Friendly Fairies Read online

  So Marjorie looked up the road with a smile and, sure enough, it did notseem so far to the store, and when she turned around, she was sittingupon the stone alone. The little elf had suddenly disappeared. Marjoriepicked up her basket and skipped down the road singing at the top of hervoice and before she had time to think about how far it was she was backhome telling Mamma all about the queer little elf from Make-BelieveLand.

  "You haven't been away long enough to stop and talk with anyone onthe road!" laughed Mamma. "Are you sure you have not been dreaming?"Marjorie wondered if it really had only been a dream, but the nextmorning when the golden sunshine peeped through her bedroom curtains,Marjorie did as Merry Chuckle had told her the day before. First of allshe woke up and cried, "Oh what a lovely day this is going to be!"Then she took three long, deep breaths and then she jumped out of bedquickly, right on her toes. And, sure enough, old Witchy Crosspatch hadto go back to Make-Believe Land and hide her head, so Marjorie spent alovely, happy day with Merry Chuckle.

  "I hope all children will hear of my recipe for a joyous day," saidMerry Chuckle, "so that each day for them can be filled with sunshineand happiness!"

  GRANDFATHER SKEETER-HAWK'S STORY

  It was a beautiful day in the late summer. Tommy Grasshopper, JohnnyCricket and Willy Ladybug were playing on a high bank of the river, andwatching the little fish jumping after tiny flies and bugs that fellupon the surface of the stream.

  "Let's go up higher so that we can see them better," Willy Ladybug said.

  "Yes, let's climb up on the tall reeds so that we can look right down inthe water," Johnny Cricket said. "But we must be very careful and notfall, for the fish would soon swallow us, and that would not be verymuch fun!" he laughed.

  So Tommy Grasshopper and Johnny Cricket caught hold of Willy Ladybug'sfour little hands and helped him to climb up the tall reeds, for Willywas not as old as the other Bug Boys, and might fall in the water ifthey did not help him.

  From the tall reeds the three Bug Boys could look down in the water andsee the pretty little sun fish and the long slim pickerel darting aroundand turning their shiny sides so that the sun would reflect its rays onthem, just as if they were looking glasses.

  The Bug Boys watched the fish until they grew tired, and they were juststarting down the tall reed when a great big dragon fly flew upon thetop of the reed and called to them.

  Of course all the Bug Boys knew old Gran'pa Skeeterhawk--for it washe--so the three returned to the reed and sat down again to pass thetime of day with Gran'pa.

  Presently Willy Ladybug saw a strange fish in the water.

  "What kind of a fish is that, Gran'pa Skeeterhawk?" he asked.

  "That's a catfish!" Gran'pa replied. "Queer looking fish, the catfishare; they do most of their feeding at night since Omasko, the elk,flattened their heads."

  "Dear me! Are their heads flat?" Johnny Cricket asked.

  "Flat as a pancake!" Gran'pa Skeeterhawk replied, and then told themthis story:

  "I've heard _my_ Gran'pa tell that once the catfish had heads that wereshaped like sunfish," Gran'pa Skeeterhawk said, "and they thought thatthey were not only the most beautiful fish but the fiercest fighters inthe world, although they would always swim away as fast as they couldwhenever anything came near them. You see, they really were not even ateeney, weeney bit brave.

  "But when the catfish got by themselves and they thought there was noone else to overhear them, they would make up fairy tales of wonderfuladventures they had gone through, and fierce monsters they haddestroyed. One would say 'I wish I were large enough to drag home theenormous giant eel I killed today. He was sixteen feet long, and weighedfive hundred pounds.' Another would say, 'Pooh, that is nothing! Why,you ought to see an Indian who tried to catch me in a net! Why, I notonly pulled him in the water and dragged him all over the bottom, but Imade him promise he would never disturb any of the catfish tribe afterthis!'

  "Just then a little bird flew over the water and his shadow so startledthe boastful catfish, they buried themselves in the mud at the bottom ofthe stream.

  "After a while," Grand'pa Skeeterhawk continued, "They got up courageto peek out of the mud, and as they saw nothing to frighten them, theyformed in a circle and told more tales of their fighting qualities.

  "One old catfish who had been the leader because he could tell thebiggest tales and hide under the mud quicker than any of the othersfinally said: 'We are the best fish in the water, as you all know, soI think it will be a good plan to fight everything that comes near thewater from the land!'

  "'Shall we fight the big hawk who wades in the water and catches some ofus?' asked a little kitten fish.

  "'Kitten fish should be seen and not heard!' the old chief catfishanswered quickly. I do not believe we should harm the hawk. He is notlarge enough. I was thinking of the large beast who comes wading alongthe shores and eats the grasses that grow beneath the surface. You knowhe has to raise his head every once-in-a-while in order to breathe, soif we should all hang on to him we could pull him under the water.'

  "So the catfish, although they were so frightened that their fins grewstiff, decided that they would follow their chief, for they expected hewould be the first to hide under the mud when the big beast came.

  "Finally old Omasko, the elk, came down to the river to feed, and theold chief catfish swam out and pulled on Omasko's whiskers, and all theother catfish cried: 'See how brave and fearless the mighty catfishare!' and they all swam out and pulled Omasko's whiskers, too. This madeOmasko very angry, for he never harmed any fish in his life.

  "He began jumping and pawing with his heavy hoofs, and smashed all thecatfish down in the mud and when they finally came out again, which wasnot until two or three days later, their heads were as flat as they arenow!

  "That is why all catfish have flat heads," Grandfather Skeeterhawkfinished.

  "It served them right for being so boastful!" Johnny Cricket said.

  "It served them right for trying to harm someone who never harmed them!"Gran'pa Skeeterhawk replied, as he darted up in the air and flew overthe tall cat-tails.

  CROW TALK

  "Caw, Caw, Caw," one old crow cried as he faced the other two crows."Caw?" asked the second old crow as he plumed his feathers and screwedhis head around to get a better view of the little boy lying under thetree.

  "Caw-AAAAH! Ca--aaaaw!" replied the first crow.

  "Those crows must be talking to each other!" Dickie Dorn thought tohimself, as he lay upon his back under the big oak tree and watched thethree crows.

  The third crow now cried, "Awww! Ca-ca-caw!"

  Dickie jumped up and ran down the hill to where Granny lived. It was atiny little house, not much larger than a piano box, but it was plentylarge enough for Granny, for Granny was only two feet high. Some peopleeven thought Granny was a witch.

  Of course Dickie knew that Granny was not a witch, for Granny was verygood and kind. So Dickie knocked at Granny's tiny front door.

  "Come in!" Granny cried. "Good morning, Dickie!" she said, as Dickiecrawled into the tiny living room.

  When Dickie took a seat upon a tiny sofa he did not know just how to askGranny for what he wanted, so he twiddled his thumbs.

  "Why do you twiddle your thumbs, Dickie?" Granny asked, as she smiledthrough her glasses at him.

  "I was wondering what the three crows were talking of!" Dickie replied.Granny went to her tiny cupboard and brought out a little bottle ofpurple fluid. She dropped three drops of this into a tiny spoon and heldit to Dickie.

  "Am I to take it, Granny?"

  "Yes, my dear, and you will be able to understand what the three crowsare talking about."

  Dickie swallowed the purple fluid, for he was very anxious to return tothe big oak tree and listen to the crows. Granny watched him for a fewmoments with her eyes full of twinkles, then she told him to run alongto the tree.

  And Dickie thanked Granny and ran as fast as he could to the tree wherethe three crows were still talking.

  The
first crow cried, "I know where there is a box filled with goldenpennies!"

  "Ah, my brother, where?" asked the second crow.

  "In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one whofinds it first!"

  "I know where there is a box full of candy!" the third crow cried.

  "Ahhhh! Where is it, my brother?" asked the first crow.

  "In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one whofinds it first."

  "I know where there is a box full of ice cream!" cried the second crow."Aha! My brother, where?" asked the third crow.

  "In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one whofinds it first!"

  Then the crows went on talking about other things, but Dickie did nothear them, for he was running in the direction of the great meadow asfast as he could.

  And when he came to the middle of the great meadow there was a largebox, and in the large box were three other boxes. One contained thegolden pennies, another the candy and the third was full of ice cream.

  "I found it first!" Dickie cried and he took a pencil stub from hispocket and, with much twisting of mouth and thinking, he printed hisname upon the box.

  Then Dickie ran home as fast as he could and told Daddy Dorn. Daddy Dornhitched up Dobbin Dorn and Dickie and Daddy went to the middle of thegreat meadow and put the big box in the wagon and took it home.

  Then they called Mamma Dorn and they all ate some of the ice cream andcandy. Then Dickie took some of the ice cream and candy and some of thegolden pennies to Granny.

  Then Dickie ran back home and had some more ice cream and candy, andasked Daddy if he might take some of the golden pennies downtown and buysomething, and Daddy Dorn said: "Of course, Dickie Dorn, for they areyour golden pennies." So Dickie took two handfuls of the golden penniesdowntown and bought a fine little pony with a little round stomach, andhe bought a pretty pony cart and harness. Then Dicky drove the pony backhome.

  By the time Dickie reached home he was hungry for more ice cream andcandy, so he went to the box to get some. "Oh Mamma and Daddy!" hecried, "Come see! The box is full of candy and ice cream!" And sureenough that was the case, for although they had eaten almost all of theice cream and candy before now the two boxes were filled again. ThenDaddy Dorn took two large handfuls of golden pennies from the goldenpenny box and they watched the box fill up with pennies again.

  "Whee!" cried Dickie Dorn. "Whee!" cried Mamma Dorn, and "Whee!"cried Daddy Dorn. "We will give a party!" So Dickie drove around toeverybody's house in his pony cart and invited everybody to come to theparty.

  And they all had such a nice time they ate the ice cream box emptysixteen times and it filled right up again, and they ate the candy boxempty seventeen times and it filled right up again, and Dickie and Mammaand Daddy Dorn gave everybody all the golden pennies they could carryhome and emptied the penny box eighteen times, and whenever they emptiedthe golden penny box it filled right up again.

  And every one felt very grateful to Dickie Dorn and thanked him for sucha nice time, and Dickie brought Granny out of a corner where she waseating her eighth dish of ice cream and told everybody that it wasGranny who had really given the party, and he told them how Granny hadhelped him to learn crow talk.

  So the people never called Granny a witch after that, for they knew shewas very good and kindly.

  And Dickie put the three boxes--the candy box, the ice cream box and thebox with the golden pennies--out in front of his house so that wheneveranyone wished candy or ice cream or golden pennies they might walk upand help themselves.

  Dickie Dorn calls it an "All-The-Time Party," for there is alwayssomeone out in front of Dickie Dorn's house eating from the candy andthe ice cream box and filling their pockets with golden pennies.

  Some day I hope to see you there.

  THE FAIRY RING

  A little old man with a violin tucked under his arm shuffled down theattic steps and the many flights of stairs until finally he reached thestreets.

  As he shuffled down the street, he clutched his coat tightly about histhroat, for the air was chill and he felt the cold.

  At the first street corner he stopped and placed his violin to hisshoulder to play, but catching a glance from the policeman across thestreet he hastily tucked his violin under his arm and shuffled on.

  He walked a great distance before he again stopped.

  It was a busy corner where hundreds of people passed every few minutes,but when he played no one stopped to listen to his music, much less todrop anything in the tiny tin cup he had placed on the sidewalk beforehim.

  Tears came to the poor little old man's eyes; everyone was too busy tostop to hear his music.

  So in the evening when he slowly retraced his steps towards his attichome, his feet were very tired and he shuffled more than he had in themorning. His back humped and his head drooped more, and the tears nearlyblinded him. He had to stop and rest at each flight of stairs and hefell to his knees just as he reached the attic door.

  He sat there and rested awhile, then caught hold of the doorknob andraised himself to his feet.

  A quaint little white-haired woman greeted him with a cheery smile as heentered, then, seeing his sad face, she turned her head and tears cameto her eyes.

  "Honey!" the little old man sobbed, as he stumbled towards her chair andfell to his knees before her, burying his face in her lap.

  Neither could say a word for a long time, then the little old man toldher he had been unable to make a single penny by playing.

  "No one cares to hear an old man play the violin!" he said. "No onecares that we go hungry and cold! And I can still play," he addedfiercely, "just as well as ever I could! Listen to this!" and the littleold man stood up and drew his bow across the violin strings in a sure,fiery manner, so that the lamp chimney rattled and sang with thevibrations of the strings.

  And in his fierceness he improvised a melody so wild and beautiful hissister sat entranced.

  As the little old man finished the melody he stood still more upright.Then straightening his old shoulders and pulling his hat firmly on hishead, he stooped and kissed the old lady and walked with a firm tread tothe door.

  "I shall make them take notice tonight!" he cried. "I shall return withsuccess!"

  So again he went down the long flights of stairs and down the streetuntil he came to a good corner where traffic was heavy.

  There, with the mood upon him which had fired him in the attic, heplayed again the wild melody.

  A few people hesitated as they passed, but only one stopped. This was anold woman, bent and wrinkled, who helped herself along with a cane. Shestopped and looked him squarely in the eye and the little old man felthe should recognize her, but he could not remember where he had seen herbefore, nor was he sure that he had ever looked upon her until now.

  At any rate, the faint memory inspired him and, raising his violin, heplayed a beautiful lullaby.

  Before he had finished the old woman leaned over and dropped somethinginto his little tin cup.

  It sounded as loud as a silver dollar would have sounded.

  "The dear old generous soul!" the old man thought as he continuedplaying.

  He played for hours, but the old woman was the only one who stopped."I will at least have enough to get Cynthia some warm food!" he said,thinking of what the old lady had dropped into his tin cup.

  But when he looked, what was his dismay to see only a large iron ring!

  Again he climbed the stairs to the attic but he felt too weary to say athing and his sister knew that he had met with disappointment. He tossedthe iron ring to her lap and went over to the bed and threw himself uponit.

  "This is the end!" he said, and told her about the iron ring.

  "The old woman seemed interested in my playing!" he said, "And perhapsshe gave all she could give!"

  "Let us not be downhearted, Brother!" said the sister. "Surely tomorrowyou will find someone who will reward your talent!"

  The little old man was
quiet for a long time and then he arose and againdrew his bow across the violin strings. The old lady sat very still anddreamed, for her brother was playing one of their childhood songs.

  As she lost herself in reverie, she turned the iron ring around herfinger and saw upon its surface, as she turned it, the faces of herplaymates of long ago.

  And as the brother swept from one melody to another, she saw the ironring change color and grow larger and larger.

  And, as she turned it, she saw the figures of her childhood playmatesturn before her upon her lap, and they joined their voices with thesilvery notes of the violin's long ago songs until the attic was filledwith the melody and the figures danced from her lap and, taking her bythe hand, circled in the center of the attic room laughing and singing.

  The little old man had been playing with his eyes closed, but as thesongs grew louder he opened them and beheld the ring of little figures,with his sister holding hands with two of them. And, rising from thebed, still playing the childhood songs of long ago, he walked to thecenter of the room. As he did so, the figures rose in the air and seemedto grow lighter and larger. And suddenly the scene changed! He was outin the woods, with lofty trees towering above him, while all about,laughing and talking, were hundreds of little fairies, gnomes andsprites, and there, too, were the playmates of long ago, just as he hadseen them when he had closed his eyes and played in the attic.