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diff --git a/old/69075-0.txt b/old/69075-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f2a831f..0000000 --- a/old/69075-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3652 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The fairy babies, by Laura Rountree -Smith - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The fairy babies - -Author: Laura Rountree Smith - -Illustrator: Dorothy Dulin - -Release Date: September 30, 2022 [eBook #69075] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from - images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FAIRY BABIES *** - - - - - - -THE FAIRY BABIES - - - - -Books by - -LAURA ROUNTREE SMITH - - - Bunny and Bear Book, The - Bunny Boy and Grizzly Bear - Bunny Bright-Eyes - Bunny Cotton-Tail Junior - Candy-Shop Cotton-Tails, The - Children’s Favorite Stories - Circus Book, The - Circus Cotton-Tails, The - Cotton-Tail First Reader, The - Cotton-Tail Primer, The - Cotton-Tails in Toyland, The - Drills and Plays for Patriotic Days - Fairy Babies, The - Games and Plays - Hawk-Eye and Hiawatha - Language Lessons from Every Land - Little Bear - Little Eskimo - Merry Little Cotton-Tails, The - Mother Goose Stories - Primary Song Book - Roly-Poly Book, The - Runaway Bunny, The - Seventeen Little Bears - Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes - Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail, The - Three Little Cotton-Tails - - Published by - A. FLANAGAN COMPANY - CHICAGO - - - - - THE FAIRY BABIES - - By - Laura Rountree Smith - - Illustrated by - Dorothy Dulin - - 1924 - A. FLANAGAN COMPANY - Chicago - - _COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY_ - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -CONTENTS - - - Page - - Chapter I - - The Magic Pitcher 7 - - Chapter II - - The Fortune Teller 16 - - Chapter III - - Thanksgiving Dinner 29 - - Chapter IV - - The Little Dwarf’s Christmas 39 - - Chapter V - - A Wonderful Dream 50 - - Chapter VI - - The Magic Spoon 64 - - Chapter VII - - The Magic Kites 77 - - Chapter VIII - - The Magic Rocking-Chair 91 - - Chapter IX - - May-Day 103 - - Chapter X - - Vacation Time 114 - - - - -[Illustration: “_And they put the key in the lock_” (PAGE 89)] - - - - -THE FAIRY BABIES - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE MAGIC PITCHER - - Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What do you think? - We all came out of a bottle of ink! - We are very little to mind each rule, - But still we are going to start to school; - And if we remember, it starts in September! - This old-fashioned thing called school!” - Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What fun! - See, school has already begun!” - - -The Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies sat in a row. They looked as though they -would roll off the top of the desks at any minute. - -“You are almost as bad about rolling over as the Roly-Poly children,” -said the teacher. - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried one of the Ink-Bottle Babies. “I am rolling over!” - -Sure enough, thump! bump! thump! she went. She fell off the desk to the -floor, leaving the marks of her little black feet behind her. - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried all the Ink-Bottle Babies together, “somebody pick -her up! Somebody pick her up!” - -The teacher was so scared that she went out of the room. - -Pretty soon all the children went home. What do you suppose happened next? - -The Fairy Ink-Bottle Mamma came down from the window sill and picked up -her baby! - -[Illustration: “_Picked up her baby_”] - -She said, “You are too little to go to school; you had better come with -me.” - -Then the other Ink-Bottle Babies set up a cry, “May we come, too, Ma? May -we come, too?” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Creep down quietly from the desks and you may -all come.” - -Then all the Ink-Bottle Babies crept down and followed their Mamma out of -the door. They walked a little way until they came to their home in the -woods. - -“I am so sleepy,” said the first Ink-Bottle Baby. - -“I am so sleepy,” said the second Ink-Bottle Baby. - -Then all but one of the twenty-five Ink-Bottle Babies said, “I am so -sleepy!” - -One Ink-Bottle Baby said, “I am not sleepy at all. I rolled off the desk -and I feel wide-awake!” - -This little Baby’s name was Molly. The Ink-Bottle Mamma put all of her -babies to bed except Molly, and Molly said, - - “I am wide-awake as if it were day, - I’ll sit on the parlor rug and play.” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma was so sleepy herself that she did not know what to -do. Pretty soon she said, “Listen, Molly, and I will tell you a fairy -tale.” - -Then Molly cried, “I must wake Polly up to hear the fairy tale.” Polly -was Molly’s twin sister. - -Will you believe it? Before the Ink-Bottle Mamma could say “No!” Molly -had gone upstairs and had waked all the Babies up before she found Polly! - -The Ink-Bottle Babies looked so much alike it was hard to tell them apart! - -All the Ink-Bottle Babies woke up and cried, “We want to hear the fairy -tale, Ma! Please tell us all a fairy tale!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Get back into bed, every one of you, and -I will tell you a story.” - -Then the Babies all crept back into bed and their Mamma told them the -story of the Magic Pitcher. - -Here is the story she told: - -Once there was a little dwarf who lived alone in the woods. He lived in -a little blue house with a red chimney. He was very proud of his red -chimney. He painted the chimney every spring. - -The little dwarf was very good-natured except when he started to cook. -He could not cook a decent meal to save his life. He went about all day -humming a little song: - - “I can live without clothing and live without books, - But how is a fellow to live without cooks?” - -One day as he passed by a little brook he sang this song, and the brook -said, - - “If you take the pebbles from out this brook, - I will try to help you find a cook!” - -Then the little dwarf stooped down and began to pick the pebbles out of -the brook. - -At last, only one large stone remained. He pulled and tugged with all his -might, and at last the brook ran merrily along, for he got the big stone -up on the bank. - -The brook sang, - - “Look again, now I am free, - The magic pitcher you will see!” - -The little dwarf looked down into the brook, and sure enough, there was a -magic pitcher all blue and gold. The water ran deeper now, in the little -brook, so the little dwarf had to dive down after the pitcher. - -He came out choking and sputtering, but he had the magic pitcher in his -hand. Then he ran homeward singing and whistling all the way. He sang: - - “I can live without clothing and live without books, - But how is a fellow to live without cooks?” - -[Illustration: “_He poured once more_”] - -He got some bread and cheese out of a cupboard and drew the pitcher full -of water, and sat down to his lonely meal. - -He started to pour out a glass of water, and as he poured it from the -magic pitcher, it turned into fine, rich milk. He poured once more, and -this time it was honey that came out of the magic pitcher. - -He tried again and out came tea! So it went on. Every time he poured from -the magic pitcher, out came something delicious to drink. - -The little dwarf grew so happy and healthy that when he went into the -woods to chop down trees he could chop six trees while the other little -dwarfs could only chop down one. - -He never sang any more about wanting a cook, and he seemed so happy that -the other little dwarfs were jealous of him, and they said, “We will find -out his secret.” - -So, one evening when it was late, they all crept to the house where the -little dwarf lived, and they all peeped in at the window. - -There sat the little dwarf by the table pouring from his magic pitcher. -He poured out coffee, and cream, and molasses! - -My! the other little dwarfs turned green with envy. They said, “We will -have that pitcher.” - -They opened the door, ran into the house, seized the pitcher, and ran -away, away, away, into the deep woods. - -The little dwarf was so sad, he went to the brook again and said, - - “The dwarfs have carried my pitcher away, - Alas! alas! alackaday!” - -“I will fix them,” said the little brook. “You were so good to take all -my stones away, you shall soon have the pitcher back again; never fear.” - -Then the little dwarf went back home singing a merry song. - -Now the dwarfs had carried the pitcher away with them, and when they had -run for a long time, they saw a little brook, winding in and out among -the trees, and they said, “We will fill the pitcher with water.” - -So the first little dwarf ran and filled the pitcher with water. Then he -ran back to his companions who sat in a circle, and began to fill their -glasses. They all set up a shout, for out of the pitcher came only thick -mud! - -“You have played a trick on us,” they cried. - -Then the second little dwarf went and filled the pitcher. - -“It is pure water,” he said, but when he went to pour from the pitcher, -lo! and behold! out came vinegar! - -Then the third little dwarf said, “Let me try,” and the next said, “Let -me try,” but each time there came out of the pitcher something quite -unfit to drink. - -Then the dwarfs said, “This pitcher is of no account after all; we will -throw it into the brook.” - -They said, “If the little dwarf finds it again, he is welcome to drink -all the mud and vinegar he wants.” - -Then they threw the pitcher back into the brook, and the brook carried it -safely back to the place in the woods where the little dwarf passed every -day. Pretty soon the little dwarf came along. He sang, - - “Ha! ha! Ho! ho! What do I see? - A beautiful pitcher floats in to me!” - -He filled the pitcher with water and soon poured out a fine drink of -buttermilk. - -He ran home as fast as his legs could carry him, and he hid his pitcher -safely away. - -He worked at home very busily all that day. He made shades for his -window, so no one could look in. He put a lock on his door, and he made -a little key to fit the lock. - -“Now, no one can see what I pour from my pitcher,” he said, “and no one -can come in, unless I invite him.” - -He went to bed and slept well. Late that night a most remarkable thing -happened. Five and twenty little men came to his door and they rapped and -they tapped, and he would not let them in! - -Then they laid down five and twenty little parcels on his doorstep and -they crept away. Next morning the little dwarf went to his door and saw -the five and twenty little parcels. They were all from the grocery store. - -On each parcel was written, “Compliments from the little dwarfs, with -thanks for the borrowed pitcher.” - -On one package was written, “Don’t drink too much mud and vinegar!” - -The little dwarf went to the brook and asked what all this meant. When -the brook told him he laughed until he cried. - -The little dwarf may still live in the woods, for all I know, and he may -still be drinking out of his magic pitcher. - -As soon as the Ink-Bottle Mamma stopped talking all her Babies went to -sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE FORTUNE TELLER - - October, October, you gay little rover, - You are welcome, the wide world over; - Merrily, merrily, school-bells ring - And children all delight to sing. - The Ink-Bottle Babies are absent to-day, - Or perhaps they lingered upon the way; - I heard the Ink-Bottle Babies sigh, - “We are busy bidding the birds good-bye!” - - -The Ink-Bottle Babies woke up cross. Every one of them got up out of the -wrong side of the bed! - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma called, “Hurry, hurry, or you will all be late to -school!” - -Then Molly called, “I can’t find my shoes,” and Polly called, “I can’t -find my dress,” and all the Ink-Bottle Babies set up such a wail that the -Ink-Bottle Mamma had to come upstairs and help them dress. - -She said, “My dear children, will you never grow up?” - -[Illustration: “_Give us a ride, please!_”] - -When they sat down at the table, Molly said, “I don’t want this oatmeal,” -and Polly said, “I don’t want any either.” - -Then all the Ink-Bottle Babies said, “We don’t want any oatmeal!” - -They laid down their twenty-five little spoons. And will you believe it? -Not one of the Babies would eat any breakfast! - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Get down from your chairs, every one of -you.” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies got down from their chairs, pouting and scolding. -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma put on their caps and sent them right off to -school. - -“Hurry! hurry!” she said. “Don’t be late for school!” - -They had not gone far when the first Ink-Bottle Baby said, “I will not go -another step!” - -Then the second Ink-Bottle Baby said, “I will not go another step!” - -Then what do you suppose happened next? They all sat down in a row and -they cried and they screamed and they howled! - -Just then an old farmer came along with his wagon. - -When he saw all the Ink-Bottle Babies in a row, he said, “Bless my heart! -What funny little babies! What are you all doing here?” - -Then Molly and Polly cried, “Give us a ride, please! We don’t care which -way we go!” - -Then the farmer got down and helped all the Babies into his wagon and -they rode merrily away! - -They laughed and talked and said, “Oh!” and “Ah!” and “What a fine ride!” - -When they rode by the school they kept very still, and they all crept -down in the bottom of the wagon. - -On and on they rode, through the woods and into a town and away off to a -little red house on a farm. - -“Will you spend the day with me?” asked the farmer. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “We will! We will!” And they jumped up and -down with joy. They had a fine time all day. They saw the sheep and pigs -and cows, and they took turns riding on a little pony. - -When night came Molly and Polly cried, “We want our Ma! We want our Ma!” - -The farmer’s wife was very deaf, but she saw that all the Ink-Bottle -Babies were crying at once, so she gave each one a cookie. The cookies -had red sugar on them. They had raisins in them. The Ink-Bottle Babies -cried and would not eat their cookies. - -Then the farmer’s wife took Polly on the right arm of her chair, and she -took Molly on the left arm of her chair. Then she let all the rest of the -Ink-Bottle Babies crowd around her. - -Next, the farmer’s wife put on her spectacles and opened a great red -book. Then all the Ink-Bottle Babies clapped their hands and set up a -shout, for they could see the name of the book. - -It was called “Tip-Top Fairy Tales.” - -The farmer’s wife smiled at the Babies and began to read slowly. She -skipped the hard words and stumbled over the easy ones! - -If you do not like to listen to her read, you will have to read for -yourself the story of Goldy and Brownie, or The Fortune Teller. Here is -the story: - -Once upon a time there were two sisters. They were as different as they -could be. - -Goldy was good and beautiful. Brownie was ugly and cross. - -One day Goldy said, “I am going down into the valley to see the Fortune -Teller. I am going to have my fortune told.” - -Brownie said, “You shall not go. I am afraid you will have a better -fortune than mine if you go first.” - -Then Brownie tied Goldy into a chair and she went out of the house and -locked the door. - -Brownie said, “I will have my fortune told first.” - -She went into the valley where an old Gypsy lived. She knocked at the -door and the Gypsy called out, - - “Cross-Patch, pull the latch, - Sit by the fire and spin; - Cross-Patch, pull the latch, - Open the door, come in.” - -[Illustration: “_She stamped her foot_”] - -Brownie was a little afraid to pull the latch at first, but as the Gypsy -did not speak again she knew she must do something, so she pulled the -latch. The door opened, and she went into the house. - -She said, “You cross old woman, I want my fortune told.” - -The Gypsy looked at her and said, - - “You may bake and brew, - But whatever you do, - You’ll uglier grow each day; - But make a wish, just make one wish, - Make a wish and go away!” - -Brownie was so angry she stamped her foot and said the first thing that -came into her mind. - -She said, “I wish I had a fine fur coat to wear all the time.” - -Then the Gypsy touched her with her cane, and her dress turned into a fur -coat, and Brownie herself turned into a caterpillar! - -“There!” said the Gypsy, “I guess you have a fur coat to wear all the -time.” - -The Gypsy forgot one thing. She forgot to take away Brownie’s voice, so -she could talk as well as ever. - -Brownie went crawling slowly home. She called out to Goldy, - - “Go to the Gypsy, whatever you do, - A very fine fortune waits there for you!” - -She really hoped that the Gypsy would turn her sister into a caterpillar, -too! - -Then Brownie sighed, for she remembered that she had tied Goldy into her -chair, and that she could not get away if she wanted to. - -Pretty soon a prince came by and Brownie cried, - - “The beautiful princess sits in a chair; - Just take a peep in the window there!” - -The prince was so surprised to hear a voice and see no one, that he cried -out, - - “What shall I do? What shall I do? - I’ll peep through the window to see if it’s true.” - -Then he tiptoed to the window so softly his feet never made a sound, and -sure enough, there he saw Goldy sitting in the chair—tied in, fast asleep. - -The prince tried to get into the house. He tried the front door, and the -back door, and the side door, and all the windows. At last he found a -window that would open. He sat on the window sill and cried, - - “Golden Hair, will you come to me? - May I come in and set you free?” - -Then Goldy woke up. She had read about princes, but she had never seen -one before. She was so surprised she only nodded her head. - -Then the prince came in and cut the cords that bound her. - -Goldy said, “Thank you!” Then she went and made the prince a cup of tea. - -They were about to sit down and enjoy the tea when a dove flew in at the -window. It had a message tied round its neck. The message was for the -prince. It said, “Come home at once. Your father is ill.” - -So the prince took off his cap with the big feather in it, and made a -bow. Then he went out of the window as suddenly as he had come. - -Goldy said to herself, “I will go to the Gypsy and have my fortune told. -Perhaps I shall meet the prince again.” - -So she put on her blue dress and sunbonnet, and went to the house where -the Gypsy lived, and knocked at the door. - -The Gypsy said, - - “Cross-Patch, pull the latch, - Sit by the fire and spin; - Cross-Patch, pull the latch, - Open the door, come in!” - -Then Goldy opened the door and walked in. - -“Will you tell my fortune?” she said. - -The Gypsy liked Goldy, but to save her life she did not know how to tell -a very good fortune, so she said, - - “Whatever you do your wish will come true, - So make it, I pray, and go quickly away!” - -Goldy was wishing in her heart that she could see the prince, so she said -at once, “I wish I could fly.” - -[Illustration: “_She knocked at the door_”] - -Then the Gypsy touched her with her cane and her blue dress turned into a -shining pair of wings. She became a beautiful blue butterfly, and sailed -away and away in the sunshine. By and by she sailed into the king’s -garden. - -The prince came out and cried, “Oh what a beautiful butterfly.” - -Then Goldy told him what had happened and she said, “Go to the Gypsy and -see how I can be changed back again.” - -Then the prince went in a hurry to the Gypsy, you may believe. When the -Gypsy heard him knock she cried as before, - - “Cross-Patch, pull the latch, - Sit by the fire and spin; - Cross-Patch, pull the latch, - Open the door, come in!” - -The prince opened the door and made his very best bow and said, “I wish -Goldy were changed back into a beautiful girl and standing here beside -me.” - -The Gypsy nodded her head and soon a blue butterfly came floating in -through the window. The Gypsy said a magic verse, and changed the -butterfly back into the girl Goldy. - -Then Goldy and the prince thanked the Gypsy. They were married at once, -and they went to live in the king’s palace. They were not so happy as -they had expected to be for Goldy cried all day, “I miss my sister -Brownie. Go and find my ugly little sister.” - -The prince went out to look for Brownie. He traveled high and low but he -could not find her. - -Then Goldy went out to look for her sister. She went to her old home and -she heard a voice say, - - “I am as lonely as can be, - Sister Goldy, come to me!” - -Then Goldy cried, “Here I am. Where are you hiding, little sister?” - -Then Brownie told about her being changed into an ugly caterpillar, and -they went together to the Gypsy. - -The Gypsy was sitting on her doorstep and Goldy cried out, “See, I will -give you this golden dish if you will change the caterpillar into my -little sister.” - -The Gypsy liked the dish and she said a few magic words and changed the -caterpillar into the girl Brownie. - -Brownie was now so happy that she was good-looking. Many a young prince -came and fell in love with her but Brownie was so happy to live with her -sister and the prince, that she sang a very merry song: - - “I have lovers four and twenty; - One or two would be a plenty; - And I am as happy as happy can be, - Since the old Gypsy set me free.” - -One day there came to the palace a little lame prince. He was as ugly as -a barb-wire fence, but Brownie let him in. She gave him a cup of tea and -said: - - “I have lovers four and twenty; - One or two would be a plenty; - And I am happy as happy can be, - Since the old Gypsy set me free.” - -The little lame prince said, “I am ugly and no one loves me. Will you -marry me?” - -Brownie said, “I will marry you.” And they were married in the rose -garden, and they grew better looking and happier every day. - -Whenever they saw sick caterpillars or butterflies with broken wings, -they took care of them. - -Brownie and Goldy each had a home near the king’s palace, and they were -happy all their lives. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “Is that all? Tell it again! Tell it again! -Please do! Read it or tell it! It is a lovely story!” - -The farmer’s wife said, “It must be bedtime.” They looked at the great -clock that stood in the hall, and the clock said it was ten o’clock! - -“I am going home to-morrow, and I am going to school,” said Molly. - -“I, too,” said Polly. - -“We, too,” cried all the Ink-Bottle Babies. “We are all going to learn to -read that story.” - -Then they scampered upstairs and went to bed. - -Just as they were about to go to sleep, Molly said, “It is awful to have -to spell out the words like the farmer’s wife does.” - -Polly said, “I am going to learn to read!” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THANKSGIVING DINNER - - Old November’s come once more; - Children, see the snow! - Riding out in grandpa’s sleigh, - We all will gladly go, - For Thanksgiving brings such joys - To the waiting girls and boys; - I heard the Ink-Bottle Babies sigh, - “Please give us a piece of pumpkin pie!” - - -Next day the farmer hitched up his horses and took all the Ink-Bottle -Babies home. - -They said, “Oh Ma, we want to learn to read. Oh Ma, we will go to school -every day!” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma kissed all her babies and sent them to school. - -They wanted so much to learn to read fairy tales that they never missed a -day of school, from the 16th of October to Thanksgiving. - -[Illustration: “_They never missed a day of school_”] - -The day before Thanksgiving Molly began to cry on the way home from -school. Then Polly began to cry! Pretty soon all the Ink-Bottle Babies -took out their twenty-five little pocket handkerchiefs and began to cry! - -When they got home Mamma said, “Why do you cry?” - -The first Ink-Bottle Baby said, “I don’t know, boo-hoo!” - -The second Ink-Bottle Baby said, “I don’t know, boo-hoo!” - -Polly said, “I am crying because Molly is crying.” - -Molly said, “I am crying because we have no grandma and grandpa to go to -see on Thanksgiving Day.” - -Then all the Ink-Bottle Babies said, “We want a grandma and grandpa, -boo-hoo!” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Dry your eyes, and I will tell you what to -do.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies dried their eyes and Mamma said, “Suppose we -go and spend Thanksgiving Day with the farmer and his wife!” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies clapped their hands and shouted, “Hurrah! hurrah!” - -When they had stopped their noise, Mamma said each Baby should take a pie -in a little basket to the farmer and his wife. - -Then she took the Babies to the pantry and showed them twenty-five little -pies all in a row. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies were so anxious to start that they said, “To-morrow -will never come!” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma knew a few things to make the time pass, so she -said, “Who will sweep my floor? Who will dust my chairs? Who will wipe my -dishes?” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies all set to work at once, and they swept the -floor and dusted the furniture, and they wiped the dishes, and soon the -work was all done. - -At bedtime the Babies said, “Three cheers for the farm. Hurrah for the -farmer and his wife! Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!” - -Then they all went to bed and fell asleep. - -Early next morning the Ink-Bottle Babies were all ready to start. Each -one carried a basket. The Ink-Bottle Mamma locked the house and put the -key under the doormat. Then they were all ready to go. - -They walked a long way, and were getting quite tired, when a man came -along in his automobile. - -He said, “You cunning little Babies, where are you going?” - -Then the Babies shouted, “We are going to the farm. We are going to see -the farmer and his wife, and we are taking them some pumpkin pies!” - -The man said, “I will take you to the farm if you will give me one or two -of your pies!” - -He said, “I have not tasted a pumpkin pie for forty years!” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies wept to think of a man not tasting a pie for so -many years, and they all crowded around the automobile and cried, “Take -mine! Please take mine!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma stepped up and said, “Please Sir, we need all -these pies to-day, but if you care to give us a ride and then will call -at my house to-morrow you may have all the pies you can carry.” - -The man was delighted, you may be sure. He helped the Ink-Bottle Mamma -right into the automobile and called to the Babies, “Pile in, one and -all!” - -Soon they were all riding merrily along the road. - -The man allowed Polly and Molly to blow the horn and they rode right into -the farmer’s yard and right up to his front door. - -The farmer’s wife came out and cried, “Bless my soul! What a fine -automobile! And bless my soul! Here are the Ink-Bottle Babies again!” - -Then the farmer heard the noise and came out and said, “Bless my buttons! -Let me count the Babies! Yes, they are here, every last one of them!” - -Then he caught sight of the Ink-Bottle Mamma, and he bowed to her -politely and helped her out. - -The man who owned the automobile looked at the farmer and said, “Will you -have a ride, good people?” - -Now the farmer and his wife had never ridden in an automobile in their -lives. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Go right along; don’t mind us; we will get -the dinner!” - -The farmer said, “Wait till I get some turkeys and ducks ready for -dinner,” and the farmer’s wife said, “Wait till I make a few dozen pies!” - -At the word “pies,” the Ink-Bottle Babies set up a shout, and each one -made a low bow and presented the farmer’s wife with a little pie. She was -so surprised that she hardly knew what to say. - -The farmer called, “Put on your old gray bonnet!” Then the Babies began -to sing, - - “Put on your old gray bonnet, - With the blue ribbons on it!” - -Then the stranger said, “You are very sweet singers!” - -Soon the farmer and his wife were ready, and they went whizzing away in -the automobile. Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma began to cook the turkeys and -many other things, and the Ink-Bottle Babies had the table all set by the -time the farmer and his wife returned. - -Did they have a big dinner? Well, I guess they did. They had turkey and -duck, and sweet-potatoes and white potatoes, and squash, and carrots, and -rice, and jelly, and pickles, and pudding, and cranberry sauce, and cake, -and ice cream, and pumpkin pies! - -The farmer and his wife said, “We never had such a happy Thanksgiving -before!” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “Hurrah for the turkey! Hurrah for the -pumpkin pies!” - -[Illustration: “_Presented the farmer’s wife with a little pie_”] - -After dinner the Babies begged for a story. They said, “Read us a fairy -tale; please read us a fairy tale!” - -The farmer’s wife said, “I have broken my glasses and I cannot see to -read, but Pa will tell you a story!” - -Then the farmer grew quite red in the face and said, “I don’t know any -fairy stories; honestly I don’t!” - -“You know about the fox and the crow,” said the farmer’s wife. - -Then the Babies climbed up on his chair and on his knees and there was no -way out of it; he had to begin: - - “There once was a crow, and at early morn - He spied the farmer’s field of corn; - He said, ‘As sure as I am born, - I’ll have that corn, heigh-o!’” - -“Go on! Go on!” shouted all the Babies. “Tell about the fox. Please tell -us some more.” Then the farmer said: - - “There once was a fox so very sly - He knew that farmer’s field hard by; - ‘To catch the crow, I’m going to try,’ - Said the fox with a soft heigh-o!” - -Then the farmer stopped. The Babies begged him to go on but he said, -“Honestly that is all I know.” - -“Did the crow get the corn?” asked Molly. - -“Did the fox get the crow?” asked Polly. - -“I don’t know,” said the farmer. “How can I tell about such things? I -only went to school one year in all my life.” - -“Oh,” said the Ink-Bottle Babies, “we intend to go to school for -seventeen years!” - -“That is right,” said the farmer; “then you will learn all about the fox -and the crow.” - -Just at this minute, the farmer’s wife set up a cry. “Oh see the cunning -little baskets! See the twenty-five little baskets! We must not send them -home empty!” - -Then she whispered something in Molly’s ear, and she whispered something -in Polly’s ear, and each Ink-Bottle Baby whispered to the next one. - -Then they carried their twenty-five little baskets with them and they all -scampered down to the cellar. The farmer’s wife went with them and showed -them five barrels of apples. - -The farmer’s wife said, “Help yourselves. Fill your baskets full.” - -What fun they had, picking apples first out of one barrel and then out of -another! - -They were all ready to start home at last, when the farmer said, “Where -are the apples for the Ink-Bottle Mamma?” - -Then the farmer’s wife gave her a bag of apples and a bag of nuts. - -The farmer hitched up his horses to the wagon, and the Ink-Bottle Mamma -and the Ink-Bottle Babies all piled in. - -“Crack!” went the whip, and they were off and away singing and whistling -as they went. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said to the farmer, “It is very kind in you to take -us home in your wagon!” - -The farmer said, “I never had twenty-five grandchildren, and I love every -one of your babies.” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies began to get sleepy. They tried to remember the -story the farmer had told and they said, - -“There once was a fox at early morn.” - -“No! That is not right!” said Molly. - -Then they tried it again, and they said, “There once was a farmer’s field -of corn.” - -“No! no!” shouted Polly, “that is not right.” - -The farmer had to tell the story again, and the Babies repeated it after -him in a singsong way: - - “There once was a crow, and at early morn - He spied the farmer’s field of corn; - He said, ‘As sure as I am born - I’ll have that corn, heigh-o!’” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE LITTLE DWARF’S CHRISTMAS - - Old December’s come again; - Stockings large and small, - Hang by the fireside with care, - For Santa’ll fill them all; - I heard the Ink-Bottle Babies cry, - “Santa will in his sleigh dash by; - We always like to have him call, - For we have stockings large and small!” - - -It was December and Christmas was coming. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies said, “May we hang up our stockings now? May we -hang all our stockings in a row?” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies all talked at once. They made such a noise that the -postman had to rap five times before he could be heard. - -Then Molly said, “Hush! Listen! I hear a knock!” - -Polly went dancing to the door and came back with a letter in her hand. -The letter was addressed to the Ink-Bottle Mamma. - -She opened it and said, “The farmer and his wife want us to go and spend -Christmas day with them! They say, ‘Tell the Babies to bring their -stockings.’” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies were glad, you may be sure. - -They clapped their hands and shouted, “May we go, Ma? Say yes, Ma. Please -let us go!” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “We will go with pleasure.” - -The days passed very fast after that, and it was almost Christmas time; -and all would have gone well, I am sure, but two days before Christmas -Molly was taken sick, and Polly said, “I don’t feel well either.” - -Then what do you suppose happened? All the Ink-Bottle Babies came down -with the measles. - -They cried and they howled, “We can’t go away on Christmas Day! Oh dear! -Oh dear!” - -[Illustration: “_I don’t feel well either_”] - -When they had stopped their noise the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Never mind, -Santa Claus will not forget you.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies dried their eyes. They began to think about -Santa Claus. - -Toward evening a package was left at the door. It said, “For the measley -Babies from the farmer’s wife.” - -When the Ink-Bottle Mamma brought the parcel upstairs the Babies cried, -“Untie it quickly; please do, and let us all see what is inside!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma untied the parcel, and took out a big red book! -The book was called “Tip-Top Fairy Tales.” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies were so happy they forgot all about the measles, -and they cried, “Please read us a fairy tale.” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma laughed and sat down and read to them. And here is -the story she read: - -There was once a little dwarf who lived all alone in the deep woods. He -was so cross that no one would live with him. One evening as he sat alone -by his fire he heard the tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, of sleigh bells. - -“Santa Claus, maybe,” he said, “but what do I know about Santa Claus? I -never hung up my stockings in all my life.” - -Nearer and nearer came the sound of sleigh bells. Then there was a great -shout, and the little dwarf went out to see what had happened. - -Now what do you suppose had happened? - -[Illustration: “_Brushed Santa Claus all over_”] - -Santa Claus had driven into a snowdrift and he could not get out. His -sleigh had tipped over and his toys had spilled upon the snow. - -Santa Claus was half buried in the snow when the little dwarf ran out and -cried, “Hello, old Santa Claus! Can’t you get out?” - -The little dwarf pulled and tugged at the reindeer, and he pulled and -tugged at Santa Claus. Then he went for a snow-shovel, saying, “You are -so big I will have to dig you out!” - -He dug Santa Claus out of the snow. Then he and Santa picked up the toys, -and put them all safely back into the sleigh. - -Then the little dwarf whisked into the house and came back with a tiny -broom and brushed Santa Claus all over, and helped him shake off the snow. - -Poor old Santa Claus was so wet and cold he began to sneeze, “A-kit-chew! -a-kit-chew!” - -The little dwarf stamped his foot and said, “This will never do! Come in -and get warm! Come in and dry your whiskers!” - -Then Santa Claus laughed until he shook all over, but he was very glad to -follow the little dwarf into the house, though he had to stoop to get in -at the doorway. He said, - - “A bowl of soup if you please, - Will help Santa not to freeze!” - -The little dwarf stamped his foot again and shouted, - - “What do you suppose? What do you suppose? - Shall I stir soup with my ugly nose?” - -Old Santa Claus laughed and said, - - “Ha! ha! ha! hee! hee! hee! - Make for me a cup of tea!” - -The little dwarf stamped his foot again and said, - - “What do you think? What do you think? - Can an ugly dwarf make tea to drink?” - -Then the little dwarf was gone for a long time and Santa Claus almost -fell asleep. He shook himself to keep awake. - -He said, “I must not go to sleep to-night of all nights in the year!” - -Then he said, “I wish the dwarf would hurry. I wish he would get me some -tea.” - -Then Santa Claus began to sing a little song: - - Jolly, jolly Santa Claus - Rides out across the snow; - Jolly, jolly Santa Claus - Brings nicest toys, you know; - Hang up your stockings large and small, - For Santa Claus will fill them all; - Late at evening he will call, - Jolly Santa Claus! - -All the time Santa Claus was singing, the cross little dwarf worked away -in the kitchen. - -He rapped and he tapped and he mixed and he stirred, and after awhile he -came in and said, - - “Last call for soup in the dining car! - Hurry, old Santa, wherever you are!” - -Santa Claus went into the kitchen and there was the nicest supper you -ever saw! - -The little dwarf yelled, - - “What do you think? My dishes are small, - So I gave you the bucket, the dish-pan, and all!” - -Then Santa Claus laughed until he cried, for sure enough, there was the -soup in the little dwarf’s dish-pan, and the tea was served in a bucket! - -Santa Claus was so very hungry that he ate and drank all the food that -was before him. - -Then he rolled his eyes and said in a half whisper, “Did you ever hang up -your stocking?” - -The little dwarf stamped his foot and cried, - - “What? ho! ho! I am foolish I know, - But I do not hang up my stocking, no! no!” - -“All right,” said Santa Claus, “I must be going. If you change your mind -about the stocking, it will be all right.” - -Then Santa Claus put on his great fur cap and his great fur coat, and the -little dwarf stood before him and he stamped his foot and cried, - - “I never hung up my stocking at all, - I never believed old Santa would call.” - -The little dwarf ran out into his barn and got a great armful of hay. It -was all he could do to carry such an armful. He fed Santa’s reindeer. - -And Santa Claus said, - - “I thank you kindly, have a care, - You may find a stocking there!” - -Then Santa Claus gave a whistle and shout and his reindeer bounded over -the snow. - -“I will not hang my stocking up!” roared the little dwarf, and he stamped -his foot in the snow. - -Soon Santa Claus was out of sight. Then the little dwarf went back into -his house. - -When he got into the house, he winked and he blinked his eyes, and he was -so surprised that he forgot to scold, for by the fireplace hung a little -red stocking! - -“I did not hang that up!” shouted the little dwarf. “I did not hang that -up!” - -He took a peep into the stocking, and what do you suppose he saw? There -in the stocking was a little gold cane, just the right size for a little -dwarf. - -“Well,” said the dwarf, “that is a pretty nice cane, but mind you, I did -not hang that stocking up!” - -By and by he went into the kitchen to wash his dishes, and imagine his -surprise to see all his dishes dry and hanging in their right places. - -“I want my own supper!” he roared. - -Then he lifted a plate from the shelf, and under it he saw a new penny. -Then he took a spoon from the drawer and out rolled another penny, so it -went on, until he got down the dish-pan to wash his dishes, and a whole -bag full of pennies rolled down and nearly choked him! - -Then the little dwarf looked at his pennies and he laughed until he cried. - -“I can never count them all,” he said. He put all the pennies in little -piles. - -“I shall be quite rich,” he cried. “I wish Santa Claus would call again.” - -Then the little dwarf went back and looked at his gold cane. He walked up -and down the room with his cane in his hand. - -[Illustration: “_A bag full of pennies rolled down_”] - -“I wish Santa Claus had left another red stocking,” he said. “I would -like to wear fine red stockings!” - -Then he tripped on the edge of the rug and he rolled the rug up and saw -another red stocking and a red cap and a pair of red mittens! - -He was so happy he shouted with delight, - - “Old Santa is a merry elf, - And I will have a care, - When Christmas comes again next year, - My stocking will be there!” - -Then what do you suppose that comical little dwarf did? - -He put on his red cap and his red stockings and his red mittens, and he -just curled up on the rug and went to sleep! - -The Ink-Bottle Babies fell asleep long before the end of the story was -reached, but the Ink-Bottle Mamma liked the story so well that she read -it on to the end to herself. - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma went to bed. It was now Christmas Eve. - -Did Santa Claus remember the Ink-Bottle Babies, and did he fill all their -stockings full? - -Well, I guess he did! and the Ink-Bottle Babies all woke up early and -cried, “Oh Ma! please bring us our stockings,” and the Ink-Bottle Mamma -brought in twenty-five stockings full of apples and nuts and toys. - -But the great joy of the day was still to come. Molly and Polly had their -beds near the window and they cried, “Oh Ma, here comes a farmer’s wagon!” - -Sure enough the wagon came and stopped right at their door. Out jumped -the farmer and his wife! - -The twenty-five Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!” and -the farmer and his wife called, - - “Twenty-five babies, all in a row; - This is Christmas day, you know!” - -Then the farmer and his wife made a bow and the Ink-Bottle Babies clapped -their hands and shouted, “Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -A WONDERFUL DREAM - - January now is here, - The first glad month of all the year; - Get your sled and snowshoes out; - The coasting is good without a doubt; - We are so merry and glad, ho! ho! - We like the winter’s ice and snow; - I heard the Ink-Bottle Babies say, - “Snow-men we’ve made all the day!” - - -One Saturday in January it began to snow, and down came the flakes bigger -and bigger. - -By noon the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “There is enough snow now to make a -snow-man!” - -“How can we make a snow-man?” asked Molly. - -“Please show us how to make a snow-man,” said Polly. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma shook her head. She said, “I am too stiff and old to -make a snow-man.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies all began to talk at once and they said, “Will -no one show us how to make a snow-man?” - -Then the Mamma said, “Hush! Listen! Stop your noise!” - -Then the Babies were still and they heard the far-off tinkle of sleigh -bells. - -Molly cried, “Oh, is it the farmer again?” - -Polly cried, “Oh, are we going to have company?” - -Then the twenty-five little Babies were very still. They flattened their -little noses against the windowpanes, and looked out into the great white -world. - -Nearer, nearer, nearer, came the tinkle of sleigh bells, and very soon a -cunning little sleigh came in sight. - -In the sleigh were seated two dwarfs. They were as much alike as two peas. - -They stopped right in front of the house and got out of the sleigh. - -They ran to the door and asked, “Can you tell us if we are on the right -road?” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma bowed and said, “It all depends on where you are -going, gentlemen!” - -“It always depends on where we are going,” snapped the first little dwarf. - -The second little dwarf said, “We are not gentlemen at all, we are only -dwarfs!” - -Just at that minute, the first little dwarf caught sight of the -twenty-five Babies with their noses still flattened against the -windowpanes, and he cried, “Excuse me, but I must have one of those -Babies.” - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried the Ink-Bottle Mamma. “They are not for sale. You -cannot have one of my Babies.” - -Then she shut the door quickly and left the two little dwarfs standing on -the doorstep. - -“I want one of the Babies!” howled the first little dwarf. - -The second little dwarf took him by the arm and led him down the walk -back to their little sleigh. - -“I wonder if they live in the deep woods,” said Polly. - -“I wonder where they were going,” said Molly. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma went and kissed every one of her Babies. - -She said, “They cannot have any of my Babies. I cannot spare one of you!” - -The old clock sang a new song. It sounded like this: - - “Tick, tock, tick, tock, - They’re very sly, very sly, - Tick, tock, tick, tock, - They may return by and by.” - -[Illustration: “_A whole row of snow-men_”] - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma pretended that she did not hear the clock’s song, -and she said, “Hurry, hurry into your caps and mittens and I will tell -you how to make a snow-man!” - -Then the twenty-five Ink-Bottle Babies put on their caps and mittens, and -went out doors. - -Mamma called to them to roll the snow over and over. Each Baby rolled a -snow-man. - -“Put in sticks for arms,” she called. “Make eyes, and mouth, and nose.” - -My! what a jolly time the Ink-Bottle Babies had! - -They made a whole row of snow-men, and they worked so late that the stars -came out and began to twinkle. - -Then twenty-three of the Babies said, “We are cold and hungry. We are -going into the house.” - -Molly and Polly said, “Run on; we are not ready to go in yet.” - -So the twenty-three Babies ran in and found Mamma making gingersnaps in -the kitchen. - -Then Molly said, “Hark! what is that?” - -Then Polly said “Hark! I hear something.” - -Just at that minute a tiny sleigh drew up at the door. It was the same -sleigh that had been there before. - -In the sleigh sat the two little dwarfs. They sat very still. They had -hidden their sleigh bells. - -The first little dwarf jumped out of the sleigh and whispered to Molly -and Polly, “Have a sleigh ride? We will bring you home again safe and -sound!” - -Then Polly said, “We must ask Ma.” - -And Molly said, “I will ask Ma.” - -The little dwarf winked his eye and said, “I have asked Ma already!” - -So Molly and Polly got into the sleigh and they bounded away, away, away -over the snow. - -Why didn’t the Ink-Bottle Mamma come out and stop them? She was busy -making gingersnaps! - -“Are you warm enough?” asked the first little dwarf. - -Then the second little dwarf began to sing in a drowsy voice, - - “Heigho! over the snow, - Away in our little sleigh we go; - Heigho! hear the merry winds blow; - Away, away, away we go!” - -Pretty soon Molly and Polly went to sleep. - -When they woke up they found themselves in the cutest little house in the -world. They were in the house of the two little dwarfs! - -The little dwarfs capered and danced about them and said, “You are the -cutest Babies in the world. Come and see grandpa!” - -They went into the next room and there sat a very old dwarf. He stared at -the Babies and said, - -“I am two thousand years old. Pray tell, how old are you?” - -“Say you are two hundred,” said the first little dwarf, stamping his foot -at grandpa. - -Grandpa shook his head and said, “I have always been two thousand years -old as long as I can remember.” - -He pointed his finger at Molly and Polly and said, “Can you tell the -time?” - -Then he took a large gold clock out of his pocket. “I always carry a -clock,” he said. “I don’t believe in watches. They run fast or slow.” - -Then he turned to the little dwarfs, and said, “Speaking of time, is -supper ready?” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies stared at the clock. They could not tell the time. - -They said, “We must learn to tell time; there is so much to learn!” - -Just then the two little dwarfs said, “Come into the candy room,” and -they all skipped into the next room. - -There were bookshelves of candy and sofas of candy, and chairs of candy! - -Molly and Polly clapped their hands with delight. - -“Eat all you want to!” said the little dwarfs. - -“Eat a chair!” shouted the first dwarf. - -“Eat a table!” shouted the second dwarf. - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried Molly and Polly, “we must not eat up your furniture, -but it does look good.” - -“Eat it all! Eat it all! We have plenty more!” roared the dwarfs. - -Then Molly ate a leg of a table and Polly ate the corner of the bookcase. - -Just at this time grandpa came in. - -[Illustration: “_He was leaning on a cane made of candy_”] - -He was hobbling along leaning on a very pretty cane made of striped -candy! He made a funny appearance, indeed. - -“Supper time,” he called. “Supper time, I say.” - -Then the two little dwarfs offered grandpa a candy rocking-chair, and -they ran and got on the cutest little aprons you ever saw. - -They went to the kitchen stove and began to fry and bake and stew, and by -and by they called, “Supper is ready; soup is served.” - -They had a nice supper and grandpa was so hungry he ate with a fork and -spoon at the same time! - -Molly and Polly had eaten so much candy they could not eat any supper. - -Grandpa said, “That is the way our visitors always do.” - -Then he pulled the clock out of his pocket and said, “Tell the time, -please.” - -Molly and Polly said, “We are sorry but we do not know how to tell the -time.” - -“That is too bad,” said grandpa. “If you want to enjoy life, you must -learn to tell the time.” - -Just then one of the little dwarfs began to pour out a glass of milk from -a very strange-looking pitcher. - -“I wonder if that is the magic pitcher?” whispered Polly. - -Polly whispered so loud that the little dwarf heard her. - -He was so surprised that he dropped the pitcher and it broke into one -hundred pieces. - -The room began to melt away and Molly and Polly woke up and rubbed their -eyes. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma was shaking them. - -“You poor dears!” she said. “Are you almost frozen? You have been asleep -in the snow!” - -Then she carried Molly and Polly into the house. - -They rubbed their eyes again and cried, “Where are the little dwarfs? -Where is the old grandpa? Where is the magic pitcher?” - -Then all the Ink-Bottle Babies set up a shout, “You have been asleep! You -fell asleep playing in the snow!” - -Molly and Polly could not believe they had been dreaming. They said, “We -went riding in a sleigh!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma put dry clothes on them and said, “Sit and -toast yourselves by the fire, while I get you some gingersnaps!” - -When Molly and Polly were warm again, they told their wonderful dream. - -When they had finished talking the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Can’t you -really tell the time, my dears?” - -[Illustration: “_It is nine o’clock_”] - -The Ink-Bottle Babies all shook their heads. Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma -gave them twenty-five little circles of pasteboard, and she gave them -some little pieces for hands of each clock. - -They fastened the hands on the clocks with twenty-five little pins. - -Now she said, “We will make numbers on the clockface.” - -So they wrote twelve at the top of the circle, and six at the bottom; -they wrote three at the right and nine at the left; then they put the -other numbers between. - -The Mamma said, “Put the long hand at twelve, and the little hand at -nine; now tell the time!” - -Not one of the Ink-Bottle Babies could tell what time it was. Could you? - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, - - “The little hand tells the hour, you know, - As round and round the two hands go; - The big hand never makes a sound; - It tells the minutes as it goes around!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies clapped their hands and said, “It is nine -o’clock!” - -Then they looked up at the big clock on the mantle-piece, and just then -they cried, “The big clock is nine o’clock, too.” - -At this very minute the big clock began to strike. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies held their breath and counted the strokes of the -clock. - -They counted the strokes on their fingers! - -Sure enough, the big clock struck nine. - -“Hurrah!” cried the Babies. “We are learning to tell the time.” - -Just then there was heard a gentle tap at the door. The door opened and -in walked an Ink-Bottle Baby. She wore a red dress and a red sunbonnet. - -She said, - - “How do you do? I am tired, too; - May I come in and sit with you?” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies all shouted, “Can you tell the time?” - -The new Ink-Bottle Baby shook her head and said, “I have been walking -over maps all day. The children want a red line here, and a red dot -there, and I am very tired.” - -“Did you meet the little dwarfs in the woods?” asked Molly and Polly -together. - -“Who are the little dwarfs?” asked the new Ink-Bottle Baby, and Molly and -Polly said, - - “We have a picture of two little dwarfs; - If you will only look, - The magic pitcher, too, is seen - Within our picture-book.” - -At the words “magic pitcher,” the new Ink-Bottle Baby sprang from her -chair, and ran out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her. - -“Well, what do you think of that?” asked the Ink-Bottle Mamma. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies clapped their hands and danced up and down. - -They shouted, “There really must be a magic pitcher! There truly must be -a magic pitcher!” - -Then they looked out of the window and saw the snow-men they had made. -The snow-men looked very real in the moonlight. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “Listen! the snow-men are singing.” - -They kept very still and they heard this song: - - “Last night I saw a funny sight, - Upon the ground all glistening white; - Queer people standing in a row, - Who told me they were made of snow! - - “They waved their arms so queer and long, - And kept time to a winter song; - And when I said I’d go away, - Their frosty voices bade me stay. - - “I looked up at them in surprise, - And each man rolled his wooden eyes; - Then said if I’d excuse the joke, - They’d light a match and take a smoke! - - “Now if you’d like to hear them talk, - Come out with me and take a walk; - You’ll find them standing in a row, - These funny people made of snow!” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE MAGIC SPOON - - In February as you know, - Stormy winds will often blow, - And sometimes on a Saturday, - In the house the children stay, - Playing pleasant games, you see, - They are happy as can be. - The Ink-Bottle Babies said, “Heart of mine, - Come now, and make a valentine!” - - -One Saturday morning it began to storm and it snowed and the wind blew -harder and harder. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies said, “Oh Ma! what shall we do?” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “What month is this?” - -Molly and Polly said, “It is February.” - -Then the twenty-three other Ink-Bottle Babies set up a shout. They cried, -“Valentines! Valentines!” - -[Illustration: “_Polly set up a cry_”] - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “You have guessed right; we are going to make -valentines.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies got some tables and scissors and paste. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma brought paper and some pictures, and she said, “You -may cut out some hearts.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies went to work. They got paste on the table and -on their hands and faces. - -Then suddenly Polly set up a cry, and soon all the Ink-Bottle Babies -shouted, “Oh Ma! Polly has cut her finger! Oh Ma! Come quickly!” - -Sure enough, Polly had cut her finger. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma came and tied it up and said, “Every one of you wash -your hands. I can’t have all my Babies cut their fingers!” - -So the Ink-Bottle Babies got out twenty-five little basins and filled -them with water, and they washed their hands. - -Then they said, “Read us a fine fairy tale, Ma, please do.” - -So Mamma got out the fairy tale book and read this story of The Magic -Spoon: - -Once upon a time there was a merry little dwarf. He sang all day, - - “Who is so merry, heigho! heigho! - As a dwarf who lives in the woods, heigho! - He may dance away by the light of the moon, - But happy is he with his magic spoon!” - -Then the little dwarf sat down by the table. He had a great yellow bowl, -and a silver spoon in front of him. - -He stirred some flour around in the bowl, and what do you suppose he took -out of the bowl? He took out a beautiful gold necklace! - -Then he stirred again, and he took out a blue necklace; then he stirred -again, and he took out a red one. - -All the time as he worked he sang over and over, - - “Who is so merry, heigho! heigho! - As a dwarf who lives in the woods, heigho? - He may dance away by the light of the moon, - But happy is he with his magic spoon!” - -At last the spoon got tired working and it said, - - “Little dwarf, upon my word, - What would you do if that song were heard?” - -The little dwarf was so surprised to hear the spoon speak that he stopped -stirring the flour in the bowl, and just at that very minute there was -heard a rap at the door. - -The little dwarf hid the spoon and went to the door. There stood a very -ugly old dwarf. His name was Cross-Patch. All the dwarfs in the wood were -afraid of him. - -He stamped his foot now and said, - - “I have come to get the magic spoon; - Better give it to me soon; - Be it morning, night, or noon, - Will you give up the magic spoon?” - -Then the first little dwarf shook his head and cried, - - “I do not give my spoon away; - You’d better call another day!” - -Cross-Patch said, - - “I will call to-morrow noon; - Then perhaps I’ll get the spoon!” - -He went off muttering to himself, and shaking his cross old head as he -went away. - -Now the little dwarf was not at all afraid. He said, “I will hide my -spoon in a safe place.” - -Then he put on the red necklace and the blue necklace and the gold -necklace, and he said, “When I meet the Fairy Queen I will give her a new -necklace every day.” - -Just then the little dwarf heard a great flapping of wings. He looked out -and he saw one hundred crows. - -Old Cross-Patch had sent the crows to eat up the little dwarf’s corn! - -The crows ate all night, and till noon the next day. - -Then they flapped their wings and went away, and old Cross-Patch came and -said, - - “I have come to-day at noon, - Will you give up the magic spoon?” - -The little dwarf was angry, you may be sure. He shook his head and cried, - - “I will not give my spoon away; - You need not call another day.” - -Then old Cross-Patch shook his fist at the little dwarf and ran down the -road. “I have spoiled your corn,” he called back, but this time the -little dwarf did not answer him. - -The next night there was a great noise, and five and twenty little dwarfs -came and blew so much soot down the chimney that everything in the little -dwarf’s house was ruined. - -I should say everything except one was ruined. The box in which the -little dwarf kept the spoon and necklaces was safe because it was under -his pillow. - -The next morning old Cross-Patch came as before and said, - - “Here I am at break of day; - Will you give your spoon away?” - -The little dwarf was very angry and he shouted, - - “I will not give my spoon away; - You may not have it now, I say.” - -Old Cross-Patch went away scolding and grumbling as before. Late that -night there was a great noise, and the bricks from the chimney began to -fall. The little dwarf had just time to grab his box and run out at the -door. - -All the bricks from the house fell one upon another, and soon the little -house was all gone; only a pile of bricks remained! - -Old Cross-Patch came again and said, - - “If you won’t give the spoon away, - I’ll turn your pretty hair all gray!” - -The little dwarf had lovely golden curls. Now the spoon was so angry at -Cross-Patch that he could stand it no longer. - -He turned very red in the face and began to kick and roll over. - -He sprang out of the box, and jumped right at old Cross-Patch and cried, - - “Be it morning, night, or noon, - Come and take the magic spoon!” - -Then the spoon boxed Cross-Patch on the right ear and on the left ear. - -“Oh! oh! oh! please stop!” called Cross-Patch. - -The little dwarf was so tickled he stood by and clapped his hands. - -Then the spoon turned to old Cross-Patch and said, - - “You shall build the house again; - You’ll work in sunshine and in rain.” - -[Illustration: “_Boxed Cross-Patch on the right ear_”] - -Then old Cross-Patch saw there was no way out of it, so he had to go and -pile one brick on another, and if he did not work fast enough the spoon -would slap him on the back. - -The five and twenty dwarfs who had sent soot down the chimney came, and -they were sorry for Cross-Patch, and went to work to help him rebuild the -house. - -The spoon danced about and rapped them all sharply every once in a while. - -When the house was all done the spoon cried, - - “Now, old Cross-Patch, step inside; - Clean the rug and fireside.” - -The spoon made Cross-Patch clean everything in the house. Then the spoon -cried, - - “Cross-Patch, take your little men, - Plant the corn in rows again!” - -Then Cross-Patch and the little dwarfs worked all night. They planted -corn in the little garden. The spoon got so angry it beat them all until -they were black and blue; then finally it chased old Cross-Patch away, -and away, and away, out into the Land of Nowhere. - -The five and twenty little men saw that the corn they had planted was -already beginning to grow, so they laid down and went to sleep. - -Pretty soon the spoon came back. - -There high in the tree sat the little dwarf; beside him sat the Fairy -Queen. - -The Queen said, - - “I try the necklaces, one, two, three, - But none is good enough for me.” - -Then the little dwarf helped the Fairy Queen down from the tree and they -went into the house. - -[Illustration: “_I try the necklaces, one, two, three_”] - -The spoon went in, too, and it began to stir at a terrible rate, all by -itself in a great big bowl, and pretty soon there came out of the bowl -the finest gold necklace in the land. - -The Fairy Queen clapped her hands and cried to the dwarf and the spoon, -“You will always be welcome in my palace.” - -Then the dwarf clasped the necklace around her neck, and she was gone. - -The spoon stood up very straight and sang, - - “Whatever song you wish to sing, - Remember, ’tis the safest thing, - To put the spoon upon the shelf, - And keep the secret to yourself!” - -Then the spoon jumped up into the box on the shelf. The five and twenty -little dwarfs woke up and tapped politely at the door, and asked for -breakfast, but the spoon called out from its hiding place, - - “If you do not go away, - I’ll box your ears again to-day!” - -Then the five and twenty little dwarfs ran away as fast as their legs -could carry them. - -The little dwarf forgot what the spoon had said and he went about his -work singing, - - “Who is so merry, heigho! heigho! - As a dwarf who lives in the woods, heigho? - He may dance away by the light of the moon, - But happy is he with his magic spoon.” - -Now the magic spoon was so upset to think the little dwarf could not keep -still that he sprang down from the shelf and cried, - - “You will not heed whate’er I say, - So, little dwarf, you’ll go away!” - -Then he beat the little dwarf all the way to the palace of the Fairy -Queen, where he became a servant and he never dared to return to his home. - -The magic spoon went back to his place on the shelf. - -For all I know he may be there yet! - -“Didn’t any one ever see the magic spoon after that?” asked Polly. - -“Is it a really, truly, true story?” asked Molly. - -Then the other Babies laughed so hard that they rolled over and over on -the floor, and at last they said, “Some day we will go in search of the -magic spoon and the magic pitcher. May we go, Ma?” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma laughed and said, “It is time for you funny little -Babies to go to bed.” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma read so slowly it had taken her all day to read the -story. - -The Babies went off happily to bed singing, - - “Oh, the magic pitcher and magic spoon, - We will try to find them soon; - By and by to the woods we’ll go, - And meet the dwarf with his merry heigho!” - -Just then some one tapped on the door. It was the Ink-Bottle Papa. He had -been away for his health for a year and a day! - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma was glad to see him again, you may be sure. - -She said, “Hush, my dear, we may wake the Babies.” But she was not quick -enough, for all the Babies woke up and began to come downstairs by twos -and threes to see who had come to their house. - -They hugged their dear Papa until he cried out, “Look in my pockets and -see a surprise!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies looked in his pockets and drew out twenty-five -little silver spoons. - -They all looked exactly alike, and the Babies cried, “Thank you, Papa, we -will call them our magic spoons.” - -Then the Babies went to bed again. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE MAGIC KITES - - The merry March wind is singing a song, - “Blow, blow, blow! - Sweet springtime is coming, coming along, - Blow, blow, blow!” - Said the Ink-Bottle Babies, “Don’t blow us away;” - They said, “It is fun in the wind to play; - We’ll fly our kites on this merry March day. - Blow, blow, blow!” - - -One day in the merry month of March, the Ink-Bottle Papa said, “I have a -half-holiday. What shall we do?” - -Then the twenty-five little Ink-Bottle Babies clapped their hands and -cried, “Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!” - -“Shall we do the family washing?” asked the Ink-Bottle Papa with a -twinkle in his eye. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies said, - - “We are so little, it is true, - The washing is very hard to do!” - -The Ink-Bottle Papa laughed and he said, “Then shall we sweep the house -all over, from top to bottom?” - -Then the Babies said, - - “The brooms are heavy for us to hold, - And after all we are not very old!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Papa clapped his hands and said, “Shall we mow our -lawn, front and back?” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies cried, - - “We are very little to mow to-day; - Let us help keep your holiday!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Papa stopped fooling, and he said, “There is a fine -wind for flying kites; we will all make kites to-day; then we will go out -and fly them.” - -“Hurrah! Hurrah!” cried the Babies. “We will all make kites. We will make -big kites, little kites, and middle-sized kites!” - -Now, did the Ink-Bottle Babies make kites? Well, I guess they did! - -[Illustration: “_Oh, oh, oh, my kite pulls so hard!_”] - -They cut and they pasted, and they rapped and tapped away, and then they -said, - -“Our kites are finished. May we go and fly them, Pa?” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Papa said, - - “One, two, three, away we go; - March like soldiers in a row!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies got into two rows and they followed the -Ink-Bottle Papa over to the meadow. - -Then they began to run and fly their kites. - -“Oh, oh, oh,” cried Polly, “my kite pulls so hard!” - -“Oh, oh, oh,” cried Molly, “I am afraid my kite will get away.” - -The Ink-Bottle Papa said, “It is the merry March wind pulling at the -kites!” - -Then they laughed and danced and played in the sunshine, and by and by -Papa said, “Come, sit down and rest and I will tell you a story.” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies all sat down. They still held on to the strings of -their kites. - -The Ink-Bottle Papa began his story of The Magic Kite: - -Once upon a time a little boy made a kite. He made the kite of paper and -string. - -Then the little boy was very happy, and he said, - - “Blow, merry wind, blow; my kite and I - Along with the breezes will fly, and fly.” - -Just then a voice said, - - “Perhaps you can fly, - If you only try!” - -The little boy looked around, and there sat the funniest little dwarf. -The dwarf sat cross-legged on an old tree-stump. - -“Ever think much about flying?” he said, and he screwed his face up into -a thousand wrinkles. - -The little boy shook his head. - -Then the dwarf said, - - “Flying might be easy for you, - The butterflies try it, - The birds try it, too; - Yes, it might be easy for you!” - -The little boy said, “I would like to fly; tell me truly how to do it.” - -The little dwarf said, “Just lend me your kite.” - -Then the dwarf took the little boy’s kite and he blew on it until it -became bigger and stronger and it was indeed very hard to hold. - -The little dwarf then took hold of the string and the kite pulled harder -and harder and harder, and soon it lifted the little dwarf off of his -feet. He did not let go of the string. - -The little dwarf went up, up, up among the clouds. Soon the little boy -could see only a speck among the clouds. He was beginning to be sorry he -had loaned the dwarf his kite, for he was afraid he would never see it -again. - -Then he heard a whistle and a voice called out, - - “Sailing high up over the town, - Here I come again, down, down, down.” - -Sure enough, down came the little dwarf, holding to the kite. - -“Want to fly now?” he asked. “It is lots of fun.” - -The little boy lost no time, you may be sure, in taking hold of the kite -string. He took hold of the string and the kite began to pull. - -“Hold on tight!” shouted the little dwarf. “Hold on tight!” - -Then the little boy went up, up, up, over the tree-tops, and over the -houses until he came to the stars! My, but he was away up high in the -sky! - -[Illustration: “_The little boy went up, up, up, until he came to the -stars_”] - -The stars were so bright he winked and blinked his eyes, and suddenly he -forgot to keep hold of the string, and down, down, down he fell to earth -again, and his kite flew away and he never saw it again! - -“Did the fall hurt him?” asked Molly. - -“Did he truly lose his kite forever?” asked Polly. - -The Ink-Bottle Papa said, “The boy was not hurt at all, for he fell on -his mother’s feather bed that she had out on the porch airing!” - -“Oh my!” cried all the Babies at once. “What fun it would be to fall on -a feather bed! We wish we could fly and fall in soft places, too!” - -Just then Molly gave a little cry, and Polly gave a little cry. - -What do you suppose was happening? - -They felt their kites pulling so hard that they began to go up, up, up. -Before the Ink-Bottle Papa could stop them they had sailed out of sight! - -The Ink-Bottle Babies said to the Papa, “We will go home and ask Mamma -what to do. She always tells us what to do!” - -Molly and Polly went up, and up, and up, and then just as suddenly they -began to go down, and down, and down. - -They said, “We wonder if we will come down on a feather bed?” - -Did they come down on a feather bed? Oh no, they came down to a hole in -the ground, and they went down in the hole, down, down, and they still -held their kite strings, and they cried, “What a jolly ride, up and down, -up and down.” - -Pretty soon they came to a stop and landed right in a strawberry-bed. - -They were so pleased to see the strawberries, that they forgot about -their kites for the first time and let go of the strings. They began to -pick berries and eat them as fast as they could. - -[Illustration: “_Led them into a room full of toys_”] - -While they were eating away a little old woman came in and cried, - - “Fi-go-fee, what do I see, - Children as sure as sure can be!” - -Then Molly and Polly stopped eating and made a bow and said, - -“We hope it does not annoy you to have us eat strawberries. You have so -many of them, and we rode here all the way with our kites!” - -Then the little old woman looked out of the window and saw the kites -floating away. - -She clapped her hands and cried, - - “Come with me, come with me, - Many curious sights you’ll see!” - -Then she took Molly and Polly by the hand and led them into a room full -of toys. - -The little old woman cried, - - “See the toys, the many toys, - Lost by careless girls and boys!” - -Molly said, “May I get on the rocking-horse?” And Polly said, “May I ride -in that funny little carriage?” - -The little old woman said in an old squeaky voice, - - “No time to play, no time to play; - Call again another day!” - -Then she showed them a room full of caps and coats and all kinds of -clothing, and she said with a wave of her hand, “Careless children lost -them all! Come now, help me count and sort out the clothes.” - -Then Molly and Polly went to work to sort the caps. There were red caps, -and blue caps, and yellow caps, and all kinds of caps. Then they went to -work and sorted the neckties, and they worked all day, and still there -were more caps and more neckties than you ever dreamed of. - -The room they were in led into a hall and the hall, too, was full of lost -things. - -Suddenly Molly and Polly wanted to go home. They stopped work and said, -“We want to go home right away!” - -The little old woman clapped her hands and said, - - “You are lost, you belong to me, - Ha! ha! ha! he! he! he!” - -Then the little old woman went down the hall and locked the door and -left Molly and Polly alone. - -“How shall we ever get home?” they said. - -Then they heard a voice say, - - “Through the tree-trunk, come with me; - Only find the magic key!” - -They looked around, and sure enough, right in the middle of the room was -a tree-trunk! Its roots came down to the floor. In the lower part of the -tree-trunk there was a door and the door was locked. - -“Where shall we look for the magic key?” asked Molly and Polly. And the -tree fairy said, - - “The magic key will open the door; - It never has been found before.” - -Then Molly and Polly looked all over the room, you may be sure. - -They looked under the piles of clothing and they looked under the -furniture. Just then a canary began to sing, - - “Give me, please, some food and drink; - I can help you then to think!” - -Now Molly saw a little pitcher of water on the window sill, and Polly saw -a little package of birdseed on a chair; so they gave the canary some -food and drink. - -As they peeped into the bird-cage, they saw on the floor of the cage a -tiny key! The key was tied with blue ribbon. “Oh, the key! the key!” they -cried, but the Tree Fairy said, - - “Softly, softly, for you see, - You must gently turn the key!” - -Then Molly and Polly went to the tree-trunk on tiptoe, and they put the -key in the lock. Click! went the lock, and the door opened. - -There stood the Tree Fairy all dressed in red and yellow! - -The Tree Fairy was so little he could sit in Polly’s hand. - -The Fairy called, - - “There is room, the tree is wide, - Quickly, quickly jump inside.” - -And it was well that Molly and Polly lost no time, for just as they had -gotten inside the tree the little old woman came back. - -Up, up, up the tree they went. The Fairy held the key. - -“I will let you out by and by, if you grant me a wish,” said the Fairy. - -“What is your wish?” asked Molly and Polly, and the Fairy said, “Two -white sheets, nice and neat. Then I’ll use the key and set you free!” - -Molly and Polly laughed and each one of them took out a neatly folded -pocket-handkerchief, and they presented them to the Fairy! - -The handkerchiefs were just the right size for fairy sheets and the Fairy -was delighted. - -He put the key in the lock; click, click, the door opened, and out -stepped the Ink-Bottle Babies in their own park at home. - -They were in such a hurry to get home they forgot to say, “Thank you,” -and they did not even stop to see which tree they had stepped out of. -They have been looking for the tree ever since. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies were so pleased to see Molly and Polly, that they -hugged them nearly to death. - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma and Papa said, “No more magic kites for our family.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma gave them each a cup of hot chocolate and put -them to bed. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE MAGIC ROCKING-CHAIR - - Hear the rain, April rain! - Falling on the windowpane; - Pitter, patter, all day long; - Can you hear the raindrops’ song? - “We call the flowers to bloom again, - They are refreshed by April rain.” - Said the Ink-Bottle Babies, “Without any doubt, - It is time to get our umbrellas out!” - - -When the Ink-Bottle Babies woke up next morning they cried, “Oh Ma! Oh -Pa! It is raining!” - -Sure enough, the rain came splash, not a gentle patter, but splash! -splash! splash! - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried all the Ink-Bottle Babies. “How can we get to school -in the rain?” - -The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “I will get your umbrellas.” - -The Ink-Bottle Papa said, “I will get your rubbers.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies said, “Hurrah for rubbers and umbrellas! -Hurrah for a rainy day!” - -[Illustration: “_The little dwarf called ‘Halt!’_”] - -How funny they looked going along the street with their twenty-five -little umbrellas bobbing up and down. - -As they went along they heard a voice cry, - - “In and out, without a doubt, - I will keep dry if I but try!” - -The Babies looked down and there stood a little dwarf. He had a long -white beard that came to the ground. He bobbed in and out among the -Babies and skipped first under this umbrella, and then under that -umbrella, and it kept the Babies quite busy looking for him. - -“Are you going to school with us?” asked Molly. - -“Do you know where the magic pitcher is?” asked Polly. - -Then the most surprising thing happened! - -The little dwarf called “Halt!” and every one of the Ink-Bottle Babies -stood still in the pouring rain. - -Then the little dwarf said, - - “The magic pitcher has melted away; - Don’t tell the secret, I beg you, pray!” - -Then Molly said, “How could it melt away?” - -Then the little dwarf said, - - “The magic pitcher is safe and sound, - Perhaps you will find it underground.” - -Then Polly said, “I believe you do not know anything about the magic -pitcher; you are only guessing!” - -“Isn’t guessing allowed?” asked the dwarf. Then he shouted, “Forward! -march!” and they all went on to school. When they came to school the -dwarf said, - - “I hardly dare to go inside, - Unless I find a place to hide!” - -Then the Ink Bottle Babies suggested various places for the little dwarf -to hide in, but none of the places pleased him, so he said, - - “If you stay till afternoon, - I will come back very soon!” - -Then in a twinkling of an eye he was gone. - -The teacher was so surprised to see all the Ink-Bottle Babies on such a -rainy day that she let them sit wherever they pleased. They went to the -blackboard and did neat little sums, and they all got their answers right. - -At noon the teacher went home for dinner, and the Babies took out their -twenty-five little dinner pails, and began to eat their lunch. - -The rain came down harder and harder, and the Babies said, “We wonder if -the little dwarf got drowned?” - -Soon there was heard a rap-a-tap at the window, and a voice called, - - “The rain is rather wet to-day; - Will you open your window a little way?” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies ran and opened the window and let the little -dwarf in. - -Such a sputtering and fussing you never heard! He shook the rain from his -coat and said, - - “With no umbrella, how do you suppose, - I could keep dry in my little clothes?” - -Then he danced, and he hopped, and he skipped about until he was quite -dry. - -He tasted something out of every one of the twenty-five dinner pails. - -Then he climbed up on the window sill and said, “What shall we play, -‘I-Spy’?” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies said, “There really is no place to hide. Please -tell us a story instead!” - -“Tell about the magic pitcher, or the magic spoon,” cried Molly and Polly! - -Then the little dwarf said, - - “If you really, truly do not care, - I prefer The Magic Rocking-Chair!” - -“Tell us about it! Tell us about it!” cried the Babies. - -The little dwarf waited until the Babies were still; then he began the -tale of The Magic Rocking-Chair! Here is the story he told: - -Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived with his grandparents -in the woods. - -The grandparents were so old and feeble that the little boy had all the -wood to cut and the water to bring in. He was kept busy working from -morning till night. - -One evening, as his grandparents fell asleep by the fire, the little boy -said, “I wish I had some one to play with me. I do wish I could have some -fun once in a while!” - -A little dwarf stuck his head in at the door and said, softly, - - “Little boy, if you do not care, - I’ll give you a magic rocking-chair!” - -There stood the little dwarf in the doorway. He carried a beautiful red -rocking-chair. The chair was so heavy and large for the dwarf it was all -he could possibly carry. - -[Illustration: “_Kept rocking until they arrived in China_”] - -He set it down in the doorway and said in a whisper, - - “Wherever you think you’d like to go, - Just sit in the chair and rock to and fro.” - -Then in the twinkling of an eye the little dwarf was gone. The little boy -lost no time trying the chair, you may be sure. - -He said, “I think I would like to go to China.” And he began to rock to -and fro. He rocked so hard that he rocked right out of the house. Then -the chair sailed away up over the tree-tops, and he kept rocking all the -way until they arrived in China. - -The chair stopped outside of a fine house, and said, “I will wait for -you.” - -Then the little boy went into the house and the Chinamen were very polite -to him. They taught him to eat with chopsticks, and they gave him a -pound of tea to take home with him. They tied the tea up in a fine silk -handkerchief. - -A great clock struck twelve and the little boy remembered that the chair -did not want to wait later than twelve, so he bade his new friends -good-bye and went outside. - -He stepped into the chair and said, “Home again, home again,” and they -rode along homeward. - -The chair said, “I know one little verse the dwarf keeps whispering to -himself when he uses this magic chair. It is this, - - “‘When ’tis midnight heed the hour, - Or the chair may lose its magic power.’” - -“Thank you, I will remember that,” said the little boy, and whizzing -along they went on home. - -There sat the old people just as he had left them, nid-nid-nodding by the -fire. - -“Good-bye,” said the chair, “I will hide outside.” - -The little boy took his tea and his silk handkerchief with him to his own -room and he soon fell asleep. - -His work seemed easy to him next day. He said, “I wonder where I shall go -to-night. I believe I will go to Holland if the chair comes around.” - -Next evening the old people fell asleep as before and there was a gentle -tap at the door. The little dwarf had brought the chair again, but he -wanted a present this time. - -He begged so hard for a present that at last the little boy gave him the -red silk handkerchief. The little dwarf tied the handkerchief about him -as a sash and went off singing in the moonlight. - -The little boy said, “I will go to Holland.” - -He rocked away across the sea and he had a fine time, you may be sure. - -The people in Holland gave him a cheese and a pair of wooden shoes to -take home. - -At exactly twelve o’clock he stepped into the chair and rocked home. - -Night after night the little boy rode away in the rocking-chair, and all -went well until the night he went to the circus. - -The clown said so many funny things he forgot about the time. It struck -twelve o’clock, and one o’clock, and then the circus was over. - -The little boy stepped out of the tent and his chair was nowhere to be -seen, so he had to walk all the way home. - -The next evening the little dwarf came without the chair. He looked very -sad and he said, - - “Of course, little boy, you meant no harm, - But you have broken the magic charm.” - -Then the dwarf explained that the chair would rock no longer because the -little boy overstayed his time. He said with tears in his eyes that the -chair now would not rock across the room. - -[Illustration: “_The clown said so many funny things_”] - -Then the boy said, “Dry your eyes, I will tell you what to do.” - -He took the little dwarf by the hand and they ran to the house of the -crossest giant in the land. They persuaded the giant to come and look at -the rocking-chair and mend it, for he was very clever about such things. - -The giant made the chair as good as new; then he turned to the little boy -and said fiercely, “I have not had a good meal to-day. I will just eat -you up!” - -Then the chair grew very angry. It grew so large suddenly that the giant -could sit in it, and it said, - - “Come have a ride, and rock to and fro; - I am sure I know where you want to go!” - -The giant forgot how hungry he was and he sat down in the chair. The -chair rocked him down to the river and threw him in. - -He was not drowned, of course, but he was awfully scared, and the chair -rocked back to the little dwarf. - -The little boy had many rides in the chair after that, but he took the -little dwarf with him, so that they would be sure to remember the time, -and not stay out after midnight. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “Is that the end? Surely that is not the -end. There must be more.” - -The little dwarf did not want to answer, so he said, “It is raining so -hard the teacher may not come back to school.” - -“Please tell the end of the story,” begged the Babies. - -Then the little dwarf cried, “What! ho! Here comes the farmer to take you -home!” - -Sure enough, there was the farmer in his big wagon. He had come to take -the Ink-Bottle Babies home. - -“Was that the end of the story?” called Molly and Polly. - -The little dwarf smiled and said, - - “If you should ever want a ride, - Come to my house and step inside!” - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried the Ink-Bottle Babies clapping their hands. “Do you -own the magic rocking-chair? Will you please take us to ride?” - -The little dwarf ran out in the rain, laughing as he went. - -How were the Ink-Bottle Babies to guess whether he owned the -rocking-chair or not? - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -MAY-DAY - - In glad springtime the birds all sing, - And sweet the woodland echoes ring; - Why should we not be happy too, - When skies are blue? when skies are blue? - I heard the Ink-Bottle Babies say, - “We’ll hang May baskets up to-day!” - - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried the Ink-Bottle Babies. “It is May-Day! hurrah! -hurrah!” - -Then they all got up and dressed in a hurry and said, “Oh Ma! may we go -to the woods? Oh Pa! may we all go to the woods together?” - -Then Mamma and Papa said they might all go to the woods if they would be -very careful not to get lost. - -The Ink-Bottle Babies each took a cute little basket, and they all went -to look for flowers and berries in the woods. - -“I wonder if we will meet Red Riding-hood,” said Molly. - -“I wonder if we will meet the wolf,” cried Polly. - -At that very minute the Ink-Bottle Babies stood still for they heard a -voice cry, - - “Out of my house and off my land! - How you came here I don’t understand!” - -There stood a fierce little dwarf stamping his foot at them. - -All the Ink-Bottle Babies bowed politely and said, “If you please, Sir, -may we gather a few violets and buttercups?” - -Then the little dwarf said, - - “I love all the little flowers that grow, - You shall not gather them, no! no!” - -[Illustration: “_A fierce little dwarf stamping his feet_”] - -Then Molly and Polly said, “If we each give you a cookie, would you let -us gather a few flowers?” - -Then the little dwarf came and peeked into each one of the baskets and -saw, sure enough, that each Baby had a cookie in the basket. - -Then the little dwarf clapped his hands and cried, - - “Cookies big and cookies round, - Put them all upon the ground!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies all put their cookies on a large, flat stone, -and the little dwarf filled his pockets and his cap full of them. - -Then he made a bow and said, - - “Pick all the flowers you like to-day, - But after sundown do not stay!” - -Then whisk, bound, the little dwarf was gone! - -The Ink-Bottle Babies lost no time in picking flowers, you may be sure. - -They found violets, daisies, and buttercups, and before they could -believe it, it was sundown. - -They said, “We do not care what the little dwarf said, we will not hurry -home.” - -Then they sat down and ate the sandwiches and apples they had brought -with them. - -Just as the sun was setting Molly cried, “Oh, oh, oh,” and Polly cried, -“Oh, oh, oh,” and all the Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “Oh, oh, oh.” What do -you suppose was the matter? They all began to sink down, down, down, and -it became quite dark! - -They sank down until they came to the top of the magic tower, which was -built under the sea! - -They saw the fishes swim past them and they cried, “Oh, oh, oh, where are -we going?” - -The roof of the magic tower opened and down the Ink-Bottle Babies went -to the very bottom of the tower. They were just beginning to get their -breath when the most beautiful princess in the world came and stood -before them. - -She said, - - “Where did you come from, Babies dear, - And how did you happen to come here?” - -She saw only Molly at first; then Polly and all the rest of the Babies -came tumbling down the staircase. - -The princess gathered up an armful of Babies and cried, - - “I am so happy, the charm is broken; - I welcome the Babies now as a token.” - -[Illustration: “_They had to work days and days to braid her hair_”] - -The Babies patted the princess’ dress; it was soft and silky. Then they -all begged to braid her hair. They had to work days and days to braid all -her hair, it was so long and heavy. - -“Tell us a story, please,” said the Babies. - -And the princess began, “Once upon a time I went into the woods to gather -flowers!” - -“Just like we did,” shouted all the Ink-Bottle Babies together. - -“I was going along humming a little tune, when I saw a fierce little -dwarf,” continued the princess. - -“Oh, oh, oh,” cried the Babies, “we met him, too! We met him, too!” - -“The dwarf talked in rhyme,” said the princess. Then all the Babies -nodded their heads. - -The princess said, “The dwarf would not let me have any flowers unless I -gave him a cookie, and when I did give him a cookie, he said, - - “‘Pick all the flowers you like to-day, - But after sundown do not stay!’” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies set up a shout, for those were the very words -the little dwarf had said to them. - -The princess said, “I was so happy gathering flowers that I forgot what -the little dwarf said, and after sundown I began to sink, down and down, -until I came to this magic tower.” - -The princess shook her head and said, “All the doors and windows are -fastened. Besides, we are under the sea.” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies looked out of the window, and sure enough, fishes -were swimming past. - -Suddenly the princess said, “Hush, the little dwarf is coming. Run -Babies, and hide, every one of you!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies ran upstairs. - -Click, click, went the key in the door, and the door opened and the -little dwarf came in stamping and scolding. - -He came into the room where the princess was, and said, - - “Silver and gold have I none; - How many skeins have you spun?” - -The princess went to her spinning wheel, and showed the dwarf that she -had spun two skeins of thread. - -The little dwarf stamped his foot and cried, - - “If out of the tower you want to go, - You will spin one hundred skeins you know!” - -Then he looked very cunning indeed, and he opened the door to his -storeroom. “There are one thousand bundles of flax,” said he. “You must -spin all of this.” - -Then he said, - - “How soon do you really want to go, - In about a hundred years or so?” - -The princess laughed gaily and said, - - “At sundown if you care to call, - Perhaps you’ll find I’ve spun it all!” - -The little dwarf was so surprised at this answer that he looked -cross-eyed, but he did not answer the princess. - -Next he drew from his pocket a pitcher and a spoon. Then he went and got -a rocking-chair that he had brought with him, and he said, - - “I’ll leave these treasures under the sea; - Some day they’ll be of use to me.” - -Then whisk! bound! he was off and away and the princess began to sing -softly, - - “Round and round the big wheel goes, - Spin, spin, spin; - Merrily the spring wind blows, - Spin, spin, spin.” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies came in dancing and singing for they had heard -every word that had been said. - -They cried, “We are so glad Ma taught us to spin.” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies looked in the garret and they found twenty-five -little spinning wheels. They all sat down and began to spin as hard as -they could. - -Suddenly Molly stopped spinning and Polly stopped spinning and then all -the Babies stopped spinning, and they ran to the place where the chair -and spoon and pitcher were. - -They cried out, “Oh, the magic chair and spoon and pitcher!” - -Then the magic chair said, “All jump in and have a ride.” - -And the magic spoon said, “I will show you how to spin.” - -Then the magic pitcher said, “I will give you a drink of cider.” - -They all made merry, you may believe. - -[Illustration: “_Found the princess sitting alone by her spinning wheel_”] - -In a short time the magic spoon had all the flax spun into thread; then -they grew tired and sleepy and went to bed. The next day they had no work -to do as the spinning was all done, so they looked all over the tower and -peeped into every closet and corner. - -At last it was sundown and the little dwarf came as before and found the -princess sitting alone by her spinning wheel. - -He winked his eye and said, - - “Did you spin all the flax I gave you yesterday? - Are you sure you’re quite ready to go away?” - -Then the princess showed him all the thread, and the dwarf was so -surprised that he hardly knew what to say. He began to gather up the -thread to take away with him, and he said, - - “You may laugh and shout, you can’t get out, - You have had help beyond a doubt!” - -Then the magic spoon came in and beat him, and the magic pitcher stood in -front of him and poured water on him. Then the magic chair came up behind -him and he fell right into it. The chair rocked him out of the window -into the deep sea, and he never troubled the princess any more. - -Then the chair came back and said, “Get in, every one of you, and I will -give you a ride.” - -Then they all got in, the magic pitcher and spoon, too, and they rode -away, away, away, to the palace where the princess lived. They let the -princess out; and then they rode to the home of the Ink-Bottle Babies, -and let all the Babies out. The magic chair then rocked away, taking the -magic spoon and pitcher with it. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -VACATION TIME - - June’s a name we like to hear; - Glad vacation’s drawing near; - Good-bye, good-bye, lesson books; - Welcome fields and merry brooks; - All our lessons now are over; - See the fields of nodding clover. - The Ink-Bottle Babies gladly cry, - “’Tis vacation time, good-bye, good-bye!” - - -“Hurrah!” cried the Ink-Bottle Babies, “hurrah! hurrah! it is glad -vacation time!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “We will all go to the woods to-day.” - -So the Babies were busy packing their twenty-five little dinner pails and -they packed a basket of lunch for Ma and Pa. - -They all started merrily toward the woods. Molly said, “Do you suppose we -will find the house where the little dwarfs live?” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies all clapped their hands and shouted, “Oh Ma! -oh Pa! do help us find the little dwarfs!” - -Then Mamma took out a red and white table cloth and spread it on the -grass, and all the Ink-Bottle Babies began to unpack their dinner pails, -and soon they had a fine dinner ready. - -They filled their glasses with water from a spring, and just as they were -going to sit down a little dwarf ran past them and called, - - “When you take your meal at noon, - You should use the magic spoon!” - -[Illustration: “_They filled their glasses with water from a spring_”] - -Then the little dwarf took the magic spoon and dipped it into every glass -of water, and the water turned at once into lemonade. - -They looked around to thank the little dwarf, but he was gone! - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “We must find the house where the -little dwarfs live!” - -After a while the Ink-Bottle Mamma and Papa got tired and went home. They -left the Babies in the woods for a while. - -The Babies were so sleepy they took quite a nap, and when they woke up -they said, “Let us look for the home of the little dwarfs.” They spoke in -whispers; they were almost afraid to speak out loud. - -They picked up their dinner pails and walked a long way. Suddenly they -saw a light twinkling in the distance. The light came from a little wee -house in the woods. One of the Babies rapped at the door and a little -dwarf came out and said, - - “We have bedrooms five and twenty, - And of food we have a plenty; - Kindly step in, please, to-night, - By this ray of candlelight!” - -The Ink-Bottle Babies stepped inside, and they saw five and twenty little -dwarfs sitting at a table, eating soup with their five and twenty little -spoons. The little dwarfs got up politely and offered their seats to the -Babies and they sang, - - “Ink-Bottle Babies, ’tis very fine, - With the magic pitcher at last to dine.” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies started to eat some soup, but one little dwarf -ran around and poured something into each soup dish out of the magic -pitcher. One plate of soup was changed to jelly and one plate was changed -to ice cream and so it went all round the table! - -The Babies shouted, “Hurrah! for the magic pitcher,” and they laughed -until they cried! - -Then they all sat down in a circle and they told stories and one little -dwarf cried, - - “I am so hungry to-night, ho! ho! - Where did the magic spoon chance to go?” - -The little dwarfs all shook their heads sadly. Then what do you suppose -happened? The Ink-Bottle Babies all rose and began to dance and cry, - - “We know who has the magic spoon, - A little dwarf we met this noon!” - -[Illustration: “_Whirling a great spoon_”] - -Then all the dwarfs put on their fuzzy coats and their fuzzy caps, and -they said, - - “Follow the leader, every one, - Follow along till rise of sun!” - -Then the dwarfs went out of the door, two and two, and the Ink-Bottle -Babies did not know what else to do, so they followed them. - -They ran along up hill and down dale until they came to a valley. - -Then their leader called, “Hark! Listen! Hark!” They looked down in a -valley and they saw a little dwarf, dancing and singing. - -The little dwarf was whirling a great spoon in the air. He sang, - - “Be it morning, night or noon, - No one knows I’ve the magic spoon!” - -Then the little dwarfs rushed at him from one side, and the Babies rushed -at him from the other side, and the magic spoon began to beat everybody, -and at last they all ran back to the home of the little dwarfs. Where the -magic spoon went nobody knew. - -Then the five and twenty little dwarfs cried, - - “We will not cry, we will not sigh, - The magic spoon will soon pass by!” - -Pretty soon the magic spoon came dancing along and said, - - “I will go and hide upon your shelf, - If you’ll let me go and help myself!” - -The dwarfs replied, - - “Oh magic spoon, ’tis very clear - To every one, you’re welcome here.” - -The magic spoon was so pleased then that it began to stir the river that -flowed by the little dwarfs’ home, and the river became solid gold! - -The little dwarfs sang, - - “Ha! ha! ha! when we are old, - We shall never want for gold!” - -Then they ran and got five and twenty little bags, and they began to -break up the gold in the river and fill their bags. Still there was more -gold than the little dwarfs could carry away. - -At last the little dwarfs were done working and the Ink-Bottle Babies -were tired and sleepy and they said, “Tell us a story, please.” - -Then one little dwarf told this story: - -Once upon a time there was a little dwarf who had a rocking-chair. - -The rocking-chair was a pretty one; it had golden rockers and golden -arms. It was a very comfortable rocking-chair! One day a dwarf got into -the chair. He was a very naughty dwarf. He would not say, “Thank you,” -and “If you please.” - -Now, the chair took him for a ride and said, - - “Say ‘thank you for this ride,’ - Or you will have to stay inside!” - -The naughty dwarf shook his head and cried, - - “You’ll not teach me manners, I do declare, - You funny little rocking-chair!” - -[Illustration: “_Splash! the chair went right into the water_”] - -The chair said, - - “You may laugh and cry and even shout, - Without ‘Thank you, Sir!’ you don’t get out!” - -Then the dwarf began to laugh and cry and shout, for he was stuck fast in -the rocking-chair, and he could not get out! - -Now the chair was in earnest and it rocked as fast as it could down to a -river and the dwarf cried, - - “What are you about? What are you about? - If we rock in there, we will never get out!” - -Splash! the chair went right into the water. It came up by and by and the -little dwarf shouted, - - “Thank you, thank you, please take me out, - Thank you, thank you, I’ll laugh and shout!” - -Then the chair took the dwarf out and set him on dry land. - -Now as soon as the dwarf was free he would not say “Thank you,” again, -and the chair said, “I will teach him a lesson this time.” - -So the chair asked the little dwarf to take another ride, and he rocked -him away, away, away up north to the land where the polar bear lives. -Then he rocked him right into a snowdrift. The little dwarf nearly froze -his toes and fingers, and the chair said, - - “I’ll leave you in this drift of snow, - For far away I soon will go!” - -The dwarf was so scared at the idea of being left alone in the snowdrift -that he said, - - “I’ll say to you on bended knees, - Thank you, sir, and if you please.” - -Then the chair rocked the little dwarf safely home, and ever after he was -so polite that if he even met a squirrel in the woods he would stop and -say, “Excuse me, sir, am I disturbing you? Thank you, sir, I will come -this way again, if you please!” - -This was the end of the story and the Ink-Bottle Babies set up a shout as -usual. - -“What became of the magic rocking-chair?” they all shouted together. - -Then they clapped their hands softly, for they saw something rocking -toward them! - -What do you suppose it was? - -It was the magic rocking-chair! - -Then the dwarf who had told the story said, - - “Tell the chair where you want to go; - Ride away, ride away, singing ho! ho!” - -Then the Ink-Bottle Babies all climbed into the rocking-chair, and they -shouted as they waved their twenty-five little pocket handkerchiefs, - - “We wave good-bye with backward looks; - We will ride into the story books!” - -The magic chair began to rock, and it rocked the Ink-Bottle Babies away, -away, away, into the Land of Story Books. - -If you use your eyes well, you may see the Ink-Bottle Babies some day! - -Did they ever come out of the books? Did they ever come home again? I did -not remember to ask them any questions. Perhaps you will meet them in -school. - -[Illustration: “_We wave good-bye_”] - -The last I saw of them they were rocking away and they sang this song, - - “Vacation time! Vacation time! - ’Tis an hour for song and rhyme; - We are very happy, for what do you think? - We all came out of a bottle of ink! - The Ink-Bottle Babies in every clime, - Cry, ‘Hurrah! hurrah! for vacation time!’” - - - - -Fairy Tales of Long Ago - - - By Julia Darrow Cowles - - Grades 3-4 Cloth Binding - 128 Pages Colored Illustrations - - Price, 60 Cents a Copy, Postpaid - -Train a child’s imagination by feeding it with the fancies of great -story-tellers, is a truism familiar to all teachers. There is nothing -like the old fairy tales for nourishing young imaginations. This group of -tales Mrs. Cowles has gathered from many sources and retold in charming -fashion. That they have gained, rather than lost, by the retelling, will -soon become apparent to teachers; for only the simplest words and phrases -are used, and the narrative is so handled as to emphasize the homely -lesson in manners or morals concealed in the story. - -These tales are full of action and delicious nonsense which accord with -the child’s mode of living and thinking. Besides teaching the children -to read, and furnishing them with much fine entertainment, these stories -inculcate lessons in good-fellowship, usefulness, politeness, and -agreeable wholesome living. - -The volume comprises fifteen stories, five of which are dramatized for -schoolroom use. - -CONTENTS - -[Illustration] - - The Nightingale - The Six Swans - Bruno’s Picnic - Ole Shut-Eyes - Inger’s Loaf - Southwest Wind Esquire - The Three Lemons - The Twelve Months - A Mad Tea Party - The Enchanted Mead - The White Cat - The Ugly Duckling - The Miller’s Daughter - Professor Frog’s Lecture - The Spring in the Valley - - A. FLANAGAN COMPANY—CHICAGO - - - - -The Children of Mother Goose - - By JULIA DARROW COWLES - - - _For Grades Two and Three_ - - _Illustrations in Colors_ - - _128 Pages Cloth Binding_ - - Price, 60 Cents a Copy, Postpaid - - THE CHILDREN OF MOTHER GOOSE - - [Illustration: “_I wonder which goose gave it to me_”] - - “Oh, Mother Goose,” they all cried, “your goose has laid a - golden egg!” - - “Why, sure enough,” said Mother Goose. “That must be my Easter - present. I wonder which goose gave it to me!” - - Then Simple Simon waved his hand just as though he were in - school, and said, “It was Jack-A-Dandy. I saw him put it in the - nest!” - - _Specimen Page_ - -Many a young reader longs to know more about his favorite characters in -Mother Goose—more than the short rhyme about each is able to tell him. -In this collection of miniature stories, he has his wish gratified. Here -he gets intimate glimpses of the home and community life of many old -friends: Mistress Mary, Boy Blue, Peter Piper, Curly Locks, Crosspatch, -Simple Simon, Jack and Jill, Tommy Tinker, Bobby Shaftoe, and a host of -others. - -It appears that the Mother Goose children are a healthy, fun-loving, -workaday lot of youngsters, exactly like the boys and girls who read -about them. They attend Dame Trot’s school. They give tea parties and -Valentine parties. They take care of the babies of the Old Woman Who -Lives in a Shoe. They help the Crooked Man build himself a new chimney. -Dr. Foster takes them walking in the woods and teaches them things about -insects and spiders which every child is simply aching to know. Mother -Goose herself presides delightfully over their revels. - -Teachers will find these stories valuable for inculcating a love of -reading in the child; first, because they are intrinsically fascinating, -and second, because they quicken his mental powers by a shrewd -application of some lesson in daily living. - - A. FLANAGAN COMPANY—CHICAGO - - - - -The Circus Cotton-Tails - -[Illustration] - - By - LAURA ROUNTREE SMITH - - Illustrated by Fred Stearns - - -“Please tell us a laughing story,” pleaded a group of tenement children -at the Settlement story hour. - -All children laugh when they read “The Circus Cotton-Tails” and how -the merry little bunnies diligently practice their circus tricks -while mischievous Bushy-Tail plays his tricks—whirling them off the -merry-go-round, and stealing Susan Cotton-Tail’s cookies. How the cookies -become alive and punish Bushy-Tail satisfies the little folk’s sense of -justice. And they delight in the description of the big circus parade, -and in the colored frontispiece and end sheets, to say nothing of the -many fascinating black and white illustrations. - -128 pages. Cloth, 60 cents - - A. FLANAGAN COMPANY - CHICAGO - - - - -JUST STORIES - - BY - ANNIE KLINGENSMITH - - Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Gary, Indiana - - AUTHOR OF - “Household Stories” and “Norse Gods and Heroes” - - -In “Just Stories” Miss Klingensmith has selected and adapted from the -best in children’s literature more than thirty of the stories she -considers especially needed in work with children in the third and -fourth grades. 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