where they -feasted, told their adventures, and planned new deeds of valor. Here -King Arthur would charge them to commit no murder, outrage, or treason; -also to be courteous and never to refuse mercy; always to defend women -and children on pain of death; and never to fight in a wrong quarrel -for law or worldly goods; and to this he pledged both old and young -every year at the high feast of Pentecost. - -In the center of the great hall of the castle, with its lofty arches -and high windows, stood the Round Table. “Merlin, the magician,” so -the tale goes, “made the Round Table in token of the roundness of the -world; for all the bravest of the world, Christian and heathen, resort -to the Round Table; and when they are chosen to be of that company, -they think themselves more happy and more in honor, than if they had -gotten half the world.” - -When Merlin had made this wonderful table he said that, by the knights -who sat about it, the truth of the Holy Grail should be well known. - -Now, the Holy Grail was the cup which was supposed to have been used by -our Saviour at the Last Supper, and was said to have been brought into -Britain by Joseph of Arimathea. After a time, through the sin of those -who had charge of it, this holy vessel became lost, and the knights -of the Round Table sought to recover it; but only a knight who was -perfectly blameless in thought, word, and act could hope to succeed. - -When Merlin was asked who was best fitted for this quest, he said that -three blameless knights should achieve it; and that one of the three -should surpass his father as much as the lion surpasses the leopard, -both in strength and boldness. - -Those who heard Merlin say this, said, “Since there is to be such a -knight, you should make by your skill a seat for him to sit in.” - -Merlin answered that he would do this; and so he made the Perilous -Seat, in which no man dare sit on pain of being hurt, except the knight -for whom the seat was made. This knight was Sir Galahad, of whom the -poet Tennyson writes: - - “My good sword carves the casques of men, - My tough lance thrusteth sure, - My strength is as the strength of ten, - Because my heart is pure.” - -The tales themselves are from an old book, “Le Morte d’ Arthur,” -written by Sir Thomas Malory in the fifteenth century. - - -_Galahad Receives the Order of Knighthood_ - -One day, at Pentecost, when the tables were set, ready for the -feasting to begin, there rode into the great hall of the castle a -fair gentlewoman on horseback, her horse covered with sweat and foam. -Quickly alighting, she came to King Arthur, who was surrounded by his -knights, and saluted him. - -“Damsel, God bless you,” said the king. - -“Sir,” said she, “show me where Sir Launcelot is.” - -“There you may see him,” said the king, pointing to the knight. - -She went to Sir Launcelot and said, “Sir Launcelot, I salute you and -require that you come with me.” - -“What is your will with me?” asked Sir Launcelot. - -“You shall soon know and understand,” she replied. - -“Well,” said he, “I will gladly go with you.” - -Sir Launcelot bade his squire saddle his horse and bring his armor. - -The queen then came to Sir Launcelot and asked in surprise, “Will you -leave us at the high feast?” - -The gentlewoman answered for him: “Madam, he shall be with you again -to-morrow at mid-day.” - -So Sir Launcelot departed with the gentlewoman and rode into a great -forest till he came to an abbey. When the squire opened the gates he -entered and descended from his horse, and there met two of his cousins, -Sir Bors and Sir Lionel, who were very glad to see him. - -“Sir,” said Sir Bors, “what adventure brings you here? We thought to -see you at Camelot to-morrow.” - -“A gentlewoman brought me here,” said Sir Launcelot, “but I know not -the cause.” - -While they were talking, twelve nuns came in, bringing with them -Galahad, a youth so handsome and well-made that scarcely in the world -might men find his match; and all the ladies wept. - -“Sir,” said one of the ladies, “we bring here your son, whom we have -nourished for you; and we pray you now to make him a knight, for he -could not receive the order of knighthood from a worthier man’s hand.” - -Sir Launcelot looked at the young squire and thought that, for his age, -he had never seen so fine a man. - -“Is this your own desire?” he asked. - -“Yes,” replied his son. - -“Then you shall receive the high order of knighthood to-morrow,” said -Sir Launcelot. - -Early in the morning at Galahad’s desire he made him a knight, and -said, “God make him a good man, for he is as handsome as any man that -lives.” This he did in the presence of his two cousins and the ladies -of the abbey. - -“Now, fair sir,” said he, “will you come with me to the court of King -Arthur?” - -“Sir,” said Sir Galahad, “I cannot go with you at this time, but -shortly I will come.” - -Sir Launcelot then departed with his cousins and returned to Camelot, -and the king and queen and all the knights were exceeding glad to see -them. - - -_The Adventure of the Sword in the Stone_ - -When the king and his knights entered the great hall for the feast, -they were surprised to see on the seats about the Round Table their -names in letters of gold, which told where each one ought to sit. When -they came to the Perilous Seat, they saw letters newly-written which -said: - - “Four hundred and fifty-four winters have now passed since the - birth of our Lord, and this seat ought to be filled.” - -They all said, “This is a strange and a marvelous thing.” - -Sir Launcelot then counted the time and said, “It seems to me this -seat ought to be filled to-day; for this is the feast of Pentecost -after the four hundred and fifty-fourth year; and, if it please all -here, let no one see these words till he arrives who ought to achieve -this adventure.” - -Then they took a silken cloth and covered the letters in the Perilous -Seat, and the king ordered the dinner to be served. - -“Sir,” said Sir Kay, the steward, “if you go now to dinner you will -break an old custom of your court, for you never sit down on this day -until you have seen some adventure.” - -“You speak the truth,” said King Arthur, “but I was so glad to see Sir -Launcelot and his cousins that I forgot the custom.” - -While they were still speaking, a squire came in and said to the king, -“Sir, I bring you marvelous tidings.” - -“What are they?” he asked. - -“Sir, I saw in the river below a great stone floating on the water, and -in it a sword sticking.” - -“Then,” said the king, “I will see that marvel.” - -The knights went with him down to the river and saw there a stone of -red marble floating, like a great millstone, and in the middle was -stuck a beautiful sword, in the handle of which were words formed of -precious stones set in gold, which said: - - “Never shall man draw me out, save the one by whose side I ought - to hang, and he shall be the best knight of the world.” - -When the king read the letters, he said to Sir Launcelot, “Fair sir, -this sword ought to be yours; for I am sure you are the best knight of -the world.” - -“Sir,” answered Sir Launcelot soberly, “it is not my sword, nor am I -bold enough to grasp it, for it ought not to hang by my side; also, -whoever attempts to draw it and fails, will receive a wound and will -not live long after; and I am sure you must know that to-day the -adventures of the Holy Grail will begin.” - -“Now, fair nephew,” said the king to Sir Gawain, “attempt it once for -me.” - -“Sir,” said Sir Gawain, “I will obey your command.” - -Immediately he grasped the sword by the handle, but could not stir it. - -“I thank you,” said King Arthur. - -“Sir Gawain,” said Sir Launcelot, “this sword will one day hurt you so -sorely that you will wish you had never put your hand to it for the -best castle of the realm.” - -“Sir,” said Sir Gawain, “I might not resist my uncle’s command.” - -When King Arthur heard this he was sorry, and then he bade Sir Percival -try it, who said that he would gladly, to bear Sir Gawain company. -Thereupon he took hold of the sword and drew it strongly, but he could -not even move it. After that there was no one who was bold enough to -attempt it. - -“Now you may go to dinner,” said Sir Kay, “for you have seen a -marvelous adventure.” - - -_Sir Galahad Sits in the Perilous Seat_ - -The king and all the knights then returned to the castle and each -knight sat in his own place at the table, and the young men who were -not knights served them. When all were served and all the seats were -filled except the Perilous Seat, a strange thing happened; for all the -windows and doors of the castle shut by themselves; yet, for all that, -the hall was not greatly darkened. - -King Arthur was the first to speak. “Fair comrades,” he said, “we have -seen marvels to-day; but methinks ere night we shall see still greater -marvels.” - -Even while he was speaking, an old man came in, clothed all in white; -and none of the knights knew who he was or where he came from. With him -was a young knight in red armor, without sword or shield; but an empty -scabbard hung by his side. - -“Peace be with you, gentlemen,” said the old man; then to King Arthur, -“Sir, I bring you a young knight who is of king’s lineage, and of the -kindred of Joseph of Arimathea; therefore the marvels of this court, -and of strange countries, shall be fully accomplished.” - -[Illustration: IMMEDIATELY HE GRASPED THE SWORD BY THE HANDLE, BUT -COULD NOT STIR IT] - -The king was truly glad to hear this, and said, “Sir, you are heartily -welcome, and the young knight with you.” - -When the young knight had taken off his armor he stood in a coat of red -silk, and the old man put on his shoulder a mantle, furred with fine -ermine, and said: “Sir, follow me.” - -Then he led the way to the Perilous Seat, beside which sat Sir -Launcelot; and then lifted up the cloth and found new letters which -said: - - “This is the seat of Sir Galahad, the good knight.” - -“Sir,” said the old man, “know well this place is yours.” - -Sir Galahad sat down safely in the Perilous Seat, and then said to his -guide, “Sir, you may now go your way, for you have done as you were -commanded to do; and recommend me to my grandfather, King Pelleas, and -say that I shall come to see him as soon as I may.” - -When the old man departed twenty squires met him, and they took their -horses and rode away. - -The knights of the Round Table wondered greatly at Sir Galahad, because -he was so youthful, and because he dared to sit in the Perilous Seat; -and they did not know where he was from, save from God, and they said, -“This is he by whom the Holy Grail shall be achieved, for no man ever -before sat there unhurt.” - -Sir Launcelot looked at his son with great joy, and Sir Bors said to -his comrades, “Upon pain of my life, this young knight shall come to -great honor.” - -There was so much noise in the hall that the queen heard it, and she -had a great desire to see the knight who dared such an adventure. When -dinner was done the king rose and went to Sir Galahad’s seat and lifted -the cloth and read his name. Then he showed it to Sir Gawain and said, -“Fair nephew, now we have among us the blameless knight who will bring -honor to us all; and, upon pain of my life, he shall achieve the Holy -Grail, as Sir Launcelot has given us to understand.” - -King Arthur then came to Sir Galahad and said, “Sir, you are welcome, -for you shall move many good knights to seek the Holy Grail, and you -shall achieve what no other knight has been able to accomplish.” - - -_Sir Galahad Wins the Sword of Balin Le Savage_ - -The king then took Sir Galahad by the hand, and went down to the river -to show him the adventure of the stone, and the queen and many ladies -went with them and saw the stone floating in the water. - -“Sir,” said the king to him, “here is a great marvel as ever I saw, and -right good knights have attempted it and failed.” - -“Sir,” answered Sir Galahad, “that is no marvel, for the adventure is -not theirs, but mine; and because of this sword I brought none with me, -for its empty scabbard hangs by my side.” - -Then he grasped the sword quickly, and drew it out of the stone, and -put it into his scabbard, and said, “Now it goes better than it did -before.” - -“Sir,” said the king, “a shield also God shall send you.” - -“Now,” said Sir Galahad, “I have the sword that once belonged to the -good knight, Sir Balin le Savage; with this sword he slew his brother -Balan, and that was a great pity, for neither knew that he fought his -brother until wounded to death.” - -With that they saw a lady on a white horse riding along the river bank -toward them. She saluted the king and queen and asked for Sir Launcelot. - -“I am here, fair lady,” said Sir Launcelot. - -Then she said, weeping, “Your great doings are changed since this -morning.” - -“Damsel, why do you say so?” demanded Sir Launcelot. - -“I say truth,” said she, “for you were to-day the best knight in the -world, but whoever said so now would be proved a liar. There is one -better than you, for you dared not grasp the sword! Therefore, I ask -you to remember that you are no longer the best knight in the world.” - -“As to that,” said he, “I know well I was never the best.” - -“Yes,” said the damsel, “you were, and are yet of any sinful man of -the world: and, Sir,” she said to the king, “Nacien, the hermit, sends -word of the greatest honor that ever befell king in Britain, for to-day -the Holy Grail shall appear to thee and all thy comrades of the Round -Table.” - -Having thus spoken, the damsel took her leave and departed the same way -that she came. - -“Now,” said the king, “I am sure that all of you who sit at the Round -Table will set out in quest of the Holy Grail, and I shall never see -you together again; therefore let us go to the meadow of Camelot and -hold a tournament, so that after your death men may say that we were -all together on this day.” - -To this they all agreed, and assembled with their arms in the jousting -field. Now the king wished to prove Sir Galahad and to see what he -would do. At the king’s request he put on his armor, but would not take -a shield. Then Sir Gawain begged him to take a spear, which he did. And -the queen sat in a tower with all her ladies to see the tournament. - -Then Sir Galahad took his place in the field and began to break -marvelously the spears of those who rode against him, so that men -wondered. In a short while he overthrew and unhorsed many of the good -knights of the Round Table, save two, Sir Launcelot and Sir Percival. - -Then the king made Sir Galahad alight from his horse and unlace his -helmet so that Queen Guinevere might see him closely. When she saw him -she said, “Truly, he is the son of Sir Launcelot, for never did two men -more resemble each other; it is no wonder that he has great valor.” - -A lady who stood by said, “Madam, ought he of right to be so good a -knight?” - -[Illustration: THEN SIR GALAHAD TOOK HIS PLACE IN THE FIELD] - -“Yes,” said she, “for he comes of the best knights in the world, and of -the highest lineage.” - - -_The Knights of the Round Table Set Out in Quest of the Holy Grail_ - -The king and all his knights then left the jousting field, and rode to -Camelot Church to evensong; and after that they went home to supper. At -supper, as each knight sat in his own place at the Round Table, there -arose a great storm, and the cracking and crying of the thunder was -so terrible that they thought the roof and walls of the castle were -breaking apart. - -In the midst of the blast a sunbeam entered the great window, seven -times whiter than the light of day. Then every knight seemed fairer -than his comrades had ever seen him, and no one dared speak for a long -while, but all looked at each other as if they had been dumb. - -Then there entered on the sunbeam the Holy Grail, but it was covered -with a white silken cloth, so that no one could see it, or who bore it. -Then the hall was filled with sweet odors, and every knight had such -meat and drink as he liked best; and when the Holy Grail had been borne -through the hall, it departed as suddenly as it came and the marvelous -light with it, but no one knew where. When they had breath to speak, -the king gave thanks. - -“Certainly,” said he, “we ought greatly to thank our Lord for what he -has shown us to-day at this high feast of Pentecost.” - -“Now,” said Sir Gawain, “we have been served to-day with the food we -liked best, but are sorry that we did not see the Holy Grail uncovered. -Therefore, I will here make a vow to set forth on its quest to-morrow -to be gone a year and a day, or longer if need be, and I shall not -return till I have seen it more openly than to-day. If I do not find -it, I shall return again, if it be not contrary to the will of our -Lord.” - -When the knights of the Round Table heard this, the most part of them -arose and made the same vow. But King Arthur was greatly displeased, -for he well knew that they might not break their vows. - -“Alas,” said he, “your vows will nearly slay me; they will rob me of -the bravest comrades and the truest knights ever seen together in any -realm; and I foresee that we shall never meet in fellowship again, -for many of you that I have loved as well as my life will die in this -quest.” - -With that the tears came into his eyes, and he said, “Sir Gawain, Sir -Gawain, you have given me great sorrow, for I much doubt that my true -fellowship shall ever meet here again.” - -“Ah,” said Sir Launcelot, “comfort yourself; it will bring us greater -honor than if we had died in any other quest, for of death we are sure.” - -“Ah, Sir Launcelot,” said the king, “the great love I have had for -you all the days of my life makes me say such sorrowful words; for -Christian king never had so many worthy men at his table as I have had -at the Round Table to-day.” - -When the queen and her gentlewomen heard these things, they were filled -with sorrow, for their knights held them in great honor and affection, -but the queen was the most sorely grieved of all. - -“I marvel,” said she, “that the king will permit them to leave him.” - -Thus all the court was troubled that night, and many of the ladies -desired to accompany their husbands; but an old knight arose and said -this could not be, for in so high and dangerous a service they must go -forth alone. - -After a while they all went to rest, and Sir Galahad was put to bed in -the king’s own chamber. As soon as it was daylight the king arose, for -he had no sleep that night for sorrow. He went at once to Sir Gawain -and Sir Launcelot and said again, “Ah! Sir Gawain! Sir Gawain! You have -betrayed me, for my court will never be restored; but you will never be -as sorry for me as I am for you.” - -With that the tears began to run down his face, and he said, “Ah! -knight, Sir Launcelot! I ask that you counsel me, for I wish this quest -to be undone, and it can be.” - -“Sir,” said Sir Launcelot, “you saw yesterday that many worthy knights -were sworn to this quest, and they cannot break their vows.” - -“That I know well,” said the king, “but my grief at their going is so -great that no joy will ever heal it.” - -After the king had gone, the two knights ordered their squires to bring -their arms, and when they were armed they joined their comrades and all -went to the church to hear their service. - -After the service was over the king took count of those who had taken -the vow to search for the Holy Grail and found that there were a -hundred and fifty, all knights of the Round Table. - -When they had bidden the queen and their ladies farewell, they put on -their helmets and were ready to set forth, and there was weeping and -great sorrow. Then the queen departed to her chamber to hide her grief. -So the knights mounted their horses and rode through the streets of -Camelot, and there was much weeping of both rich and poor; and the king -turned away, for he could not speak for weeping. - -After leaving the town, the men at arms rode all day, and toward -evening arrived at a castle called Vagon. The lord of the castle was -a good old man and he opened his gates and made them welcome and gave -them good cheer, and there they passed the night. In the morning they -all agreed that they should separate; so, bidding each other farewell, -they departed, and each knight took the way that pleased him best. - - -_Sir Galahad Finds a White Shield With a Red Cross_ - -Now Sir Galahad rode four days without adventure, for as yet he had no -shield. On the fourth day, toward evening, he arrived at a white abbey -where he was received with great honor. There he found two knights of -the Round Table, Sir Badgemagus and Sir Uwaine, who were delighted to -see him, and they went to supper together. - -“Sirs,” said Sir Galahad, “what adventure brought you here?” - -“Sir,” they answered, “we are told there is a shield in this place, and -whoever wears it about his neck will be wounded to death within three -days, or else be maimed forever.” - -“Ah! Sir,” said Sir Badgemagus, “I shall wear it to-morrow and attempt -this strange adventure.” - -“By my faith!” cried Sir Galahad. - -“Sir,” said Sir Badgemagus, “if I do not achieve the adventure of the -shield, you shall try it, for I am sure you shall not fail.” - -“Sir,” said Sir Galahad, “I agree right well to that, for I have no -shield.” - -The next day when Sir Badgemagus inquired for the shield a monk led him -behind the altar, where the shield hung as white as snow, but in the -center was a red cross. - -“Sir,” said the monk, “no knight ought to hang this shield about his -neck, unless he be the worthiest in the world, therefore I counsel you -to be well-advised.” - -“Well,” said Sir Badgemagus, “I know I am not the worthiest knight in -the world, yet I shall attempt to wear it.” - -He then took the shield and said to Sir Galahad, “If it please you, I -pray you remain here, till you know how I succeed.” - -“I shall await you here,” said he. - -After riding two miles, Sir Badgemagus and his squire came to a -hermit’s house, from which a goodly knight rode forth to meet him. This -knight was in white armor, horse and all, and he came as fast as his -horse might run, with his spear in rest. Sir Badgemagus ran against -him with such violence that he broke his spear upon the white knight’s -shield; but the other struck him so hard that he broke his armor, -pierced him through the shoulder and threw him from his horse. - -With that the white knight alighted and took the white shield from -him, saying, “Knight, thou hast done a foolish act, for this shield -ought not be borne save by one that shall have no equal.” - -Then he said to the wounded knight’s squire, “Bear this shield to the -good knight, Sir Galahad, and greet him well for me.” - -“Sir,” said the squire, “what is your name?” - -“Take no heed of my name,” said the white knight; “it is not for you to -know, nor any earthly man.” - -“Now, fair sir,” said the squire, “tell me why this shield cannot be -borne without injury to the bearer.” - -“Now, since you ask me,” said he, “this shield belongs to no man but -Sir Galahad.” - -Then he set the wounded man on his horse and brought him to the -hermit’s house and laid him gently in a bed, where his wound was -dressed. There he lay a long time, and hardly escaped with his life. - -“Sir Galahad,” said the squire on his return, “the knight who wounded -Sir Badgemagus sends you greeting, and bids you bear this shield, for -through it great adventures shall befall.” - -“Now blessed be God and fortune,” said Sir Galahad. - -He then put on his armor, mounted his horse, hung the shield about his -neck and commended them to God. Sir Uwaine said that if it pleased him -he would accompany him. - -“Sir,” said Sir Galahad, “that cannot be, for I must ride alone.” - -After awhile he came to the hermit’s house, where he met the white -knight and saluted him courteously. - -“Sir,” said he, “this shield must have seen many marvelous things.” - -[Illustration: A MONK LED HIM BEHIND THE ALTAR WHERE THE SHIELD -HUNG WHITE AS SNOW, BUT IN THE CENTER WAS A RED CROSS] - -“Sir,” said the knight, “the legend says that, thirty years after the -crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea, the gentle knight who took down our -Lord from the cross, departed from Jerusalem and his people with him, -and came to a city called Sarras. Now, Evelake, the king of Sarras, -had a war against the Saracens. Joseph told the king that he would be -defeated and slain unless he gave up his belief of the old law and -believed in the new. - -“He then showed him the right belief, to which he agreed with all his -heart, and this white shield was made for Evelake in the name of Him -who died on the cross. After he had overcome his enemies with the help -of this shield, he was baptized and, for the most part, all the people -of the city. - -“Soon after this Joseph departed from Sarras and Evelake with him; -and, so the tale goes, Joseph carried the holy vessel and Evelake the -shield, till, by good fortune, they came into the land of Britain. - -“In due time Joseph lay on his death-bed and Evelake was full of sorrow -and said, ‘For thy love I left my country; now, since thou art going -out of the world, leave me some token of remembrance.’ - -“‘I will do that gladly,’ said Joseph; ‘bring me the shield.’ - -“Now Joseph made a cross on this shield with his own blood, and said, -‘Now you may know that I love you, for when you see this cross you -shall think of me, for it shall always be as clear as it is now; and no -man shall bear this shield without injury, except the good knight, Sir -Galahad, who shall do many marvelous things.’ - -“Now know, Sir Galahad, that this is the day set for you to have this -shield.” When he had thus spoken the white knight vanished from his -sight. - - -_Sir Launcelot and Sir Percival Attack Sir Galahad_ - -Thus equipped with a shield, Sir Galahad set out on his quest; and, -after many adventures, found himself in a vast forest. There he saw Sir -Launcelot and Sir Percival riding along, but neither knew him, for he -had newly disguised himself. - -Sir Launcelot, his father, at once put his spear in rest and rode at -his son, Sir Galahad, who struck so hard in his own defense that he -threw both horse and man. Then he drew his sword to defend himself -against Sir Percival who now attacked him. He dealt him such a blow -that it broke his cap of steel; and, if the sword had not swerved, Sir -Percival might have been slain. As it was, he fell out of his saddle. - -These encounters took place near the hermitage of a lady who was a -recluse. When she saw Sir Galahad ride she said, “God be with you, the -best knight of the world.” - -Then she cried aloud, so that Sir Launcelot and Sir Percival might -hear, “Ah! certainly, if those two knights had known thee as well as I -do, they would not have dared the encounter.” - -When Sir Galahad heard her say this, he was much afraid of being known; -so he put spurs to his horse and rode away at a great pace. Then both -knights knew that it was Sir Galahad, and quickly mounted their horses -and rode after him, but he was soon out of their sight, and they turned -back with heavy hearts. - -“Let us make inquiry of yonder recluse,” said Sir Percival. - -“Do as you please,” said Sir Launcelot; and then rode headlong, keeping -no path, but as wild adventure led him, and was soon lost in the depths -of the forest. - -But Sir Percival went to the door of the recluse, who asked what he -wished. - -“Madam,” he replied, “I am a knight of King Arthur’s court, Sir -Percival de Galis. Do you know the knight with the white shield?” - -When the recluse heard his name she was exceeding glad, for she greatly -loved him, as she had a right to do, for she was an aunt of his whom he -had never seen. - -“Sir,” said she, “why would you know?” - -“Truly, madam,” said he, “that I may fight with him, for I am ashamed -of my defeat.” - -“Ah! Sir Percival,” said she, “I see that you have a great will to be -slain as your father was through recklessness.” - -“Madam,” said he, “it seems by your words that you know me.” - -“Yes,” said she, “I ought to know you, for I am your aunt.” - -Then Sir Percival wept, when he knew who she was. - -“Ah! fair nephew,” said she, “when have you heard from your mother?” - -“Truly,” said he, “not in a great while, but I often dream of her in my -sleep.” - -“Fair nephew,” said she, “your mother is dead; for after you set out on -this quest, she fell into such sorrow that she soon died.” - -“Now may God have mercy on her soul,” said he sadly, “for I was sorely -afraid of it; but we must all change our life. Now, tell me, fair aunt, -was that knight he who bore the red arms at Pentecost?” - -“That is he,” said his aunt; “he is without equal, for he works by -miracle, and cannot be overcome by the hands of any earthly man.” - -“Now, madam,” said he, “since I know this I will never have to do with -Sir Galahad except by way of kindness. Tell me how I may find him, for -I would much love his company.” - -“Fair nephew,” said she, “you must ride to the castle of Goothe, where -his first cousin lives, and there you may lodge for the night. If you -get no word of him there, ride straight to the castle of Carbonek where -the crippled king lives and there you will hear tidings.” - -Sir Percival left his aunt sorrowing, and rode till evensong when he -heard a clock strike. Then he came upon a castle closed in with high -walls and deep ditches, and knocked at the gate, but could get no word -of Sir Galahad. There he passed the night, and in the morning departed -and rode till the hour of noon. - -In a valley he overtook a company of about twenty men at arms who bore -a dead knight upon a hearse. When they saw Sir Percival they asked him -who he was. - -“A knight of King Arthur’s court,” he answered. - -Then they cried all at once, “Kill him!” - -Straightway Sir Percival struck the first to the ground and his horse -upon him. Then seven of them at once ran at him and threw him and slew -his horse. - -Now, had not the good knight, Sir Galahad, happened by adventure in -those parts, they would have killed or captured Sir Percival instantly. -But when he saw so many knights attacking one man, he cried, “Spare -that knight’s life!” - -With that he charged the twenty men at arms as fast as his horse might -drive with spear in rest, and hurled the foremost horse and man to the -ground. When his spear was broken he seized his sword and struck out -right and left, so that it was a marvel to see. At every blow he cut -one down or wounded him, so that the rest became frightened and fled -into a thick forest and Sir Galahad followed hard after them. - -When Sir Percival saw him chase them so, he knew it was Sir Galahad and -wept with rage, for his horse was dead. He ran after him afoot, crying -for him to stop while he thanked him. - -But Sir Galahad rode fast after the knights he was chasing and was soon -out of sight. And as fast as he could Sir Percival went after him on -foot, crying, but could not overtake him. - - -_The Adventure of the Gentlewoman, the Mysterious Ship, and the Sword -of the Strange Belt_ - -Now, says the tale, when Sir Galahad had rescued Sir Percival, he -went into a vast forest, where he rode many journeys and found many -adventures. - -One day, after many weary hours on horseback, as night was falling, he -arrived at a lonely hermitage and knocked. The good man was very glad -to welcome a knight-errant and to hear his tales, and so they talked -till late. Soon after they had gone to rest, there was a knocking at -the door. - -When the hermit asked who was there, a voice said, “I am a gentlewoman -who would speak with the knight that is with you.” - -Then the good man awoke Sir Galahad and bade him arise and speak with -the gentlewoman, who, said he, “seems to have great need of you.” So -Sir Galahad arose and asked her wish. - -“Sir Galahad,” said she, “I wish you to arm yourself, mount your horse -and follow me, and I will show you within three days the highest -adventure that any knight ever saw.” - -Sir Galahad took his arms at once, mounted his horse, commended himself -to God, and bade the gentlewoman go and he would follow where she -wished. - -The damsel rode as fast as her horse would gallop that night and all -the next day till they came within reach of the sea. Toward night they -halted at a castle that was enclosed with running water and high walls. -Here Sir Galahad had great welcome, for the lady of the castle was the -damsel’s lady. - -When he was unarmed the damsel said to the lady, “Madam, shall we lodge -here to-night?” - -“No,” said she, “but only till he has dined and slept a little.” - -So he ate and slept till the maid called him, and then armed himself -by torchlight. When the maid and he were both mounted they left the -castle and rode till they reached the seaside. There they found in the -darkness a ship awaiting them, and two voices cried from on shipboard, -“Welcome, Sir Galahad; we have long waited for you.” - -When he heard these words, he asked them who they were. - -“Sir,” said the damsel, “Leave your horse here and I shall leave mine.” - -When they entered the ship he was welcomed with great joy by those -whose voices he had heard, who were none other than Sir Bors and Sir -Percival, and he was exceeding glad of their company. As soon as they -were on board the wind arose and drove them through the sea. After a -while morning dawned and Sir Galahad took off his helmet and his sword -and asked his comrades where the ship was from. - -“Truly,” said they, “you know as well as we, but of God’s grace.” - -[Illustration: THE DAMSEL RODE AS FAST AS HER HORSE WOULD GALLOP -THAT NIGHT AND ALL THE NEXT DAY TILL THEY CAME IN SIGHT OF THE -SEA] - -Then they told of their adventures since they last parted and of their -great temptations. - -“Truly,” said Sir Galahad, “you are much indebted to God for escaping -great dangers; and had it not been for this gentlewoman, I should -not have come here; for I never thought to find you in this strange -country.” - -“Ah, Sir Galahad,” said Sir Bors, “if your father, Sir Launcelot, were -here, it seems to me we should lack nothing.” - -“That may not be,” said he, “except it please our Lord.” - -Now, neither Sir Percival nor Sir Bors knew the gentlewoman, for she -was veiled. By this time the ship was far distant from the land of -Britain, and, by chance, had arrived between two great rocks which were -exceeding dangerous. Neither could they land, for there was a great -whirlpool of the sea. After buffeting about, they escaped the danger -and came into a calmer sea, and there saw another ship at anchor to -which they might go in safety. - -“Let us go there,” said the gentlewoman, “and we shall see adventures, -if our Lord wills.” - -When they came alongside, they found a fine ship, but no one appeared -to be on board. On the stern they read these strange and dreadful words: - - “Whoever enters this ship must be steadfast in his belief, for I - am faith; therefore, beware, for if thou fail, I shall not help - thee.” - -Then the gentlewoman asked, “Do you know who I am?” - -“Truly,” said Sir Percival, “I do not know you.” - -“Know well,” said she, “I am your sister, the daughter of King -Pellinore; therefore you are the man in the world I most like. If you -are not in perfect belief and enter the ship, you will perish, for it -will suffer no sin in it.” - -Now, when Sir Percival knew she was his sister, he was very glad and -said, “Fair sister, I shall enter therein, for if I be worthless, or an -untrue knight, there shall I perish.” - -Without further parley Sir Galahad stepped on board the strange ship, -followed by the gentlewoman, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival. - -The fittings were so rich and perfect that they wondered, for they had -never seen the like. In the cabin in the midst of the ship there stood -a beautiful bed with a coverlet of fine silk, and on it at the foot lay -a great sword of marvelous beauty, which was drawn out of its scabbard -half a foot and more, as if one had tried to draw it and could not. - -“Here is a mystery,” cried Sir Percival, “I shall attempt to handle the -sword.” So he tried to grasp it; but, try as he might, he could not. - -“Now, by my faith,” said he, “I have failed.” - -Sir Bors also set his hand to the sword and failed. Sir Galahad looked -at it more closely, and saw on it letters as red as blood which said: - - “Let him who would draw me from my scabbard see that he be bolder - than other men, for whoso draweth me shall not escape injury to - his body, or wounding unto death.” - -“By my faith,” said Sir Galahad, “I would like to draw this sword out -of its scabbard, but the penalty is so great that I shall not try it.” - -“Sir,” said the gentlewoman, “know that all men are warned against -drawing this sword, save you.” - -As they looked closer they saw that the sword-belt was made of hempen -cord of such poor account that it did not seem strong enough to bear -so heavy a weight. The scabbard was of serpent’s skin and on it were -letters of gold and silver which said: - - “Whoever bears me as I ought to be borne should be bolder than - other men; for the body of him by whose side I ought to hang - shall not suffer shame while he wears this belt, and no one - shall dare change this belt except a maid who is a king’s - daughter.” - -“Sir,” said the gentlewoman to Sir Galahad, “there was a king called -Pelleas, the maimed king, who, while he was able to ride, strongly -supported Christendom and the holy church. Upon a day he hunted in a -wood, which bordered the sea, and at last he lost his hounds and his -knights, and found this ship. When he saw the letters he entered, for -he was right perfect in his life; here he found this sword and drew -it out as far as you now see. With that, there entered a spear and -wounded him in both his thighs. His wounds have never healed and never -shall until we come to him. Thus,” said she, “was not Pelleas, your -grandfather, maimed for his boldness?” - -“By my faith!” said Sir Galahad. - -Then, as they stood looking at the bed in wonder, Sir Percival lifted -the coverlet and found a writing which told of the ship, by whom it was -made and how it came there, but that does not belong to this tale. - -“Now,” said Sir Galahad, “where shall we find the maid who shall make a -belt strong enough to carry this sword?” - -“Fair sir,” said Sir Percival’s sister, “do not fear, for I shall show -you a belt fit for such a sword.” - -She then opened a box and took out a belt, wrought with golden threads, -and set with precious stones, and a rich buckle of gold. - -“Lo! sirs,” said she, “here is a belt that ought to bear this sword; -for the greatest part of it is woven of my own hair, which I loved -full well when I was a woman of the world; but as soon as I knew this -adventure was appointed to me, I clipped off my hair and made this -belt.” - -“We are truly grateful,” said Sir Bors, “for without your help, we -should have endured much suffering.” - -The gentlewoman then put the new belt on the sword. - -“Now,” said the three knights, “what is the name of the sword and what -shall we call it?” - -“Truly,” said she, “the Sword of the Strange Belt.” - -They then said to Sir Galahad, “We pray you to gird yourself with the -sword, which hath been so long desired in the land of Britain.” - -“Now let me begin,” said Sir Galahad, “to grip this sword to give you -courage; but know that it belongs to me no more than it does to you.” - -He then gripped it with his fingers and drew it forth, and Sir -Percival’s sister girded him with the sword. - -“Now I care not if I die,” said she, “for I have made thee now the -worthiest knight in the world.” - -“Fair damsel,” said Sir Galahad, “you have done so much, that I shall -be your knight all the days of my life.” - - -_The Gentlewoman Risks Her Life for Another_ - -When they had achieved the adventure of the mysterious sword, they -returned to their own ship, and the wind arose and drove them out to -sea at a great pace. All that day and night they went before the south -wind, and on the morrow came to the borders of Scotland where they were -forced to land, for they were without food. Here, after leaving the -ship, they were attacked by wicked knights because they were of King -Arthur’s court, and had many other adventures, which are no part of -this tale. - -Then on a day all heard a voice which said: - -“Sir Galahad, thou hast well avenged me on God’s enemies, now hasten to -the maimed king that he may receive his health, for which he has waited -so long.” - -On the way they came to a castle which belonged to a gentlewoman who -had lain for many years under a strange malady which no doctor could -cure. But an old man had said, “If she were anointed with the blood of -a maid who is a king’s daughter, she would recover her health.” - -“Now,” said Sir Percival’s sister, when she heard this, “fair knights, -I foresee that this gentlewoman will die, unless she have part of my -blood.” - -Straightway the knights opposed her and Sir Galahad said, “Certainly, -if ye bleed so much ye will die.” - -“Truly,” said she, “if I die to heal her, I shall have great honor and -soul’s health, and I shall do it to-morrow;” and nothing they said -could change her. - -The next day, after they had heard service, Sir Percival’s sister bade -them bring the sick lady. - -Then said she, “Who shall let my blood?” - -So they brought a doctor who did as she desired; but she bled so much -that the dish was full, and no one could stop it. - -Then she said to the sick lady, “Madam, if I come by my death to make -you well, for God’s love pray for me.” - -With that she fell into a swoon. Sir Galahad, Sir Percival, and Sir -Bors quickly lifted her up and tried to staunch her blood; but she had -bled so much that she could not live. - -When she awoke out of her swoon she said, “Fair brother, Sir Percival, -I must die for the healing of this lady; so I require that you bury -me not in this country, but as soon as I am dead take me down to the -sea, put me in a boat and let me go as adventure will lead me; and as -soon as you three come to the city of Sarras, there to achieve the Holy -Grail, you shall find me arrived under a tower, and there bury me in -the spiritual place. For there Sir Galahad shall be buried, and you -also, my brother, in the same place.” - -When Sir Percival heard these words he promised her, weeping, and her -soul departed from the body. As they knelt beside her they again heard -a voice which said, “To-morrow early you three shall separate from each -other till the adventure bring you to the maimed king.” - -The same day the sick lady was healed, but she sorrowed exceedingly for -the death of the maiden. - -Sir Percival wrote a letter telling how his sister had helped them -in strange adventures and put it in her right hand. Then the knights -carried her to the sea and laid her in a boat and covered her with -silk, and the wind arose and drove the boat from the land, and they all -watched it till it was lost to their sight. - -Then they returned to the castle and forthwith there fell a sudden -tempest of thunder, lightning and rain that shook the earth, and -evensong was passed ere the tempest ceased. - -On the morrow the three knights separated and each went his own way. - - -_Sir Galahad Meets a Knight in White Armor_ - -The story says that after Sir Launcelot rode into the forest after Sir -Galahad and was lost, he escaped many perils, but at last came to the -water of Morteise as the night was falling. Not knowing what to do, he -lay down to sleep and await what adventure God would send him. - -When he was asleep he heard a voice in a dream which said, “Launcelot, -rise up, take thine armor and enter the first ship thou shalt find.” - -When he heard these words he rose up and set out toward the sea. By -good fortune he found a ship which was without sail and oars, and he -saw no one. - -As soon as he was on shipboard he was filled with joy such as he had -never felt before, and in this joy he lay down and slept till daylight. - -When he awoke he was astonished to see there a fair bed in which lay a -dead gentlewoman. As he looked he saw in her right hand Sir Percival’s -letter, which told who she was and what she had achieved. - -There Sir Launcelot spent some days, not knowing what to do. One night -as he was sitting on the shore, he heard a horseman coming that way and -waited to see what would happen. The rider, who seemed to be a knight, -rode to where the ship was, alighted, and went on board. - -Sir Launcelot went toward him and said, “Sir, you are welcome.” - -The other returned his salute and asked his name, “for,” said he, “my -heart goes out to you.” - -“Truly,” said Sir Launcelot, “my name is Sir Launcelot of the Lake.” - -“Sir,” said the other, “then you are welcome, for you were the -beginning of me in this world.” - -“Ah! Are you Sir Galahad?” - -“Yes, in truth.” With that Sir Galahad leaped to the shore, kneeled -down and asked Sir Launcelot’s blessing, and then took off his helmet -and kissed him. - -With great joy they told of the marvels and adventures that had -happened to them since they left the court. Sir Galahad told of the -high honor of Sir Percival’s sister, that she was the best maid living, -and that her death was a great pity. When Sir Launcelot heard how the -marvelous sword was gotten, he asked to see it, and kissed the hilt and -the scabbard. - -“Truly,” said he, “I never heard of such high and strange adventures -before.” - -So Sir Launcelot and Sir Galahad spent many days together in the ship, -and served God daily and nightly with all their power; and often the -ship carried them to far islands where they met with many strange and -perilous adventures. - -Upon a Monday it happened that they landed at the edge of a forest -which was by the sea. Standing by a cross of stone they saw a knight -on horseback, armed all in white, who held by his right hand a white -horse. He came to the ship, saluted the two knights and said, “Sir -Galahad, you have been with your father long enough; leap upon this -horse and ride where adventure shall lead in quest of the Holy Grail.” - -Sir Galahad turned to his father and kissed him full courteously and -said, “Father, I do not know that I shall see you again till I find the -Holy Grail.” - -“I pray you,” said Sir Launcelot, “that you will pray our Father in -heaven to keep me in his service.” - -Sir Galahad mounted his horse and then they all heard a voice that -said, “Think to do well, for the one shall never see the other till the -dreadful day of doom.” - -“Now, my son, Sir Galahad,” said Sir Launcelot, “since we shall never -see each other again, I pray the high Father of heaven to preserve both -you and me.” - -“Sir,” said Sir Galahad, “no prayer avails so much as yours.” So -saying, he rode into the forest and his father saw him no more. - -The knight in white armor then vanished as he came, and Sir Launcelot -returned to the ship, and the wind arose and drove him many days across -the sea to a distant land. Soon after that he left the ship, which kept -on its lonely journey, until at last it arrived at the city of Sarras -with its fair burden. - -Now Sir Launcelot began to long for the realm of Britain which he had -not seen for a year and more. So, commending himself to God, he rode -through many countries and came at last to Camelot. - -Here he found King Arthur and Queen Guinevere; but many of the knights -of the Round Table were missing, for already more than half of them -had been slain. However, Sir Gawain, Sir Ector, and Sir Lionel had -returned, and many others who had failed in their quest of the Holy -Grail. - -All the court was exceedingly glad to see Sir Launcelot, who told of -his adventures since he had departed; and also those of Sir Galahad, -Sir Percival, and Sir Bors, which he knew by the letter of the dead -gentlewoman, and from Sir Galahad himself. - -“Now, would God,” said the king, “that all three were here.” - -“That cannot be,” said Sir Launcelot, “for two of them you shall never -see, but one of them shall come again.” - - -_Sir Galahad Achieves His Quest, and Bears the Holy Grail Across the -Sea_ - -Now after Sir Galahad bade his father farewell and entered the forest, -he rode many journeys in vain. At last he found his way out of the -forest and rode five days toward the castle of the maimed king; and -ever Sir Percival followed after till he overtook him, and they went on -in company. At a crossroads they met Sir Bors who was riding alone, and -so to their great joy the three knights were together again. - -“In more than a year and half,” said Sir Bors, “I have not slept ten -times in a bed, only in wild forests and mountains; but God was always -with me.” - -Thus they rode a long time till they came to the castle of Carbonek, -where lived Pelleas, the maimed king, who was the grandfather of Sir -Galahad. - -When they entered the castle hall, a bed was brought in whereon lay the -good old man they had come so far to see. King Pelleas was very happy, -for he knew that the quest of the Holy Grail was about to be achieved. - -“Sir Galahad,” said he, lifting up his head, “you are welcome, for I -have long prayed for your coming, but now I trust that my suffering -shall be allayed.” - -Eliazar, King Pelleas’ son, then brought the broken sword with which -Joseph was wounded in the thigh after he came to Britain. Sir Bors took -the two pieces and tried to force them together again, but he could -not. Then Sir Percival tried, but he had no more power than Sir Bors. - -“Now it is your turn,” said they to Sir Galahad, “for if an earthly man -can achieve it, you can.” - -Sir Galahad then took the pieces and set them together, and the sword -seemed as if it had just been forged and never broken. When they -recovered from their astonishment they gave the sword to Sir Bors, for -he was a good knight and a worthy man. - -A little before evening a strange thing happened; the sword became -wondrously heated so that no one could handle it, and a voice was heard -which said, “They that ought not to sit at the table of our Lord arise, -for now shall true knights be fed.” - -So all went out save King Pelleas and his son and a maid who was his -niece, and the three knights; and a table of silver was before them -with the holy vessel, covered with a cloth of silk. - -With that they saw nine knights all armed come in at the hall door, who -took off their armor and said to Sir Galahad, “Sir, we have ridden hard -to be with you at this table.” - -“You are welcome,” said he, “but whence come you?” - -Three of them said they were from Gaul, three from Ireland, and three -from Denmark. - -Upon that a voice said, “Let those among you who are not in quest of -the Holy Grail depart.” So King Pelleas and his son and niece departed. - -As the knights sat waiting, it seemed to them that there appeared a man -from heaven, before the table on which the Holy Grail was, and they saw -letters in his forehead which said: - - “This is Joseph, the first bishop of Christendom, whom our Lord - rescued in the city of Sarras.” - -With him were angels who bore a spear which bled marvelously. - -Then the knights wondered, for Joseph had died more than three hundred -years before. - -“Oh, knights,” said he, “wonder not, for at one time I was an earthly -man. Now shall ye have such food as never knights tasted.” - -When he had said this, he and the angels vanished, and they sat there -in great dread. Then they looked and saw, as it were, another man enter -who said: - -“My knights and my servants who are come out of this earthly life, ye -shall now see a part of my secrets and my hidden things.” Then he took -the holy vessel and proffered it to Sir Galahad, who kneeled down and -partook; and so after him all the knights. - -“Galahad,” said he, “dost thou know what I hold in my hands?” - -“Nay,” said Sir Galahad, “unless ye tell me.” - -“This,” said he, “is the holy vessel in which I ate the Last Supper, -but thou hast not seen it openly as thou shalt see it in the city of -Sarras; therefore, thou must go hence, and bear this vessel with thee. -This night it shall depart from the realm of Britain to be seen no -more, for it is not honored as it ought to be by the people of this -land, who are turned to evil living. Therefore, go to-morrow down to -the sea where you shall find a ship ready; and with you take the sword -with the strange belt, and Sir Bors and Sir Percival. Also I will that -ye take the blood of the spear and anoint the maimed king, and he shall -have his health.” - -Then he gave them his blessing and vanished away. Sir Galahad went at -once to the spear which lay on the table and touched the blood with his -fingers and came to his grandfather, the maimed king, and anointed him. -Immediately he stood upon his feet a whole man, and gave thanks for his -healing. - -That same night, about midnight, they heard a voice that said, “Go ye -hence as I bade you.” - -“Lord, we thank thee,” said they; “now may we prove ourselves worthy.” - -In all haste they took their armor, ready to depart. Now, the three -knights of Gaul were great gentlemen, and Sir Galahad said to them: -“If you come to King Arthur’s court I pray you salute my father, Sir -Launcelot, and all the company of the Round Table,” and they promised -to do so. - -Sir Galahad, Sir Percival, and Sir Bors then departed and rode three -days, till they came to the seashore and found their ship. When they -went on board they saw the table of silver and the Holy Grail covered -with a cloth of red silk, and were exceeding glad to have them in their -keeping. - -Now, on the voyage Sir Galahad spent a long time in prayer, asking that -he might pass out of this world; he prayed so earnestly that at last a -voice said to him, “Galahad, thou shalt have thy request.” - -Sir Percival heard this and asked him why he prayed for such things. - -“That shall I tell you,” said he. “The other day when we saw part of -our adventures of the Holy Grail, I was filled with such joy as I -supposed no earthly man could feel; therefore, I know well that when my -body is dead, my soul shall have the great joy of heaven.” - -Then he lay down and slept a great while, and when he awoke he saw -before him the city of Sarras; and as they were about to land they saw -the ship in which Sir Percival had put his sister. - -“Truly,” said Sir Percival, “well has my sister kept her word.” - -They first took out of their ship the table of silver and the holy -vessel, and Sir Percival and Sir Bors went before, and Sir Galahad -behind. At the city gate they saw a crooked old man. Then Sir Galahad -called him and bade him help bear the heavy table. - -“Truly,” said the old man, “for ten years I have not been able to walk -without crutches.” - -“Care not,” said Sir Galahad. “Rise up and show thy good will.” - -On getting up he found himself whole as he ever was; so he ran and took -hold with Sir Galahad. At once the report spread that a cripple had -been cured by a strange knight that had entered the city. - -The three knights then returned to the water and brought Sir Percival’s -sister into the spiritual place, and buried her richly as a king’s -daughter ought to be. - -When the king of the city, who was called Estorause, saw the three -comrades he asked them who they were and what they brought upon the -table of silver, and they told him the truth of the Holy Grail. Now the -king was a tyrant of heathen birth, and he took them and put them in -prison in a deep hole. - -At the year’s end King Estorause fell sick and knew that he would die; -then he sent for the three knights and asked pardon for what he had -done, and they forgave him freely, and so he died. - -When the king was dead all the city was disheartened and knew not who -might be their king. As they were in council there came a voice that -bade them choose the youngest of the three knights. So they made Sir -Galahad king with the assent of all the people of the city. - -His first act was to have made a chest of gold and precious stones to -cover the holy vessel, and every morning the three comrades came to the -palace where it was kept and said their devotions. - - -_The Passing of Sir Galahad, The End of Sir Percival, and the Return of -Sir Bors to Camelot_ - -Now, after Sir Galahad had been king a year, the three friends rose -early, as was their custom, and came to the palace and saw the holy -vessel and a man kneeling there, who had about him a great company of -angels. - -He called Sir Galahad and said, “Come forth, good and faithful servant, -and thou shalt see what thou hast much desired to see.” - -Then Sir Galahad began to tremble greatly, for he knew his time had -come. - -“Now,” said the good man, “knowest thou who I am?” - -“Nay,” said Sir Galahad. - -“I am Joseph of Arimathea, whom our Lord sent here to bear thee -fellowship; for thou art like me more than any other in two things. One -is, thou hast seen the Holy Grail; and the other is, thou hast been a -blameless knight as I am.” - -When he had said these words, Sir Galahad went to Sir Percival and Sir -Bors and kissed them and commended them to God, and said, “Salute me to -my father, Sir Launcelot, as soon as ye see him and bid him remember -this unstable world.” - -He then kneeled before the table and prayed, and suddenly his soul -departed and a great company of angels bore his soul up to heaven. And -his two friends saw a hand take the holy vessel and bear it up to -heaven. Since then no man has ever been so bold as to say that he had -seen the Holy Grail. - - * * * * * - -When Sir Percival and Sir Bors saw Sir Galahad dead, they sorrowed as -much as ever did two men, and if they had not been good men they might -easily have fallen into despair; and the people of the city sorrowed -with them. - -As soon as Sir Galahad was buried, Sir Percival retired to a hermitage -outside the city and Sir Bors was always with him. Thus Sir Percival -lived a year and two months, and then passed out of this world, and Sir -Bors buried him by his sister and Sir Galahad in the spiritual place. - -Now, when Sir Bors saw that he was alone in a far country, as far away -as Babylon, he took his armor and departed from Sarras and entered a -ship, and so at last came to the realm of Britain and to Camelot where -King Arthur was. On his return there was great rejoicing at the court, -for they thought that he was dead, he had been so long out of the -country. - -Then King Arthur sent for the best clerks to make a chronicle of the -adventures of the good knights. Sir Bors told of Sir Percival and his -sister, and of Sir Galahad and the Holy Grail. Sir Launcelot told what -he had seen; and all the tales were written in great books and put in -the armory at Salisbury. - -Sir Bors said to Sir Launcelot, “Sir Galahad, your son, saluted you -by me, and after you, King Arthur and all the court, and so did Sir -Percival; for I buried them with mine own hands in the far city of -Sarras. Also, Sir Launcelot, Sir Galahad bids you remember this -unstable world, as ye promised when ye were together more than half a -year.” - -“That is true,” said Sir Launcelot; “now I trust to God his prayer -shall avail me.” - -Then Sir Launcelot put his arms about Sir Bors and said, “Gentle -cousin, you are welcome to me, and all that ever I may do for you and -yours, you shall find me ready at all times, while I have life, and -this I promise you faithfully, and never to fail you: and know well, -gentle cousin, Sir Bors, that you and I will never separate while our -lives shall last.” - -“Sir,” said he, “I will as ye will.” - - * * * * * - -“Sir Galahad was not the only knight who found the Holy Grail,” added -the Story Lady after a pause. - -“But I thought from the story,” said Mary Frances, “that Sir Galahad -and his two comrades were the only ones who were permitted to find it.” - -“No, there were others,” said the Story Lady. “Your own American poet, -James Russell Lowell, tells of another, Sir Launfal, who found the -Grail in a place he had never thought to look.” - -The Story People listened eagerly, for they liked the tale of Sir -Galahad so much that they were ready for more; so the Story Lady told -the tale of a fourth knight who succeeded. - - - - -XXVI - -HOW SIR LAUNFAL ACHIEVED THE HOLY GRAIL - - -ONCE upon a time there was a young knight, Sir Launfal, who had read of -the success of Sir Galahad, and of the failure of many of the knights -of the Round Table. This made him very eager to try his fortune; so he -vowed that some day he too would set out in quest of the Holy Grail. - -Now, Sir Launfal lived in a cold gray castle in the North Country, -whose gates were never opened save to knights or ladies of high degree, -who were as proud and haughty as himself. - -One beautiful June day, Sir Launfal was in the happy mood which often -comes to people after the passing of a cold, bleak winter; a day when -it seems easy for the grass to be green, the sky to be blue, and the -heart to be brave. - -On this lovely day Sir Launfal remembered his vow and called his -squire, and said, “Bring me my best armor and my golden spurs and get -my horse ready, for to-morrow I shall set out over land and sea in -quest of the Holy Grail.” - -When the squire brought his shining armor, the knight put it on, and -said to himself, “I will never sleep in a bed nor lay my head on a soft -pillow till I have performed my vow.” - -With that he lay down in the tall grasses by the brook, his golden -spurs by his side, to think and plan what he would do. Slowly his -eyelids closed; slowly sleep came upon him and he dreamed, and this was -his dream. - -It is summer. The crows flap their wings and fly by twos and threes -overhead in the deep blue sky. The cattle stand in the shallow brook, -and the water runs along with a sweet gurgling music. The little -birds sing in the branches of the trees as if trying to burst their -throats telling of the joy of living. Even the leaves seem to sing on -the trees, the earth is so beautiful and gay. But the castle stands -encircled by its high walls and deep ditch full of water, proud, -haughty and forbidding, untouched by the loveliness round about it. - -The drawbridge drops over the water with a surly clang, and through the -dark arch across the bridge springs a charger, bearing Sir Launfal, -dressed in his gilded armor which gleams brightly in the sun. He is -setting forth wherever adventure may lead him in quest of the Holy -Grail. - -Just as he passes out, he is aware of a beggar who sits crouching -by the dark gate. The beggar is a leper; he holds out his hands and -begs an alms. The sight of so much misery fills the young knight with -loathing, but he scornfully tosses him a piece of gold and rides on. - -Strange to say, the beggar leaves the gold on the ground and says, -“Better turn away empty from the rich man’s door, and take the poor -man’s crust and his blessing, than such a worthless gift as that.” - -Now the scene changes; it is winter. There are no leaves on the bushes -and trees. The bare boughs rattle shudderingly as the winds sweep -through them. The brook is frozen over and the cattle are huddled in -their stalls. A single crow sits high up in a tree-top in the wintry -sunlight, and the cold snow covers the ground. - -At the castle gate stands a bent old man, worn out and frail. The -wind rustles through his wiry gray hair, and blows through his ragged -clothing. He peers eagerly through the window slits at the joyous scene -within, for it is Christmas time, and then turns away. - -[Illustration: SLOWLY SLEEP CAME UPON HIM AND HE DREAMED] - -The bent old man is Sir Launfal. After many weary years he has returned -to his castle disappointed, for he has not found the Holy Grail, and -another heir who thinks him long dead rules in his place. He sinks -down by the gate and his mind wanders. He sees again the scenes of the -desert, the camels as they pass over the hot sands, the vain search of -the caravan for water, and then the slender necklace of grass about the -little spring as it leaps and laughs in the shade. - -Suddenly he hears a voice. “For Christ’s sweet sake I beg an alms.” - -Sir Launfal is startled and looks around him. There at his side he sees -the leper cowering, more wretched, more miserable, more loathsome than -before. But he does not look at him in scorn this time. Instead, he -says, “I will share with you the little that I have, for in giving to -you I shall be giving to Him who has given so much for me.” - -So he divides his crust of coarse bread and gives half to the beggar, -and he goes to the brook, breaks open the ice, and gives him a drink of -water from his wooden bowl. - -Then suddenly a light shines round about the place, and the leper no -longer crouches at his side, but stands a glorified figure who says: - - “Lo, it is I, be not afraid! - In many climes, without avail, - Thou hast spent thy life for the Holy Grail; - Behold, it is here--this cup which thou - Did’st fill at the streamlet for me but now; - This crust is my body broken for thee, - This water His blood that died on the tree. - - * * * * * - - Not what we give, but what we share, - For the gift without the giver is bare; - Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, - Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.” - -Sir Launfal awoke, sat up and rubbed his eyes, and looked about him. -Here were the tall grasses, the brook, the cattle, just as he had left -them when he went to sleep and dreamed. He was not in rags and tatters, -but was a young knight clad in gleaming armor, his spurs at his feet. -It was not winter, but a beautiful June day, with birds flying about, -singing songs of gladness, and cattle browsing in the meadows. - -Sir Launfal quickly arose and made his way into the great hall of the -castle where every one met him with surprise. - -“Why, sir knight,” said his sister, “we thought by now you would be far -on your journey in quest of the Holy Grail.” - -“I have found it,” cried Sir Launfal, “here at my castle gate!” - -Then he laid aside his arms and said to his squire, “Hang these idle -weapons upon the walls and let the spiders weave their webs about them. -Whoever would find the Holy Grail must wear another sort of armor--the -armor of unselfish kindness.” - -Now, the castle gates stand wide open and those in need are as welcome -there as the birds in the elm-tree’s branches. No matter what the -weather outside, it is summer in the castle the year round, for hearts -are happy in giving and sharing the great blessings there bestowed; and -the happiest of all is the good knight himself. - - * * * * * - -“So you see, Sir Launfal found the Holy Grail, and he did something -even better,” said the Story Lady as she finished the tale; “he showed -others how to find it.” - - - - -THE STORIES OF THE FOURTH DAY - - MUSIC BEWITCHED.--ANN CATCHES A THIEF.--JOHN AND MARGARET PATON - AMONG SAVAGES.--THE STRANGE GUEST.--ROBERT OF SICILY.--THE MAN - WITHOUT A COUNTRY.--YOUR FLAG AND MY FLAG. - - - - -THE STORIES OF THE FOURTH DAY - -XXVII - -MUSIC BEWITCHED - - -WHEN all the Story People were assembled, the Story King in his place, -Mary Frances in the blue velvet chair beside the Story Queen, the Ready -Writer with pen upraised, the Story Lady began: - -“To-day we have six short stories. The first is about a school boy -named Bob, and how he conquered his worst enemies.” - - * * * * * - - -_Bob’s Three Foes_ - -Thud! thud! thud! “Hit him in the eye!” “Knock the pipe out of his -mouth!” “Ha! ha! there goes his nose! I hit him that time!” - -These dreadful sounds seemed to say that some barbarous piece of -cruelty was going on; but the victim was only a snow-man, which the -boys of Strappington School had set up in their playground. Truth to -tell, the snow-man did not like it much, but boys cannot be expected to -understand the feelings of a snow-man, so he bore it very patiently, -and when one snowball came in each eye, and a third in his mouth, he -never spoke a word or flinched a muscle. - -But how was the schoolmaster to know that it was only a snow-man? And -what was more natural than that he should peep over the playground -wall to see what was going on? And how was little Ralph Ruddy to know -that the schoolmaster was there? And how was he to know that the -snowball which was meant for the snow-man’s pipe would land itself on -the schoolmaster’s nose? Oh, the horror that seized upon the school at -that dire event! and the dead silence that reigned in that playground! -For those were the good old times of long ago when anything that went -wrong was set right with a birch rod. Little Ralph Ruddy knew only too -well what was coming when the angry schoolmaster ordered him into the -schoolroom. - -The snow-man, of course, was left in the playground all alone. He saw -the boys troop indoors and heard some angry words and some cries of -pain and saw poor little Ralph thrust into the cold playground, and -heard the door slam behind him, and stared without once turning his -head or blinking his eyes, while the little fellow sat on the snowy -doorstep, with a knuckle screwed into each eye; and indeed the good -snow-man himself felt half inclined to cry, only the tears froze inside -before they got out of his eyes. So he couldn’t. - -When the bell rang at four o’clock, the boys came out, and among them -Bob Hardy, the son of a poor farm laborer. - -“A cruel shame I call it,” muttered Bob, “to whip a little chap like -that, and then shut him out in the cold. I told him Ralph Ruddy never -meant to do it, and then he caned me as well. A real brute I call him, -and I’ll pay him out, too. I declare I’ll break his bedroom windows -this very night, and let him try how he likes the winter wind!” - -And Bob meant to do it, too. He climbed out of the cottage window when -all were asleep, and made his way down to the schoolhouse by moonlight, -with a pocketfull of stones, and climbed the wall of the playground, -and stood there all ready to open fire, when a voice startled him, a -sort of shivering whisper. - -“Better not, Bob! Better wait a bit!” said the voice. - -Bob dropped the stone and looked about, but there was no one near -except the snow-man shining weirdly in the pale moonlight. However, the -words, whoever spoke them, set Bob a thinking, and instead of breaking -the schoolmaster’s windows, he went home again and got into bed. - -That was in January, and when January was done February came, as -happens in most years. February brought good fortune--at least Bob’s -mother said so, for she got a job as charwoman at the squire’s, for -which she was well paid. - -It did not turn out so very well, though, after all, for the butler -said she stole a silver spoon, and told the squire so; and if the -butler could have proved what he said, the squire would have sent her -to prison; only he could not, so she got off, and Bob’s mother declared -that she had no doubt the butler took the spoon himself. - -“All right,” said Bob to himself, “I’ll try the strength of my new -oaken stick across that butler’s back.” - -And he meant it, too, for that very evening he shouldered his cudgel -and tramped away to the big house. And when he got there the door stood -wide open, so in he walked. - -Now there hung in the hall the portrait of a queer old lady in a stiff -frill and a long waist, and an old-fashioned hoop petticoat; and when -Bob entered the house what should this old lady do but shake her head -at him! To be sure there was only a flickering lamp in the entry, and -Bob thought at first it must have been the dim light and his own fancy, -so he went striding through the hall with his cudgel in his hand. - -“Better not, Bob!” said the old lady. “Better wait a bit!” - -“Why, they won’t let me do anything!” grumbled Bob; but he went home -without thrashing the butler, all the same. - -That was in February, you know. Well, when February was done, March -came, and with it came greater ill-fortune than ever; for Bob’s father -was driving his master’s horse and cart to market, when, what should -jump out of the ditch but old Nanny Jones’s donkey, an ugly beast at -the best of times, and enough to frighten any horse; but what must the -brute do on this occasion but set up a terrific braying, which sent -Farmer Thornycroft’s new horse nearly out of his wits, so that he -backed the cart and all that was in it--including Bob’s father--into -the ditch. A pretty sight they looked there, for the horse was sitting -where the driver ought to be, and Bob’s father was seated, much against -his wish, in a large basket full of eggs, with his legs sticking out -one side and his head the other. - -Of course Farmer Thornycroft did not like to lose his eggs--who -would?--for even the most obliging hens cannot be persuaded to lay an -extra number in order to make up for those that are broken; but for -all that Farmer Thornycroft had no right to lay all the blame on Bob’s -father, and stop two shillings out of his week’s wage. So Bob’s father -protested, and that made Farmer Thornycroft angry, and then, since fire -kindles fire, Bob’s father grew angry too, and called the farmer a -cruel brute; so the farmer dismissed him, and gave him no wages at all. - -We can hardly be surprised that when Bob heard of all this he felt a -trifle out of sorts, but the desire for vengeance which he felt could -hardly be justified. He went pelting over the fields, and all the way -he went he muttered to himself: - -“A cruel shame I call it, but I’ll pay him out; I mean to let his sheep -out of the pen, and then I will just go and tell him that I’ve done it.” - -Now, the field just before you come to Farmer Thornycroft’s sheep-pen -was sown with spring wheat, and they had put up a scarecrow there -to frighten the birds away. The scarecrow was very much down in the -world--his coat had no buttons and his hat had no brim, and his -trousers had only a leg and a half--his well-to-do relations in the -tailors’ windows would not have cared to meet him in the street at -all. But even the ragged and unfortunate have their feelings, and the -scarecrow was truly sorry to see Bob scouring across the field in such -a temper; so just as Bob passed him, he flapped out at him with one -sleeve, and the boy turned sharply round to see who it was. - -“Only a scarecrow,” said he, “blown about by the wind,” and went on -his way. But as he went, strange to say, he heard, or thought he heard, -a voice call after him, “Better not, Bob! Better wait a bit!” - -So Bob went home again and never let the sheep astray after all, but he -thought it very hard that he might not punish either the schoolmaster, -or the butler, or the farmer. - - -_Father Pan’s Revenge_ - -Now the folk that hide behind the shadows thought well of Bob for his -self-restraint, and they determined that they would work for him and -make all straight again; so when Bob went down to the river side next -day, and took out his knife to cut some reeds for “whistle-pipes,” -Father Pan breathed upon the reeds and enchanted them. - -“What a breeze!” exclaimed Bob; but he knew nothing at all of what had -in reality happened. - -Bob finished his pan-pipes, and trudged along and whistled on them to -his heart’s content. When he got to the village he was surprised to -see a little girl begin to dance to his tune, and then another little -girl, and then another. Bob was so astonished that he left off playing -and stood looking at them, open-mouthed, with wonder; but so soon as -ever he left off playing, the little girls ceased to dance; and as soon -as they had recovered their breath they began to beg him not to play -again, for the whistle-pipes, they were sure, must be bewitched. - -“Ho! ho!” cried Bob, “here’s a pretty game; I’ll just give the -schoolmaster a turn. Come, that will not do him any harm, at any rate!” - -Strange to say, at that very moment the schoolmaster came along the -street. - -“Toot! toot! toot! tweedle, tweedle, toot!” went the pan-pipes, and -away went the schoolmaster’s legs, cutting such capers as the world -never looked upon before. Gayly trudged Bob along the street, and gayly -danced the schoolmaster. The people looked out of their windows and -laughed, and the poor schoolmaster begged Bob to leave off playing. - -“No, no,” answered Bob; “I saw you make poor little Ralph Ruddy dance -with pain. It is your turn now.” - -Just then the squire’s butler came down the street. Of course he was -much puzzled to see the schoolmaster dancing to the sound of a boy’s -whistle, but he was presently more surprised to find himself doing the -very same thing. He tried with all his might to retain his stately -gait; but it was all of no use, his legs flew up in spite of himself, -and away he went behind the schoolmaster, following Bob all through the -village. - -The best sight was still to come; for the tyrannical Farmer Thornycroft -was just then walking home from market in a great heat, with a big -sample of corn in each of his side-pockets, and turning suddenly round -a corner, went right into the middle of the strange procession and -caught the infection in a moment. Up flew his great fat legs, and away -he went, pitching and tossing, and jumping and twirling, and jigging up -and down like an elephant in a fit. - -How the people laughed, to be sure, standing in their doorways and -viewing this odd trio! It was good for them that they did not come -too near, or they would have been seized with the fit as well. The -schoolmaster was nearly fainting, the butler was in despair, and the -perspiration poured down the farmer’s face; but that mattered not to -Bob; he had promised himself to take them for a dance all round the -village, and he did it; and, at length, when he had completed the tour, -he stopped for just one minute, and asked the schoolmaster whether he -would beg Ralph Ruddy’s pardon, and the schoolmaster said he would if -only Bob would leave off playing. Then he asked the farmer if he would -take his father back and pay him his wages, and the farmer said he -would; and finally he asked the butler if he would give up the spoon -that he had stolen, and confess to the squire that Bob’s mother had -nothing to do with it, but the butler said, “Oh, no, indeed!” - -[Illustration: AWAY WENT THE SCHOOLMASTER’S LEGS, CUTTING SUCH CAPERS -AS THE WORLD NEVER LOOKED UPON BEFORE] - -So Bob began to play again, and they all began to dance again, till -at last the schoolmaster and the farmer both punched the butler until -he promised; and then Bob left off playing. The three poor men went -home in a terrible plight; and the schoolmaster begged little Ralph’s -pardon, and the butler cleared the stain from Bob’s mother’s character, -and Bob’s father went back to work, and Farmer Thornycroft soon -afterwards took Bob on too, and he made the best farm-boy that ever -lived. - - * * * * * - -The Story Lady rested a minute while the Story People were laughing -and talking about what they had heard. As she began again, there was -instant silence. - -“The next story,” she said, “is that of a brave girl who lived in the -work-a-day world.” - - - - -XXVIII - -ANN CATCHES A THIEF - - -AS a rule the office in which Ann Carstairs was employed did not close -until six o’clock, but at five-thirty on the December afternoon of this -story Ann found herself alone. - -At four, the heads of the firm left for the day; and the billing clerk -and the stenographer, taking advantage of the absence of authority, -helped themselves to an extra half hour. - -“We have a little shopping to do,” the billing clerk explained as they -passed Ann’s desk. - -Before they reached the stair door, the inside salesman closed his desk -with a snap, and seized his hat and coat. - -“Wait a minute, girls,” he called; “I’ll take you down to Broadway in -my machine.” As he followed them he said to Ann, “Good night, Miss -Carstairs, don’t stay late!” - -A few minutes after they had gone, Mr. Bradford, the bookkeeper, -closed the safe and twirled the nickel knob gayly; “I’m off, too,” he -announced. “I’m going to leave the vault for you to close to-night, -Miss Ann.” - -He shrugged himself into his overcoat and departed stiffly. He had -worked hard over his books that afternoon, and his legs and arms were -aching in unison with his head. He came back for a moment to turn off -some of the big lights. - -“No use wasting electricity,” he explained. “No one will be in this -evening, and a little girl like you can’t use all this light.” - -A minute later Ann heard the street door at the foot of the stairs -close with a bang, and she was left all alone in the big office. - -She was not sorry to be alone. The day had been hard, and her nerves -had been near the breaking point all the afternoon. The switchboard was -Ann’s special charge, but she also took care of the odds and ends of -copy work and dictation for her busy associates. Odds and ends have a -curious way of accumulating and Ann seldom had a spare moment. - -“I’m just dead tired,” she declared aloud, raising her arms above her -head in a vain effort to relieve their ache. “I’m always snowed under -with work, yet no one seems to think I have anything to do. It’s just: -‘Miss Carstairs, will you copy that for me?’ ‘I’ll give you a letter -now, Miss Carstairs, and you can run it off in your spare time.’ Spare -time! Did any one ever see me with a moment to spare? They don’t think -I amount to a row of pins, anyway. I’d just like to show them; I’d like -to let Mr. Ross see that I do amount to something.” - -Mr. Ross was the senior partner of the big manufacturing plant, and -eighteen-year-old Ann admired him immensely. He was so calm, so quiet, -and yet so forceful; a splendid business man, but one whose family’s -wants and wishes were cared for before all else. Ann knew he must be an -ideal father, for he possessed all the qualities that Ann’s own father -had lacked. - -Mr. Carstairs had been far from an ideal parent and had ended his -selfish, careless life just as Ann was preparing to enter college. Ann -and her mother had bravely gathered together what money remained, and -Ann started off to a business school instead. - -For three months she worked feverishly night and day, and at the end -of that time, when their finances were in a precarious condition, she -left the school to enter the manufacturing firm of Ross and Hayward. -She had been there for nearly two years now, years of worry and careful -planning to make the slender salary cover growing needs. - -“We have almost proved that the necessities of life are unnecessary, -so nearly have we come to getting along on next to nothing,” she had -laughingly told her mother only the evening before. - -But though she joked about it, the situation was becoming serious, and -Ann had reached the place where she felt that she must steel herself to -the point of asking for more wages. - -“Do people always have to ask for an increase?” she wondered. -“Everybody here treats me as if I were a child, except when it comes to -giving me work. That’s a different matter.” - -Ann did not as a rule complain about the amount of work she had to do. -Instead, she was rather proud of being able to accomplish so much in -a single day. To-night, however, she was tired and all out of sorts. -She felt, too, that her looks were all against her. Curly hair and -freckles, added to a diminutive figure, gave her a decidedly childlike -appearance. - -“I wish,” she declared to herself, “I wish I were tall and had straight -hair, and wrinkles around my mouth. What chance has anyone to advance -when she is short and freckled? I just must make them sit up and take -notice!” - -She glanced around her with a proprietary look as she spoke. Her desk -and switchboard were in the outer office near the head of the short -flight of stairs leading from the street door, and commanded a view of -the entrance door and the stairway leading to the upper floors. At the -extreme end of the room was the entrance to the stock room, and beside -it the great iron door leading to the vault where the business records -were kept. In the dark corner by the vault door stood two tall piles of -sales books. Since the bookkeeper had turned off the extra lights, the -big office was lighted only by the globe above Ann’s head. The heavy -presses and machinery in the factory, running at full speed, shook the -building, and their roar and clatter sounded unusually loud now that -the office was quiet. - -The switchboard was never very busy after half-past five, and Ann -leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. She opened -them almost immediately with a start, suddenly aware of another -presence in the big office. The new janitor, a scraggly feather duster -in his hand, stood by her desk. - -“Did you want something?” Ann asked sharply. - -She did not approve of the new janitor; his hair was too long and -shaggy, his chin too stubbly, and his bushy eyebrows shaded eyelids -that drooped. His appearance was in accord with his shiftless way -of dusting and sweeping, Ann thought with disfavor. Her voice was -decidedly sharp as she asked again, “Did you want something?” - -“I wanted to see the cashier,” the man answered. His drooping eyelids -gave a peculiar, leering expression to his face that filled Ann with -repulsion. Then she braced herself; no matter how afraid she was, he -must not know it. - -“He has gone for the day. Come back in the morning,” she said, turning -to her typewriter to cut the conversation short. The man hesitated for -a moment, but her preoccupied air chilled him and Ann soon heard him -walk away. - -At that moment a tall young woman came hurrying down the stairs from -the upper floor. - -“I declare!” she cried, looking about the darkened office. “Everybody -has gone home! And Mr. Bradford has locked the safe! Now will you tell -me, Miss Carstairs, what I am going to do with all this money?” - -She waved a green cardboard box in the air as she spoke, her voice -rising higher and higher in her agitation. - -“I have collected eight hundred dollars on those Liberty Bond payments, -and here Mr. Bradford has locked the safe and gone home. I’m going to -the country to-night and I can’t take all this money with me.” - -“Sh! Miss Benson!” Ann warned, glancing quickly at the swing door that -had not yet ceased swaying after the departing janitor. “Don’t tell any -one. Can’t you put it in the vault? Mr. Bradford left it for me to lock -to-night.” - -“But,” Miss Benson objected, “something may happen to it and I am -responsible. I can’t take it with me, though. I’ll have to put it in -there, I guess.” - -“See, Miss Carstairs,” she called a moment later from the depths of the -vault, “I’m putting it beside the stamp box.” - -With Miss Benson’s departure the big office suddenly seemed doubly -large, and dim and empty. Ann shivered slightly, appalled by the fact -that she was alone with eight hundred dollars in cash in the open -vault. The factory machinery made such a din that none of the employees -could hear if she called for help. What would she do if the janitor had -overheard Miss Benson and should make up his mind to steal the money? -She glanced sharply at the swinging door. It was quiet now. - -She reassured herself. “I’m as nervous as Miss Benson. I’ll just shut -that vault now, though, and have it over with. It is almost six o’clock -anyway.” - -At that moment a call came in on the telephone, the strident whir -startling the girl with its suddenness. - -“Ross and Hayward,” she answered mechanically into the receiver. - -“Miss Carstairs,”--it was Mr. Ross speaking--“I left a couple of -Liberty Bonds in my desk. Please tell Bradford to put them into the -safe.” - -“Mr. Bradford has gone for the day, Mr. Ross,” she answered, “but he -has left the vault for me to close; I’ll put them in.” - -“All right. Put them in the stamp box; I guess they’ll be all right -there. Good night!” - -Ann pulled out the plug and rose from her desk. Her rubber-soled shoes -made no noise as she crossed the room. She found the bonds face down on -Mr. Ross’s desk, and as she picked them up she could not fail to notice -the denominations. She stared at them. - -“Two thousand dollars!” she whispered awestruck. “If only they were -mine!” - -As she started to place them in the stamp box, its shabbiness caught -her eye. She hesitated, then laid the bonds down. - -“I’ll get a new box for the stamps,” she decided, snapping off the -light as she left the vault. - -Ann knew just where to find the particular box that she wanted and did -not stop to turn on the light as she entered the stockroom. She was in -the act of reaching up for the box, when the door stealthily opened. -She shrank back against the shelves as the new janitor came in. He -stopped for a moment and glanced around, then a minute later Ann heard -the snap of the electric button as the light in the vault was turned -on. She gasped in dismay. The bonds and the Liberty Loan money were all -there in plain sight! For a brief moment the girl was paralyzed with -fright. The janitor was after the money! She rushed forward. As she -paused by the open doorway of the vault she had a momentary glimpse -of the janitor with the green box in one hand, and heard the familiar -crackly paper of the bonds as he hurriedly thrust them into his pocket. -In a panic she caught the huge iron door and slammed it shut, hurriedly -throwing the big bolt in place. - -“I’ve got him,” she gasped exultantly; but the words had not left her -lips before she was knocked from her feet by a sudden blow on her -shoulder. As she fell, another stunning blow came upon her head. - -A minute later, so it seemed to the girl, she opened her eyes to find -Mr. Ross and his daughter, Margaret, bending over her. - -“She’s coming to, now,” she could faintly hear Mr. Ross say. “Bathe her -head some more.” - -Then he added jokingly, “Well, now, Miss Ann, you certainly gave us a -start. What were you trying to do?” - -Ann’s head ached agonizingly. She lifted her hand to her forehead, and -felt it gingerly. A lump as large as a walnut was there just above the -temple. She became aware, now that the mist was fading from her eyes -and the ringing from her ears, that the factory was quiet. All the -noise of machinery had ceased. - -“What time is it?” she asked; and then, without waiting for an answer, -“Where did you come from?” - -“It is after eight. We were driving by on our way to see a friend -on the East Side, and I thought I would drop in and see if you had -remembered to lock the safe.” Mr. Ross laughed. “Fortunate for you that -I doubted your ability.” - -Ann raised her head and looked about her; then she dropped it heavily -back on the improvised pillow Miss Ross had tucked under her head. - -“It was that old sales book that knocked me down. It must have been on -the edge of the pile and tipped over when I slammed the door.” She felt -the bump on her head again. “I suppose I hit the wrapping desk when I -fell.” - -“It wouldn’t take much to knock out a little thing like you,” Mr. Ross -laughed. - -Ann opened her eyes again, a thought flashed through her mind, and she -sat bolt upright on the floor. - -“Mr. Ross,” she said, “if I can prove to you that I was big enough to -save you two thousand dollars, would you think me big enough to be -given an increase in salary?” - -“I surely would, Miss Carstairs!” Mr. Ross answered, becoming suddenly -grave. - -Ann’s voice shook with excitement. - -“Your bonds are safe in the vault, Mr. Ross, together with eight -hundred dollars that Miss Benson collected on Liberty Loan -payments--and the new janitor!” - -“You’re a brave girl,” said Mr. Ross, helping her to her feet. “The -increase is yours; you have certainly earned it.” - - * * * * * - -“She was, indeed, a brave girl,” said the Story King, as the Story Lady -paused; “and deserved all her good fortune.” - -“The next,” went on the Story Lady, smiling, “is the story of a young -man and a young woman whose only ambition in life was to help others.” - - - - -XXIX - -JOHN AND MARGARET PATON AMONG SAVAGES - - -THE tropical island of Aniwa drowsed in the afternoon sunshine. Long, -lazy swells rolling in from the Pacific broke on the outlying reefs, -overflowed into the turquoise bay, and gently lapped the stretch of -sandy beach. The softest of breezes stirred the palm trees and rustled -the banana thickets. - -Before the door of a low, thatched hut, nestling under a clump of -date-palms, stood a fair-haired young woman anxiously watching a canoe -which was making a perilous passage through the surf to the shelter of -the bay. When at last it slid into smooth water she breathed a sigh of -relief and went slowly down the hill toward the shore. - -The craft nosed stealthily up to the beach, where a stalwart, -grave-faced white man sprang out; then the boat, propelled by the -muscular arms of two kinky-headed blacks, slipped away and vanished -around a little promontory. - -“I’m glad you’re safe home, John,” the young woman cried, as the big -man came swiftly toward her. “Is all well?” - -“Very far from that, Margaret,” the newcomer answered, as he reached -her side. “I’ve found a great deal of unrest throughout the island.” - -“Because of the drought?” - -“Yes,” he replied, and stood looking down upon her thoughtfully. - -She came nearer and slipped her arm through his. - -“I can see that you are anxious, John,” she said softly. “Do you fear -an uprising?” - -[Illustration: BEFORE THE DOOR OF A LOW, THATCHED HUT STOOD A -FAIR-HAIRED YOUNG WOMAN] - -“Margaret,” he exclaimed, as they turned and began to climb the hill to -the hut, “I should not have brought you here!” - -“Oh!” she cried. “More than anything else I desired the privilege of -helping you in your work. Do you mean that I have failed? That I have -proved a burden rather than a help?” - -“You know it is not that,” he replied quickly. “You have been -wonderful, dear. But I should not have allowed you to leave old -Scotland for the hardships and perils of these heathen isles.” - -“It has not been easy,” she acknowledged; “but I have never once -regretted coming.” - -“I thought I was doing right to bring you,” he went on; “but now--now--” - -“You feel,” she interposed, “that we are in real danger?” - -“We shall be if the natives rise,” he replied. “I think you should know -the truth, dear.” - -Her blue eyes darkened, but there was no fear in them. - -“But the people have come to feel we are their friends,” she protested. -“Some of them love us. Surely they will not harm us.” - -By this time they had reached the hut. He put her gently into a -camp-chair before the door, and flung himself upon the white sand at -her feet. - -“A trading-ship touched on the other side of the island yesterday,” he -told her. - -“And paid for five hundred pounds’ worth of sandalwood with a barrel of -rum, I suppose,” she commented. - -“They were a little more generous this time,” he replied grimly. “They -left several barrels.” - -“No wonder then,” she said, “that the people are mad to-day.” - -“They also left,” he continued, “in the mind of the old chief the -impression that we missionaries are responsible for the drought.” - -“Oh, too bad!” she exclaimed softly. - -“Yes,” he agreed. “Old Namakei informed me just now that if another -moon passes without rain the island will have no more of our God or of -us.” - -“What did you answer?” she asked. - -“I told him,” and he smiled, “that I would dig in the earth and reveal -a place where God’s rain is buried. He scoffed at first, but finally -agreed to come with his warriors and help with the digging.” - -“But, John,” she queried, “will you really be able to dig a well on -this island?” - -“Of course, I can’t be certain,” he answered; “but I’ve been studying -the soil, and it seems probable. Anyway, it’s our one chance to appease -the old chief’s ire and continue our work.” - -John Gibson Paton had come out to the New Hebrides some years before, -and settled on the cannibal island of Tanna. - -He had begun at once to teach the people and had succeeded in greatly -improving their condition, when a trading vessel had brought measles to -the island. An epidemic followed, and the natives died like flies. - -They were so bitterly angry against those who had brought the plague -that they became suspicious of all white men, even the missionary who -had always helped them, and he was finally obliged to flee for his life. - -With great difficulty he escaped to a passing ship bound for Australia. -From Australia, he went to his homeland, Scotland. - -He had a wonderfully happy time on this visit among his friends and -relatives, for he was married to the pretty Scotch lassie whom he had -learned to love. - -He felt that life would be very hard for her on the island of Tanna, -and he decided to go, instead, to Aniwa, where the natives were less -fierce and more intelligent. Besides, they had asked that a missionary -be sent to them. - -They were very glad when he came bringing his pretty wife, and they -tried to learn all he told them. - -All went well until the traders who came to the South Seas for -sandalwood and cocoanuts and the rich tropical fruits, discovered that -the natives were becoming more intelligent, and could not be cheated or -swindled so easily since the missionaries were teaching them. - -So the traders made up their minds to try to turn the blacks against -Doctor Paton and his wife, and his native helpers. - -They had not been able to do much until the time of the long drought, -told about at the beginning of this story. You see, they depended -almost entirely upon rain for fresh water to drink. - -Never before in the memory of living men had the islands been so long -without rain. The people were terrified and ready for any outbreak. - -But the young missionaries, sitting silently under the palms, realized -that the traders might so excite the natives with their talk, and with -the rum, that they might become murderers and revert to cannibalism. - -“Where will you dig the well, John?” Margaret asked at length. - -“On the slope over there.” He nodded toward the opposite hill. “I shall -begin work to-morrow. Chief Namakei comes an hour after sunrise.” - -“If you succeed in reaching fresh water, shall we be safe?” - -“Yes, and if not, I hate to think of what may happen.” - -“But anyway,” she declared, “I’m sure you will find God’s rain, John.” - -Weary days and nights followed; days when the doctor and his band of -native helpers dug from dawn to dark in the sandy soil; nights when the -young white people, too anxious to sleep, sat under their palm trees -and watched while the moon sank into the sea, and the volcano of Tann, -“the lighthouse of the Pacific,” flung its blazing banners high against -the heavens. - -Two weeks passed and the diggers found no water. Then one day the -continued drought left the old chief’s favorite water-hole quite dry. -On the same day the side of the new well caved in. - -The two troubles coming together turned the interest of Namakei to -suspicion. When the digging began again he forbade his men to take part -in the work, and, though he still watched the other toilers, his beady -eyes had the look of a hawk’s just ready to pounce upon its prey. - -The moon was full before the cave-in was repaired. The next morning the -two remaining helpers did not report for duty, and old Namakei told the -doctor that they would not come back. - -“They are my prisoners,” he laughed. “If Missi Paton wish help in -finding the buried rain, let his God give it.” - -“His God will give it,” the missionary replied, calmly. - -And alone Doctor Paton went on with his undertaking. - -Two days, three days, passed, and still no water. Namakei assumed a -more threatening attitude. - -“The moon wanes!” he warned the missionary. - -And then one morning when the doctor went down into the well he saw -something gleaming at his feet. He bent down, gazing with eager eyes. -It was water! - -“But will it be fresh?” he asked himself, with fast-beating heart. On -so tiny an island the sea water might easily penetrate the soil. - -Very slowly he dipped his finger into the now fast-rising water and -lifted it to his lips. And then suddenly he sank down in the dampness -and wept like a child. The water was fresh and pure and sweet, God’s -rain indeed. - -By noonday the well was filled with the life-giving water, and from -every part of the island the natives gathered to behold the miracle of -the rain which had come up from the earth instead of down from the sky, -and to do honor to Missi Paton who had given it to them. - -And when he assured them that it would always be there so long as the -island remained in the sea, and that drought would nevermore bring -suffering and distress among them, they kissed his hands in gratitude. - -Never again did the evil words of the traders against their beloved -Missi have any weight with the natives of Aniwa, and never again did -they turn away from the Christian religion and the Christian God; and, -if you should visit the island to-day, you would be shown by the proud -people the well where John Gibson Paton found by faith and prayer and -labor the buried blessing so many years ago. - - * * * * * - -Again the Story People clapped their hands as the story ended, for they -love to hear of nothing better than a brave and an unselfish deed. - -“That is a good story,” said Mary Frances. - -“Yes,” said the Story King; “the stories of those who risk their lives -for others are the best of all our stories.” - -“Yes,” agreed the Story Queen; “they are the best of all.” - -“Now,” said the Story Lady, “we come to our fourth story.” - - - - -XXX - -THE STRANGE GUEST - - -ON the summit of one of the heights of a wild country district along -the Rhine, there stood many years ago an old castle. In this castle -lived a beautiful maiden with her father and two elderly aunts. - -Her father was a jolly old nobleman, very fond of his beer, and very -fond of hearing himself talk, too. He enjoyed his own jokes better than -anyone else, perhaps. - -Even so, his dearest possession was his beautiful daughter, his only -child. He loved her as the apple of his eye, and wished to give her all -happiness. - -She had little chance of being lonely, for there were always a large -number of poor relatives visiting the nobleman, and indeed they made -these visits so long that they sometimes stayed for years. - -She often wondered, however, who might be living in the castle on the -heights across the valley. She could just see the outlines of the walls -and towers on clear days from the balcony outside her bedroom window. - -“Father,” she said one day, “could we not ride over to that castle some -time? I’m forever dreaming stories about those who live within it.” - -A heavy cloud settled over her father’s countenance. - -“Never let me hear you make mention of it again, my daughter!” he -thundered. - -And of course she said no more, but she spoke about it to one of her -aunts that evening. - -“Dear aunt, why was my father vexed when I mentioned that castle this -morning?” she asked, pointing out of her window. - -“Hush, my child,” replied her aunt. “There is a feud between the two -families.” - -“A feud?” questioned the maiden. “A feud? Why, we do not even know -them! How can there be a feud?” - -“It dates back to the time of our great-great-grandfathers,” her aunt -told her, “and no loyal member of this family would ever have anything -to do with a member of that family. Never mention the matter again!” -Then suddenly changing the subject, “Did you finish your embroidery -stint for to-day? How far have you worked? Let me see.” - -The maiden blushed, arose, and brought a large sheet of unfinished -tapestry to her aunt, which she unfolded before her. - -Her aunt put on her spectacles to examine the work. - -“Wait!” she exclaimed. “I’ll call my sister.” - -The other aunt was in the doorway, however, and joined her in examining -the work. - -“I see a missed stitch here!” she commented. - -“Ah, yes, and a loose end there!” added the other. “It is growing dark. -No knowing how many flaws we would find by daylight. To-morrow you will -do better, I hope.” - -“I will try,” promised the niece. - -And so the maiden grew. By the time she was eighteen, she could not -only embroider tapestries, and play a dozen airs on her guitar and -harp, but could write a short note, with not more than ten misspelled -words, and could sign her own full name without missing a letter. - -These accomplishments, in that day, were considered quite a finished -education for a young lady. - -On her eighteenth birthday the castle was in bustling excitement -because there was to be an affair of utmost importance. And this affair -was none other than a great family gathering to receive the intended -bridegroom of the maiden. - -Her father had promised her in marriage to the son of an old nobleman, -a friend of his who lived in a distant province. - -The parents had arranged all the details, and the young people were -engaged to be married without even seeing each other. The time was -appointed for the wedding, which was to take place at the home of the -maiden on her eighteenth birthday. - -The bridegroom had already set out on his journey and was expected to -arrive at any moment. - -The castle was in a tumult. The fair bride had been decked out with -uncommon care. Her aunts had quarreled about every article of her -dress, and while they were quarreling, she had made up her own mind -about each article she would wear. The result was that she looked as -lovely as a dream. The soft lustre of her eyes, the rose-petal hue of -her cheeks, the quick rise and fall of her bosom, showed the excitement -in her heart. - -Meanwhile her aunts gave her all kinds of directions as to her behavior. - -“When you first see him, my dear niece,” advised one aunt, “lower your -eyes, as becomes a modest young lady.” - -“Yes,” added the other aunt, “and when you courtesy, catch your skirts, -so,” and she made a deep old-fashioned bow. - -The old baron was no less busy with preparations than the others. -Having, in fact, nothing to do but wait, he worried everybody else -about every detail. He wandered from the top to the bottom of the -castle, begging everybody to be diligent, and filling everybody with -anxiety. He was naturally a bustling little man, and he buzzed about in -every hall and chamber like a blue-bottle fly on a warm summer’s day. - -In the meantime, things had been gathered together for the making of -a great feast. The forests had rung with the sound of the huntsman’s -horn. The kitchen was crowded with good cheer, and the castle was a -model of ancient hospitality. - -The long tables had been spread with the handsomest trenchers and -dishes within the castle. The last finishing touches had been added to -the wedding gown, the bride waited trembling with anxious expectation. -Everything was ready to receive the distinguished guest--but the guest -did not come. - -Hour after hour rolled by. The sun began to set, and the baron mounted -for the eleventh time to the high tower, and strained his eyes in hope -of catching sight of the count and his attendants. - -Once he thought he saw them, for there were a number of men seen -advancing slowly on horseback, but when they had nearly reached the -foot of the mountain, they suddenly struck off in a different direction. - -The last rays of the sun departed. The bats began to flit by in the -twilight. The road grew dimmer and dimmer to sight, and nothing seemed -to be stirring in it except, now and then, a peasant lagging homeward -from his day’s labor. - -While the old castle was in this nervous state, very different things -were happening to the bridegroom. - -The young count was riding along on horseback in a jog-trot fashion -toward the bride he had never seen. - -“There is no haste necessary,” he said to his attendants; “we will be -there all in good time. Let us enjoy the scenery.” - -At the inn where he stopped for refreshment, he met another young -nobleman with whom he had been good friends several years before while -both were in the army. - -“And which way do you travel?” asked the count’s friend. - -“We go through the East pass, and upward through the mountain road,” he -replied. - -“How fortunate!” exclaimed his friend. “I am going in the same -direction.” - -So they agreed to travel together, and soon set off, the count leaving -word for his servants to follow and overtake him later. - -“Now, tell what has happened in your life since we last met,” said the -count’s friend as their horses stepped out abreast. “Has your heart -been touched by the beauty of any maiden?” - -[Illustration: ONCE HE THOUGHT HE SAW THEM] - -Then the count told him about his coming wedding with a young lady he -had never seen, but who was said to be very lovely. - -In this way they entered one of the loneliest and most thickly wooded -passes in the mountains. - -All this happened in the days when bands of robbers lived in woods, and -when ghosts were said to haunt old castles. - -As the count turned to speak to his companion, suddenly from out the -woods there sprang a small band of robbers who immediately attacked -them. - -They made a brave fight, but were nearly overcome by numbers when the -count’s retinue of servants came riding up. The robbers fled at sight -of them, but not until they had given the count a dreadful wound. - -He was carried back to the nearest town through which he had so -joyfully ridden such a short while before. A priest, who was also quite -a doctor, was brought to his bedside, but everyone knew that the poor -young count’s moments were few to live in this world. - -He motioned his friend near, and whispered between gasping breaths, -“I--beg--you--to--go--to--the--castle--of--my--betrothed--and--tell-- -why--I--did--not--keep--my--appointment.” - -Then gathering strength, he added in a stronger voice, “Unless this is -done, I shall not sleep quietly in my grave!” - -He spoke so solemnly that his friend gave his promise without -hesitating. This seemed to soothe him, and he closed his eyes as if in -sleep, but he soon began to talk wildly, and call for his horse, saying -he must hasten to the home of his bride, and thinking he was leaping -into the saddle, he suddenly drew his last breath. - -His friend was deeply grieved. His heart was heavy within him. He -scarcely knew how to keep his promise, for he was the son of the -nobleman whose castle the maiden had been forbidden to mention; and, -because of the feud between the two families, he hated all the more to -be the bearer of such bad news. Still he thought that he would like -to see the lovely girl, and he felt that he must try to carry out the -promise he had made to his dying friend. So he made arrangements for -the poor count’s burial in the cathedral near the graves of his noble -ancestors, and set out on his journey. - -It is now high time that we should return to the castle, where -everybody was hungrily awaiting the guest. - -Night closed in, but still no guest arrived. The baron descended from -the high tower in despair. - -“It is so dark that I can see nothing now,” he said. “There is no use -in watching longer.” - -The banquet had been postponed from hour to hour. The cooks in the -kitchen were desperate. The meats were already overdone, and every one -was beginning to look as though it were a time of famine. - -“We cannot delay longer,” the baron finally said. “I fear we must -proceed with the feast without our guest.” - -All were seated at the table and on the point of commencing, when the -sound of a horn from outside the gate gave notice that a stranger was -approaching. - -Another long blast filled the old courts of the castle with its echoes, -and was answered by the warden from the walls. - -The baron hastened to receive his future son-in-law. - -The drawbridge had been let down, and the stranger was before the gate. - -He was a tall, gallant cavalier, mounted on a beautiful black steed. -His face was pale. He had a gleaming eye, and yet wore an air of -sadness. - -The baron was a little embarrassed to think that he should come in so -simple a way without a retinue of friends and servants. He thought -that the young count did not show proper appreciation of the honor -of marrying his daughter, but he comforted himself by thinking, “He -has been so anxious to see his bride that he has hurried off without -waiting for attendants.” - -“I am sorry,” began the stranger, “to break in upon you at such an -hour----” - -“Oh, pray, do not worry,” interrupted the baron, “it is as nothing,” -and he continued with a world of compliment and greeting. For, to tell -the truth, the baron was very proud of his ability to make pretty -speeches. - -He kept on talking so fast that the stranger was unable to put a word -in edgewise, and by the time he paused, they had reached the inner -court of the castle. - -The stranger was again about to speak when he was once more interrupted -by a group of the baron’s relatives leading forth the blushing bride. - - -_The Wedding Feast_ - -The stranger gazed on her for a moment as one entranced. It seemed as -if his whole soul beamed forth in the gaze, and rested upon her beauty. - -One of the maiden aunts whispered something in her ear. She made an -effort to speak. Her moist blue eyes were timidly raised, gave a shy -glance at the stranger, and were cast again to the ground. - -Her words died away, but there was a sweet smile playing about her -lips, and a soft dimpling of the cheek showed that she was pleased to -meet so charming a person. - -The late hour at which the guest had arrived left no time for talk. The -stranger attempted again to tell his sad news, but the baron would not -listen, and immediately led the way to the untasted banquet. - -The feast was served in the great hall of the castle. Around the walls -hung the portraits of the bride’s ancestors, and the horns and tusks of -animals they had killed in the hunt. Armor and spears, and torn banners -hung next to jaws of wolves and tusks of boars, and spears and battle -axes. A large pair of antlers hung just over the head of the youthful -bridegroom. - -The stranger took but little notice of the company or of the -entertainment. He scarcely tasted the banquet, but seemed absorbed in -admiring the bride. He talked with her in a low tone that could not be -overheard. The bride’s color came and went, and she listened to him -with deep attention. Now and then she made some reply, but she was very -quiet most of the time, and when his glance was turned she looked at -him with much pleasure. - -“They have fallen in love at first sight,” whispered one aunt. - -“I felt that it would be so,” said the other. - -The feast went on merrily, or at least noisily, for the guests were all -blessed with large appetites. - -The baron told his longest and best stories. If he told anything -marvelous, his hearers were lost in astonishment. If he told anything -funny, they laughed just loud and long enough to please him greatly. - -Amidst all this frolic, the stranger seemed lost in thought. His only -conversation was with the bride, and seemed to grow more and more -earnest and mysterious. Clouds began to steal over her fair face, and -the guests noticed that she trembled. - -Their gayety was chilled by such actions. The song and laughter grew -less and less frequent. There were pauses in the conversation. - -Dismal stories were told by several people. The baron nearly frightened -some of the ladies into hysterics with the history of the ghost -horseman that carried away the fair young woman, Lenora. - -The bridegroom listened to this tale with great attention. He kept -his eye fixed on the baron, and, as the story drew to a close, began -gradually to rise from his seat, growing taller and taller, until, to -the baron’s eye, he seemed almost to tower into a giant. - -The moment the tale was finished, he heaved a deep sigh, and took a -solemn farewell of the company. They were all in amazement. The baron -was perfectly thunderstruck. - -“What! going to leave the castle at midnight? Why, everything is ready -for your reception; a room is ready for you if you wish to retire.” - -The stranger shook his head mournfully and said: “I must lay my head in -a different place to-night.” - -Then waving his farewell to the company, he stalked slowly out of the -hall. - -The maiden aunts seemed turned to stone. The bride hung her head, and a -tear stole down her cheek. - -The baron followed the stranger to the great court of the castle, where -the black horse stood pawing the earth and snorting with impatience. - -When they reached the portal whose deep, high archway was dimly lighted -by a lantern, the stranger paused and spoke to the baron in a hollow -tone of voice. - -“Now that we are alone,” said he, “I will tell you my reason for -leaving. I have an engagement in----” - -“Why,” asked the baron, “cannot you send some one in your place?” - -“I must keep this engagement myself--I must go myself----” - -“Ay,” said the baron, “but not until to-morrow--to-morrow you shall -take your bride there.” - -“No! No!” replied the stranger with greater solemnity. “My engagement -is with no bride. The grave awaits me! I must go back where I came -from!” - -He sprang upon his black charger, dashed over the drawbridge, and the -sound of the clatter of his horse’s hoofs was lost in the whistling of -the night’s blast. - -The baron watched him until out of sight, then muttered, “He must have -been a ghost!” - -He returned to the hall in great bewilderment, and related what had -just passed. Two ladies fainted; others sickened with the idea of -having banqueted with a spectre. - -[Illustration: A TALL FIGURE STOOD AMONG THE SHADOWS OF THE -TREES] - -The company tried to guess whose ghost it might have been. Some -talked of wood-demons and others of mountain sprites, but all was dim -uncertainty and mystery. - -The next morning, however, put an end to guessing, for word came of the -death of the young count on his way to the castle, and every one felt -sure that the stranger of the night before was indeed his spectre. - -You can imagine how dreadful the baron felt. He shut himself up in his -rooms. His guests stayed on, for they could not think of going when he -was in such trouble, and then, too, the remnants of the feast were to -be eaten and drunk! - -But the poor bride was most to be pitied. To have lost a promised -husband before she was acquainted with him! And such a husband! -Everybody wept for her. - - -_The Midnight Music_ - -On the night of the second day after, she retired to her room with one -of her aunts who insisted upon sleeping with her. - -The aunt was one of the best tellers of ghost stories in all the land, -and in telling one of her longest, fell asleep in the midst of it. - -The room was in a distant corner of the castle, and overlooked a small -garden. The niece lay gazing at the beams of the rising moon as they -shone on the trembling leaves of an aspen tree before the latticed -window. - -The castle clock had just tolled midnight when a soft strain of music -stole up from the garden. - -She rose hastily from her bed and stepped lightly to the window. - -A tall figure stood among the shadows of the trees. As it raised its -head, a beam of moonlight fell on its face. In a moment she knew -him--her promised bridegroom! - -A loud shriek at that moment burst upon her ear, and her aunt, who had -been awakened by the music and had followed her to the window, fell -into her arms. - -When she looked again, the spectre had disappeared. - -Of the two, the aunt required the more soothing. She was beside herself -with terror. - -As for the young lady, she did not feel frightened. There was -something, even in the spectre of her lover, very charming. - -The aunt declared she would never sleep in that room again. The niece -for once was determined to have her own way, and declared she would -not sleep in any other room. The consequence was that she had to sleep -there alone. - -She begged her aunt to promise not to tell about this moonlight -visitor, for she said it was the only comfort she had in her great -disappointment, and the good old lady promised. How long she would -have kept her promise is uncertain, for she dearly loved to talk about -mysterious happenings. - -She did keep it to herself for a whole week; and then, suddenly, she -did not need to keep it longer. For word was brought to the breakfast -table that the young lady was not to be found. - -Her room was empty. Her bed had not been slept in. The window was open! -The bird had flown! - -Nearly every one was struck speechless, when the aunt who had slept -with her, suddenly regained her speech, and wringing her hands, -shrieked out, “The goblin! the goblin! She’s carried away by the -goblin!” - -In a few words, she told of the dreadful scene in the garden; and all -concluded that the spectre must have carried off his bride. Two of the -servants said they had heard the clatter of horse’s hoofs down the -mountain-side about midnight, and had no doubt it was the black charger -of the spectre. - -The poor baron was inconsolable. What sorrow to have his only child, -his daughter, carried off by a goblin! How terrible to have, perhaps, -goblin grandchildren! As usual, he was completely bewildered, and all -the castle was in an uproar. - -The men were ordered to take horses, and hunt in every road and path -and by-way. The baron himself had just drawn on his jack-boots and -girded on his sword, when he glanced out the window, and paused because -of what he saw. - -A lady was approaching the castle on horseback. Beside her, mounted on -a black charger, was a cavalier. - -She galloped up to the gate, sprang from the horse, and running into -the castle, fell at the baron’s feet. - -It was his lost daughter, and her companion--the spectre bridegroom. - -The baron was astonished. He looked at his daughter, then at the -spectre, and almost doubted his eyes. - -The spectre was wonderfully improved in appearance. His dress was -splendid, and set off his noble figure. He was no longer pale and sad. -His face was flushed with the joy of youth. - -The mystery was soon cleared up. The cavalier (for you must have known -all along he was no goblin) told the whole story--how he had met his -young friend; how they had traveled together; how the young nobleman -had met his death. He said that the sight of the beautiful young lady -had made him forget everything except the desire to be near her. At -first, when the baron would not listen to his explanation, he thought -it would do no harm to accept the situation as it was. - -If the baron’s family had not had a feud with his own family, he would -have explained everything after the banquet, but he feared that, under -the circumstances, he might never see the young lady again. When the -baron had told how the fair Lenora had been carried off by the goblin, -the idea of being a goblin himself came to him. And he said that he did -not feel exactly right about doing this, but his friends had told him -to remember the old saying that “everything was fair in love.” - -The baron pardoned the young couple on the spot. The festival at the -castle was continued. - -Only the aunt was disappointed. She who had told so many stories about -true ghosts, was embarrassed to find the only ghost which she had -actually seen should turn out to be a real live person, but she was -so happy at having her niece back again that her embarrassment was as -nothing. - -But the niece was perfectly happy in having found him a real living -person, and--since they lived happily ever after--here the story ends. - - * * * * * - -“And another begins,” added the Story Lady, after a slight pause. - -At the Story King’s nod of approval, she proceeded. - - - - -XXXI - -ROBERT OF SICILY - - -THERE is an old legend of a proud king, named Robert of Sicily. This -legend tells of the greatest event of Robert’s life; and the poet, -Longfellow, has written a beautiful poem about it, which every one -should read. This is the story: - -Robert, King of Sicily, was a very proud monarch and a very selfish -one. He spent most of his time enjoying himself, and gave little heed -to the wants of his people. - -On St. John’s eve he attended vesper service with a great retinue of -knights and lords and pages. He was dressed most magnificently, and -proudly sat while the choir chanted some strange Latin words. - -The king did not understand Latin, and turning to a learned clerk -nearby, he said, “What do those words mean?” - -The clerk answered, “They mean, - - ‘He has put down the mighty from their seat, - And has exalted them of low degree!’” - -The king laughed scornfully, and said, “It is well that such words are -sung in Latin, for there is no power on earth that can push me from my -throne.” - -Then he leaned back yawning, and fell asleep. - -When he awoke it was already night; the church was empty and all in -darkness. - -The king was angry at finding himself alone. He groped his way toward -the great doors, but found them locked. - -Then he thought of the windows, but they were high above his reach. -Then he became frightened and cried aloud. He listened, but all that he -heard was the resounding echoes of his cries, as they rang, again and -again, through the high, vaulted ceiling of the church. - -He knocked with his fists against the doors, and swore awful oaths -against every one in his court. He became so angry that he tore his -magnificent robes into shreds. He had long since lost his hat and cloak. - -At length the sexton of the church heard the noise, and he thought that -perhaps thieves were breaking into the church, so he lit his lantern -and went to the door. When he could make himself heard, he asked, “Who -is there?” - -The king, half choked with rage, answered fiercely, “Open, ’tis I, the -king. Are you afraid?” - -The frightened sexton muttered to himself: “It is some drunken beggar, -or some one crazy;” and, turning the great key, he flung open the doors. - -A man in torn garments, without hat or cloak, rushed past him. He -neither looked at him nor spoke, but, leaping into the darkness, -vanished almost like a spectre from his sight. - -Bareheaded, breathless, covered with dust and cobwebs, Robert strode on -through the darkness, and came to the palace gates. He rushed through -the courtyard, thrusting aside the guards and pages, and hurried up the -broad stairs. From hall to hall he passed in breathless speed, although -he heard voices and cries to stop him, until he came to the banquet -room, which was blazing with light. - -There he stood motionless, speechless, amazed; for on the throne there -sat another king, wearing his crown, his robes, and even his signet -ring. He looked at first glance exactly like King Robert. He was of the -same height and the same form and features; but there was a gracious -beauty about him which Robert lacked. - -King Robert stood there, gazing at him in anger and rage when he -looked up. With a glance of surprise and pity, he asked, “Who are you?” - -Robert answered, “I am the king, and I have come to take my place; you -are an imposter who pretends to be king.” - -At these words the angry guests sprang up with drawn swords, but the -man on the throne said, “No, not the king, but the king’s jester. -You shall from now on wear the bells and scalloped cape of the court -jester, and make fun for us all. Your companion shall be an ape.” Then -he turned away toward his guests. - -Some of the servants came forward to take Robert away, and they were -quite deaf to his ravings and angry threats. With shouts of laughter -they pushed him on before them down the stairs, and mockingly bowed -before him, and pretended to honor him, all the while laughing and -tittering and making fun of him. They left him in a room in the stable -where at length, exhausted, he fell asleep. - -The next morning, waking with the day’s first light, he thought to -himself: “I’ve had an ugly dream.” But the straw rustled when he turned -his head, and there were the jester’s cap and bells lying near. He -heard the horses champing in their stalls, and on looking around the -room saw the poor ape. So he remembered. It was no dream. His happy -life that he thought could not be changed, had vanished from him. - -The days came and went. Under the rule of the new king the island -prospered as never before. Robert continued to be the jester, laughed -at and scorned. His only friend was the ape. His only food, what others -left. - -Sometimes the other king would meet him, and ask, “Are you still the -king?” and always Robert would throw back his head and fling the answer -haughtily, “I am, I am the king!” - -[Illustration: TOWARD THE VERY LAST, ROBERT, THE JESTER, RODE ON A -PIEBALD PONY] - -Robert had two brothers; one was Valmond, Emperor of Allemaine, the -other was Pope Urbane. One day, almost three years after the wild -night that Robert had been locked in the church, ambassadors came from -Valmond, Emperor of Allemaine, bringing letters. The letters asked King -Robert to join his brother Valmond in a visit to their brother at Rome. -The ambassadors were received with great pleasure, and were presented -with many beautiful gifts of robes and jewels. - -Then the king who was not King Robert went with them across the sea to -Italy. He was accompanied by a great retinue of knights, all dressed -in uniform, wearing gay plumes in their helmets. They rode horses with -jeweled bridles, and even wore golden spurs. They were followed by -pages and servants; and, toward the very last, Robert, the jester, rode -on a piebald pony, and behind was perched the ape. Through every town -they went they made much fun for the people, who followed along after, -laughing and poking fun at them. The company were received with great -pomp and ceremony, and the three brothers seemed delighted at being -together again. - -Suddenly Robert burst through the crowd, and running up to them cried, -“I am the king! Do you not know me? Look at me. I am your brother, -Robert of Sicily. This man is but an imposter! He is not the king!” - -The emperor and the pope looked at the angry worried jester for a long -moment; then the emperor laughed, and said, “What strange sport to keep -a crazy fellow for a jester!” and the poor baffled jester was hustled -back into the crowd. - -Then came Easter Sunday, and the beauty and the solemnity of the Easter -services touched the hearts of all men. Robert was deeply moved. For -the first time in his life he saw what kind of man he had been. He saw -how selfish and proud and haughty he had been. He wished with all his -soul that he had been a better man, and he made up his mind that, no -matter what happened, he would never be so selfish and mean again. - -Now, the visit ended; the grand visitors left Rome and journeyed -homeward. And when they were once more established, the king on the -throne sent for Robert. He motioned every one else out of the room and -beckoned Robert to draw near. - -And when they were alone, he asked, “Art thou the king?” - -Robert bowed his head, and folding his arms, said, “You know best. I -only know that I have sinned, and have been proud and selfish. Let me -go from here and try to make up in some way for the wrong which I have -done!” - -And just as he finished saying this, there rose through the windows -loud and clear the words of the chant: - - “He has put down the mighty from their seat, - And has exalted them of low degree!” - -Then the man who was with Robert cried joyously. “I am not the king! I -am an angel! You are the king!” - -When King Robert raised his eyes--lo! he was alone, but all dressed in -his magnificent apparel as of old; and when his courtiers came, they -found him kneeling upon the floor in silent prayer. - - * * * * * - -“Robert was fortunate,” said the Story King, “in learning his lesson -before it was too late.” - -“Yes, indeed, he was,” answered the Story Lady. “The fourth story is of -a young man who repented when it was too late.” - - - - -XXXII - -THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY - - -ONCE there was a man, a young officer in the United States Army, who -did a dreadful thing--he cursed his native country! - -He pretended for a while that he did not care, when he was punished, -but in the end he was very, very sorry. Because he wore his uniform -without the official buttons, the sailors on the ships on which he was -imprisoned called him “Plain Buttons.” - -His name was Philip Nolan. Lieutenant Nolan was as fine a young officer -as there was in the “Legion of the West,” as the Western division of -the United States Army was called in those early days, one hundred -years ago. - -At that time the Mississippi valley was the Far West to most people, -and seemed a very distant land indeed. There were a number of forts -along the river and Nolan was stationed in one of these. Nolan’s -idol was the brilliant and dashing Aaron Burr, who visited the fort -several times between 1805 and 1807. He walked and talked with Nolan -and obtained a very strong influence over him. He got Nolan to take -him out in his skiff and show him something of the great river and the -plans for the new post; and by the time Burr’s visit was over Nolan was -enlisted body and soul in Burr’s disloyal schemes. From then on, though -he did not yet know it, Nolan lived as a man without a country. - -Burr soon got into trouble with the government, and some of his friends -were tried for treason, Nolan among them. It became very plain during -the trial that Nolan would do anything Burr told him; that he would -obey Burr far quicker than his country in spite of his oath as an -officer of the army. - -So when Colonel Morgan, who was president of the court, asked Nolan, at -the close of the trial, whether he wished to say anything to show that -he had always been faithful to the United States, he cried out, in a -fit of frenzy: “Curse the United States! I wish I may never hear of the -United States again!” - -Probably he did not realize how the words would shock old Colonel -Morgan and the other members of the court. Half the officers who sat -with him had served through the Revolutionary War, and had risked their -lives, not to say their necks, cheerfully and loyally for the country -which Nolan so lightly cursed in his madness. - -It may be said for Nolan that he had grown up in the West of those -days, then an almost unknown country. He had been educated on a -plantation, where the most welcome guests were Spanish officers and -French merchants from Orleans, who, to say the least, were unfriendly -to the United States. He had spent half his youth with an older -brother, hunting horses in Texas, which was not then a part of the -United States. In a word, the “United States” meant almost nothing to -him. - -Yet there was little excuse for Nolan. He had sworn on his faith as a -Christian to be true to the United States. It was the United States -which gave him the uniform he wore and the sword by his side. Nay, Burr -cared nothing for poor Nolan, but had picked him out to aid him in his -wicked plots, only because of the uniform he wore. Of course, Nolan did -not know this, and it did not excuse him; but it does partly explain -why he cursed his country and wished that he might never hear her name -again. - -He never did hear her name but once again. From that moment, September -23, 1807, till the day he died, May 11, 1863, he never heard her name -again. For that half-century and more he was a man without a country. - -Colonel Morgan, as you may suppose, was terribly shocked. If Nolan had -compared George Washington to Benedict Arnold, or had cried, “God save -King George,” Morgan would not have felt worse. He called the court -into his private room, and returned in fifteen minutes, with a face -white as a sheet, to say: - -“Prisoner, hear the sentence of the Court! The Court decides, subject -to the approval of the President, that you never hear the name of the -United States again.” - -Nolan laughed; but nobody else laughed--the whole room was hushed dead -as night for a minute. Then Colonel Morgan added, “Mr. Marshall, take -the prisoner to Orleans in an armed boat and deliver him to the naval -commander there. Request him to order that no one shall mention the -United States to the prisoner while he is on board ship.” - -Colonel Morgan himself went to Washington and President Jefferson -approved the sentence, so a plan was formed to keep Nolan constantly -at sea, far from his own country. The ships of our navy took few long -cruises then, but one ship was directed to carry the prisoner as far -away as it was going, then transfer him to another vessel before it -sailed for home. He was to be confined only so far as necessary to -prevent his escape and to make it certain that he never saw or heard of -his country again. - -As soon as a vessel on which Nolan sailed was homeward bound, Nolan was -transferred to an outward-bound vessel for another cruise. At first he -made light of it--but in time he learned something he had not thought -of, perhaps--that there was no going home for him, even to a prison. - -There were some twenty such transfers which took him all over the -world, but which kept him all his life at least some hundred miles from -the country he had hoped he might never hear of again. - -[Illustration: HE FLUNG THE BOOK INTO THE SEA] - -Nolan wore his uniform, but with plain buttons. He always had a sentry -before his door, but the men were as good to him as his sentence -permitted. No mess wanted to have him with them too steadily because -they could never talk about home matters when he was present--more than -half the talk men liked to have at sea. They took turns inviting him to -dinner, and the captain always asked him on Mondays. He could have any -books or papers not printed in America. Newspapers having any mention -of America had to be gone over and the allusions cut out. He used to -join the men as they were reading on deck and take his turn in reading -aloud. - -Once when they were cruising around the Cape of Good Hope, somebody -got hold of Scott’s “Lay of the Last Minstrel,” which was then new and -famous. Nolan was reading to the others when he came to this passage: - - “Breathes there the man with soul so dead - Who never to himself hath said, - This is my own, my native land! - Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned, - As home his footsteps he hath turned - From wandering on a foreign strand? - - “If such there breathe, go, mark him well; - For him no minstrel raptures swell; - High though his titles, proud his name, - Boundless his wealth as wish can claim,-- - Despite those titles, power and pelf, - The wretch, concentred all in self”---- - -Here the poor fellow choked, and could not go on, but started up and -flung the book into the sea and fled to his stateroom. It was two -months before he dared join the men again. - -There was a change in Nolan after this. He never read aloud again, -unless it was the Bible or Shakespeare, or something else he was sure -of. He was always shy afterwards and very seldom spoke unless spoken -to, except to a very few friends. He generally had the nervous, tired -look of a heart-wounded man. Sometimes he tried to trap people into -mentioning his country, but he never succeeded; his sentence was too -well known among the men who had him in charge. - -There was only one day on which, perhaps, he was really happy, except -when he knew his lonely life was closing. Once, during the war of 1812, -the ship on which he was staying had a fight with an English frigate. -A round shot from the enemy entered one of the ports and killed the -officer of the gun himself and many of the gun’s crew. Now you may -say what you choose about courage, but that is not a nice thing to -see. But, as the men who were not killed picked themselves up, and -as they and the surgeon’s people were carrying off the bodies, there -appeared Nolan, in his shirt sleeves, with the rammer in his hand, and, -just as if he had been the officer, told them off with authority--who -should go to the cock-pit with the wounded men, who should stay with -him--perfectly cheery, and with that way which makes men feel sure -all is right and is going to be right. And he finished loading the -gun with his own hands, aimed it, and bade the men fire. And there he -stayed, captain of that gun, keeping those fellows in spirits, till -the enemy struck--sitting on the carriage while the gun was cooling, -though he was exposed all the time,--showing them easier ways to handle -heavy shot--making the raw hands laugh at their own blunders--and -when the gun cooled again, getting it loaded and fired twice as often -as any other gun on the ship. The commodore walked forward by way of -encouraging the men, and Nolan touched his hat and said: - -“I am showing them how we do this in the artillery, sir.” - -“I see you are, and I thank you, sir,” the commodore said; “and I shall -never forget this day, sir, and you never shall, sir.” - -And after the whole thing was over, and he had the Englishman’s sword, -in the midst of the state and ceremony of the quarter-deck, he said: - -“Where is Mr. Nolan? Ask Mr. Nolan to come here.” And when Nolan came, -he said: - -“Mr. Nolan, we are all very grateful to you; you are one of us to-day; -you will be named in the despatches.” - -And then the commodore took off his own sword of ceremony, and gave it -to Nolan, and made him put it on. Nolan cried like a baby, and well he -might. He had not worn a sword since that infernal day at Fort Adams. -But always afterwards on occasions of ceremony, he wore that quaint old -French sword of the commodore’s. - -The commodore did mention him in the despatches, and asked that he -might be pardoned. He wrote a special letter to the Secretary of War. -But nothing ever came of it. - -At another time Nolan went with a young officer named Vaughan to -overhaul a dirty little schooner which had slaves on board. Nolan was -the only one who could speak Portuguese, the language used by the -slavers. There were but few of the negroes. Vaughan had their handcuffs -and ankle-cuffs knocked off and put these on the rascals of the -schooner’s crew. Then Nolan told the blacks that they were free, and -that Vaughan would take them to Cape Palmas. - -Now, Cape Palmas was a long way from their native land, and they said, -“Not Palmas. Take us home, take us to our own country, take us to our -own pickaninnies and our own women.” One complained that he had not -heard from home for more than six months. It was terribly hard for -Nolan, but he translated these speeches, and told the negroes Vaughan’s -answer in some fashion. - -“Tell them--yes, yes, yes!” Vaughan said. “Tell them they shall go to -the Mountains of the Moon, if they will. If I sail the schooner through -the Great White Desert, they shall go home!” - -And then they all fell to kissing Nolan, and wanted to rub his nose -with theirs. - -As they were being rowed back to the ship, he lay in the stern sheets -and said to a young midshipman of whom he was very fond: - -“Youngster, let that show you what it is to be without a family, -without a home, and without a country. And if you are ever tempted to -say a word or do a thing that shall put a bar between you and your -family, your home, and your country, pray God in His mercy to take you -that instant home to His own heaven. Stick by your family, boy; forget -you have a self, while you do everything for them. Think of your home, -boy; write, and send, and talk about it. Let it be nearer and nearer to -your thought, the farther you have to travel from it; and rush back to -it when you are free, as that poor black slave is doing now. And for -your country, boy,” and the words rattled in his throat, “and for that -flag,” and he pointed to the ship, “never dream a dream but of serving -her as she bids you, though the service carry you through a thousand -hells. No matter what happens to you, no matter who flatters you or who -abuses you, never look at another flag, never let a night pass but you -pray God to bless that flag. Remember, boy, that behind all these men -you have to do with, behind officers, and government, and people even, -there is the country herself, your country, and that you belong to her -as you belong to your own mother. Stand by her, boy, as you would stand -by your mother, if those devils there had got hold of her to-day!” - -And then Nolan added, almost in a whisper, “Oh, if anybody had said so -to me when I was of your age!” - -Years passed on, and Nolan’s sentence was unrevoked, though his friends -had more than once asked for a pardon. - -The end came when he had been upwards of fifty years at sea, and he -asked the ship’s doctor for a visit from Captain Danforth, whom he -liked. Danforth tells us about Nolan’s last hours and calls him “dear -old Nolan,” so we know his love was returned. - -The officer saw what a little shrine poor Nolan had made of his -stateroom. Up above were the stars and stripes, and around a portrait -of Washington he had painted a majestic eagle, with lightnings blazing -from his beak and his foot just clasping the whole globe, which the -wings overshadowed. Nolan said, with a sad smile, “Here, you see, I -have a country!” Over the foot of the bed was a great map of the United -States, drawn from memory, which he had there to look upon as he lay -in his berth. Quaint old names were on it, in large letters: Indiana -Territory, Mississippi Territory, and Louisiana Territory. - -“Danforth,” he said, “I know I am dying. I cannot get home. Surely you -will tell me something now? Stop! Stop! Do not speak till I say what I -am sure you know, that there is not in this ship, that there is not in -America--God bless her!--a more loyal man than I. There cannot be a man -who loves the old flag or prays for it as I do. There are thirty-four -stars in it now, Danforth. I thank God for that, though I do not know -what their names are. There has never been one taken away. I thank God -for that. But tell me something--tell me everything, Danforth, before I -die!” - -Captain Danforth, in writing about it afterwards says: “I felt like -a monster that I had not told him everything before. Though obeying -orders, who was I that I should have been acting the tyrant all this -time over this dear, sainted old man, who had expiated, in his whole -manhood’s life, the madness of a boy’s treason.” - -“Mr. Nolan,” he said, “I will tell you everything you ask about.” - -Then he told him the names of all the new states, and drew them in on -the map. He told him of the inventions--the steamboats, the railroads -and telegraphs; he tried to tell him all that had happened to the great -and growing country in fifty years. He told him about Abraham Lincoln, -who was then President--except that he could not wound his friend by -mentioning a word about the cruel Civil War which was then raging. - -Nolan drank it in and enjoyed it more than we can tell. After that he -seemed to grow weary and said he would go to sleep. He bent Danforth -down and kissed him, and then said, “Look in my Bible, Captain, when I -am gone.” - -Danforth went away with no thought that this was the end. But in an -hour, when the doctor went in gently, he found Nolan had breathed away -his life with a smile. - -They looked in his Bible, and there was a slip of paper at the place -where he had marked the text: - - “They desire a country, even a heavenly: wherefore God is not - ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a - city.” - -On this slip of paper he had written: - - “Bury me in the sea; it has been my home, and I love it. But will - not some one set up a stone for my memory at Fort Adams or at - Orleans, that my disgrace may not be more than I ought to bear? - Say on it: - - ‘In Memory of - PHILIP NOLAN - Lieutenant in the Army of the United States. - - He loved his country as no other man has loved her; - but no man deserved less at her hands.’” - - - - -XXXIII - -YOUR FLAG AND MY FLAG - - -WHEN the story was finished the Story People did not applaud; they felt -sorry for poor Philip who had repented so bitterly. - -Mary Frances felt sad, and sorry, too; as she did every time she heard -the story, for she had often heard it before. - -“How Americans love their country!” said the Story King. “They must -love it as much as we love our island!” - -“Indeed, they do love it,” answered Mary Frances patriotically. “I -think it’s the greatest big country in all the world!” - -The Story People smiled and clapped their hands at this speech, for -they admire loyalty wherever shown. - -“Yes, it is,” said the Story Queen, “and we think our island is the -greatest little country in all the world.” - -“So it is! Indeed, it is! I love it next to my own!” cried Mary -Frances; and the Story People applauded again. - -“There is a little poem about the Stars and Stripes that is very -popular in America,” said the Story Lady, smiling. “Now that the -stories are finished for the day, perhaps our guest will recite it for -us.” - -[Illustration: YOUR FLAG AND MY FLAG] - -Mary Frances blushed, and then rose in her place and recited: - - Your flag and my flag, - And how it flies to-day - In your land and my land - And half a world away! - - Rose-red and blood-red - The stripes forever gleam; - Snow-white and soul-white-- - The good forefathers’ dream; - Sky-blue and true-blue, with stars to gleam aright-- - The gloried guidon of the day; a shelter through the night. - - Your flag and my flag! - And, oh, how much it holds-- - Your land and my land-- - Secure within its folds! - Your heart and my heart - Beat quicker at the sight; - Sun-kissed and wind-tossed-- - Red and blue and white. - The one flag--the great flag--the flag for me and you-- - Glorified all else beside--the red and white and blue! - - Your flag and my flag! - To every star and stripe - The drums beat as hearts beat, - And fifers shrilly pipe! - Your flag and my flag-- - A blessing in the sky; - Your hope and my hope-- - It never hid a lie! - Home land and far land and half the world around, - Old Glory hears our glad salute and ripples to the sound.[C] - -[C] From the “Trail to Boyland,” by Wilbur D. Nesbit, Copyright 1904. -Used by special permission of the publishers, The Bobbs-Merrill Company. - -As Mary Frances sat down, the Story People clapped their hands -enthusiastically; and the Ready Writer handed her her copies of the -stories for the day. The copy of the poem which he had made, he kept -for themselves. - -As Mary Frances and the Story Lady were going out, the Story Queen -stopped them and said: - -“We shall expect you both to dinner to-night--just a little family -party, you know.” - -“Oh, thank you, that will be delightful,” both replied. - -Mary Frances thought ruefully of her best dress hanging uselessly in -the closet at home and wished she had it. “But it’s no use wishing,” -she thought. “It’s all so unexpected.” - -However, with the help of the Story Lady, she was arrayed for the -occasion, and when she saw herself in the mirror she said, “There must -be two of us; that doesn’t look like me.” - -But it was she. So when they left their apartments and went downstairs -into the dining-hall, she was in very high spirits. - -Mary Frances had eaten many dinners, but never one like that. Yet, -strange to say, she doesn’t remember what she ate. But she does -remember how kind and friendly the Story King and Queen were, and -how they plied her with questions about her own country. She thinks, -perhaps, she bragged a little too much in telling of its wonders, but -she excuses herself to herself, thinking, “Well, my country is worth -bragging about, I’m sure.” During a lull in the conversation, Mary -Frances asked the King, “Won’t you tell me where all the stories come -from?” - -“With pleasure,” he replied. “They come from all countries. The world -is full of people who are doing brave and noble deeds, and when we hear -of such deeds, we have them written down and pass them on.” - -“Of course,” he added, “there are other people who are doing cowardly -and selfish things, but we don’t bother with them, except to punish -them as we did the pirate. We see to it that no good story is ever -lost; that is why we were so concerned about the lost story.” - -“You can see,” said the Queen, “that it keeps us pretty busy.” - -“Indeed, it must,” returned Mary Frances. “I think it’s very kind of -you to let me visit you.” - -“Dear child,” said the Queen, “we shall make a story about it--several -stories----” - -“Yes, delightful stories,” interrupted the Story Lady, “and I shall -tell them! Oh, yes, I shall tell them!” - - - - -THE LAST DAY ON STORY ISLAND - - THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH, A FAIRY TALE OF HOME.--CHIRP THE - FIRST.--CHIRP THE SECOND.--CHIRP THE THIRD.--THE RETURN HOME. - - - - -THE LAST DAY ON STORY ISLAND - -THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH - -XXXIV - -CHIRP THE FIRST - - -WHEN the Story People were all assembled, the Story Lady began: - -“To-day we have only one story, ‘The Cricket on the Hearth,’ which was -first told by one of our greatest story-tellers, Charles Dickens, who -wrote ‘The Christmas Carol’ and many other stories that children love -to hear.” - - -_The Peerybingles_ - -“Heyday! The cricket’s merrier than ever to-night, I think,” said John, -stopping, in his slow way, to listen to its musical chirp, chirp, chirp! - -“And it’s sure to bring us good fortune, John! It always has done so. -To have a cricket on the hearth is the luckiest thing in the world!” - -That is what John Peerybingle’s little wife Dot said one stormy night -after John had come in from delivering packages and boxes, and she had -given him his tea and had put the baby to sleep. For John Peerybingle -was a local expressman; or, as they say in England, a carrier. - -“The first time I heard its cheerful little note, John,” Dot continued, -“was the night you brought me home--when you brought me to my new home -here; its little mistress. Nearly a year ago. You recollect, John?” - -Oh, yes. John remembered. I should think so! - -“Its chirp was such a welcome to me. It seemed so full of promise -and encouragement. It seemed to say you would be kind and gentle with -me, and would not expect to find an old head on the shoulders of your -foolish little wife. I had a fear of that, John, then.” - -John thoughtfully patted one of the shoulders, and then the head of his -little wife, as though to say, “No, no; he had no such expectation; he -had been quite content to take them as they were.” - -“The cricket spoke the truth, John, for you have been, I am sure, the -most considerate, the most affectionate of husbands. This has been a -happy home, John; and I love the cricket for its sake.” - -“Why, so do I, then,” said the carrier, “so do I, Dot.” - -“I love it for the many times I have heard it,” Dot went on musing, -“and the many thoughts its harmless music has given me. Sometimes, in -the twilight, when I have felt a little down-hearted, John--before the -precious baby came to keep me company and make the house gay--when I -have thought how lonely you would be if I should die, or I should be if -you should die, its chirp, chirp, chirp, upon the hearth has filled me -with new trust and confidence. For you see, John, I was afraid, being -so much younger than you, that you might not find me at all suitable -as a wife, and that you might find it hard to learn to love me as you -would if I were older and had had more experience. I was thinking just -before you came in to-night, dear, how the cricket has cheered me at -such times; and I love it for their sake.” - -“And so do I,” repeated John. “But, Dot! How you talk! I learn to -love you? I had learned that long before I brought you here to be the -cricket’s little mistress, Dot.” - -She laid her hand, an instant, on his arm, and looked up at him as if -she would have told him something. Next moment, she was down upon her -knees before the basket of packages which John had brought in from his -cart. Perhaps some of them would be called for; the others he would -deliver in the morning. - -“There are not many of them to-night, John. Why, what’s this round box? -Heart alive, John, it’s a wedding-cake!” - -“Leave a woman to find that out,” said John admiringly. “Now, a man -would never have thought of it! But it’s my belief that if you packed -a wedding cake in a tea-chest, or in a feather bed, or in salmon-keg, -a woman would be sure to find it out directly. Yes, I called for it at -the pastry-cook’s.” - -“And it weighs, I don’t know what--whole hundred weights!” cried Dot, -making a great show of trying to lift it. “Whose is it, John? Where is -it going?” - -“Read the writing on the other side,” said John. - -“Why, John! My goodness, John!” exclaimed Dot. - -“Ah! Who’d have thought it!” John returned. - -“You never mean to say,” asked Dot, sitting on the floor and shaking -her head at him, “that it’s for Gruff and Tackleton, the toy-maker!” - -John nodded. Mrs. Peerybingle nodded also, fifty times at least--in -dumb and pitying amazement. - -And Tilly Slowboy, the nurse-maid, and helper of all work, began to -talk in an undertone to the baby, who had awakened, as she walked to -and fro with him in her arms: “Was it for Gruffs and Tackletons, then, -and would it call at the pastry-cooks’ for wedding cakes, and did its -mothers know the boxes when its fathers brought them home;” and so on. - -“And that marriage is really to come about!” said Dot, after seeing -that the baby was all right. “Why, she and I were girls at school -together, John.” - -John might have been thinking of how Dot looked then, but he made no -answer. - -“And he’s as old! As unlike May! Why, how many years older than you is -Gruff and Tackleton, John?” - -“How many more cups of tea shall I drink at one sitting than Gruff -and Tackleton ever took in four sittings, I wonder!” replied John -good-humoredly. - -But even this brought no smile to the face of his little wife. The -cricket, too, had stopped. Somehow the room was not so cheerful as it -had been. Nothing like it. - - -_The Strange Old Gentleman_ - -“So these are all the parcels, are they, John?” she asked, after a -little while; “so these are all the parcels, John?” - -“That’s all,” said John. “Why--no--I--I declare--I’ve clean forgotten -the old gentleman!” - -“The old gentleman?” - -“In the cart,” said John. “He was asleep, down in the straw, the last -time I saw him. I’ve very nearly remembered him twice since I came in; -but he went out of my head again.” - -John hastily rose and lighting a candle went out the door. “Halloa! -Yahip there! Rouse up! That’s my hearty!” he called as he made his way -to the wagon-shed. - -Soon the Stranger stood, bareheaded and motionless in the middle of -the room. He had long white hair, good features, singularly bold and -well-defined for an old man. His eyes were dark and bright and smiling. -He saluted the carrier’s wife by gravely bowing. - -His clothes were very quaint and old-fashioned, a long, long way behind -the time. Their color was brown, all over. In his hand he carried a -great brown club or walking-stick. He struck this upon the floor and it -fell open and became a chair on which he sat down quite composedly. - -“There!” said the carrier, turning to his wife. “That’s the way I found -him, sitting by the roadside! Upright as a milestone, and almost as -deaf as one!” - -“Sitting in the open air, John!” - -“In the open air,” replied the carrier, “just at dusk. ‘Will you take -me along?’ he asked, and gave me eighteen pence. Then he got into the -cart. And here he is.” - -“He’s going, John, I think!” - -[Illustration: “IF YOU PLEASE, I WAS TO BE LEFT TILL CALLED FOR”] - -Not at all. He was only going to speak. - -“If you please, I was to be left till called for,” said the Stranger, -mildly. “Don’t mind me.” - -With that he took a pair of spectacles from one of his large pockets, -and a book from another, and leisurely began to read. Boxer, the -carrier’s big dog, came sniffing at his legs, but he took no more -notice of Boxer than if he had been a lamb. - -The carrier and his wife glanced at each other in perplexity. The -Stranger raised his head; and looking from Dot toward John, said: - -“Your daughter, my good friend?” - -“Wife,” said John. - -“Niece?” asked the Stranger. - -“Wife,” roared John. - -“Indeed?” observed the Stranger. “Surely--very young!” - -Dot took the baby from the couch where Tilly Slowboy had laid him. The -Stranger quietly resumed his reading; but before he had read two lines, -he interrupted his reading to say to John: - -“Baby yours?” - -John gave a gigantic nod, equal to an answer given through a speaking -trumpet. - -“Girl?” asked the Stranger. - -“Bo-o-oy!” roared John. - -“Also very young, eh?” - -Mrs. Peerybingle instantly spoke. “Two months and three da-ays. -Vaccinated just six weeks ago-o! Took very fine-ly! Considered by the -doctors a remarkably beautiful chi-ild! Equal to the general run of -children at five months o-ld! Takes notice of everything. May seem -impossible to you, but true.” - -Here the breathless little mother, who had been shrieking these short -sentences into the old man’s ear until her face was crimson, held the -baby up before him to prove her words, while Tilly Slowboy sprang -around in cow-like gambols to amuse the infant, uttering words which -sounded like “Ketcher! Ketcher!” - -“Hark!” said John. “He’s called for, sure enough. There’s some one at -the door. Open it, Tilly.” - - -_Caleb Plummer_ - -Before she could reach it, however, it was opened from the outside, for -it was a primitive sort of door with a latch that any one could lift if -he chose. In came a little, meager, thoughtful, dingy-faced man. - -He seemed to have made himself a great-coat from the burlap covering -of some old box; for, when he turned to shut the door, and keep the -weather out, one could read upon the back of the garment the letters -“G & T” in large black capitals; also the word “GLASS” in smaller -capitals. - -“Good-evening, John!” said the little man. “Good-evening, mum. -Good-evening, Tilly! Good-evening, unbeknown! How’s baby, mum? Boxer’s -pretty well, I hope?” - -“All well and thriving, Caleb,” replied Dot. “I am sure you need only -look at the dear child, for one, to know that.” - -“And I’m sure I only need look at you for another,” said Caleb; “or at -John for another; or Tilly, as far as that goes; or certainly at Boxer.” - -“Busy just now, Caleb?” asked the carrier. - -“Why, pretty busy, John,” he returned. “Pretty much so. There’s a lot -of demand for Noah’s Arks at present. I’d like to be able to take more -pains in making the families, but I can’t do it at the price. It would -be a satisfaction, though, to one’s mind, to make it plain which was -Shems and Hams, and which was wives. Ah, well! Have you got anything in -the parcel line for me, John?” - -The carrier put his hand into the pocket of the coat he had taken off, -and brought out a tiny flower-pot, carefully wrapped in moss and tissue -paper. - -“There it is!” he said, adjusting it with great care. “Not so much as a -leaf damaged. Full of buds!” - -Caleb’s dull eye brightened as he took it, and thanked him. - -“It was expensive, Caleb,” said the carrier. “Very dear at this season.” - -“Never mind that. It would be cheap to me, whatever it cost,” returned -the little man. “Anything else, John?” - -“A small box,” replied the carrier. “Here you are!” - -“‘For Caleb Plummer,’” read the old man, spelling out the directions. -“‘With Cash!’ With cash, John? I don’t think it’s for me!” - -“‘With Care,’” corrected the carrier, looking over his shoulder. “Where -do you make out ‘cash’?” - -“Oh! To be sure!” said Caleb. “It’s all right. ‘With Care!’ Yes, yes; -that’s mine. It might have been ‘With Cash,’ if my dear boy in South -America had lived, John. You loved him like a son; didn’t you? You -needn’t say you did. I know, of course.” - -He read again, “‘Caleb Plummer. With Care.’ Yes, yes; it’s all right. -It’s a box of dolls’ eyes for my daughter’s work. I wish it was her own -sight in a box, John!” - -“I wish it was, or could be,” cried the carrier. - -“Thankee,” said the little man. “You speak very hearty. To think that -she should never see the dolls--and them a staring at her so bold, all -day long! That’s where it cuts. What’s the cost, John,--what’s the -damage?” - -“I’ll damage you,” said John, “if you ask.” - -“Well, it’s like you to say that,” observed the little man. “It’s your -kind way. Let me see. I think that’s all.” - -“I think not,” said the carrier. “Try again.” - -“Something for our governor, eh?” asked Caleb after thinking a little -while. “To be sure. That’s what I came for; but my head’s so full of -them Noah’s Arks and things! He hasn’t been here, has he?” - -“Not he,” returned the carrier. “He’s too busy, courting.” - -“He’s coming, though,” said Caleb; “for he told me to keep on the near -side of the road going home, and it was ten to one he’d take me up. I’d -better go, by-the-way.” - -He turned to Dot. “You couldn’t have the goodness to let me pinch -Boxer’s tail, mum, for half a moment, could you?” - -“Why, Caleb! What a question!” - -“Oh, never mind, mum,” said the little man. “He mightn’t like it, -perhaps. There’s a small order come in for toys--dogs that will bark; -and I wish to go as close to nature as possible for a sixpence. That’s -all. Never mind, mum.” - -It happened that Boxer just at that moment began to bark with zeal. -But, as this bark meant the approach of some new visitor, Caleb, -postponing his study of dogs’ barks, shouldered the big round box -of wedding cake and said good-by. He might have spared himself the -trouble, however, for he met his employer upon the threshold. - - -_Tackleton_ - -“Oh! You are here, are you? Wait a bit. I’ll take you home!” - -He turned to John. “John Peerybingle, my service to you. More of my -service to your pretty wife. Handsomer every day--and younger!” - -“I should be astonished at your paying compliments, Mr. Tackleton,” -said Dot, not altogether pleasantly, “but for what I have just heard -about you--being engaged to be married.” - -“You know all about it, then?” - -“I have gotten myself to believe it somehow,” said Dot. - -“After a hard struggle, I suppose?” - -“Very.” - -Tackleton, the toy merchant, was well known in the neighborhood. Many -people called him Gruff and Tackleton, the name of the firm when Gruff -was Tackleton’s partner. Although Tackleton had bought out Gruff’s -interest years before, the name still remained. - -It was odd that such a man should have been a toy-maker, for he had no -interest in toys whatever. He despised them, and wouldn’t have bought -one for the world. The only toys in his shop which he could abide were -the ugly ones. Hideous, red-eyed Jacks-in-Boxes, vampire kites, and -fiery dragons really did give him some pleasure, for he saw that they -scared little children. A very pleasant person, Tackleton! Not the kind -of person you would think was going to be married, and to a young wife, -too--a beautiful young wife. - -He didn’t look much like a bridegroom as he stood in the carrier’s -kitchen, with a twist in his dry face, and a screw in his body, and his -hat jerked over the bridge of his nose, and his hands tucked down into -the bottom of his pockets, and his whole sarcastic, ill-conditioned, -self--peering out of one little corner of one little eye, like the -concentrated essence of any number of ravens. But a bridegroom he was -designed to be. - -“In three days’ time--next Thursday--the last day of the first month of -the year--is my wedding day,” said Tackleton. - -Did I mention that he had always one eye wide open and one eye nearly -shut; and the eye nearly shut was always the expressive eye? I don’t -think I did. - -“That’s my wedding-day!” said Tackleton, rattling his money in his -pocket. - -“Why, that’s the anniversary of our wedding, too!” exclaimed the -carrier. - -“Ha, ha!” laughed Tackleton. “Odd! You’re just such another couple as -we will be! Just!” - -At this speech, Dot was most indignant. What next would the man say? As -though her John resembled Tackleton in any particular! - -“I say! A word with you,” murmured Tackleton, nudging the carrier -with his elbow, and taking him off a little way. “You’ll come to the -wedding, won’t you? We’re in the same boat, you know.” - -“How in the same boat?” asked John. - -“Why, you’re not so youthful as your wife, yourself,” said Tackleton, -with another nudge. “Come and spend an evening with us beforehand.” - -“Why?” demanded John, astonished at this hospitality. - -“Why?” returned the other. “That’s a new way to receive an invitation. -Why--for pleasure--to be sociable, you know, and all that.” - -“I thought you were never sociable,” said John, in his plain way. - -“As you like; what does it matter? Your company will produce a -favorable impression on Mrs. Tackleton that-will-be. You’ll say you’ll -come?” - -“We have arranged to keep our wedding day at home,” said John. “We -think, you see, that home----” - -“Bah! What’s home?” cried Tackleton. “Four walls and a ceiling! Why -don’t you kill that cricket? I would! I always do! I hate their noise! -You’ll say you’ll come, to-morrow evening?” - -“You kill the crickets, eh?” said John. - -“Scrunch ’em, sir,” returned the other, setting his heel heavily on -the floor. “Then you won’t give us to-morrow evening? Well! Next day -you go out visiting, I know. I’ll meet you there, and bring my wife -that-is-to-be. It’ll do her good. You’re agreeable? Thankee. What’s -that?” - - -_Dot is Upset_ - -It was a loud cry from the carrier’s wife; a loud, sharp, sudden -cry, that made the room ring like a glass bell that was struck. She -had risen from her seat and stood like one transfixed by terror and -surprise. The Stranger had gone toward the fire to warm himself, but he -was quite still. - -“Dot!” cried the carrier, “Darling Dot! What’s the matter?” - -They were all about her in a moment. Caleb, who had been dozing on the -cake-box, in the first start, seized Tilly Slowboy by the hair, but -immediately apologized. - -“Mary!” exclaimed the carrier, for Dot’s real name was Mary, Dot being -only a pet name of her husband’s. “Mary dear, are you ill? What is it? -Tell me, dear.” - -But at first she could not answer. She wept bitterly, and covered her -face with her apron; then burst into a wild fit of laughter, and then -started crying again. At length she let John lead her to the fire, -where she sat down. The old man was standing there as before. - -“I’m better, John,” she said. “I’m quite well. It was only a fancy, -something coming before my eyes. It’s gone, quite gone now.” - -“But why did she look at the old gentleman, as if addressing him?” -thought John. “Was her mind wandering?” - -“I’m glad it’s gone,” muttered Tackleton, turning the expressive eye -around the room. “I wonder where it’s gone, and what it was. Humph, -Caleb, come here! Who’s that man with the gray hair?” - -“I don’t know, sir,” Caleb answered in a whisper. “Never saw him before -in all my life. He’d make a beautiful figure for a nut-cracker; quite a -new model.” - -“Not ugly enough!” said Tackleton. - -“Or a match-safe,” Caleb continued. “What a model! Unscrew his head to -put the matches in. Let them fall down to his neck, and take out.” - -“Not half ugly enough,” said Tackleton. “Nothing in him at all. Come! -Bring that box! All right now, I hope, Mrs. Peerybingle?” - -“Oh, quite right! Quite right!” said the little woman, waving him -hurriedly away. “Good-night!” - -“Good-night,” said Tackleton. “Good-night, John Peerybingle! Take care -how you carry that box, Caleb. Let it fall and I’ll murder you! Dark as -pitch, and weather worse than ever, eh? Good-night!” - -So, with another sharp look round the room, he went out the door, -followed by Caleb with the wedding cake on his head. - -The carrier had been so much astonished by his little wife, and so -busily trying to sooth her that he had scarcely been conscious of the -Stranger’s presence until now, when he looked up and saw him standing -there, their only guest! - -“He don’t belong to them, you see,” said John. “I must give him a hint -to go.” - -Just at that moment the old gentleman came toward him, saying, “I -beg your pardon, friend, but since my attendant has not come and the -weather is so bad, can you, in your kindness, let me rent a bed here?” - -“Yes, yes!” cried Dot. “Yes! Certainly!” - -“Oh!” exclaimed the carrier, surprised by the quickness of her consent. -“Well, I don’t object; still I’m not quite sure--” - -“Hush!” she interrupted. “Dear John, please.” - -“Why, he’s stone deaf,” urged John. - -“I know, but--” She turned to the Stranger. “Yes, sir, certainly. Yes! -Certainly!” Then to John. “I’ll make him up a bed directly, John.” - -As she hurried off to do it, the fluttering way she did it was so -strange that the carrier looked after her, quite dumfounded. - -“Did its mothers make up a beds then?” cried Tilly Slowboy to the baby; -“and did its hair grow brown and curly when its caps was lifted off, -and frighten it, as precious pets, a-sitting by the fire?” - -“What frightened Dot, I wonder?” thought the carrier, pacing to and -fro, and half listening to Tilly’s silly chatter. - -The bed was soon made ready, and the Stranger, who would not take -anything but a cup of tea, retired. - -After Dot put the baby to bed, she arranged the great comfortable -fireside chair for the carrier, and filled his pipe for him. Then she -brought her little stool and, placing it beside his knee, sat down for -a cozy chat. - -But the carrier fell to dreaming, and Boxer, who was stretched at his -feet, I am quite ashamed to say, snored aloud. Just then the cricket -began its song, and Dot, too, fell a-dreaming. - - * * * * * - -But what was that young figure of a man which remained there, singly -and alone? Why did it linger still, so near her with its arm upon the -chimney-piece, ever repeating in a whisper, “Married! and not to me!” - - - - -XXXV - -CHIRP THE SECOND - - -_Bertha, the Blind Girl, and Her Father_ - -CALEB PLUMMER, the toy-maker, and his blind daughter lived all alone -by themselves, as the Story Books say, in a little cracked nutshell of -a wooden house, close to the big establishment of Gruff and Tackleton, -the toy merchants. - -I have said that Caleb and his poor blind daughter lived here. I should -have said that Caleb lived here, and his poor blind daughter lived -somewhere else--in a sort of enchanted fairyland, where no shabbiness -or poverty or trouble ever entered; for Caleb, in the magic of his -devoted, deathless love for his daughter, played a little game of -“Pretend” which made the blind girl think their home beautiful, her -father rich and handsome, and that nothing was lacking which they -needed. - -The blind girl never knew that the ceilings were broken and the walls -blotched, and bare of plaster here and there, the beams warped and -bending because of age. The blind girl never knew that the woodwork was -rotting and the paper peeling off the walls, and the little building -withering away. - -The blind girl never knew that the dishes were ugly and cracked, and -the carpets threadbare; that sorrow and faint-heartedness were in the -house; that Caleb’s scanty hairs were turning grayer, and more gray, -before her sightless face. - -The blind girl never knew that they had a master, cold, exacting, and -not caring how they got along--never knew that Tackleton was Tackleton, -in fact. For Caleb led her to think his rough words were meant for -jokes; that he was very good to them, and had a peculiarity in that he -could not bear to be thanked for any favor he had done. - -You know why he did this. It was because he felt so sorry for poor -blind Bertha that he deceived her into thinking everything lovely and -fair in order that she might be happier. He, too, had had a cricket -singing on the hearth when his motherless girl was very young, and when -he listened to its music, he made up his mind to cheer the little one’s -dark way by every means he could devise. - -Caleb and his daughter were at work together in their usual working -room, which served them for their ordinary living room as well; and a -strange place it was. - -There were houses in it, furnished and unfurnished, for dolls of all -stations in life. Nice houses for dolls of moderate means; smaller -houses for dolls not so well off; fine town residences for dolls of -high estate. Some of the houses were already furnished with a view to -the conveniences of dolls of limited income; others could be furnished -on notice from the shelves nearby which were full of chairs and tables, -sofas, bedsteads, and other articles of furniture. - -Then there were many dolls themselves of all kinds and from all -stations in life. - -There were various other samples of his handicraft besides dolls and -dolls’ houses in Caleb Plummer’s room. There were Noah’s Arks in which -the birds and beasts were an uncommonly tight fit, I assure you. -There were scores of little carts, which, when the wheels went round, -performed most doleful music. There were small fiddles and drums, and -no end of cannon, shields and spears. - -There were little fellows in red breeches who would tumble down head -first along a piece of tape. There were old gentlemen dolls who would -fly over trapeze bars when pressed in the right place. There were -beasts of all sorts; horses, in particular, of every breed, from the -little spotted gray on four legs, to the thoroughbred rocked on his -highest mettle. - -[Illustration: THERE WERE HOUSES IN IT, FURNISHED AND UNFURNISHED, -FOR DOLLS OF ALL STATIONS IN LIFE] - -There were dozens and dozens of other little toys, but you already can -imagine how the room looked. - -In the midst of all these objects, Caleb and his daughter sat at work; -the blind girl busy as a doll’s dressmaker; Caleb painting a desirable -doll’s family mansion. - -“So you were out in the rain last night, Father, in your beautiful new -great-coat,” said Caleb’s daughter. - -“In my beautiful new great-coat,” answered Caleb, glancing toward a -clothes-rack in the room on which the burlap garment was carefully hung -to dry. - -“How glad I am you bought it, Father! And such a stylish tailor!” - -“It’s too good for me,” said Caleb. - -The blind girl rested from her work and laughed with delight. “Too -good, Father! What can be too good for you?” - -“I’m half ashamed to wear it, though,” said Caleb, watching the effect -of what he said on her brightening face, “upon my word! When I hear the -boys and people say behind me, ‘Hallo! Here’s a swell!’ I don’t know -which way to look. And when the beggar wouldn’t go away last night; -and when I said I am a very common man, said, ‘No, Your Honor! Bless -Your Honor, don’t say that!’ I was quite ashamed. I really felt as if I -hadn’t a right to wear it.” - -Happy blind girl! How merry she was with the idea! - -“I see you, Father,” she said, clasping her hands, “as plainly as if I -had the eyes I never want when you are with me. A blue coat----” - -“Bright blue,” said Caleb. - -“Yes, yes! Bright blue!” exclaimed the girl, turning up her radiant -face; “the color I can just remember in the blessed sky! You told me it -was blue before. A bright blue coat----” - -“Made loose to the figure,” suggested Caleb. - -“Yes! loose to the figure!” cried the blind girl, laughing heartily; -“and in it, you, dear Father, with your merry eye, your smiling face, -your free step, and your dark hair--looking so young and handsome!” - -“There! There!” said Caleb, “I shall be vain presently.” - -“I think you are already!” cried the blind girl, pointing at him in her -glee. “I know you, Father! Ha, ha, ha! I’ve found you out, you see!” - -How different the picture in her mind from Caleb as he sat observing -her. She had spoken of his free step. She was right in that. For years -and years he had never once crossed their threshold with his own slow -pace, but with a footfall free and sprightly, for her to hear; and -never, even when his heart was heaviest, had he forgotten the light -tread that was to render her own so cheerful and courageous. - -“There we are,” said Caleb, falling back a step or two to better judge -his work. “It’s a pity the whole front of this doll’s house opens at -once! If there was only a staircase in it, now, and regular doors to -go in at! But that’s the worst of my work, I’m always trying to make -believe!” - -“You are speaking quite softly. Are you tired, Father?” - -“Tired?” echoed Caleb with a great burst of enthusiasm. “What should -tire me, Bertha? I was never tired. What does it mean?” - -To give greater force to his words, he checked himself in the middle of -a yawn, and began to hum a song. He sang it with a pretended care-free -manner that made his face look a thousand times more meagre and more -thoughtful than before. - - -_Tackleton Comes In_ - -Just then Tackleton put his head in at the door. “What! You’re singing, -are you?” he thundered. “Go it! I can’t sing!” - -Nobody would have suspected that he could. He hadn’t a singing face by -any means. - -“I can’t afford to sing,” said Tackleton. “I’m glad you can. I hope -you can afford to work, too. Hardly time for both, I should think.” - -Caleb turned toward his daughter, and said in a low tone, “If you could -only see him, Bertha, how he’s winking at me. Such a man to joke! You’d -think, if you didn’t know him, he was in earnest--wouldn’t you now?” - -The blind girl smiled and nodded. - -“The bird that can sing and won’t sing, must be made to sing,” grumbled -Tackleton. “What about the owl that can’t sing, and oughtn’t to sing, -and will sing. Is there anything that he should be made to do?” - -“The way he’s winking at me this moment!” whispered Caleb to his -daughter. “Oh, my gracious!” - -“Always merry and light-hearted with us!” cried the smiling Bertha. - -“Oh, you’re there, are you?” answered Tackleton. “Poor idiot!” - -He really did believe she was an idiot; and, strange to say, he thought -her an idiot because she was fond of him. - -“Well! being there, how are you?” said Tackleton, in his grudging way. - -“Oh, well; quite well. And as happy as even you could wish me to be--as -happy as you would make the whole world, if you could.” - -“Poor idiot!” muttered Tackleton. “No gleam of reason! Not a gleam!” - -The blind girl took his hand, and held it a moment in her own two -hands, and laid her cheek against it tenderly, before releasing it. -There was so much affectionate gratitude in the act, that Tackleton -himself was moved to say, in a milder growl than usual: - -“What’s the matter now?” - -“I stood the little plant beside my pillow when I went to sleep last -night, and remembered it in my dreams. When the day came, and the -glorious red sun--the red sun, Father?” - -“Red in the mornings and in the evenings, Bertha,” said poor Caleb, -with a woeful glance at his employer. - -“When it rose, and bright light came into the room, I turned the little -tree towards it, and blessed Heaven for making such precious things, -and blessed you for sending it to cheer me.” - -“Whew!” said Tackleton under his breath, “we’re getting on! The next -thing will be the padded cell.” - -Meanwhile Caleb looked as if he were uncertain whether Tackleton had -done anything deserving of praise or not. Yet he knew that with his own -hands he had brought the little rose tree home for her so carefully, -and that with his own lips he had made her believe that it was a gift -from Tackleton, in order to keep her from suspecting how much he every -day denied himself to save the money it cost--that she might be the -happier. - -“Bertha!” said Tackleton, with for once a show of cordiality, “Come -here.” - -“Oh, I can come straight to you. You needn’t guide me!” - -“Shall I tell you a secret, Bertha?” - -“If you will,” she answered eagerly. - -How bright the darkened face looked! How anxious the listening head! - -“This is the day on which that spoiled child, John Peerybingle’s wife, -pays her regular visit to you--makes what she calls her ‘picnic’ here, -ain’t it?” said Tackleton, with a look of distaste for the affair. - -“Yes,” replied Bertha, “this is the day.” - -“I thought so,” said Tackleton. “I should like to join the party.” - -“Do you hear that, Father?” cried Bertha in delight. - -“Yes, yes, I heard it,” murmured Caleb, with the look somewhat of a -sleepwalker, “but I don’t believe it.” - -“You see,” said Tackleton, “I--I want to bring the Peerybingles a -little more into the company of May Fielding, for I am going to be -married to May.” - -“Married!” cried the blind girl, starting from him. - -“Oh! She’s such a confounded idiot,” muttered Tackleton, “that I was -afraid she’d never comprehend. Ah, yes, Bertha! Married! Church, -parson, clerk, bells, satin, veils, and all the rest of the tomfoolery. -A wedding, you know; a wedding. Don’t you know what a wedding is?” - -“I know,” replied the blind girl gently. “I understand.” - -“Do you?” muttered Tackleton. “It’s more than I expected.” Then -aloud: “Well, on that account I want to join the party, and bring May -and her mother. I’ll send in a little something or other before the -afternoon--a cold leg of mutton, or some comfortable trifle of that -sort. You’ll expect me?” - -“Yes,” she answered, turning away. - -“I don’t think you will,” muttered Tackleton, looking at her; “for you -seem to have forgotten all about it already. Caleb!” - -“I may venture to say I’m here, I suppose,” thought Caleb. “Sir?” - -“Take care she don’t forget what I’ve been saying to her.” - -“She never forgets,” returned Caleb; “it’s one of the few things she -ain’t clever in.” - -“‘Every man thinks his geese swans’,” observed the toy merchant, with a -shrug of his shoulders. “Poor idiot!” - -Having delivered this remark with much contempt, old Gruff and -Tackleton went out. - - -_Bertha’s Eyes_ - -Bertha remained where he had left her, lost in thought. The gayety had -vanished from her face, and it was very sad. Three or four times she -shook her head as if bewailing some loss. - -It was not until Caleb had been busy for some time in yoking a team -of wooden horses to the tongue of a little wooden wagon by the simple -means of nails, driven through the vital parts of their bodies, that -she drew near his work-bench, and, sitting down beside him, said: -“Father, I am lonely. I want to borrow your eyes.” - -“Here they are,” said Caleb. “Always ready. They are more yours than -mine, Bertha, any hour in the four-and-twenty. What shall your eyes do -for you, dear?” - -“My patient, willing eyes!” the blind girl said. “Will they look around -the room, Father?” - -“All right, no sooner said than done, Bertha.” - -“Tell me about it.” - -“It’s much the same as usual,” said Caleb. “Homely, but snug. The gay -colors on the walls; the bright flowers on the plates and other dishes; -the shining wood, where there are no panels; the general cheerfulness -and neatness of the building; all make it very pretty.” - -Cheerful and neat it was, wherever Bertha’s hands could busy -themselves, but nowhere else were cheerfulness and neatness possible -in the old crazy shed which Caleb’s fancy painted with such pleasant -description. - -“You have your working clothes on, and are not so gallant as when you -wear the handsome coat?” said Bertha, touching him. - -“Not quite so gallant,” answered Caleb. “Pretty lively, though.” - -“Father,” said the blind girl, drawing close to his side, and putting -one arm around his neck, “tell me something about May. Is she very -pretty?” - -“She is indeed,” said Caleb. And she was indeed. It was quite a rare -thing for Caleb not to draw upon his imagination. - -“I can imagine her,” said Bertha. “Her hair is dark, darker than mine. -Her voice is sweet and musical, I know. I have often loved to hear it. -Her form----” - -“There’s not a doll in all the room can compare with her,” said Caleb. -“And her eyes!” - -He stopped; for Bertha’s arm around his neck had given a sudden -pressure. He coughed a moment; hammered a moment; then began to sing -the gay song about the sparkling bowl, a thing he always did when in -such difficulties. - -“Now, about your friend, our benefactor, Mr. Tackleton--I am never -tired, you know, of hearing about him. Now, was I ever?” she said -hastily. - -“Of course not!” answered Caleb. “And with reason.” - -“Ah, with much reason!” cried the blind girl so fervently that Caleb -began to doubt if he had been wise in deceiving her. - -“Tell me about him, dear father,” said Bertha. “Many times again! His -face is kind and tender, honest and true, I am sure it is! The goodness -in his heart shines out in his countenance.” - -“And makes it noble,” added Caleb, who was rather desperate by now. - -“And makes it noble!” cried the blind girl. “He is older than May, -Father?” - -“Yes, quite a little older; but that don’t signify,” said Caleb. - -“Oh, no, Father! Just to think, she can do so much for him when he -grows old and infirm, and can nurse him if he gets ill, and help him in -every way. Will she do all this, Father?” - -“No doubt of it,” said Caleb. - -“I love her for that, Father. I love her with all my heart,” exclaimed -the blind girl. - - -_The Carrier’s Cart_ - -In the meantime there had been a lively scene at John Peerybingle’s, -for little Mrs. Peerybingle naturally couldn’t think of going anywhere -without the baby; and to get the baby ready took time. - -Not that there was so much of the baby, but there was so much to do -about it, and it all had to be done by easy stages. For instance, when -the baby was got, by hook or by crook, to a certain point in dressing, -and you might have supposed that another touch or two would finish him -off, and turn him out a tiptop baby, he was unexpectedly extinguished -in a warm nightgown, and hustled off to bed; where he simmered, so to -speak, between sheets and blankets, for the best part of an hour. - -From this place of inaction, he was recalled, shining very much, and -roaring violently, to partake of his luncheon. After which, he went to -sleep again. - -Then Mrs. Peerybingle took the opportunity to make herself look as fine -as possible, and Miss Slowboy put on her best bib-and-tucker. - -By this time, the baby, being all alive again, was dressed by the -united efforts of Mrs. Peerybingle and Miss Slowboy, and put into his -cream-colored coat and flannel cap; and so, in course of time, they all -three got to the door, where John’s old horse stood tearing up the road -with impatient autographs, and from where Boxer might be seen a little -distance down the road, looking back, tempting the horse to come on -without orders. - -If you think that Mrs. Peerybingle needed a chair or anything of that -kind to help her climb into the cart, you are mistaken, or you don’t -know John Peerybingle, for before you could have seen him, he lifted -her from the ground; and there she was in place, fresh and rosy, -saying, “Oh, John, how can you!” - -“All ready?” asked John, starting off, after Miss Slowboy and the baby -were in place. - -“John, you’ve got the basket with the veal-and-ham-pie and other -things?” asked Dot. “If you haven’t, you must turn around again this -very minute.” - -“You’re a nice little article,” replied the carrier, “to be talking -about turning round after keeping me a full quarter of an hour behind -my time.” - -“I am sorry for it, John,” said Dot, “but I really could not think of -going to Bertha’s--I would not do it, John, on any account--without the -veal-and-ham-pie and things. Whoa!” This last word was addressed to the -horse, who didn’t mind at all. - -“Oh, do turn round, John,” begged Mrs. Peerybingle. “Please!” - -“It’ll be time enough to do that,” said John, “when I begin to leave -things behind me. The basket’s here safe enough.” - -“What a hard-hearted monster you must be, John, not to have said so at -once, and saved me such a turn! I declare I wouldn’t go to Bertha’s -without the veal-and-ham-pie and things for any money. Regularly, once -a fortnight, ever since we have been married we have had our little -picnic. If anything were to go wrong with it, I should almost think we -were never to be lucky again.” - -“It was a kind thought in the first place,” said the carrier, “and I -honor you for it, little woman.” - -“My dear John,” replied Dot, turning very red, “don’t talk about -honoring me. Good gracious!” - -“By-the-bye--” observed the carrier, “that old gentleman----” - -Dot looked embarrassed. - -“He’s an odd fish,” said the carrier. “I can’t make him out. I don’t -believe there’s any harm in him, though.” - -“None at all. I’m--I’m sure there’s none at all.” - -“Yes?” said the carrier, with his eyes attracted to her face because -she had spoken so earnestly. “Well, I am glad you feel so certain about -it, because it makes me feel surer. It’s curious he should have taken -it into his head to ask us for lodgings, ain’t it? Things come about so -strangely.” - -“So very strangely,” she rejoined in a low voice, scarcely audible. - -“However, he’s a good-natured old gentleman,” said John, “and pays -as a gentleman, and I think his word is to be relied upon, like a -gentleman’s. I had quite a long talk with him this morning. He can -hear me better already he says, as he gets more used to my voice. He -told me a great deal about himself, and I told him a good deal about -myself; and a rare lot of questions he asked me. I told him about -having two routes, you know, in my business; one day going to the right -from our house and back again, another day going left from our house -and back again (for he’s a stranger, and don’t know the names of the -places about here); and he seemed quite pleased. ‘Why,’ he says, ‘then -I shall be returning your way to-night. I thought I’d be coming in -exactly the opposite direction. That’s capital! I may trouble you for -another lift, perhaps, but I’ll promise not to fall asleep again.’ He -was sound asleep surely! Dot, what are you thinking of?” - -“Thinking of, John? I--I was listening to you.” - -“Oh! that’s all right!” said the carrier. “I was afraid, from the -look of your face, that I had gone rambling on so long as to set you -thinking of something else. I was very near it, I’ll be bound.” - -Dot making no reply, they jogged on for some time in silence. But it -was not very easy to remain silent long in John Peerybingle’s cart, for -everybody on the road had something to say, though it might only be, -“How are you?” and indeed it was very often nothing else. Sometimes -passengers on foot or on horseback plodded on a little way beside the -cart just for the pleasure of having a chat. - -Then, too, everybody knew Boxer, all along the road--especially the -fowls and pigs, who, when they saw him coming, running with his body -all on one side and his ears pricked up inquisitively, would make -tracks and not wait for any nearer acquaintance. Wherever he went, -somebody or other might cry, “Hello! Here’s Boxer!” and with that, out -came at least two or three other somebodies to bid John Peerybingle and -his pretty wife good-day. - -The packages and parcels to be delivered were as numerous as usual, and -it required many stops to give them out. This was not the worst part -of the journey by any means. Some people were so full of wonder about -their parcels, and other people so full of directions about the parcels -they were sending off by John, and John took so keen an interest in all -the parcels, that it was as good as a play, and Dot thoroughly enjoyed -it, as she looked on from her seat in the cart. - -[Illustration: THEY JOGGED ON FOR SOME TIME IN SILENCE] - -The trip was a little foggy, to be sure, in the January weather; and -was raw and cold. But who cared for such trifles? Not Dot, decidedly. -Not Tilly Slowboy, for she deemed sitting in a cart, on any terms, the -highest point of human joys. Not the baby, I’ll be bound; for it’s not -in baby nature to be warmer or more sound asleep than the blessed young -Peerybingle was, all the way. - -You couldn’t see very far in the fog, of course; but you could see a -great deal! It’s astonishing how much you may see in a thicker fog -than that, if you will only take the trouble to look for it. Why, even -to sit looking for hazy fairy rings, and ghostly figures near the -hedges and trees was a pleasant occupation, to make no mention of the -unexpected shapes in which the trees themselves came out of the mists -and glided in again. - -In one place there was a great mound of weeds burning, and they watched -the fire flaring through the fog, with here and there a dash of red in -it, until, because of getting “smoke up her nose,” as she explained, -Miss Slowboy choked and woke the baby, who wouldn’t go to sleep again. -But Boxer, who was in advance a quarter of a mile or so, had passed the -outskirts of the town, and gained the corner of the street where Caleb -and his daughter lived; and long before they reached the door, he and -the blind girl were on the pavement waiting to receive them. - - -_The Party at Caleb’s_ - -May Fielding was already there; and so was her mother, a little -querulous chip of an old lady with a peevish face. Gruff and Tackleton -was also there, pretending to be agreeable and perfectly at home, and -really quite as much out of his element as a fish out of water. - -“May! My dear old friend!” cried Dot, running up to meet her. “What -happiness to see you!” - -Her old friend was as glad as she, and it really was, if you’ll -believe me, a pleasant sight to see them embrace each other. Tackleton -had shown taste, beyond all question. May was very pretty. And so -was Dot pretty. They simply set each other’s beauty off and, as -John Peerybingle came near saying, they ought to have been born -sisters--which was the only improvement you could have suggested. - -Tackleton had brought his leg of mutton, and, wonderful to relate, a -tart beside--but he could afford such generosity this time; one doesn’t -get married every day. And in addition to these dainties, there were -the veal-and-ham-pie and “things,” as Mrs. Peerybingle called them; -which were chiefly nuts and oranges and cakes. - -When the repast was set forth on the table, together with Caleb’s -contribution, a bowl of smoking potatoes, which was all he was allowed -to provide, Tackleton led his future mother-in-law to the post of -honor. Why, she was gotten up for the occasion; even wearing gloves. -Caleb sat next his daughter. Dot and her old school friend were side by -side. The carrier took care of the bottom of the table. Miss Slowboy -was seated a little distance away, far from every other article of -furniture but the chair she sat on, that she might have nothing to -knock the baby’s head against. She was delighted not only to take care -of the baby, but to stare around at the toys. - -“Ah, May,” said Dot. “Dear, dear, what changes! To talk of those merry -school days makes one young again.” - -“Why, you ain’t particularly old at any time, are you?” said Tackleton. - -“Look at my sober, plodding husband there,” returned Dot. “He adds -twenty years to my age at least. Don’t you, John?” - -“Forty,” John replied. - -“How many _you’ll_ add to May’s I am sure I don’t know,” said Dot, -laughing. “But she can’t be much less than a hundred years of age on -her next birthday.” - -“Ha, ha!” laughed Tackleton. Hollow as a drum was the laugh, though. -And he looked as if he could have twisted Dot’s neck comfortably. - -“Dear, dear,” said Dot. “Only think how we used to talk sometimes -about the husbands we would choose. I don’t know how lively and gay -mine was not to be! And as to May’s--ah, dear! I don’t know whether to -laugh or cry when I think what silly girls we were.” - -May seemed to know which to do, for the color flashed into her face and -tears stood in her eyes. - -“We little thought how things would come about,” said Dot. “I never -fixed on John, I’m sure; I never so much as thought of him. And if I -had told you you were ever to be married to Mr. Tackleton--why, you’d -have slapped me, wouldn’t you, May?” - -Though May didn’t say yes, she certainly didn’t say no, or express no, -by any means. - -Tackleton laughed--quite shouted, he laughed so loud. John Peerybingle -laughed too, in his ordinary, good-natured and contented manner; but -his was a mere whisper of a laugh compared to Tackleton’s. - -“You couldn’t help yourselves for all that,” said Tackleton. “You -couldn’t resist us, you see. Here we are! Here we are! Where are your -gay young bridegrooms now?” - -“Some of them are dead,” said Dot; “and some of them forgotten. Some of -them, if they could stand among us at this moment, would not believe -that we are the same creatures, because they would not believe we -_could_ forget them so. No! they would not believe one word of it!” - -“Why, Dot!” exclaimed the carrier. “Little woman!” And Dot kept quiet, -while Tackleton looked at her through his half-shut eye. - -May uttered no word, good or bad, but sat quite still, with her eyes -downcast, and made no sign of interest in what had passed. Her mother, -however, observed that girls were girls, and bygones were bygones, and -that so long as young people were young and thoughtless, they would -probably conduct themselves like young and thoughtless persons. She -then remarked that she thanked heaven that she had always found in May -a dutiful and obedient child, for which she took no credit to herself, -though she had every reason to believe it was owing to herself. With -regard to Mr. Tackleton, she said that he was a son-in-law to be -desired, as no one in their senses could doubt. - -Now, the meal ended, John Peerybingle rose to go, for he only stopped -to feed his horse, and to enjoy the social hour before finishing his -route. He would call for Dot on his way back. This was always the -program on picnic days. - -“Good-by,” he said, pulling on his dreadnought coat. “I shall be back -at the usual time. Good-by, all.” - -Then he called Boxer, and soon the old horse and the cart were making -lively music down the road. - -Caleb and Bertha were talking together at one end of the room. - -“So bring me the precious baby, Tilly,” said Dot, drawing a chair to -the fire; “and while I have him in my lap, here’s Mrs. Fielding, Tilly, -who will tell me all about the management of babies, and straighten -me out in twenty points where I’m as wrong as can be. Won’t you, Mrs. -Fielding?” - -Here Tackleton walked out, and Mrs. Fielding, sitting bolt upright in -front of Dot, gave her such a marvelous collection of receipts and -rules that would, if Dot had carried them out, have utterly destroyed -the young Peerybingle, even if he had been an infant Samson. - -Now Dot brought her needlework out of her pocket, and had a whispering -chat with May while the old lady dozed, and after a while Caleb and -Bertha joined them, and all found it a very short afternoon. - -Then as it grew dark, since it was the solemn rule that Bertha should -do no household tasks on the days of the picnics, Dot trimmed the fire, -and swept the hearth, and set the tea-tray out, and drew the curtains, -and lighted a candle. Then she played an air or two on a rude kind of -harp which Caleb had made for Bertha, and played them very well; for -Nature had made her delicate little ear as choice a one for music as it -would have been for jewels--if she had had them to wear. - -By this time, it was the usual hour for tea, and Tackleton came back -again, to share the meal and spend the evening. - -When it was night, and tea was over, and Dot had nothing more to do -after washing the cups and saucers--when the time drew near for the -carrier’s return, Dot began to grow nervous. Every time she heard the -sound of distant wheels, her color came and went, and she was restless. -Not as good wives are when listening for their husbands. No, no, no. It -was a different sort of restlessness from that. - -Soon wheels were heard very near--horse’s feet--the barking of a -dog--and then the scratching of Boxer’s paw. - -“Whose step is that?” cried Bertha, starting up. - -“‘Whose step’?” said the carrier, standing in the door, his brown face -ruddy as a winter berry from the keen night air. “Why, mine.” - -“The other step,” Bertha said. “The man’s tread behind you!” - -“She’s not to be deceived,” observed the carrier, laughing. “Come -along, sir. You’ll be welcome, never fear!” - - -_The Shadow on the Hearth_ - -He spoke in a loud tone; and as he spoke, the deaf old gentleman -entered. - -“He’s not so much a stranger that you haven’t seen him once, Caleb,” -said the carrier. “You’ll give him house-room till we go?” - -“Oh, surely, John, and take it as an honor.” - -“He’s the best company on earth to talk secrets in,” said John. “I have -reasonably good lungs, but he tried them, I’ll tell you.” Turning to -the old gentleman, he spoke in a loud voice again, “Sit down, sir. All -friends here, and glad to see you.” - -Then he added in his natural tone, “A chair in the chimney-corner, and -leave to sit silent and look pleasantly about him is all he cares for. -He’s easily pleased.” - -Bertha had been listening intently. She called Caleb to her side, and -when he came, asked him, in a low voice, to describe their visitor. -When he had done so, she moved away and showed no further interest in -him. - -The carrier was in high spirits, good fellow that he was, and fonder of -his little wife than ever. - -“Some folks may think it queer,” he said jokingly, putting his rough -arm about her, as she stood apart from the others, “but I like this -little lady somehow. Look yonder, Dot.” - -He pointed to the old man. She looked down. I think she trembled. - -“He’s--ha, ha, ha!--he is so fond of you that he talked of nothing else -the whole way here. I like him for it.” - -“I wish he had a better subject, John,” she said with an uneasy glance -about the room--at Tackleton especially. - -“A better subject!” cried the jovial John. “There’s no such thing. -Come! Off with the great-coat, off with this thick shawl, off with the -heavy wrappings! And now for a cozy half-hour by the fire. How would -it please you, Mrs. Fielding, to have a game of cards, you and I? All -right? Where are the cards, Dot--and will you let us have a cup of tea -here if there’s any left, small wife?” - -Soon the carrier and the old lady were deep within the game. At first -the carrier looked about him sometimes with a smile, or now and then -called Dot to peep over his shoulder to advise him on some knotty -point. But soon he became so absorbed that he had neither eyes nor ears -to spare, and his whole attention was upon the cards, and he thought of -nothing else, until a hand was laid upon his shoulder. - -“I am sorry to disturb you,” said Tackleton in a low voice, “but I want -a word with you, please.” - -“It’s my turn to deal,” returned the carrier. “Can you wait?” - -“No,” said Tackleton. “Come on, man.” - -There was an expression in his pale face which made John rise -immediately, and ask him in a hurry what the matter was. - -“Hush, John Peerybingle,” said Tackleton. “I am sorry for this. I am -indeed. I have been afraid of it. I have suspected it from the first.” - -“What is it?” asked the carrier in alarm. - -“Hush! I’ll show you if you’ll come with me.” - -The carrier accompanied him without another word. They went across -the yard, where the stars were shining, and by a little side door -they entered Tackleton’s own counting-house. There, through a window, -they could look into a window of the wareroom where the boxes of toys -were kept. The counting-house was closed for the night, and there was -no light, but a dim light was burning in the wareroom, so they could -easily see within. - -“Wait a moment!” said Tackleton. “Can you bear to look through that -window, do you think?” - -“Why not?” asked the carrier. - -“It will be a shock,” said Tackleton. “Promise not to do anything -violent.” - -And then John looked, and what do you think he saw? - -He saw his dear young wife with the old man--old no longer, but -straight and handsome, holding in his hands his soft white hair with -which he had made every one think him old and treat him so kindly. He -saw her listening to him as he bent his head to whisper in her ear, -and then let him place his arm about her waist and lead her slowly to -the door. He saw her, with her own hands, adjust the wig on his head, -laughing as she did so! - -John felt weak as an infant as Tackleton led him back to the house. - -He was wrapped up to the chin and busy with his horse and parcels when -she came into the room, ready for going home. - -“Now, John, dear! Good-night, May! Good-night, Bertha,” she said. - -How could she kiss them? How be so blithe and gay in her parting? Why -didn’t she blush? Tackleton as well as John wondered. - -Tilly was hushing the baby and as she walked to and fro, she was -repeating drowsily: “Did they thought that it was to be its wives wring -its heart almost to breaking? and did it weep all nights when nobody -was there to see it?” - -“Now, Tilly, give me the baby,” said little Mrs. Peerybingle. -“Good-night, Mr. Tackleton. Where’s John, for goodness’ sake?” - -“He’s going to walk beside the horse’s head,” said Tackleton, who -helped her into the cart. - -“My dear John! Walk?--to-night?” - -The muffled figure of her husband made a hasty sign; and the Stranger -and nurse being by this time in their places, the old horse moved off, -Boxer running on before, running back, running round and round the -cart, and barking merrily. - -When Tackleton had gone off likewise, taking May and her mother, poor -Caleb sat down by the fire beside his daughter. The toys that had been -wound and set in motion for the baby had run down long ago. In the -silence one might have imagined that they had been stricken motionless -with wonder at Dot being false, or Tackleton beloved under any set of -circumstances. - -Presently Bertha spoke. - -“After Mr. Tackleton is married, we shall not see so much of him, shall -we, Father?” - -“Well, we might--that is to say--” began Caleb. - -“How I should love to be like May, Father, and have my eyes so that I -might serve him, might show my love for him, who has been so good, so -kind, so dear.” - -Poor Caleb! How often he said to himself as he looked at her, in -remorse, “Have I deceived her from her cradle, thinking to make her -happier, but to break her heart at last?” - - - - -XXXVI - -CHIRP THE THIRD - - -_John Listens to the Cricket_ - -THE Dutch clock in the corner struck ten, when the carrier sat down at -his fireside. So troubled was he that he scarcely heard the cuckoo as -it counted off the strokes. - -He could scarcely believe what his eyes had seen in the wareroom -of Gruff and Tackleton. If any one had told him, he would not have -believed his Dot could be a party to such dreadful deceit. - -Yet, in his own heart, he did not blame her, but rather the old young -man who had been so wickedly unfair, and he was planning to do him -harm to pay him back. He hoped that Dot would be able to explain; but -no--there really wasn’t any hope of that. - -There, she was coming. - -She had been upstairs with the baby, putting it to bed. - -As he sat brooding near the hearth, she came close to him, and put her -little stool at his feet. He then felt her hand upon his own, and knew -she was looking up in his face. - -He glanced at her. She looked as sweet as ever, until she caught -the expression on his face. At first she seemed surprised, then her -surprise changed in a wild recognition of his thoughts, and she simply -bent her head and clasped her hands, but no words were said. - -At length she rose and went away, and he felt glad, for the first time -since he had known her, to have her gone. - -There was a gun hanging on the wall. He took it down, and moved toward -the Stranger’s room. He put his hand to the door--when suddenly the -struggling fire burst into a glow of light, and the cricket on the -hearth began to chirp. - -No sound he could have heard, no human voice, not even hers, could so -have moved and softened him. The very words in which she had told him -of her love for this same cricket were as if just spoken in her sweet, -pleasant voice, making household music; and they thrilled through and -through his better nature, and awoke it into life and action. - -He moved from the door like a man who had been walking in his sleep -when awakening from a frightful dream. He put the gun aside. Clasping -his hands before his face, he sat down again beside the fire. - -The cricket on the hearth came out into the room and stood in fairy -shape before him. - -“‘I love it’,” said the fairy voice, “‘for the many times I have heard -it, and the many thoughts its harmless music has given me’.” - -“She said so!” cried the carrier. “True!” “‘This has been a happy home, -John; and I love the cricket for its sake.’” - -“She’s so sweet-tempered, so cheerful, busy, light-hearted. Otherwise I -never could have loved her as I did.” - -The voice, correcting him, said, “do.” - -“You should trust her,” the fairy voice said. - -All night long he listened to the voice. All night long the household -fairies were busy with him, showing him how sweet and dear she was; how -he had never found her untrue, or had reason to doubt her except this -once. - -He rose up when it was broad day, and washed and tidied himself. - -He could not go on his usual rounds, for it was Tackleton’s wedding -day. He had planned to go merrily to the church with Dot. But such -plans were at an end. Ah! what a different wedding anniversary he had -expected! - - -_John Blames Himself_ - -The carrier had thought that Tackleton would pay him an early visit, -and he was right. He had just finished brushing his hair when he saw -the merchant in his carriage coming along the road. As the carriage -drew near he saw that Tackleton was dressed out sprucely for marriage, -and that he had decorated his horse’s head with flowers and favors. - -The horse looked much more like a bridegroom than Tackleton, whose -half-closed eye was more disagreeably expressive than ever. But the -carrier took little heed of this. His thoughts were elsewhere. - -“John Peerybingle!” said Tackleton. “My good fellow, how do you find -yourself this morning?” - -“I have had but a poor night, Mr. Tackleton,” said the carrier, shaking -his head, “for I have been a good deal disturbed in my mind. But it’s -over now! Can you spare me half an hour or so, for some private talk?” - -“I came on purpose,” returned Tackleton lightly. “Never mind the horse. -He’ll stand quiet enough if you’ll give him a mouthful of hay.” - -“You are not to be married before noon, I think?” said John. - -“No,” answered Tackleton. “Plenty of time. Plenty of time.” - -When they entered the kitchen, Tilly Slowboy was knocking at the -Stranger’s door. One of her very red eyes was at the keyhole, for she -had been crying because her mistress cried. She was knocking very loud, -and seemed frightened. - -“If you please, I can’t make nobody hear,” said Tilly, looking round. -“I hope nobody ain’t gone and been and died, if you please.” - -This hope Miss Slowboy made more emphatic by kicking on the door, but -it led to no result. - -“Shall I help?” asked Tackleton, turning to John. - -The carrier nodded his head. - -So Tackleton went to the door and he, too, kicked and knocked; and he, -too, failed to get any reply. But he thought of trying the handle of -the door, and as it opened easily, he peeped in, went in, and soon came -running out again. - -“He’s gone!” said Tackleton; “and the window’s open. I don’t see any -marks--to be sure--or signs of a fight, but I thought perhaps you might -have been so angry----” - -He nearly shut up the expressive eye altogether, he looked at John so -hard. And he gave his eye, and his face, and his whole body, a sharp -twist, as if he would have screwed the truth out of John. - -“Make yourself easy,” said the carrier. “He went into that room last -night without harm in word or act from me, and no one has entered it -since. He has gone away of his own free will.” - -“Oh! Well, I think he has got off pretty easy,” said Tackleton, taking -a chair. - -The sneer was lost upon the carrier, who sat down, too, and shaded his -face in his hand for some time before speaking. - -“You showed me last night,” he said at length, “my wife, my dear wife -that I love, deceiving me, and meeting a strange man who had deceived -me. I think there’s no man in the world I wouldn’t rather have had show -it to me.” - -“I confess I know that I am not a favorite in your home, John, because -I never believed wholly in your pretty little wife,” said Tackleton. - -“And as you did show me, and as you saw her to such disadvantage, it is -right you should know what my mind is on the subject. For it’s settled, -and nothing can change it.” - -Tackleton muttered a few words about its being necessary to decide, but -he was overawed by the manner of his companion. Plain and unpolished as -it was, there was something noble and dignified about it. - -“I am a plain, rough man,” continued the carrier, “with very little to -recommend me. I am not a clever man, as you very well know. I am not -a young man. I loved my little Dot because I had seen her grow up from -a child, in her father’s house; because I knew how precious she was; -because she had been in my life for years and years.” - -He paused a moment, then went on. - -“I often thought that though I wasn’t good enough for her, I should -make her a kind husband, and perhaps appreciate her better than -another. And so it came about we were married.” - -“Hah!” said Tackleton, with a shake of his head. - -“I knew how much I loved her, and how happy I should be,” continued the -carrier; “but I had not sufficiently considered her.” - -“No,” said Tackleton. “No; you didn’t stop to think how giddy, -frivolous, fickle, vain! Hah!” - -“You’d better not interrupt me,” said the carrier, with some sternness, -“till you understand me, which you seem far from doing.” - -The toy merchant looked at him in surprise. - -“I didn’t consider that I took her, at her age, with her beauty, away -from her young companions and their many scenes of pleasure into my -dull house and my tedious society. I didn’t consider how little suited -I was to her fun and humor, and how wearisome I must be to one of her -quick spirit. No! I took advantage of her hopeful nature, and I married -her. I shouldn’t have done so!” - -The toy merchant gazed at him without winking. Even the half-shut eye -was now open. - -“Heaven bless her!” said the carrier, “for the cheerful way she has -tried not to let me see how it was! Heaven help me, that, in my slow -mind I have not found it out before. Poor child! Poor Dot! Strange I -did not realize when I have seen her eyes fill with tears on hearing of -such a marriage as our own spoken of. How good and kind she has been! -The thought will comfort me when I am here alone.” - -“Here alone?” said Tackleton. “Then you do mean to take some notice of -her deceit?” - -“I mean,” answered the carrier, “to do her the greatest kindness in my -power--to try to make it all up to her. She shall be free to go where -she will.” - -“Make it up to her!” exclaimed Tackleton, twisting and turning his -great ears with his hands. “I must have heard wrong. You didn’t say -that, of course.” - -“Didn’t I speak plainly?” said the carrier, giving the toy merchant a -shake. - -“Very plainly indeed,” answered Tackleton. - -“As if I meant it?” - -“Very much as if you meant it.” - -“Anger and distrust have left me,” said the carrier; “and nothing but -my grief remains. In an unhappy moment some old lover, better suited -to her years than I, returned. Last night she saw him in the interview -we witnessed. It was wrong. But otherwise than this, she is innocent -if there is truth on earth! I should not have taken her from her home. -She shall return to it, and I will trouble her no more. Her father and -mother will be here to-day, and they shall take her home. This is the -end of what you showed me. Now, it’s over.” - -“Oh, no, John, not over. Do not say it’s over yet. Not quite yet. I -heard your noble words. I could not steal out again, letting you think -me ignorant of what you said. Do not say it’s over--’till the clock has -struck again!” - -Dot had entered quietly while John and Tackleton were talking, and had -heard every word. - -“No hand can make the clock which will strike again for me the hours -that are gone,” replied the carrier, with a faint smile. “But let it be -so, if you will, my dear.” - -“Well!” muttered Tackleton. “I must be off, for when it strikes again, -I must be on my way to church. Good-by, John Peerybingle.” - -The carrier saw him to the door, watched his horse until it disappeared -in the distance, and then went out himself. - -His little wife, being left alone, sobbed piteously, but often dried -her tears to say how good and dear he was!--and once or twice she -laughed through her tears so heartily and triumphantly that Tilly was -quite horrified. - -“Ow, if you please, don’t!” said Tilly. “It’s enough to dead and bury -the baby; so it is, if you please.” - -“Will you bring him to see me sometimes,” inquired her mistress, “when -I don’t live here, and have gone to my old home?” - -“Ow, if you please, don’t!” cried Tilly, throwing back her head. She -looked a great deal like Boxer when he howled. “Ow, if you please, -don’t! What has everybody gone and been and done with everybody, making -everybody so miserable? Ow-w-w!” - - -_Caleb Confesses His Deceit_ - -And she might have kept on, if just at that moment Caleb Plummer had -not come in, leading his daughter. - -“Why, Mary” (which was Dot’s other name, you remember). “Why, Mary!” -said Bertha. “Not at the wedding?” - -“I told her you would not be there, mum,” whispered Caleb. “I heard as -much last night. But bless you,” said the little man, “I don’t care -what they say. I don’t believe them. There ain’t much of me, but what -little there is would be torn to pieces sooner than I’d believe a word -against you!” - -He put his arms around her neck and hugged her very much as a child -might have hugged one of the dolls he had made. - -“Bertha wanted to come see you instead of going to the wedding,” said -Caleb, “so we started in good time. I often wish I had not deceived -her in regard to Tackleton, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d -better tell her the truth. You’ll stay with us while I tell her, won’t -you, mum?” he inquired, trembling from head to foot. “I don’t know what -effect it may have upon her. I don’t know what she’ll think of me; I -don’t know that she’ll ever care for her father afterwards. But it’s -best she should be undeceived, and I must bear the consequences as I -deserve.” - -“Mary,” said Bertha, “where is your hand? I heard them speaking softly -last night of some blame against you. They were wrong. I told them so. -I scorned to hear a word! I know and trust you, Mary, so well that -could my sight be restored at this instant, I could choose you from a -crowd--my sister!” - -Her father went on one side of her, while Dot remained on the other, -holding her hand. - -“Bertha, my dear,” said Caleb, “I have something on my mind I want to -tell you while we three are alone. Listen kindly! I have a confession -to make to you.” - -“A confession, Father?” - -“Yes, my child; I have wandered from the truth,” said Caleb, with a -pitiable expression in his face. “I have wandered from the truth, -intending to be kind to you; and have been cruel.” - -She turned toward him, and repeated the word, “Cruel?” - -“He accuses himself too strongly, Bertha,” said Dot. “You’ll say so, -presently. You’ll be the first to tell him so.” - -“He, cruel to me?” cried Bertha, with an unbelieving smile. - -“Not meaning to be, my child,” said Caleb, “but I have been, although -I never knew it until yesterday. My dear blind daughter, forgive me. -The world, dear heart, is not as you imagine it. It is not as I have -represented it. The eyes you have trusted in have been false to you.” - -She turned her wondering face toward him still, but drew back, and -clung closer to her friend. - -“Your road in life was rough, my poor one,” said Caleb, “and I meant to -smooth it for you. I have pictured things to you as different from what -they are. I have even changed the characters of some people, to make -you happier. I have surrounded you with fancies.” - -“But living people are not fancies,” she said, turning very pale. “You -can’t change them.” - -“I have done so, Bertha,” Caleb told her. “There is one person you -know----” - -“Oh, Father, why do you say I know?” she said. “I who am so miserably -blind.” - -She stretched out her hands as if to feel her way. - -“The marriage that takes place to-day,” Caleb continued, “is with a -stern, sordid, grinding man. He has been a hard master to you and me, -my dear, for many years. Ugly in his looks and in his nature. Cold and -callous always. Unlike what I have painted him to you in everything, my -child--in everything.” - -“Oh, why,” cried the blind girl, “why did you ever do this? Teach me to -love a person who really never existed? It is like death!” - -Her poor father hung his head and offered no reply in his penitence and -sorrow. Suddenly the cricket on the hearth, unheard by all but her, -began to chirp, not merrily, but so mournfully that her tears began to -flow; and when the fairy spirit which had been near the carrier all -night, appeared behind her, pointing toward her father, she turned to -Dot. - -“Mary,” she said, “tell me what my home is like--what it is truly.” - -“It is a poor place, Bertha; very poor and bare indeed. The house will -scarcely keep out the wind and rain another winter. It is as roughly -shielded from the weather, Bertha,” Dot continued in a low voice, “as -your poor father in his sackcloth coat.” - -The blind girl, greatly agitated, rose and led the carrier’s wife a -little aside. - -“Those presents that I treasured so much; that came almost at my wish,” -she said, trembling; “where did they come from? Did you send them?” - -“No.” - -“Who, then?” - -Dot saw she knew already, and was silent. The blind girl spread her -hands before her face again, but in quite a different manner now. - -“Dear Mary, a moment, please. Speak softly. Tell me truly. Look across -the room to where we were sitting just now--to where my father is--my -father, so kind and loving to me--and tell me what you see.” - -“I see,” said Dot, who understood her well, “an old man sitting in a -chair, and leaning over sorrowfully with his head resting in his hands. -He looks as if his child should comfort him, Bertha.” - -“Yes, yes. She will. Go on.” - -“He is an old man, worn with care and work. He is a sad, thoughtful, -gray-haired man, who seems to have lost the object he most loved in the -world--his child for whom he lived.” - -The blind girl broke away from her, and dropping on her knees before -him, threw her arms around his neck. - -“Oh, my Father! My dear, dear Father!” she cried. “I have been so -blind! But now my eyes are open. I never knew you. To think, I might -have died and never truly known the father who has been so loving to -me!” - -Caleb managed to say, “My Bertha!” - -“And in my blindness, I believed him to be so different,” said the -girl, still caressing him, “so young and gay!” - -“The fresh, smart father in the blue coat--” said poor Caleb, “he’s -gone!” - -“Nothing is gone,” she answered. “Dearest Father, no! Everything is -here--in you. But, Father----” She hesitated. - -“Mary--Mary is just what you told me? There is no change in her? You -never told me anything of her that was not true?” - -“I should have done so, I’m afraid,” said Caleb, “if I could have made -her better than she was. But I must have changed her for the worse, if -I had changed _her_ at all. Nothing could improve her, Bertha.” - -The blind girl was delighted with this reply, even though she had felt -so sure of what it must be, and her renewed embrace of Dot was charming -to behold. - - -_The Dead Returns to Life_ - -Dot glanced at the clock, and saw that it was within a few minutes of -striking, and immediately became very excited. - -“More changes than you think for may happen, though,” said Dot; -“changes for the better, I mean; changes for great joy to some of us. -You mustn’t let them startle you too much when they come. But listen! -You’ve a quick ear, Bertha. Do you hear wheels upon the road?” - -“Yes--coming very fast.” - -“I--I--I know you have a quick ear,” said Dot, holding her hand to her -heart and talking as fast as she could, “because I have often noticed -it, and because you were so quick to hear that strange step last night. -Though why you should have taken such quick notice of it, and said, -‘Whose step is that?’ seems strange. But, as I said just now, there are -great changes in this world; great changes, and we can’t do better than -prepare ourselves to be surprised at hardly anything.” - -Caleb wondered what she meant, for he saw that she was speaking to him -as much as to his daughter. He saw with astonishment, that she was -fluttered and distressed, and could scarcely breathe, as she held to a -chair to save herself from falling. - -“They are wheels indeed!” she panted. “Coming nearer! Nearer! Very -close! And now you hear them stopping at the garden gate! And now you -hear a step outside the door--the same step, Bertha--is it not?--and -now!----” - -She uttered a cry of delight; and running up to Caleb, put her hands -over his eyes, as a young man rushed into the room, and flinging his -hat into the air, came sweeping down upon them. - -“Is it over?” cried Dot. - -“Yes!” - -“Happily over?” - -“Yes!” - -“Do you know the voice, dear Caleb? Did you ever hear one like it -before?” cried Dot. - -“If my boy who went to South America had not died--if he were alive--” -said Caleb, trembling. - -“He is alive!” shrieked Dot, taking her hands from his eyes, and -clapping them in ecstasy. “Look at him! See, here he stands before you, -healthy and strong! Your own dear son. Your own dear living brother, -Bertha!” - -She turned to meet the sunburned sailor half way, and let him kiss her -heartily. - -Just at this moment, the carrier entered. Upon seeing them thus, he -started back. - -“Look, John!” cried Caleb. “Look here! My own son! Him that you fitted -out, and sent away yourself! Him you were always such a friend to!” - -The carrier advanced to seize him by the hand, but stepped back as he -noticed his resemblance to the deaf man in the cart. - -“Edward! Was it you?” - -“Now tell him all!” cried Dot. “Tell him all, Edward, and don’t spare -me.” - -“I was the man,” said Edward. - -“And you stole, disguised, into the home of your old friend!” the -carrier said. “I would never have believed it of you! There was a true -and frank boy once--how many years is it, Caleb, since we heard that he -was dead, and had it proved, we thought? He would never have done that!” - -“There was a generous friend of mine, once, a friend, who was more a -father than a friend; he never would have judged a man before he heard -his case. You were he. So I am certain you will hear me now.” - -The carrier, with a troubled glance at Dot, replied, “Well, that’s but -fair. I will.” - -“You must know, then, that when I left here, a boy, I was in love, and -my love was returned, but the girl was very young, and couldn’t quite -make up her mind. Still I felt quite certain that she loved me as -dearly as I loved her.” - -“You did!” exclaimed the carrier. - -“Yes; and now I am sure she did. So all through the hardships and -perils of my years away, I was constantly thinking of when I should -come back to her. When I landed, twenty miles from here, I heard she -had bestowed herself upon another and a richer man. I did not wish to -find fault with her if she had preferred him. What I wanted to find out -was whether she had done this of her own free will. I wanted to judge -for myself just how she felt, so I disguised myself--you know how; -and waited on the road--you know where. You had no suspicion of me; -neither had she,” pointing to Dot, “until I whispered in her ear at the -fireside, and so startled her that she nearly betrayed me.” - -“Oh, Dot!” exclaimed the carrier. - -“But when she knew that Edward was alive, and had come back,” sobbed -Dot, now speaking for herself, as she had long wished to do, “and when -he told her why he had disguised himself, she advised him to keep his -secret close, by all means; for she knew that his old friend, John -Peerybingle, was too open in his nature to keep such a secret, no -matter how he tried. Then she--that’s me, John--told him all, how his -sweetheart had thought him dead; and how she had, after all the years, -been over-persuaded by her mother, because the silly, dear, old thing -called the marriage advantageous; and when she--that’s me, John--told -him they were not yet married (but soon would be) and that it would -be nothing but a sacrifice if it went on, for there was no love on -her side; and when he went nearly wild with joy to hear it; when -she--that’s me again, John--said she would help him, and carry messages -to his sweetheart, as she had so often done as a girl; and she would -find out what his sweetheart thought was right----” - -“Oh!” said John. - -“And it was right, John,” Dot continued, catching her breath, “for they -were married, John, an hour ago! And here’s the bride! And Gruff and -Tackleton may die a bachelor! And I’m a happy little woman. May God -bless you!” - -As she drew May forward and lavished all kinds of good wishes and -congratulations upon her, the carrier stood confounded. As he flew -towards her, Dot stretched out her hand to stop him. - -“John, dear John, forgive me! It was wrong to have a secret from you. -I’m very sorry. I didn’t think it any harm until the night when I came -and sat down by you on the little stool. But when I looked at your -face, I knew you must have seen me walking in the wareroom with Edward, -and were suspicious of me. But oh, John, how could--how could you think -wrong of me?” - -John Peerybingle would have caught her in his arms; but no, she -wouldn’t let him. - -“Wait a minute, please, John dear, until you let me hear you tell me -that you believe me, and trust me, and that you know how much I love -you--so much that I’ll never have another secret from you; and that -you’ll never, never think of sending me from my home, and yours, John, -and our cricket on the hearth.” - -Then you would have been delighted to see Dot run into the carrier’s -arms. You may be sure the carrier was in a state of perfect rapture; -and you may be sure that everybody, especially Miss Slowboy, wept -for joy, and she, wishing to include the baby, handed him around to -everyone in succession as if he were something to eat or drink. - -But now the sound of wheels was heard again outside the door, and -somebody exclaimed that Gruff and Tackleton was coming back in. Soon he -appeared, looking warm and flustered. - -“My, what in nation’s this, John Peerybingle!” said Tackleton. “There’s -some mistake. I had an appointment with Miss Fielding to meet me at the -church, and--oh, here she is!” seeing her with Edward, to whom he then -turned, saying: - -“I beg your pardon, sir; I haven’t the pleasure of knowing you; but -if you can do me the favor to spare this young lady--she has a rather -particular engagement with me this morning.” - -“But I can’t spare her,” said Edward. “I couldn’t think of it.” - -“What do you mean, you vagabond?” exclaimed Tackleton. - -“I mean--and I pardon you for being vexed--I mean that I am as deaf to -your harsh words as I was last night.” - -Such a startled look as Tackleton gave him! - -“It is too bad, sir,” said Edward, holding out May’s left hand, -especially the third finger, “that the young lady can’t accompany you -to the church; but as she has been there once this morning, perhaps -you’ll excuse her.” - -Tackleton looked hard at the third finger, and took a ring out of his -waistcoat pocket. - -“Miss Slowboy,” said Tackleton, “will you have the kindness to throw -that into the fire? Thank you.” - -“It was a previous engagement, quite an old engagement, that prevented -my wife from keeping her appointment with you, I assure you,” said -Edward. - -“Mr. Tackleton will do me the justice to say that I told him about this -old engagement many times, and that I never could forget it,” said May, -blushing. - -“Oh, certainly,” said Tackleton. “Oh, to be sure! Oh, it’s all right, -it’s quite correct. You are now Mrs. Edward Plummer, I infer?” - -“That’s the name,” said the bridegroom. - -“Ah, I shouldn’t have known you,” said Tackleton. “I give you joy, sir.” - -With these words, he hurried away, merely stopping at the gate to take -the flowers and favors off the horse’s head, and to kick the horse -once, just to relieve his feelings. - -Of course, the next thing in order was the wedding feast; and Dot set -to work with all her might, even calling in some neighborly help, and -everybody, as if on the point of life or death, ran against each other -in all the doorways, and round all the corners, tumbling over Tilly -Slowboy and the baby everywhere. - -Then there was an expedition to find Mrs. Fielding, and to apologize to -her, and to bring her back, happy and forgiving. At first, she would -not listen at all, and wouldn’t say anything but, “Now carry me to my -grave,” which seemed absurd, on account of her not being dead, or even -ill. - -After a while she settled down into a dreadful calm, and advantage was -taken of this to get her into her coat and gloves, and carry her off to -John Peerybingle’s. - -When they reached the house, there were Dot’s father and mother; and -May’s mother and Dot’s mother began to renew their acquaintance. - -After a grand confusion of talk and action, they actually were seated -at the table. To have missed that dinner would have been to have missed -as good and as jolly a meal as man need eat. - -After dinner, Caleb sang his song about the sparkling bowl; and, you -may not believe it, but he sang it through. - -And, by-the-bye, a most unexpected thing occurred just as he finished -the last verse. - - -_Tackleton Does the Unexpected_ - -There was a tap at the door, and a man came staggering in with a big -round box, which he set on the table in the center of the nuts and -apples. He said: - -“Mr. Tackleton’s compliments, and as he hasn’t got no use for the cake -himself, perhaps you’ll eat it.” - -And with these words, he walked off. - -There was some surprise among the company, as you may imagine. Mrs. -Fielding suggested that the cake might be poisoned, and told about a -cake which she had heard of that had turned a seminary of young ladies -blue. But, notwithstanding the story, the cake was cut by May with much -ceremony and rejoicing. - -I don’t think any one had tasted it, when there came another tap at the -door, and the same man appeared again, having under his arm a big brown -paper parcel. - -“Mr. Tackleton’s compliments, and he’s sent a few toys for the baby. -They ain’t ugly.” - -The whole party would not have been able to find words to express their -astonishment even if they had had plenty of time. But they had none, -for the messenger had scarcely shut the door when there came another -tap, and Tackleton himself walked in. - -“Mrs. Peerybingle!” said the toy merchant, hat in hand, “I’m sorry. I’m -sour by disposition, but I am going to try to do better. Caleb, I might -have had you and your daughter for dear friends. As it is, my house is -lonely to-night. I have not even a cricket on the hearth. I have scared -them all away. Be kind to me, please; let me join this happy party!” - -He was at home in five minutes. You never saw such a fellow. _What_ had -he been doing with himself all his life, never to have known before how -much fun he had in him! Or what had the fairies been doing with him to -change him so! - -There was but one more living creature wanted to make the party -complete, and in the twinkling of an eye, there he was, very -thirsty--with hard running, for Boxer had gone all the way with the -cart on its journey, and being disgusted at finding his master absent, -and unable to induce the horse to come with him, had turned tail and -trotted home. - -There was a dance in the evening; but since the old people didn’t -dance, and Dot said her dancing days were over because, I believe, she -preferred to sit near the carrier really, Edward and May were the only -dancers, and they got up amid great applause, to dance alone, while -Bertha played her liveliest tune. - -Well, if you’ll believe me, they had not been dancing five minutes, -when the carrier suddenly jumps up, takes Dot round the waist, dashes -out into the room, and starts off with her, toe and heel, quite -wonderfully. Tackleton no sooner sees this than he skims across to Mrs. -Fielding, and follows suit. Then Dot’s father and mother, and Caleb and -Tilly Slowboy join in. - - * * * * * - -Hark! how the cricket joins the music with its chirp! chirp! chirp! and -how the kettle hums! - - - - -THE RETURN HOME - -GOOD-BY, MARY FRANCES. COME AGAIN! - - - - -THE RETURN HOME - -XXXVII - -GOOD-BY, MARY FRANCES. COME AGAIN! - - -IN the middle of the story, “The Cricket on the Hearth,” when everybody -was so anxious to hear more, there came the sound of many voices, and -then a loud scream. Mary Frances knew it was the voice of the old -witch, who had been listening. - -“Let me be!” she was crying. “I don’t want to go away! I want to find -out who the old man was! I want to find out who the old man was! I want -to see if Tackleton did marry May Fielding! I won’t go! S-so there! Did -I tramp all the miles to get here just to be taken back again?” - -Then came the deep, heavy voice of the giant: “Be quiet!” it said. “Be -quiet! No, you won’t have to go back. We’ll take you. This time we’ll -lock you up so tight you’ll stay where you’re put, and you’ll come when -you’re bid. That’s what you’ll do!” - -“S-somebody tell me quick!” screamed the old witch. “Quick! Did May -Fielding marry Tackleton? Did she? Did she?” and Mary Frances heard her -screaming, “Did she? Did she?” until her voice died away. - -How Mary Frances longed to tell her no, but she did not dare! - -“She deserves her punishment,” the Queen whispered, and since she knew -that that was true, Mary Frances did not speak. - -After the story was over, she received her copy from the Ready Writer -and slipped it into her story satchel with the rest of the stories. -Then she wandered down by the seashore alone. Near the shore there was -a boy with a feather in his cap sitting on a rock. She knew him in a -minute. - -“Where did the giant take the old witch, do you think, Peter Pan?” she -asked. - -“To the Devil’s Den,” said Peter. “I saw them go.” - -“To the Devil’s Den!” cried Mary Frances. “How dreadful!” - -“It’s not such a bad place,” said Peter. “It is just a deep cave. It is -lighted from a large opening in the top. Its name is the worst thing -about it; but the old witch cannot get out of it if they lock her in.” - -“Oh, she got away from the giant’s basket, then?” - -“She did. She was so crazy to hear a story through that she watched her -first chance to make off when the giant guard was asleep.” - -“What about the pirate?” asked Mary Frances. - -“He is chained to a rock in the Pirate’s Cove, and he spends his time -jumping in and out of the water. He has jumped so much and so hard that -the suds are rising all around him just as when you blow bubbles in a -bowl, holding the pipe down in the water. Poor thing! Some day the suds -will rise so high that the bubbles will cover him and smother him.” - -“Is there no way for him to save himself?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Certainly!” said Peter Pan. “All he has to do is to be good; but he -won’t be! He’s just naturally wicked. He’d murder fairies if he could, -and he’d steal all the stories in the world, and he’d feed children on -charcoal and castor oil--he told me so once. It was after I caught him -trying to steal my shadow.” - -“He must have a wicked heart!” said Mary Frances. - -“Once I asked him why he was so bad,” Peter told her “and what do you -think he said?” - -“I don’t know, I’m sure,” she returned. - -“He said it was because his mother never kissed him.” - -“His mother never kissed him!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Why, what a -queer kind of mother! Now my mother----” - -Suddenly she felt very homesick. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Why, -Peter!” she cried wistfully. “Why, Peter! It must be over a year since -my mother kissed me! Shall I turn wicked, too? Oh, I wish I could see -her--my own dear mother!” - -As she finished speaking, a beautiful little sail-boat appeared before -them. It was smaller than The Good Ferry. - -“Step aboard, then,” said Peter Pan, rising and leading her toward the -boat. “This is a fairy boat. You will be home in an hour. Sit in the -stern. Take the tiller in your hand. Hold it steady, and wish out loud -where you want to go.” - -He helped Mary Frances into the boat. - -“Oh, but I haven’t thanked the Story People for my wonderful, wonderful -time!” she exclaimed. “I wish I could thank them!” - -Even as she spoke, every door and window of the castle opened and the -Story People appeared. - -“Thank you all! Thank you forever--and--ever! Thank you for all the -girls and boys in the world!” cried Mary Frances. - -“Have you your stories?” called the Story King. - -“Yes, I have them here!” said Mary Frances, holding up her story -satchel. - -“When you want more, come again, dear child,” called the Story Queen. - -“Oh, yes, come again!” called all the Story People. “For we love you! -The Story People love all children. Take our love to all you can, and -good-by! Good-by! Good-by!” - -“Good-by, dear, dear friends!” called Mary Frances, as the little boat -sailed away. “Good-by, and thank you!” - -She watched until the island was too far away for her to make out the -forms of the people at the castle windows. Then she wished aloud, -“Home! Take me to my mother and father and my brother, little fairy -sail-boat!” - -And the wind blew and filled the sails and the sun warmed and cheered -her, and the waves danced about the boat, making little lapping sounds -which were like music--and the next thing she knew she was running up -the garden walk into her mother’s open arms. - -“The stories are not yours, dear; they belong to all children,” said -her mother, when Mary Frances emptied her story satchel, and told of -her wonderful adventures among the Story People. “Let us make enough -copies for them all.” - -And so they wrote this book. - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -Punctuation has been standardized. Variations in hyphenation have been -retained as published. Changes have been made as follows: - - Page 33 - “Oh, yes,” exlaimed Mary Frances - “Oh, yes,” exclaimed Mary Frances - - Page 130 - balancing himself periously over - balancing himself perilously over - - Page 195 - the court was exceeding glad - the court was exceedingly glad - - Page 304 - though a window - through a window - - Page 305 - love to be like May, father, and - love to be like May, Father, and - - Page 316 - You musn’t let them startle - You mustn’t let them startle - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Mary Frances Story Book, by Jane Eayre Fryer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARY FRANCES STORY BOOK *** - -***** This file should be named 56322-0.txt or 56322-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/3/2/56322/ - -Produced by Emmy, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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