{"collection":"folklore-oral-tradition","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_4357/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_4357","id":"gutenberg_4357","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4357","summary":null,"tags":["Category: American Literature","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Humour","Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy","Category: Short Stories","Children's Literature","Children's Myths, Fairy Tales, etc.","Children's stories, American","Fairy tales","Fairy tales -- United States","Short stories"],"text":"American Fairy Tales\n\nby L. Frank Baum\n\nAuthor of\nFATHER GOOSE; HIS BOOK, THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, ETC.\n\n\nContents\n\n THE BOX OF ROBBERS\n THE GLASS DOG\n THE QUEEN OF QUOK\n THE GIRL WHO OWNED A BEAR\n THE ENCHANTED TYPES\n THE LAUGHING HIPPOPOTAMUS\n THE MAGIC BON BONS\n THE CAPTURE OF FATHER TIME\n THE WONDERFUL PUMP\n THE DUMMY THAT LIVED\n THE KING OF THE POLAR BEARS\n THE MANDARIN AND THE BUTTERFLY\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOX OF ROBBERS\n\n\nNo one intended to leave Martha alone that afternoon, but it happened\nthat everyone was called away, for one reason or another. Mrs.\nMcFarland was attending the weekly card party held by the Women\u2019s\nAnti-Gambling League. Sister Nell\u2019s young man had called quite\nunexpectedly to take her for a long drive. Papa was at the office, as\nusual. It was Mary Ann\u2019s day out. As for Emeline, she certainly should\nhave stayed in the house and looked after the little girl; but Emeline\nhad a restless nature.\n\n\u201cWould you mind, miss, if I just crossed the alley to speak a word to\nMrs. Carleton\u2019s girl?\u201d she asked Martha.\n\n\u201c\u2019Course not,\u201d replied the child. \u201cYou\u2019d better lock the back door,\nthough, and take the key, for I shall be upstairs.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ll do that, of course, miss,\u201d said the delighted maid, and ran\naway to spend the afternoon with her friend, leaving Martha quite alone\nin the big house, and locked in, into the bargain.\n\nThe little girl read a few pages in her new book, sewed a few stitches\nin her embroidery and started to \u201cplay visiting\u201d with her four favorite\ndolls. Then she remembered that in the attic was a doll\u2019s playhouse\nthat hadn\u2019t been used for months, so she decided she would dust it and\nput it in order.\n\nFilled with this idea, the girl climbed the winding stairs to the big\nroom under the roof. It was well lighted by three dormer windows and\nwas warm and pleasant. Around the walls were rows of boxes and trunks,\npiles of old carpeting, pieces of damaged furniture, bundles of\ndiscarded clothing and other odds and ends of more or less value. Every\nwell-regulated house has an attic of this sort, so I need not describe\nit.\n\nThe doll\u2019s house had been moved, but after a search Martha found it\naway over in a corner near the big chimney.\n\nShe drew it out and noticed that behind it was a black wooden chest\nwhich Uncle Walter had sent over from Italy years and years ago\u2014before\nMartha was born, in fact. Mamma had told her about it one day; how\nthere was no key to it, because Uncle Walter wished it to remain\nunopened until he returned home; and how this wandering uncle, who was\na mighty hunter, had gone into Africa to hunt elephants and had never\nbeen heard from afterwards.\n\nThe little girl looked at the chest curiously, now that it had by\naccident attracted her attention.\n\nIt was quite big\u2014bigger even than mamma\u2019s traveling trunk\u2014and was\nstudded all over with tarnished brassheaded nails. It was heavy, too,\nfor when Martha tried to lift one end of it she found she could not\nstir it a bit. But there was a place in the side of the cover for a\nkey. She stooped to examine the lock, and saw that it would take a\nrather big key to open it.\n\nThen, as you may suspect, the little girl longed to open Uncle Walter\u2019s\nbig box and see what was in it. For we are all curious, and little\ngirls are just as curious as the rest of us.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t b\u2019lieve Uncle Walter\u2019ll ever come back,\u201d she thought. \u201cPapa\nsaid once that some elephant must have killed him. If I only had a\nkey\u2014\u201d She stopped and clapped her little hands together gayly as she\nremembered a big basket of keys on the shelf in the linen closet. They\nwere of all sorts and sizes; perhaps one of them would unlock the\nmysterious chest!\n\nShe flew down the stairs, found the basket and returned with it to the\nattic. Then she sat down before the brass-studded box and began trying\none key after another in the curious old lock. Some were too large, but\nmost were too small. One would go into the lock but would not turn;\nanother stuck so fast that she feared for a time that she would never\nget it out again. But at last, when the basket was almost empty, an\noddly-shaped, ancient brass key slipped easily into the lock. With a\ncry of joy Martha turned the key with both hands; then she heard a\nsharp \u201cclick,\u201d and the next moment the heavy lid flew up of its own\naccord!\n\nThe little girl leaned over the edge of the chest an instant, and the\nsight that met her eyes caused her to start back in amazement.\n\nSlowly and carefully a man unpacked himself from the chest, stepped out\nupon the floor, stretched his limbs and then took off his hat and bowed\npolitely to the astonished child.\n\nHe was tall and thin and his face seemed badly tanned or sunburnt.\n\nThen another man emerged from the chest, yawning and rubbing his eyes\nlike a sleepy schoolboy. He was of middle size and his skin seemed as\nbadly tanned as that of the first.\n\nWhile Martha stared open-mouthed at the remarkable sight a third man\ncrawled from the chest. He had the same complexion as his fellows, but\nwas short and fat.\n\nAll three were dressed in a curious manner. They wore short jackets of\nred velvet braided with gold, and knee breeches of sky-blue satin with\nsilver buttons. Over their stockings were laced wide ribbons of red and\nyellow and blue, while their hats had broad brims with high, peaked\ncrowns, from which fluttered yards of bright-colored ribbons.\n\nThey had big gold rings in their ears and rows of knives and pistols in\ntheir belts. Their eyes were black and glittering and they wore long,\nfierce mustaches, curling at the ends like a pig\u2019s tail.\n\n\u201cMy! but you were heavy,\u201d exclaimed the fat one, when he had pulled\ndown his velvet jacket and brushed the dust from his sky-blue breeches.\n\u201cAnd you squeezed me all out of shape.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was unavoidable, Luigi,\u201d responded the thin man, lightly; \u201cthe lid\nof the chest pressed me down upon you. Yet I tender you my regrets.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs for me,\u201d said the middle-sized man, carelessly rolling a cigarette\nand lighting it, \u201cyou must acknowledge I have been your nearest friend\nfor years; so do not be disagreeable.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou mustn\u2019t smoke in the attic,\u201d said Martha, recovering herself at\nsight of the cigarette. \u201cYou might set the house on fire.\u201d\n\nThe middle-sized man, who had not noticed her before, at this speech\nturned to the girl and bowed.\n\n\u201cSince a lady requests it,\u201d said he, \u201cI shall abandon my cigarette,\u201d\nand he threw it on the floor and extinguished it with his foot.\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d asked Martha, who until now had been too astonished to\nbe frightened.\n\n\u201cPermit us to introduce ourselves,\u201d said the thin man, flourishing his\nhat gracefully. \u201cThis is Lugui,\u201d the fat man nodded; \u201cand this is\nBeni,\u201d the middle-sized man bowed; \u201cand I am Victor. We are three\nbandits\u2014Italian bandits.\u201d\n\n\u201cBandits!\u201d cried Martha, with a look of horror.\n\n\u201cExactly. Perhaps in all the world there are not three other bandits so\nterrible and fierce as ourselves,\u201d said Victor, proudly.\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so,\u201d said the fat man, nodding gravely.\n\n\u201cBut it\u2019s wicked!\u201d exclaimed Martha.\n\n\u201cYes, indeed,\u201d replied Victor. \u201cWe are extremely and tremendously\nwicked. Perhaps in all the world you could not find three men more\nwicked than those who now stand before you.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so,\u201d said the fat man, approvingly.\n\n\u201cBut you shouldn\u2019t be so wicked,\u201d said the girl; \u201cit\u2019s\u2014it\u2019s\u2014naughty!\u201d\n\nVictor cast down his eyes and blushed.\n\n\u201cNaughty!\u201d gasped Beni, with a horrified look.\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis a hard word,\u201d said Luigi, sadly, and buried his face in his\nhands.\n\n\u201cI little thought,\u201d murmured Victor, in a voice broken by emotion,\n\u201cever to be so reviled\u2014and by a lady! Yet, perhaps you spoke\nthoughtlessly. You must consider, miss, that our wickedness has an\nexcuse. For how are we to be bandits, let me ask, unless we are\nwicked?\u201d\n\nMartha was puzzled and shook her head, thoughtfully. Then she\nremembered something.\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t remain bandits any longer,\u201d said she, \u201cbecause you are now\nin America.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerica!\u201d cried the three, together.\n\n\u201cCertainly. You are on Prairie avenue, in Chicago. Uncle Walter sent\nyou here from Italy in this chest.\u201d\n\nThe bandits seemed greatly bewildered by this announcement. Lugui sat\ndown on an old chair with a broken rocker and wiped his forehead with a\nyellow silk handkerchief. Beni and Victor fell back upon the chest and\nlooked at her with pale faces and staring eyes.\n\nWhen he had somewhat recovered himself Victor spoke.\n\n\u201cYour Uncle Walter has greatly wronged us,\u201d he said, reproachfully. \u201cHe\nhas taken us from our beloved Italy, where bandits are highly\nrespected, and brought us to a strange country where we shall not know\nwhom to rob or how much to ask for a ransom.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so!\u201d said the fat man, slapping his leg sharply.\n\n\u201cAnd we had won such fine reputations in Italy!\u201d said Beni,\nregretfully.\n\n\u201cPerhaps Uncle Walter wanted to reform you,\u201d suggested Martha.\n\n\u201cAre there, then, no bandits in Chicago?\u201d asked Victor.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d replied the girl, blushing in her turn, \u201cwe do not call them\nbandits.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen what shall we do for a living?\u201d inquired Beni, despairingly.\n\n\u201cA great deal can be done in a big American city,\u201d said the child. \u201cMy\nfather is a lawyer\u201d (the bandits shuddered), \u201cand my mother\u2019s cousin is\na police inspector.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said Victor, \u201cthat is a good employment. The police need to be\ninspected, especially in Italy.\u201d\n\n\u201cEverywhere!\u201d added Beni.\n\n\u201cThen you could do other things,\u201d continued Martha, encouragingly. \u201cYou\ncould be motor men on trolley cars, or clerks in a department store.\nSome people even become aldermen to earn a living.\u201d\n\nThe bandits shook their heads sadly.\n\n\u201cWe are not fitted for such work,\u201d said Victor. \u201cOur business is to\nrob.\u201d\n\nMartha tried to think.\n\n\u201cIt is rather hard to get positions in the gas office,\u201d she said, \u201cbut\nyou might become politicians.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d cried Beni, with sudden fierceness; \u201cwe must not abandon our high\ncalling. Bandits we have always been, and bandits we must remain!\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so!\u201d agreed the fat man.\n\n\u201cEven in Chicago there must be people to rob,\u201d remarked Victor, with\ncheerfulness.\n\nMartha was distressed.\n\n\u201cI think they have all been robbed,\u201d she objected.\n\n\u201cThen we can rob the robbers, for we have experience and talent beyond\nthe ordinary,\u201d said Beni.\n\n\u201cOh, dear; oh, dear!\u201d moaned the girl; \u201cwhy did Uncle Walter ever send\nyou here in this chest?\u201d\n\nThe bandits became interested.\n\n\u201cThat is what we should like to know,\u201d declared Victor, eagerly.\n\n\u201cBut no one will ever know, for Uncle Walter was lost while hunting\nelephants in Africa,\u201d she continued, with conviction.\n\n\u201cThen we must accept our fate and rob to the best of our ability,\u201d said\nVictor. \u201cSo long as we are faithful to our beloved profession we need\nnot be ashamed.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so!\u201d cried the fat man.\n\n\u201cBrothers! we will begin now. Let us rob the house we are in.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood!\u201d shouted the others and sprang to their feet.\n\nBeni turned threateningly upon the child.\n\n\u201cRemain here!\u201d he commanded. \u201cIf you stir one step your blood will be\non your own head!\u201d Then he added, in a gentler voice: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid;\nthat\u2019s the way all bandits talk to their captives. But of course we\nwouldn\u2019t hurt a young lady under any circumstances.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course not,\u201d said Victor.\n\nThe fat man drew a big knife from his belt and flourished it about his\nhead.\n\n\u201cS\u2019blood!\u201d he ejaculated, fiercely.\n\n\u201cS\u2019bananas!\u201d cried Beni, in a terrible voice.\n\n\u201cConfusion to our foes!\u201d hissed Victor.\n\nAnd then the three bent themselves nearly double and crept stealthily\ndown the stairway with cocked pistols in their hands and glittering\nknives between their teeth, leaving Martha trembling with fear and too\nhorrified to even cry for help.\n\nHow long she remained alone in the attic she never knew, but finally\nshe heard the catlike tread of the returning bandits and saw them\ncoming up the stairs in single file.\n\nAll bore heavy loads of plunder in their arms, and Lugui was balancing\na mince pie on the top of a pile of her mother\u2019s best evening dresses.\nVictor came next with an armful of bric-a-brac, a brass candelabra and\nthe parlor clock. Beni had the family Bible, the basket of silverware\nfrom the sideboard, a copper kettle and papa\u2019s fur overcoat.\n\n\u201cOh, joy!\u201d said Victor, putting down his load; \u201cit is pleasant to rob\nonce more.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, ecstacy!\u201d said Beni; but he let the kettle drop on his toe and\nimmediately began dancing around in anguish, while he muttered queer\nwords in the Italian language.\n\n\u201cWe have much wealth,\u201d continued Victor, holding the mince pie while\nLugui added his spoils to the heap; \u201cand all from one house! This\nAmerica must be a rich place.\u201d\n\nWith a dagger he then cut himself a piece of the pie and handed the\nremainder to his comrades. Whereupon all three sat upon the floor and\nconsumed the pie while Martha looked on sadly.\n\n\u201cWe should have a cave,\u201d remarked Beni; \u201cfor we must store our plunder\nin a safe place. Can you tell us of a secret cave?\u201d he asked Martha.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s a Mammoth cave,\u201d she answered, \u201cbut it\u2019s in Kentucky. You\nwould be obliged to ride on the cars a long time to get there.\u201d\n\nThe three bandits looked thoughtful and munched their pie silently, but\nthe next moment they were startled by the ringing of the electric\ndoorbell, which was heard plainly even in the remote attic.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d demanded Victor, in a hoarse voice, as the three\nscrambled to their feet with drawn daggers.\n\nMartha ran to the window and saw it was only the postman, who had\ndropped a letter in the box and gone away again. But the incident gave\nher an idea of how to get rid of her troublesome bandits, so she began\nwringing her hands as if in great distress and cried out:\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s the police!\u201d\n\nThe robbers looked at one another with genuine alarm, and Lugui asked,\ntremblingly:\n\n\u201cAre there many of them?\u201d\n\n\u201cA hundred and twelve!\u201d exclaimed Martha, after pretending to count\nthem.\n\n\u201cThen we are lost!\u201d declared Beni; \u201cfor we could never fight so many\nand live.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre they armed?\u201d inquired Victor, who was shivering as if cold.\n\n\u201cOh, yes,\u201d said she. \u201cThey have guns and swords and pistols and axes\nand\u2014and\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd what?\u201d demanded Lugui.\n\n\u201cAnd cannons!\u201d\n\nThe three wicked ones groaned aloud and Beni said, in a hollow voice:\n\n\u201cI hope they will kill us quickly and not put us to the torture. I have\nbeen told these Americans are painted Indians, who are bloodthirsty and\nterrible.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so!\u201d gasped the fat man, with a shudder.\n\nSuddenly Martha turned from the window.\n\n\u201cYou are my friends, are you not?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cWe are devoted!\u201d answered Victor.\n\n\u201cWe adore you!\u201d cried Beni.\n\n\u201cWe would die for you!\u201d added Lugui, thinking he was about to die\nanyway.\n\n\u201cThen I will save you,\u201d said the girl.\n\n\u201cHow?\u201d asked the three, with one voice.\n\n\u201cGet back into the chest,\u201d she said. \u201cI will then close the lid, so\nthey will be unable to find you.\u201d\n\nThey looked around the room in a dazed and irresolute way, but she\nexclaimed:\n\n\u201cYou must be quick! They will soon be here to arrest you.\u201d\n\nThen Lugui sprang into the chest and lay flat upon the bottom. Beni\ntumbled in next and packed himself in the back side. Victor followed\nafter pausing to kiss her hand to the girl in a graceful manner.\n\nThen Martha ran up to press down the lid, but could not make it catch.\n\n\u201cYou must squeeze down,\u201d she said to them.\n\nLugui groaned.\n\n\u201cI am doing my best, miss,\u201d said Victor, who was nearest the top; \u201cbut\nalthough we fitted in very nicely before, the chest now seems rather\nsmall for us.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so!\u201d came the muffled voice of the fat man from the bottom.\n\n\u201cI know what takes up the room,\u201d said Beni.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d inquired Victor, anxiously.\n\n\u201cThe pie,\u201d returned Beni.\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis so!\u201d came from the bottom, in faint accents.\n\nThen Martha sat upon the lid and pressed it down with all her weight.\nTo her great delight the lock caught, and, springing down, she exerted\nall her strength and turned the key.\n\n\nThis story should teach us not to interfere in matters that do not\nconcern us. For had Martha refrained from opening Uncle Walter\u2019s\nmysterious chest she would not have been obliged to carry downstairs\nall the plunder the robbers had brought into the attic.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GLASS DOG\n\n\nAn accomplished wizard once lived on the top floor of a tenement house\nand passed his time in thoughtful study and studious thought. What he\ndidn\u2019t know about wizardry was hardly worth knowing, for he possessed\nall the books and recipes of all the wizards who had lived before him;\nand, moreover, he had invented several wizardments himself.\n\nThis admirable person would have been completely happy but for the\nnumerous interruptions to his studies caused by folk who came to\nconsult him about their troubles (in which he was not interested), and\nby the loud knocks of the iceman, the milkman, the baker\u2019s boy, the\nlaundryman and the peanut woman. He never dealt with any of these\npeople; but they rapped at his door every day to see him about this or\nthat or to try to sell him their wares. Just when he was most deeply\ninterested in his books or engaged in watching the bubbling of a\ncauldron there would come a knock at his door. And after sending the\nintruder away he always found he had lost his train of thought or\nruined his compound.\n\nAt length these interruptions aroused his anger, and he decided he must\nhave a dog to keep people away from his door. He didn\u2019t know where to\nfind a dog, but in the next room lived a poor glass-blower with whom he\nhad a slight acquaintance; so he went into the man\u2019s apartment and\nasked:\n\n\u201cWhere can I find a dog?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat sort of a dog?\u201d inquired the glass-blower.\n\n\u201cA good dog. One that will bark at people and drive them away. One that\nwill be no trouble to keep and won\u2019t expect to be fed. One that has no\nfleas and is neat in his habits. One that will obey me when I speak to\nhim. In short, a good dog,\u201d said the wizard.\n\n\u201cSuch a dog is hard to find,\u201d returned the glass-blower, who was busy\nmaking a blue glass flower pot with a pink glass rosebush in it, having\ngreen glass leaves and yellow glass roses.\n\nThe wizard watched him thoughtfully.\n\n\u201cWhy cannot you blow me a dog out of glass?\u201d he asked, presently.\n\n\u201cI can,\u201d declared the glass-blower; \u201cbut it would not bark at people,\nyou know.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ll fix that easily enough,\u201d replied the other. \u201cIf I could not\nmake a glass dog bark I would be a mighty poor wizard.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well; if you can use a glass dog I\u2019ll be pleased to blow one for\nyou. Only, you must pay for my work.\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d agreed the wizard. \u201cBut I have none of that horrid stuff\nyou call money. You must take some of my wares in exchange.\u201d\n\nThe glass-blower considered the matter for a moment.\n\n\u201cCould you give me something to cure my rheumatism?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cOh, yes; easily.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen it\u2019s a bargain. I\u2019ll start the dog at once. What color of glass\nshall I use?\u201d\n\n\u201cPink is a pretty color,\u201d said the wizard, \u201cand it\u2019s unusual for a dog,\nisn\u2019t it?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery,\u201d answered the glass-blower; \u201cbut it shall be pink.\u201d\n\nSo the wizard went back to his studies and the glass-blower began to\nmake the dog.\n\nNext morning he entered the wizard\u2019s room with the glass dog under his\narm and set it carefully upon the table. It was a beautiful pink in\ncolor, with a fine coat of spun glass, and about its neck was twisted a\nblue glass ribbon. Its eyes were specks of black glass and sparkled\nintelligently, as do many of the glass eyes worn by men.\n\nThe wizard expressed himself pleased with the glass-blower\u2019s skill and\nat once handed him a small vial.\n\n\u201cThis will cure your rheumatism,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cBut the vial is empty!\u201d protested the glass-blower.\n\n\u201cOh, no; there is one drop of liquid in it,\u201d was the wizard\u2019s reply.\n\n\u201cWill one drop cure my rheumatism?\u201d inquired the glass-blower, in\nwonder.\n\n\u201cMost certainly. That is a marvelous remedy. The one drop contained in\nthe vial will cure instantly any kind of disease ever known to\nhumanity. Therefore it is especially good for rheumatism. But guard it\nwell, for it is the only drop of its kind in the world, and I\u2019ve\nforgotten the recipe.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you,\u201d said the glass-blower, and went back to his room.\n\nThen the wizard cast a wizzy spell and mumbled several very learned\nwords in the wizardese language over the glass dog. Whereupon the\nlittle animal first wagged its tail from side to side, then winked his\nleft eye knowingly, and at last began barking in a most frightful\nmanner\u2014that is, when you stop to consider the noise came from a pink\nglass dog. There is something almost astonishing in the magic arts of\nwizards; unless, of course, you know how to do the things yourself,\nwhen you are not expected to be surprised at them.\n\nThe wizard was as delighted as a school teacher at the success of his\nspell, although he was not astonished. Immediately he placed the dog\noutside his door, where it would bark at anyone who dared knock and so\ndisturb the studies of its master.\n\nThe glass-blower, on returning to his room, decided not to use the one\ndrop of wizard cure-all just then.\n\n\u201cMy rheumatism is better to-day,\u201d he reflected, \u201cand I will be wise to\nsave the medicine for a time when I am very ill, when it will be of\nmore service to me.\u201d\n\nSo he placed the vial in his cupboard and went to work blowing more\nroses out of glass. Presently he happened to think the medicine might\nnot keep, so he started to ask the wizard about it. But when he reached\nthe door the glass dog barked so fiercely that he dared not knock, and\nreturned in great haste to his own room. Indeed, the poor man was quite\nupset at so unfriendly a reception from the dog he had himself so\ncarefully and skillfully made.\n\nThe next morning, as he read his newspaper, he noticed an article\nstating that the beautiful Miss Mydas, the richest young lady in town,\nwas very ill, and the doctors had given up hope of her recovery.\n\nThe glass-blower, although miserably poor, hard-working and homely of\nfeature, was a man of ideas. He suddenly recollected his precious\nmedicine, and determined to use it to better advantage than relieving\nhis own ills. He dressed himself in his best clothes, brushed his hair\nand combed his whiskers, washed his hands and tied his necktie,\nblackened his shoes and sponged his vest, and then put the vial of\nmagic cure-all in his pocket. Next he locked his door, went downstairs\nand walked through the streets to the grand mansion where the wealthy\nMiss Mydas resided.\n\nThe butler opened the door and said:\n\n\u201cNo soap, no chromos, no vegetables, no hair oil, no books, no baking\npowder. My young lady is dying and we\u2019re well supplied for the\nfuneral.\u201d\n\nThe glass-blower was grieved at being taken for a peddler.\n\n\u201cMy friend,\u201d he began, proudly; but the butler interrupted him, saying:\n\n\u201cNo tombstones, either; there\u2019s a family graveyard and the monument\u2019s\nbuilt.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe graveyard won\u2019t be needed if you will permit me to speak,\u201d said\nthe glass-blower.\n\n\u201cNo doctors, sir; they\u2019ve given up my young lady, and she\u2019s given up\nthe doctors,\u201d continued the butler, calmly.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m no doctor,\u201d returned the glass-blower.\n\n\u201cNor are the others. But what is your errand?\u201d\n\n\u201cI called to cure your young lady by means of a magical compound.\u201d\n\n\u201cStep in, please, and take a seat in the hall. I\u2019ll speak to the\nhousekeeper,\u201d said the butler, more politely.\n\nSo he spoke to the housekeeper and the housekeeper mentioned the matter\nto the steward and the steward consulted the chef and the chef kissed\nthe lady\u2019s maid and sent her to see the stranger. Thus are the very\nwealthy hedged around with ceremony, even when dying.\n\nWhen the lady\u2019s maid heard from the glass-blower that he had a medicine\nwhich would cure her mistress, she said:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad you came.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said he, \u201cif I restore your mistress to health she must marry\nme.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll make inquiries and see if she\u2019s willing,\u201d answered the maid, and\nwent at once to consult Miss Mydas.\n\nThe young lady did not hesitate an instant.\n\n\u201cI\u2019d marry any old thing rather than die!\u201d she cried. \u201cBring him here\nat once!\u201d\n\nSo the glass-blower came, poured the magic drop into a little water,\ngave it to the patient, and the next minute Miss Mydas was as well as\nshe had ever been in her life.\n\n\u201cDear me!\u201d she exclaimed; \u201cI\u2019ve an engagement at the Fritters\u2019\nreception to-night. Bring my pearl-colored silk, Marie, and I will\nbegin my toilet at once. And don\u2019t forget to cancel the order for the\nfuneral flowers and your mourning gown.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Miss Mydas,\u201d remonstrated the glass-blower, who stood by, \u201cyou\npromised to marry me if I cured you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know,\u201d said the young lady, \u201cbut we must have time to make proper\nannouncement in the society papers and have the wedding cards engraved.\nCall to-morrow and we\u2019ll talk it over.\u201d\n\nThe glass-blower had not impressed her favorably as a husband, and she\nwas glad to find an excuse for getting rid of him for a time. And she\ndid not want to miss the Fritters\u2019 reception.\n\nYet the man went home filled with joy; for he thought his stratagem had\nsucceeded and he was about to marry a rich wife who would keep him in\nluxury forever afterward.\n\nThe first thing he did on reaching his room was to smash his\nglass-blowing tools and throw them out of the window.\n\nHe then sat down to figure out ways of spending his wife\u2019s money.\n\nThe following day he called upon Miss Mydas, who was reading a novel\nand eating chocolate creams as happily as if she had never been ill in\nher life.\n\n\u201cWhere did you get the magic compound that cured me?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cFrom a learned wizard,\u201d said he; and then, thinking it would interest\nher, he told how he had made the glass dog for the wizard, and how it\nbarked and kept everybody from bothering him.\n\n\u201cHow delightful!\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted a glass dog that could\nbark.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut there is only one in the world,\u201d he answered, \u201cand it belongs to\nthe wizard.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must buy it for me,\u201d said the lady.\n\n\u201cThe wizard cares nothing for money,\u201d replied the glass-blower.\n\n\u201cThen you must steal it for me,\u201d she retorted. \u201cI can never live\nhappily another day unless I have a glass dog that can bark.\u201d\n\nThe glass-blower was much distressed at this, but said he would see\nwhat he could do. For a man should always try to please his wife, and\nMiss Mydas has promised to marry him within a week.\n\nOn his way home he purchased a heavy sack, and when he passed the\nwizard\u2019s door and the pink glass dog ran out to bark at him he threw\nthe sack over the dog, tied the opening with a piece of twine, and\ncarried him away to his own room.\n\nThe next day he sent the sack by a messenger boy to Miss Mydas, with\nhis compliments, and later in the afternoon he called upon her in\nperson, feeling quite sure he would be received with gratitude for\nstealing the dog she so greatly desired.\n\nBut when he came to the door and the butler opened it, what was his\namazement to see the glass dog rush out and begin barking at him\nfuriously.\n\n\u201cCall off your dog,\u201d he shouted, in terror.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t, sir,\u201d answered the butler. \u201cMy young lady has ordered the\nglass dog to bark whenever you call here. You\u2019d better look out, sir,\u201d\nhe added, \u201cfor if it bites you, you may have glassophobia!\u201d\n\nThis so frightened the poor glass-blower that he went away hurriedly.\nBut he stopped at a drug store and put his last dime in the telephone\nbox so he could talk to Miss Mydas without being bitten by the dog.\n\n\u201cGive me Pelf 6742!\u201d he called.\n\n\u201cHello! What is it?\u201d said a voice.\n\n\u201cI want to speak with Miss Mydas,\u201d said the glass-blower.\n\nPresently a sweet voice said: \u201cThis is Miss Mydas. What is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy have you treated me so cruelly and set the glass dog on me?\u201d asked\nthe poor fellow.\n\n\u201cWell, to tell the truth,\u201d said the lady, \u201cI don\u2019t like your looks.\nYour cheeks are pale and baggy, your hair is coarse and long, your eyes\nare small and red, your hands are big and rough, and you are\nbow-legged.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I can\u2019t help my looks!\u201d pleaded the glass-blower; \u201cand you really\npromised to marry me.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you were better looking I\u2019d keep my promise,\u201d she returned. \u201cBut\nunder the circumstances you are no fit mate for me, and unless you keep\naway from my mansion I shall set my glass dog on you!\u201d Then she dropped\nthe \u2019phone and would have nothing more to say.\n\nThe miserable glass-blower went home with a heart bursting with\ndisappointment and began tying a rope to the bedpost by which to hang\nhimself.\n\nSome one knocked at the door, and, upon opening it, he saw the wizard.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve lost my dog,\u201d he announced.\n\n\u201cHave you, indeed?\u201d replied the glass-blower tying a knot in the rope.\n\n\u201cYes; some one has stolen him.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s too bad,\u201d declared the glass-blower, indifferently.\n\n\u201cYou must make me another,\u201d said the wizard.\n\n\u201cBut I cannot; I\u2019ve thrown away my tools.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen what shall I do?\u201d asked the wizard.\n\n\u201cI do not know, unless you offer a reward for the dog.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I have no money,\u201d said the wizard.\n\n\u201cOffer some of your compounds, then,\u201d suggested the glass-blower, who\nwas making a noose in the rope for his head to go through.\n\n\u201cThe only thing I can spare,\u201d replied the wizard, thoughtfully, \u201cis a\nBeauty Powder.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d cried the glass-blower, throwing down the rope, \u201chave you\nreally such a thing?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, indeed. Whoever takes the powder will become the most beautiful\nperson in the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you will offer that as a reward,\u201d said the glass-blower, eagerly,\n\u201cI\u2019ll try to find the dog for you, for above everything else I long to\nbe beautiful.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I warn you the beauty will only be skin deep,\u201d said the wizard.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s all right,\u201d replied the happy glass-blower; \u201cwhen I lose my\nskin I shan\u2019t care to remain beautiful.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen tell me where to find my dog and you shall have the powder,\u201d\npromised the wizard.\n\nSo the glass-blower went out and pretended to search, and by-and-by he\nreturned and said:\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve discovered the dog. You will find him in the mansion of Miss\nMydas.\u201d\n\nThe wizard went at once to see if this were true, and, sure enough, the\nglass dog ran out and began barking at him. Then the wizard spread out\nhis hands and chanted a magic spell which sent the dog fast asleep,\nwhen he picked him up and carried him to his own room on the top floor\nof the tenement house.\n\nAfterward he carried the Beauty Powder to the glass-blower as a reward,\nand the fellow immediately swallowed it and became the most beautiful\nman in the world.\n\nThe next time he called upon Miss Mydas there was no dog to bark at\nhim, and when the young lady saw him she fell in love with his beauty\nat once.\n\n\u201cIf only you were a count or a prince,\u201d she sighed, \u201cI\u2019d willingly\nmarry you.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I am a prince,\u201d he answered; \u201cthe Prince of Dogblowers.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said she; \u201cthen if you are willing to accept an allowance of four\ndollars a week I\u2019ll order the wedding cards engraved.\u201d\n\nThe man hesitated, but when he thought of the rope hanging from his\nbedpost he consented to the terms.\n\nSo they were married, and the bride was very jealous of her husband\u2019s\nbeauty and led him a dog\u2019s life. So he managed to get into debt and\nmade her miserable in turn.\n\n\nAs for the glass dog, the wizard set him barking again by means of his\nwizardness and put him outside his door. I suppose he is there yet, and\nam rather sorry, for I should like to consult the wizard about the\nmoral to this story.\n\n\n\n\nTHE QUEEN OF QUOK\n\n\nA king once died, as kings are apt to do, being as liable to shortness\nof breath as other mortals.\n\nIt was high time this king abandoned his earth life, for he had lived\nin a sadly extravagant manner, and his subjects could spare him without\nthe slightest inconvenience.\n\nHis father had left him a full treasury, both money and jewels being in\nabundance. But the foolish king just deceased had squandered every\npenny in riotous living. He had then taxed his subjects until most of\nthem became paupers, and this money vanished in more riotous living.\nNext he sold all the grand old furniture in the palace; all the silver\nand gold plate and bric-a-brac; all the rich carpets and furnishings\nand even his own kingly wardrobe, reserving only a soiled and\nmoth-eaten ermine robe to fold over his threadbare raiment. And he\nspent the money in further riotous living.\n\nDon\u2019t ask me to explain what riotous living is. I only know, from\nhearsay, that it is an excellent way to get rid of money. And so this\nspendthrift king found it.\n\nHe now picked all the magnificent jewels from this kingly crown and\nfrom the round ball on the top of his scepter, and sold them and spent\nthe money. Riotous living, of course. But at last he was at the end of\nhis resources. He couldn\u2019t sell the crown itself, because no one but\nthe king had the right to wear it. Neither could he sell the royal\npalace, because only the king had the right to live there.\n\nSo, finally, he found himself reduced to a bare palace, containing only\na big mahogany bedstead that he slept in, a small stool on which he sat\nto pull off his shoes and the moth-eaten ermine robe.\n\nIn this straight he was reduced to the necessity of borrowing an\noccasional dime from his chief counselor, with which to buy a ham\nsandwich. And the chief counselor hadn\u2019t many dimes. One who counseled\nhis king so foolishly was likely to ruin his own prospects as well.\n\nSo the king, having nothing more to live for, died suddenly and left a\nten-year-old son to inherit the dismantled kingdom, the moth-eaten robe\nand the jewel-stripped crown.\n\nNo one envied the child, who had scarcely been thought of until he\nbecame king himself. Then he was recognized as a personage of some\nimportance, and the politicians and hangers-on, headed by the chief\ncounselor of the kingdom, held a meeting to determine what could be\ndone for him.\n\nThese folk had helped the old king to live riotously while his money\nlasted, and now they were poor and too proud to work. So they tried to\nthink of a plan that would bring more money into the little king\u2019s\ntreasury, where it would be handy for them to help themselves.\n\nAfter the meeting was over the chief counselor came to the young king,\nwho was playing peg-top in the courtyard, and said:\n\n\u201cYour majesty, we have thought of a way to restore your kingdom to its\nformer power and magnificence.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d replied his majesty, carelessly. \u201cHow will you do it?\u201d\n\n\u201cBy marrying you to a lady of great wealth,\u201d replied the counselor.\n\n\u201cMarrying me!\u201d cried the king. \u201cWhy, I am only ten years old!\u201d\n\n\u201cI know; it is to be regretted. But your majesty will grow older, and\nthe affairs of the kingdom demand that you marry a wife.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t I marry a mother, instead?\u201d asked the poor little king, who had\nlost his mother when a baby.\n\n\u201cCertainly not,\u201d declared the counselor. \u201cTo marry a mother would be\nillegal; to marry a wife is right and proper.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t you marry her yourself?\u201d inquired his majesty, aiming his\npeg-top at the chief counselor\u2019s toe, and laughing to see how he jumped\nto escape it.\n\n\u201cLet me explain,\u201d said the other. \u201cYou haven\u2019t a penny in the world,\nbut you have a kingdom. There are many rich women who would be glad to\ngive their wealth in exchange for a queen\u2019s coronet\u2014even if the king is\nbut a child. So we have decided to advertise that the one who bids the\nhighest shall become the queen of Quok.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf I must marry at all,\u201d said the king, after a moment\u2019s thought, \u201cI\nprefer to marry Nyana, the armorer\u2019s daughter.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is too poor,\u201d replied the counselor.\n\n\u201cHer teeth are pearls, her eyes are amethysts, and her hair is gold,\u201d\ndeclared the little king.\n\n\u201cTrue, your majesty. But consider that your wife\u2019s wealth must be used.\nHow would Nyana look after you have pulled her teeth of pearls, plucked\nout her amethyst eyes and shaved her golden head?\u201d\n\nThe boy shuddered.\n\n\u201cHave your own way,\u201d he said, despairingly. \u201cOnly let the lady be as\ndainty as possible and a good playfellow.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe shall do our best,\u201d returned the chief counselor, and went away to\nadvertise throughout the neighboring kingdoms for a wife for the boy\nking of Quok.\n\nThere were so many applicants for the privilege of marrying the little\nking that it was decided to put him up at auction, in order that the\nlargest possible sum of money should be brought into the kingdom. So,\non the day appointed, the ladies gathered at the palace from all the\nsurrounding kingdoms\u2014from Bilkon, Mulgravia, Junkum and even as far\naway as the republic of Macvelt.\n\nThe chief counselor came to the palace early in the morning and had the\nking\u2019s face washed and his hair combed; and then he padded the inside\nof the crown with old newspapers to make it small enough to fit his\nmajesty\u2019s head. It was a sorry looking crown, having many big and\nlittle holes in it where the jewels had once been; and it had been\nneglected and knocked around until it was quite battered and tarnished.\nYet, as the counselor said, it was the king\u2019s crown, and it was quite\nproper he should wear it on the solemn occasion of his auction.\n\nLike all boys, be they kings or paupers, his majesty had torn and\nsoiled his one suit of clothes, so that they were hardly presentable;\nand there was no money to buy new ones. Therefore the counselor wound\nthe old ermine robe around the king and sat him upon the stool in the\nmiddle of the otherwise empty audience chamber.\n\nAnd around him stood all the courtiers and politicians and hangers-on\nof the kingdom, consisting of such people as were too proud or lazy to\nwork for a living. There was a great number of them, you may be sure,\nand they made an imposing appearance.\n\nThen the doors of the audience chamber were thrown open, and the\nwealthy ladies who aspired to being queen of Quok came trooping in. The\nking looked them over with much anxiety, and decided they were each and\nall old enough to be his grandmother, and ugly enough to scare away the\ncrows from the royal cornfields. After which he lost interest in them.\n\nBut the rich ladies never looked at the poor little king squatting upon\nhis stool. They gathered at once about the chief counselor, who acted\nas auctioneer.\n\n\u201cHow much am I offered for the coronet of the queen of Quok?\u201d asked the\ncounselor, in a loud voice.\n\n\u201cWhere is the coronet?\u201d inquired a fussy old lady who had just buried\nher ninth husband and was worth several millions.\n\n\u201cThere isn\u2019t any coronet at present,\u201d explained the chief counselor,\n\u201cbut whoever bids highest will have the right to wear one, and she can\nthen buy it.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said the fussy old lady, \u201cI see.\u201d Then she added: \u201cI\u2019ll bid\nfourteen dollars.\u201d\n\n\u201cFourteen thousand dollars!\u201d cried a sour-looking woman who was thin\nand tall and had wrinkles all over her skin\u2014\u201clike a frosted apple,\u201d the\nking thought.\n\nThe bidding now became fast and furious, and the poverty-stricken\ncourtiers brightened up as the sum began to mount into the millions.\n\n\u201cHe\u2019ll bring us a very pretty fortune, after all,\u201d whispered one to his\ncomrade, \u201cand then we shall have the pleasure of helping him spend it.\u201d\n\nThe king began to be anxious. All the women who looked at all\nkind-hearted or pleasant had stopped bidding for lack of money, and the\nslender old dame with the wrinkles seemed determined to get the coronet\nat any price, and with it the boy husband. This ancient creature\nfinally became so excited that her wig got crosswise of her head and\nher false teeth kept slipping out, which horrified the little king\ngreatly; but she would not give up.\n\nAt last the chief counselor ended the auction by crying out:\n\n\u201cSold to Mary Ann Brodjinsky de la Porkus for three million, nine\nhundred thousand, six hundred and twenty-four dollars and sixteen\ncents!\u201d And the sour-looking old woman paid the money in cash and on\nthe spot, which proves this is a fairy story.\n\nThe king was so disturbed at the thought that he must marry this\nhideous creature that he began to wail and weep; whereupon the woman\nboxed his ears soundly. But the counselor reproved her for punishing\nher future husband in public, saying:\n\n\u201cYou are not married yet. Wait until to-morrow, after the wedding takes\nplace. Then you can abuse him as much as you wish. But at present we\nprefer to have people think this is a love match.\u201d\n\nThe poor king slept but little that night, so filled was he with terror\nof his future wife. Nor could he get the idea out of his head that he\npreferred to marry the armorer\u2019s daughter, who was about his own age.\nHe tossed and tumbled around upon his hard bed until the moonlight came\nin at the window and lay like a great white sheet upon the bare floor.\nFinally, in turning over for the hundredth time, his hand struck\nagainst a secret spring in the headboard of the big mahogany bedstead,\nand at once, with a sharp click, a panel flew open.\n\nThe noise caused the king to look up, and, seeing the open panel, he\nstood upon tiptoe, and, reaching within, drew out a folded paper. It\nhad several leaves fastened together like a book, and upon the first\npage was written:\n\n\u201cWhen the king is in trouble\nThis leaf he must double\nAnd set it on fire\nTo obtain his desire.\u201d\n\n\nThis was not very good poetry, but when the king had spelled it out in\nthe moonlight he was filled with joy.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt about my being in trouble,\u201d he exclaimed; \u201cso I\u2019ll\nburn it at once, and see what happens.\u201d\n\nHe tore off the leaf and put the rest of the book in its secret hiding\nplace. Then, folding the paper double, he placed it on the top of his\nstool, lighted a match and set fire to it.\n\nIt made a horrid smudge for so small a paper, and the king sat on the\nedge of the bed and watched it eagerly.\n\nWhen the smoke cleared away he was surprised to see, sitting upon the\nstool, a round little man, who, with folded arms and crossed legs, sat\ncalmly facing the king and smoking a black briarwood pipe.\n\n\u201cWell, here I am,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cSo I see,\u201d replied the little king. \u201cBut how did you get here?\u201d\n\n\u201cDidn\u2019t you burn the paper?\u201d demanded the round man, by way of answer.\n\n\u201cYes, I did,\u201d acknowledged the king.\n\n\u201cThen you are in trouble, and I\u2019ve come to help you out of it. I\u2019m the\nSlave of the Royal Bedstead.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d said the king. \u201cI didn\u2019t know there was one.\u201d\n\n\u201cNeither did your father, or he would not have been so foolish as to\nsell everything he had for money. By the way, it\u2019s lucky for you he did\nnot sell this bedstead. Now, then, what do you want?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure what I want,\u201d replied the king; \u201cbut I know what I don\u2019t\nwant, and that is the old woman who is going to marry me.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s easy enough,\u201d said the Slave of the Royal Bedstead. \u201cAll you\nneed do is to return her the money she paid the chief counselor and\ndeclare the match off. Don\u2019t be afraid. You are the king, and your word\nis law.\u201d\n\n\u201cTo be sure,\u201d said the majesty. \u201cBut I am in great need of money. How\nam I going to live if the chief counselor returns to Mary Ann\nBrodjinski her millions?\u201d\n\n\u201cPhoo! that\u2019s easy enough,\u201d again answered the man, and, putting his\nhand in his pocket, he drew out and tossed to the king an old-fashioned\nleather purse. \u201cKeep that with you,\u201d said he, \u201cand you will always be\nrich, for you can take out of the purse as many twenty-five-cent silver\npieces as you wish, one at a time. No matter how often you take one\nout, another will instantly appear in its place within the purse.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you,\u201d said the king, gratefully. \u201cYou have rendered me a rare\nfavor; for now I shall have money for all my needs and will not be\nobliged to marry anyone. Thank you a thousand times!\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t mention it,\u201d answered the other, puffing his pipe slowly and\nwatching the smoke curl into the moonlight. \u201cSuch things are easy to\nme. Is that all you want?\u201d\n\n\u201cAll I can think of just now,\u201d returned the king.\n\n\u201cThen, please close that secret panel in the bedstead,\u201d said the man;\n\u201cthe other leaves of the book may be of use to you some time.\u201d\n\nThe boy stood upon the bed as before and, reaching up, closed the\nopening so that no one else could discover it. Then he turned to face\nhis visitor, but the Slave of the Royal Bedstead had disappeared.\n\n\u201cI expected that,\u201d said his majesty; \u201cyet I am sorry he did not wait to\nsay good-by.\u201d\n\nWith a lightened heart and a sense of great relief the boy king placed\nthe leathern purse underneath his pillow, and climbing into bed again\nslept soundly until morning.\n\nWhen the sun rose his majesty rose also, refreshed and comforted, and\nthe first thing he did was to send for the chief counselor.\n\nThat mighty personage arrived looking glum and unhappy, but the boy was\ntoo full of his own good fortune to notice it. Said he:\n\n\u201cI have decided not to marry anyone, for I have just come into a\nfortune of my own. Therefore I command you return to that old woman the\nmoney she has paid you for the right to wear the coronet of the queen\nof Quok. And make public declaration that the wedding will not take\nplace.\u201d\n\nHearing this the counselor began to tremble, for he saw the young king\nhad decided to reign in earnest; and he looked so guilty that his\nmajesty inquired:\n\n\u201cWell! what is the matter now?\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied the wretch, in a shaking voice, \u201cI cannot return the\nwoman her money, for I have lost it!\u201d\n\n\u201cLost it!\u201d cried the king, in mingled astonishment and anger.\n\n\u201cEven so, your majesty. On my way home from the auction last night I\nstopped at the drug store to get some potash lozenges for my throat,\nwhich was dry and hoarse with so much loud talking; and your majesty\nwill admit it was through my efforts the woman was induced to pay so\ngreat a price. Well, going into the drug store I carelessly left the\npackage of money lying on the seat of my carriage, and when I came out\nagain it was gone. Nor was the thief anywhere to be seen.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you call the police?\u201d asked the king.\n\n\u201cYes, I called; but they were all on the next block, and although they\nhave promised to search for the robber I have little hope they will\never find him.\u201d\n\nThe king sighed.\n\n\u201cWhat shall we do now?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cI fear you must marry Mary Ann Brodjinski,\u201d answered the chief\ncounselor; \u201cunless, indeed, you order the executioner to cut her head\noff.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would be wrong,\u201d declared the king. \u201cThe woman must not be\nharmed. And it is just that we return her money, for I will not marry\nher under any circumstances.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that private fortune you mentioned large enough to repay her?\u201d\nasked the counselor.\n\n\u201cWhy, yes,\u201d said the king, thoughtfully, \u201cbut it will take some time to\ndo it, and that shall be your task. Call the woman here.\u201d\n\nThe counselor went in search of Mary Ann, who, when she heard she was\nnot to become a queen, but would receive her money back, flew into a\nviolent passion and boxed the chief counselor\u2019s ears so viciously that\nthey stung for nearly an hour. But she followed him into the king\u2019s\naudience chamber, where she demanded her money in a loud voice,\nclaiming as well the interest due upon it over night.\n\n\u201cThe counselor has lost your money,\u201d said the boy king, \u201cbut he shall\npay you every penny out of my own private purse. I fear, however, you\nwill be obliged to take it in small change.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will not matter,\u201d she said, scowling upon the counselor as if she\nlonged to reach his ears again; \u201cI don\u2019t care how small the change is\nso long as I get every penny that belongs to me, and the interest.\nWhere is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cHere,\u201d answered the king, handing the counselor the leathern purse.\n\u201cIt is all in silver quarters, and they must be taken from the purse\none at a time; but there will be plenty to pay your demands, and to\nspare.\u201d\n\nSo, there being no chairs, the counselor sat down upon the floor in one\ncorner and began counting out silver twenty-five-cent pieces from the\npurse, one by one. And the old woman sat upon the floor opposite him\nand took each piece of money from his hand.\n\nIt was a large sum: three million, nine hundred thousand, six hundred\nand twenty-four dollars and sixteen cents. And it takes four times as\nmany twenty-five-cent pieces as it would dollars to make up the amount.\n\nThe king left them sitting there and went to school, and often\nthereafter he came to the counselor and interrupted him long enough to\nget from the purse what money he needed to reign in a proper and\ndignified manner. This somewhat delayed the counting, but as it was a\nlong job, anyway, that did not matter much.\n\nThe king grew to manhood and married the pretty daughter of the\narmorer, and they now have two lovely children of their own. Once in\nawhile they go into the big audience chamber of the palace and let the\nlittle ones watch the aged, hoary-headed counselor count out silver\ntwenty-five-cent pieces to a withered old woman, who watched his every\nmovement to see that he does not cheat her.\n\nIt is a big sum, three million, nine hundred thousand, six hundred and\ntwenty-four dollars and sixteen cents in twenty-five-cent pieces.\n\nBut this is how the counselor was punished for being so careless with\nthe woman\u2019s money. And this is how Mary Ann Brodjinski de la Porkus was\nalso punished for wishing to marry a ten-year-old king in order that\nshe might wear the coronet of the queen of Quok.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GIRL WHO OWNED A BEAR\n\n\nMamma had gone down-town to shop. She had asked Nora to look after Jane\nGladys, and Nora promised she would. But it was her afternoon for\npolishing the silver, so she stayed in the pantry and left Jane Gladys\nto amuse herself alone in the big sitting-room upstairs.\n\nThe little girl did not mind being alone, for she was working on her\nfirst piece of embroidery\u2014a sofa pillow for papa\u2019s birthday present. So\nshe crept into the big bay window and curled herself up on the broad\nsill while she bent her brown head over her work.\n\nSoon the door opened and closed again, quietly. Jane Gladys thought it\nwas Nora, so she didn\u2019t look up until she had taken a couple more\nstitches on a forget-me-not. Then she raised her eyes and was\nastonished to find a strange man in the middle of the room, who\nregarded her earnestly.\n\nHe was short and fat, and seemed to be breathing heavily from his climb\nup the stairs. He held a work silk hat in one hand and underneath his\nother elbow was tucked a good-sized book. He was dressed in a black\nsuit that looked old and rather shabby, and his head was bald upon the\ntop.\n\n\u201cExcuse me,\u201d he said, while the child gazed at him in solemn surprise.\n\u201cAre you Jane Gladys Brown?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sir,\u201d she answered.\n\n\u201cVery good; very good, indeed!\u201d he remarked, with a queer sort of\nsmile. \u201cI\u2019ve had quite a hunt to find you, but I\u2019ve succeeded at last.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow did you get in?\u201d inquired Jane Gladys, with a growing distrust of\nher visitor.\n\n\u201cThat is a secret,\u201d he said, mysteriously.\n\nThis was enough to put the girl on her guard. She looked at the man and\nthe man looked at her, and both looks were grave and somewhat anxious.\n\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d she asked, straightening herself up with a\ndignified air.\n\n\u201cAh!\u2014now we are coming to business,\u201d said the man, briskly. \u201cI\u2019m going\nto be quite frank with you. To begin with, your father has abused me in\na most ungentlemanly manner.\u201d\n\nJane Gladys got off the window sill and pointed her small finger at the\ndoor.\n\n\u201cLeave this room \u2018meejitly!\u201d she cried, her voice trembling with\nindignation. \u201cMy papa is the best man in the world. He never \u2019bused\nanybody!\u201d\n\n\u201cAllow me to explain, please,\u201d said the visitor, without paying any\nattention to her request to go away. \u201cYour father may be very kind to\nyou, for you are his little girl, you know. But when he\u2019s down-town in\nhis office he\u2019s inclined to be rather severe, especially on book\nagents. Now, I called on him the other day and asked him to buy the\n\u2018Complete Works of Peter Smith,\u2019 and what do you suppose he did?\u201d\n\nShe said nothing.\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d continued the man, with growing excitement, \u201che ordered me from\nhis office, and had me put out of the building by the janitor! What do\nyou think of such treatment as that from the \u2018best papa in the world,\u2019\neh?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think he was quite right,\u201d said Jane Gladys.\n\n\u201cOh, you do? Well,\u201d said the man, \u201cI resolved to be revenged for the\ninsult. So, as your father is big and strong and a dangerous man, I\nhave decided to be revenged upon his little girl.\u201d\n\nJane Gladys shivered.\n\n\u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to present you with this book,\u201d he answered, taking it from\nunder his arm. Then he sat down on the edge of a chair, placed his hat\non the rug and drew a fountain pen from his vest pocket.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll write your name in it,\u201d said he. \u201cHow do you spell Gladys?\u201d\n\n\u201cG-l-a-d-y-s,\u201d she replied.\n\n\u201cThank you. Now this,\u201d he continued, rising and handing her the book\nwith a bow, \u201cis my revenge for your father\u2019s treatment of me. Perhaps\nhe\u2019ll be sorry he didn\u2019t buy the \u2018Complete Works of Peter Smith.\u2019\nGood-by, my dear.\u201d\n\nHe walked to the door, gave her another bow, and left the room, and\nJane Gladys could see that he was laughing to himself as if very much\namused.\n\nWhen the door had closed behind the queer little man the child sat down\nin the window again and glanced at the book. It had a red and yellow\ncover and the word \u201cThingamajigs\u201d was across the front in big letters.\n\nThen she opened it, curiously, and saw her name written in black\nletters upon the first white leaf.\n\n\u201cHe was a funny little man,\u201d she said to herself, thoughtfully.\n\nShe turned the next leaf, and saw a big picture of a clown, dressed in\ngreen and red and yellow, and having a very white face with\nthree-cornered spots of red on each cheek and over the eyes. While she\nlooked at this the book trembled in her hands, the leaf crackled and\ncreaked and suddenly the clown jumped out of it and stood upon the\nfloor beside her, becoming instantly as big as any ordinary clown.\n\nAfter stretching his arms and legs and yawning in a rather impolite\nmanner, he gave a silly chuckle and said:\n\n\u201cThis is better! You don\u2019t know how cramped one gets, standing so long\nupon a page of flat paper.\u201d\n\nPerhaps you can imagine how startled Jane Gladys was, and how she\nstared at the clown who had just leaped out of the book.\n\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t expect anything of this sort, did you?\u201d he asked, leering\nat her in clown fashion. Then he turned around to take a look at the\nroom and Jane Gladys laughed in spite of her astonishment.\n\n\u201cWhat amuses you?\u201d demanded the clown.\n\n\u201cWhy, the back of you is all white!\u201d cried the girl. \u201cYou\u2019re only a\nclown in front of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cQuite likely,\u201d he returned, in an annoyed tone. \u201cThe artist made a\nfront view of me. He wasn\u2019t expected to make the back of me, for that\nwas against the page of the book.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut it makes you look so funny!\u201d said Jane Gladys, laughing until her\neyes were moist with tears.\n\nThe clown looked sulky and sat down upon a chair so she couldn\u2019t see\nhis back.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not the only thing in the book,\u201d he remarked, crossly.\n\nThis reminded her to turn another page, and she had scarcely noted that\nit contained the picture of a monkey when the animal sprang from the\nbook with a great crumpling of paper and landed upon the window seat\nbeside her.\n\n\u201cHe-he-he-he-he!\u201d chattered the creature, springing to the girl\u2019s\nshoulder and then to the center table. \u201cThis is great fun! Now I can be\na real monkey instead of a picture of one.\u201d\n\n\u201cReal monkeys can\u2019t talk,\u201d said Jane Gladys, reprovingly.\n\n\u201cHow do you know? Have you ever been one yourself?\u201d inquired the\nanimal; and then he laughed loudly, and the clown laughed, too, as if\nhe enjoyed the remark.\n\nThe girl was quite bewildered by this time. She thoughtlessly turned\nanother leaf, and before she had time to look twice a gray donkey\nleaped from the book and stumbled from the window seat to the floor\nwith a great clatter.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re clumsy enough, I\u2019m sure!\u201d said the child, indignantly, for the\nbeast had nearly upset her.\n\n\u201cClumsy! And why not?\u201d demanded the donkey, with angry voice. \u201cIf the\nfool artist had drawn you out of perspective, as he did me, I guess\nyou\u2019d be clumsy yourself.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d asked Jane Gladys.\n\n\u201cMy front and rear legs on the left side are nearly six inches too\nshort, that\u2019s what\u2019s the matter! If that artist didn\u2019t know how to draw\nproperly why did he try to make a donkey at all?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d replied the child, seeing an answer was expected.\n\n\u201cI can hardly stand up,\u201d grumbled the donkey; \u201cand the least little\nthing will topple me over.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t mind that,\u201d said the monkey, making a spring at the chandelier\nand swinging from it by his tail until Jane Gladys feared he would\nknock all the globes off; \u201cthe same artist has made my ears as big as\nthat clown\u2019s and everyone knows a monkey hasn\u2019t any ears to speak\nof\u2014much less to draw.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe should be prosecuted,\u201d remarked the clown, gloomily. \u201cI haven\u2019t any\nback.\u201d\n\nJane Gladys looked from one to the other with a puzzled expression upon\nher sweet face, and turned another page of the book.\n\nSwift as a flash there sprang over her shoulder a tawney, spotted\nleopard, which landed upon the back of a big leather armchair and\nturned upon the others with a fierce movement.\n\nThe monkey climbed to the top of the chandelier and chattered with\nfright. The donkey tried to run and straightway tipped over on his left\nside. The clown grew paler than ever, but he sat still in his chair and\ngave a low whistle of surprise.\n\nThe leopard crouched upon the back of the chair, lashed his tail from\nside to side and glared at all of them, by turns, including Jane\nGladys.\n\n\u201cWhich of us are you going to attack first?\u201d asked the donkey, trying\nhard to get upon his feet again.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t attack any of you,\u201d snarled the leopard. \u201cThe artist made my\nmouth shut, so I haven\u2019t any teeth; and he forgot to make my claws. But\nI\u2019m a frightful looking creature, nevertheless; am I not?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes;\u201d said the clown, indifferently. \u201cI suppose you\u2019re frightful\nlooking enough. But if you have no teeth nor claws we don\u2019t mind your\nlooks at all.\u201d\n\nThis so annoyed the leopard that he growled horribly, and the monkey\nlaughed at him.\n\nJust then the book slipped from the girl\u2019s lap, and as she made a\nmovement to catch it one of the pages near the back opened wide. She\ncaught a glimpse of a fierce grizzly bear looking at her from the page,\nand quickly threw the book from her. It fell with a crash in the middle\nof the room, but beside it stood the great grizzly, who had wrenched\nhimself from the page before the book closed.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d cried the leopard from his perch, \u201cyou\u2019d better look out for\nyourselves! You can\u2019t laugh at him as you did at me. The bear has both\nclaws and teeth.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed I have,\u201d said the bear, in a low, deep, growling voice. \u201cAnd I\nknow how to use them, too. If you read in that book you\u2019ll find I\u2019m\ndescribed as a horrible, cruel and remorseless grizzly, whose only\nbusiness in life is to eat up little girls\u2014shoes, dresses, ribbons and\nall! And then, the author says, I smack my lips and glory in my\nwickedness.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s awful!\u201d said the donkey, sitting upon his haunches and shaking\nhis head sadly. \u201cWhat do you suppose possessed the author to make you\nso hungry for girls? Do you eat animals, also?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe author does not mention my eating anything but little girls,\u201d\nreplied the bear.\n\n\u201cVery good,\u201d remarked the clown, drawing a long breath of relief. \u201cyou\nmay begin eating Jane Gladys as soon as you wish. She laughed because I\nhad no back.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd she laughed because my legs are out of perspective,\u201d brayed the\ndonkey.\n\n\u201cBut you also deserve to be eaten,\u201d screamed the leopard from the back\nof the leather chair; \u201cfor you laughed and poked fun at me because I\nhad no claws nor teeth! Don\u2019t you suppose Mr. Grizzly, you could manage\nto eat a clown, a donkey and a monkey after you finish the girl?\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps so, and a leopard into the bargain,\u201d growled the bear. \u201cIt\nwill depend on how hungry I am. But I must begin on the little girl\nfirst, because the author says I prefer girls to anything.\u201d\n\nJane Gladys was much frightened on hearing this conversation, and she\nbegan to realize what the man meant when he said he gave her the book\nto be revenged. Surely papa would be sorry he hadn\u2019t bought the\n\u201cComplete Works of Peter Smith\u201d when he came home and found his little\ngirl eaten up by a grizzly bear\u2014shoes, dress, ribbons and all!\n\nThe bear stood up and balanced himself on his rear legs.\n\n\u201cThis is the way I look in the book,\u201d he said. \u201cNow watch me eat the\nlittle girl.\u201d\n\nHe advanced slowly toward Jane Gladys, and the monkey, the leopard, the\ndonkey and the clown all stood around in a circle and watched the bear\nwith much interest.\n\nBut before the grizzly reached her the child had a sudden thought, and\ncried out:\n\n\u201cStop! You mustn\u2019t eat me. It would be wrong.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy?\u201d asked the bear, in surprise.\n\n\u201cBecause I own you. You\u2019re my private property,\u201d she answered.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t see how you make that out,\u201d said the bear, in a disappointed\ntone.\n\n\u201cWhy, the book was given to me; my name\u2019s on the front leaf. And you\nbelong, by rights, in the book. So you mustn\u2019t dare to eat your owner!\u201d\n\nThe Grizzly hesitated.\n\n\u201cCan any of you read?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cI can,\u201d said the clown.\n\n\u201cThen see if she speaks the truth. Is her name really in the book?\u201d\n\nThe clown picked it up and looked at the name.\n\n\u201cIt is,\u201d said he. \u201c\u2018Jane Gladys Brown;\u2019 and written quite plainly in\nbig letters.\u201d\n\nThe bear sighed.\n\n\u201cThen, of course, I can\u2019t eat her,\u201d he decided. \u201cThat author is as\ndisappointing as most authors are.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut he\u2019s not as bad as the artist,\u201d exclaimed the donkey, who was\nstill trying to stand up straight.\n\n\u201cThe fault lies with yourselves,\u201d said Jane Gladys, severely. \u201cWhy\ndidn\u2019t you stay in the book, where you were put?\u201d\n\nThe animals looked at each other in a foolish way, and the clown\nblushed under his white paint.\n\n\u201cReally\u2014\u201d began the bear, and then he stopped short.\n\nThe door bell rang loudly.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s mamma!\u201d cried Jane Gladys, springing to her feet. \u201cShe\u2019s come\nhome at last. Now, you stupid creatures\u2014\u201d\n\nBut she was interrupted by them all making a rush for the book. There\nwas a swish and a whirr and a rustling of leaves, and an instant later\nthe book lay upon the floor looking just like any other book, while\nJane Gladys\u2019 strange companions had all disappeared.\n\n\nThis story should teach us to think quickly and clearly upon all\noccasions; for had Jane Gladys not remembered that she owned the bear\nhe probably would have eaten her before the bell rang.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ENCHANTED TYPES\n\n\nOne time a knook became tired of his beautiful life and longed for\nsomething new to do. The knooks have more wonderful powers than any\nother immortal folk\u2014except, perhaps, the fairies and ryls. So one would\nsuppose that a knook who might gain anything he desired by a simple\nwish could not be otherwise than happy and contented. But such was not\nthe case with Popopo, the knook we are speaking of. He had lived\nthousands of years, and had enjoyed all the wonders he could think of.\nYet life had become as tedious to him now as it might be to one who was\nunable to gratify a single wish.\n\nFinally, by chance, Popopo thought of the earth people who dwell in\ncities, and so he resolved to visit them and see how they lived. This\nwould surely be fine amusement, and serve to pass away many wearisome\nhours.\n\nTherefore one morning, after a breakfast so dainty that you could\nscarcely imagine it, Popopo set out for the earth and at once was in\nthe midst of a big city.\n\nHis own dwelling was so quiet and peaceful that the roaring noise of\nthe town startled him. His nerves were so shocked that before he had\nlooked around three minutes he decided to give up the adventure, and\ninstantly returned home.\n\nThis satisfied for a time his desire to visit the earth cities, but\nsoon the monotony of his existence again made him restless and gave him\nanother thought. At night the people slept and the cities would be\nquiet. He would visit them at night.\n\nSo at the proper time Popopo transported himself in a jiffy to a great\ncity, where he began wandering about the streets. Everyone was in bed.\nNo wagons rattled along the pavements; no throngs of busy men shouted\nand halloaed. Even the policemen slumbered slyly and there happened to\nbe no prowling thieves abroad.\n\nHis nerves being soothed by the stillness, Popopo began to enjoy\nhimself. He entered many of the houses and examined their rooms with\nmuch curiosity. Locks and bolts made no difference to a knook, and he\nsaw as well in darkness as in daylight.\n\nAfter a time he strolled into the business portion of the city. Stores\nare unknown among the immortals, who have no need of money or of barter\nand exchange; so Popopo was greatly interested by the novel sight of so\nmany collections of goods and merchandise.\n\nDuring his wanderings he entered a millinery shop, and was surprised to\nsee within a large glass case a great number of women\u2019s hats, each\nbearing in one position or another a stuffed bird. Indeed, some of the\nmost elaborate hats had two or three birds upon them.\n\nNow knooks are the especial guardians of birds, and love them dearly.\nTo see so many of his little friends shut up in a glass case annoyed\nand grieved Popopo, who had no idea they had purposely been placed upon\nthe hats by the milliner. So he slid back one of the doors of the case,\ngave the little chirruping whistle of the knooks that all birds know\nwell, and called:\n\n\u201cCome, friends; the door is open\u2014fly out!\u201d\n\nPopopo did not know the birds were stuffed; but, stuffed or not, every\nbird is bound to obey a knook\u2019s whistle and a knook\u2019s call. So they\nleft the hats, flew out of the case and began fluttering about the\nroom.\n\n\u201cPoor dears!\u201d said the kind-hearted knook, \u201cyou long to be in the\nfields and forests again.\u201d\n\nThen he opened the outer door for them and cried: \u201cOff with you! Fly\naway, my beauties, and be happy again.\u201d\n\nThe astonished birds at once obeyed, and when they had soared away into\nthe night air the knook closed the door and continued his wandering\nthrough the streets.\n\nBy dawn he saw many interesting sights, but day broke before he had\nfinished the city, and he resolved to come the next evening a few hours\nearlier.\n\nAs soon as it was dark the following day he came again to the city and\non passing the millinery shop noticed a light within. Entering he found\ntwo women, one of whom leaned her head upon the table and sobbed\nbitterly, while the other strove to comfort her.\n\nOf course Popopo was invisible to mortal eyes, so he stood by and\nlistened to their conversation.\n\n\u201cCheer up, sister,\u201d said one. \u201cEven though your pretty birds have all\nbeen stolen the hats themselves remain.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried the other, who was the milliner, \u201cno one will buy my hats\npartly trimmed, for the fashion is to wear birds upon them. And if I\ncannot sell my goods I shall be utterly ruined.\u201d\n\nThen she renewed her sobbing and the knook stole away, feeling a little\nashamed to realized that in his love for the birds he had unconsciously\nwronged one of the earth people and made her unhappy.\n\nThis thought brought him back to the millinery shop later in the night,\nwhen the two women had gone home. He wanted, in some way, to replace\nthe birds upon the hats, that the poor woman might be happy again. So\nhe searched until he came upon a nearby cellar full of little gray\nmice, who lived quite undisturbed and gained a livelihood by gnawing\nthrough the walls into neighboring houses and stealing food from the\npantries.\n\n\u201cHere are just the creatures,\u201d thought Popopo, \u201cto place upon the\nwoman\u2019s hats. Their fur is almost as soft as the plumage of the birds,\nand it strikes me the mice are remarkably pretty and graceful animals.\nMoreover, they now pass their lives in stealing, and were they obliged\nto remain always upon women\u2019s hats their morals would be much\nimproved.\u201d\n\nSo he exercised a charm that drew all the mice from the cellar and\nplaced them upon the hats in the glass case, where they occupied the\nplaces the birds had vacated and looked very becoming\u2014at least, in the\neyes of the unworldly knook. To prevent their running about and leaving\nthe hats Popopo rendered them motionless, and then he was so pleased\nwith his work that he decided to remain in the shop and witness the\ndelight of the milliner when she saw how daintily her hats were now\ntrimmed.\n\nShe came in the early morning, accompanied by her sister, and her face\nwore a sad and resigned expression. After sweeping and dusting the shop\nand drawing the blinds she opened the glass case and took out a hat.\n\nBut when she saw a tiny gray mouse nestling among the ribbons and laces\nshe gave a loud shriek, and, dropping the hat, sprang with one bound to\nthe top of the table. The sister, knowing the shriek to be one of fear,\nleaped upon a chair and exclaimed:\n\n\u201cWhat is it? Oh! what is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cA mouse!\u201d gasped the milliner, trembling with terror.\n\nPopopo, seeing this commotion, now realized that mice are especially\ndisagreeable to human beings, and that he had made a grave mistake in\nplacing them upon the hats; so he gave a low whistle of command that\nwas heard only by the mice.\n\nInstantly they all jumped from the hats, dashed out the open door of\nthe glass case and scampered away to their cellar. But this action so\nfrightened the milliner and her sister that after giving several loud\nscreams they fell upon their backs on the floor and fainted away.\n\nPopopo was a kind-hearted knook, but on witnessing all this misery,\ncaused by his own ignorance of the ways of humans, he straightway\nwished himself at home, and so left the poor women to recover as best\nthey could.\n\nYet he could not escape a sad feeling of responsibility, and after\nthinking upon the matter he decided that since he had caused the\nmilliner\u2019s unhappiness by freeing the birds, he could set the matter\nright by restoring them to the glass case. He loved the birds, and\ndisliked to condemn them to slavery again; but that seemed the only way\nto end the trouble.\n\nSo he set off to find the birds. They had flown a long distance, but it\nwas nothing to Popopo to reach them in a second, and he discovered them\nsitting upon the branches of a big chestnut tree and singing gayly.\n\nWhen they saw the knook the birds cried:\n\n\u201cThank you, Popopo. Thank you for setting us free.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not thank me,\u201d returned the knook, \u201cfor I have come to send you\nback to the millinery shop.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy?\u201d demanded a blue jay, angrily, while the others stopped their\nsongs.\n\n\u201cBecause I find the woman considers you her property, and your loss has\ncaused her much unhappiness,\u201d answered Popopo.\n\n\u201cBut remember how unhappy we were in her glass case,\u201d said a robin\nredbreast, gravely. \u201cAnd as for being her property, you are a knook,\nand the natural guardian of all birds; so you know that Nature created\nus free. To be sure, wicked men shot and stuffed us, and sold us to the\nmilliner; but the idea of our being her property is nonsense!\u201d\n\nPopopo was puzzled.\n\n\u201cIf I leave you free,\u201d he said, \u201cwicked men will shoot you again, and\nyou will be no better off than before.\u201d\n\n\u201cPooh!\u201d exclaimed the blue jay, \u201cwe cannot be shot now, for we are\nstuffed. Indeed, two men fired several shots at us this morning, but\nthe bullets only ruffled our feathers and buried themselves in our\nstuffing. We do not fear men now.\u201d\n\n\u201cListen!\u201d said Popopo, sternly, for he felt the birds were getting the\nbest of the argument; \u201cthe poor milliner\u2019s business will be ruined if I\ndo not return you to her shop. It seems you are necessary to trim the\nhats properly. It is the fashion for women to wear birds upon their\nheadgear. So the poor milliner\u2019s wares, although beautified by lace and\nribbons, are worthless unless you are perched upon them.\u201d\n\n\u201cFashions,\u201d said a black bird, solemnly, \u201care made by men. What law is\nthere, among birds or knooks, that requires us to be the slaves of\nfashion?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat have we to do with fashions, anyway?\u201d screamed a linnet. \u201cIf it\nwere the fashion to wear knooks perched upon women\u2019s hats would you be\ncontented to stay there? Answer me, Popopo!\u201d\n\nBut Popopo was in despair. He could not wrong the birds by sending them\nback to the milliner, nor did he wish the milliner to suffer by their\nloss. So he went home to think what could be done.\n\nAfter much meditation he decided to consult the king of the knooks, and\ngoing at once to his majesty he told him the whole story.\n\nThe king frowned.\n\n\u201cThis should teach you the folly of interfering with earth people,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cBut since you have caused all this trouble, it is your duty to\nremedy it. Our birds cannot be enslaved, that is certain; therefore you\nmust have the fashions changed, so it will no longer be stylish for\nwomen to wear birds upon their hats.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow shall I do that?\u201d asked Popopo.\n\n\u201cEasily enough. Fashions often change among the earth people, who tire\nquickly of any one thing. When they read in their newspapers and\nmagazines that the style is so-and-so, they never question the matter,\nbut at once obey the mandate of fashion. So you must visit the\nnewspapers and magazines and enchant the types.\u201d\n\n\u201cEnchant the types!\u201d echoed Popopo, in wonder.\n\n\u201cJust so. Make them read that it is no longer the fashion to wear birds\nupon hats. That will afford relief to your poor milliner and at the\nsame time set free thousands of our darling birds who have been so\ncruelly used.\u201d\n\nPopopo thanked the wise king and followed his advice.\n\nThe office of every newspaper and magazine in the city was visited by\nthe knook, and then he went to other cities, until there was not a\npublication in the land that had not a \u201cnew fashion note\u201d in its pages.\nSometimes Popopo enchanted the types, so that whoever read the print\nwould see only what the knook wished them to. Sometimes he called upon\nthe busy editors and befuddled their brains until they wrote exactly\nwhat he wanted them to. Mortals seldom know how greatly they are\ninfluenced by fairies, knooks and ryls, who often put thoughts into\ntheir heads that only the wise little immortals could have conceived.\n\nThe following morning when the poor milliner looked over her newspaper\nshe was overjoyed to read that \u201cno woman could now wear a bird upon her\nhat and be in style, for the newest fashion required only ribbons and\nlaces.\u201d\n\nPopopo after this found much enjoyment in visiting every millinery shop\nhe could find and giving new life to the stuffed birds which were\ncarelessly tossed aside as useless. And they flew to the fields and\nforests with songs of thanks to the good knook who had rescued them.\n\nSometimes a hunter fires his gun at a bird and then wonders why he did\nnot hit it. But, having read this story, you will understand that the\nbird must have been a stuffed one from some millinery shop, which\ncannot, of course, be killed by a gun.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LAUGHING HIPPOPOTAMUS\n\n\nOn one of the upper branches of the Congo river lived an ancient and\naristocratic family of hippopotamuses, which boasted a pedigree dating\nback beyond the days of Noah\u2014beyond the existence of mankind\u2014far into\nthe dim ages when the world was new.\n\nThey had always lived upon the banks of this same river, so that every\ncurve and sweep of its waters, every pit and shallow of its bed, every\nrock and stump and wallow upon its bank was as familiar to them as\ntheir own mothers. And they are living there yet, I suppose.\n\nNot long ago the queen of this tribe of hippopotamuses had a child\nwhich she named Keo, because it was so fat and round. Still, that you\nmay not be misled, I will say that in the hippopotamus language \u201cKeo,\u201d\nproperly translated, means \u201cfat and lazy\u201d instead of fat and round.\nHowever, no one called the queen\u2019s attention to this error, because her\ntusks were monstrous long and sharp, and she thought Keo the sweetest\nbaby in the world.\n\nHe was, indeed, all right for a hippopotamus. He rolled and played in\nthe soft mud of the river bank, and waddled inland to nibble the leaves\nof the wild cabbage that grew there, and was happy and contented from\nmorning till night. And he was the jolliest hippopotamus that ancient\nfamily had ever known. His little red eyes were forever twinkling with\nfun, and he laughed his merry laugh on all occasions, whether there was\nanything to laugh at or not.\n\nTherefore the black people who dwelt in that region called him\n\u201cIppi\u201d\u2014the jolly one, although they dared not come anigh him on account\nof his fierce mother, and his equally fierce uncles and aunts and\ncousins, who lived in a vast colony upon the river bank.\n\nAnd while these black people, who lived in little villages scattered\namong the trees, dared not openly attack the royal family of\nhippopotamuses, they were amazingly fond of eating hippopotamus meat\nwhenever they could get it. This was no secret to the hippopotamuses.\nAnd, again, when the blacks managed to catch these animals alive, they\nhad a trick of riding them through the jungles as if they were horses,\nthus reducing them to a condition of slavery.\n\nTherefore, having these things in mind, whenever the tribe of\nhippopotamuses smelled the oily odor of black people they were\naccustomed to charge upon them furiously, and if by chance they\novertook one of the enemy they would rip him with their sharp tusks or\nstamp him into the earth with their huge feet.\n\nIt was continual warfare between the hippopotamuses and the black\npeople.\n\nGouie lived in one of the little villages of the blacks. He was the son\nof the chief\u2019s brother and grandson of the village sorcerer, the latter\nbeing an aged man known as the \u201cthe boneless wonder,\u201d because he could\ntwist himself into as many coils as a serpent and had no bones to\nhinder his bending his flesh into any position. This made him walk in a\nwabbly fashion, but the black people had great respect for him.\n\nGouie\u2019s hut was made of branches of trees stuck together with mud, and\nhis clothing consisted of a grass mat tied around his middle. But his\nrelationship to the chief and the sorcerer gave him a certain dignity,\nand he was much addicted to solitary thought. Perhaps it was natural\nthat these thoughts frequently turned upon his enemies, the\nhippopotamuses, and that he should consider many ways of capturing\nthem.\n\nFinally he completed his plans, and set about digging a great pit in\nthe ground, midway between two sharp curves of the river. When the pit\nwas finished he covered it over with small branches of trees, and\nstrewed earth upon them, smoothing the surface so artfully that no one\nwould suspect there was a big hole underneath. Then Gouie laughed\nsoftly to himself and went home to supper.\n\nThat evening the queen said to Keo, who was growing to be a fine child\nfor his age:\n\n\u201cI wish you\u2019d run across the bend and ask your Uncle Nikki to come\nhere. I have found a strange plant, and want him to tell me if it is\ngood to eat.\u201d\n\nThe jolly one laughed heartily as he started upon his errand, for he\nfelt as important as a boy does when he is sent for the first time to\nthe corner grocery to buy a yeast cake.\n\n\u201cGuk-uk-uk-uk! guk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d was the way he laughed; and if you think\na hippopotamus does not laugh this way you have but to listen to one\nand you will find I am right.\n\nHe crawled out of the mud where he was wallowing and tramped away\nthrough the bushes, and the last his mother heard as she lay half in\nand half out of the water was his musical \u201cguk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d dying away in\nthe distance.\n\nKeo was in such a happy mood that he scarcely noticed where he stepped,\nso he was much surprised when, in the middle of a laugh, the ground\ngave way beneath him, and he fell to the bottom of Gouie\u2019s deep pit. He\nwas not badly hurt, but had bumped his nose severely as he went down;\nso he stopped laughing and began to think how he should get out again.\nThen he found the walls were higher than his head, and that he was a\nprisoner.\n\nSo he laughed a little at his own misfortune, and the laughter soothed\nhim to sleep, so that he snored all through the night until daylight\ncame.\n\nWhen Gouie peered over the edge of the pit next morning he exclaimed:\n\n\u201cWhy, \u2019tis Ippi\u2014the Jolly One!\u201d\n\nKeo recognized the scent of a black man and tried to raise his head\nhigh enough to bite him. Seeing which Gouie spoke in the hippopotamus\nlanguage, which he had learned from his grandfather, the sorcerer.\n\n\u201cHave peace, little one; you are my captive.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes; I will have a piece of your leg, if I can reach it,\u201d retorted\nKeo; and then he laughed at his own joke: \u201cGuk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d\n\nBut Gouie, being a thoughtful black man, went away without further\ntalk, and did not return until the following morning. When he again\nleaned over the pit Keo was so weak from hunger that he could hardly\nlaugh at all.\n\n\u201cDo you give up?\u201d asked Gouie, \u201cor do you still wish to fight?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat will happen if I give up?\u201d inquired Keo.\n\nThe black man scratched his woolly head in perplexity.\n\n\u201cIt is hard to say, Ippi. You are too young to work, and if I kill you\nfor food I shall lose your tusks, which are not yet grown. Why, O Jolly\nOne, did you fall into my hole? I wanted to catch your mother or one of\nyour uncles.\u201d\n\n\u201cGuk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d laughed Keo. \u201cYou must let me go, after all, black man;\nfor I am of no use to you!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I will not do,\u201d declared Gouie; \u201cunless,\u201d he added, as an\nafterthought, \u201cyou will make a bargain with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me hear about the bargain, black one, for I am hungry,\u201d said Keo.\n\n\u201cI will let your go if you swear by the tusks of your grandfather that\nyou will return to me in a year and a day and become my prisoner\nagain.\u201d\n\nThe youthful hippopotamus paused to think, for he knew it was a solemn\nthing to swear by the tusks of his grandfather; but he was exceedingly\nhungry, and a year and a day seemed a long time off; so he said, with\nanother careless laugh:\n\n\u201cVery well; if you will now let me go I swear by the tusks of my\ngrandfather to return to you in a year and a day and become your\nprisoner.\u201d\n\nGouie was much pleased, for he knew that in a year and a day Keo would\nbe almost full grown. So he began digging away one end of the pit and\nfilling it up with the earth until he had made an incline which would\nallow the hippopotamus to climb out.\n\nKeo was so pleased when he found himself upon the surface of the earth\nagain that he indulged in a merry fit of laughter, after which he said:\n\n\u201cGood-by, Gouie; in a year and a day you will see me again.\u201d\n\nThen he waddled away toward the river to see his mother and get his\nbreakfast, and Gouie returned to his village.\n\nDuring the months that followed, as the black man lay in his hut or\nhunted in the forest, he heard at times the faraway \u201cGuk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d of\nthe laughing hippopotamus. But he only smiled to himself and thought:\n\u201cA year and a day will soon pass away!\u201d\n\nNow when Keo returned to his mother safe and well every member of his\ntribe was filled with joy, for the Jolly One was a general favorite.\nBut when he told them that in a year and a day he must again become the\nslave of the black man, they began to wail and weep, and so many were\ntheir tears that the river rose several inches.\n\nOf course Keo only laughed at their sorrow; but a great meeting of the\ntribe was called and the matter discussed seriously.\n\n\u201cHaving sworn by the tusks of his grandfather,\u201d said Uncle Nikki, \u201che\nmust keep his promise. But it is our duty to try in some way to rescue\nhim from death or a life of slavery.\u201d\n\nTo this all agreed, but no one could think of any method of saving Keo\nfrom his fate. So months passed away, during which all the royal\nhippopotamuses were sad and gloomy except the Jolly One himself.\n\nFinally but a week of freedom remained to Keo, and his mother, the\nqueen, became so nervous and worried that another meeting of the tribe\nwas called. By this time the laughing hippopotamus had grown to\nenormous size, and measured nearly fifteen feet long and six feet high,\nwhile his sharp tusks were whiter and harder than those of an elephant.\n\n\u201cUnless something is done to save my child,\u201d said the mother, \u201cI shall\ndie of grief.\u201d\n\nThen some of her relations began to make foolish suggestions; but\npresently Uncle Nep, a wise and very big hippopotamus, said:\n\n\u201cWe must go to Glinkomok and implore his aid.\u201d\n\nThen all were silent, for it was a bold thing to face the mighty\nGlinkomok. But the mother\u2019s love was equal to any heroism.\n\n\u201cI will myself go to him, if Uncle Nep will accompany me,\u201d she said,\nquickly.\n\nUncle Nep thoughtfully patted the soft mud with his fore foot and\nwagged his short tail leisurely from side to side.\n\n\u201cWe have always been obedient to Glinkomok, and shown him great\nrespect,\u201d said he. \u201cTherefore I fear no danger in facing him. I will go\nwith you.\u201d\n\nAll the others snorted approval, being very glad they were not called\nupon to go themselves.\n\nSo the queen and Uncle Nep, with Keo swimming between them, set out\nupon their journey. They swam up the river all that day and all the\nnext, until they came at sundown to a high, rocky wall, beneath which\nwas the cave where the mighty Glinkomok dwelt.\n\nThis fearful creature was part beast, part man, part fowl and part\nfish. It had lived since the world began. Through years of wisdom it\nhad become part sorcerer, part wizard, part magician and part fairy.\nMankind knew it not, but the ancient beasts knew and feared it.\n\nThe three hippopotamuses paused before the cave, with their front feet\nupon the bank and their bodies in the water, and called in chorus a\ngreeting to Glinkomok. Instantly thereafter the mouth of the cave\ndarkened and the creature glided silently toward them.\n\nThe hippopotamuses were afraid to look upon it, and bowed their heads\nbetween their legs.\n\n\u201cWe come, O Glinkomok, to implore your mercy and friendly assistance!\u201d\nbegan Uncle Nep; and then he told the story of Keo\u2019s capture, and how\nhe had promised to return to the black man.\n\n\u201cHe must keep his promise,\u201d said the creature, in a voice that sounded\nlike a sigh.\n\nThe mother hippopotamus groaned aloud.\n\n\u201cBut I will prepare him to overcome the black man, and to regain his\nliberty,\u201d continued Glinkomok.\n\nKeo laughed.\n\n\u201cLift your right paw,\u201d commanded Glinkomok. Keo obeyed, and the\ncreature touched it with its long, hairy tongue. Then it held four\nskinny hands over Keo\u2019s bowed head and mumbled some words in a language\nunknown to man or beast or fowl or fish. After this it spoke again in\nhippopotamese:\n\n\u201cYour skin has now become so tough that no man can hurt you. Your\nstrength is greater than that of ten elephants. Your foot is so swift\nthat you can distance the wind. Your wit is sharper than the bulthorn.\nLet the man fear, but drive fear from your own breast forever; for of\nall your race you are the mightiest!\u201d\n\nThen the terrible Glinkomok leaned over, and Keo felt its fiery breath\nscorch him as it whispered some further instructions in his ear. The\nnext moment it glided back into its cave, followed by the loud thanks\nof the three hippopotamuses, who slid into the water and immediately\nbegan their journey home.\n\nThe mother\u2019s heart was full of joy; Uncle Nep shivered once or twice as\nhe remembered a glimpse he had caught of Glinkomok; but Keo was as\njolly as possible, and, not content to swim with his dignified elders,\nhe dived under their bodies, raced all around them and laughed merrily\nevery inch of the way home.\n\nThen all the tribe held high jinks and praised the mighty Glinkomok for\nbefriending their queen\u2019s son. And when the day came for the Jolly One\nto give himself up to the black man they all kissed him good-by without\na single fear for his safety.\n\nKeo went away in good spirits, and they could hear his laughing\n\u201cguk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d long after he was lost in sight in the jungle.\n\nGouie had counted the days and knew when to expect Keo; but he was\nastonished at the monstrous size to which his captive had grown, and\ncongratulated himself on the wise bargain he had made. And Keo was so\nfat that Gouie determined to eat him\u2014that is, all of him he possibly\ncould, and the remainder of the carcass he would trade off to his\nfellow villagers.\n\nSo he took a knife and tried to stick it into the hippopotamus, but the\nskin was so tough the knife was blunted against it. Then he tried other\nmeans; but Keo remained unhurt.\n\nAnd now indeed the Jolly One laughed his most gleeful laugh, till all\nthe forest echoed the \u201cguk-uk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d And Gouie decided not to kill\nhim, since that was impossible, but to use him for a beast of burden.\nHe mounted upon Keo\u2019s back and commanded him to march. So Keo trotted\nbriskly through the village, his little eyes twinkling with merriment.\n\nThe other blacks were delighted with Gouie\u2019s captive, and begged\npermission to ride upon the Jolly One\u2019s back. So Gouie bargained with\nthem for bracelets and shell necklaces and little gold ornaments, until\nhe had acquired quite a heap of trinkets. Then a dozen black men\nclimbed upon Keo\u2019s back to enjoy a ride, and the one nearest his nose\ncried out:\n\n\u201cRun, Mud-dog\u2014run!\u201d\n\nAnd Keo ran. Swift as the wind he strode, away from the village,\nthrough the forest and straight up the river bank. The black men howled\nwith fear; the Jolly One roared with laughter; and on, on, on they\nrushed!\n\nThen before them, on the opposite side of the river, appeared the black\nmouth of Glinkomok\u2019s cave. Keo dashed into the water, dived to the\nbottom and left the black people struggling to swim out. But Glinkomok\nhad heard the laughter of Keo and knew what to do. When the Jolly One\nrose to the surface and blew the water from his throat there was no\nblack man to be seen.\n\nKeo returned alone to the village, and Gouie asked, with surprise:\n\n\u201cWhere are my brothers:\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know,\u201d answered Keo. \u201cI took them far away, and they remained\nwhere I left them.\u201d\n\nGouie would have asked more questions then, but another crowd of black\nmen impatiently waited to ride on the back of the laughing\nhippopotamus. So they paid the price and climbed to their seats, after\nwhich the foremost said:\n\n\u201cRun, mud-wallower\u2014run!\u201d\n\nAnd Keo ran as before and carried them to the mouth of Glinkomok\u2019s\ncave, and returned alone.\n\nBut now Gouie became anxious to know the fate of his fellows, for he\nwas the only black man left in his village. So he mounted the\nhippopotamus and cried:\n\n\u201cRun, river-hog\u2014run!\u201d\n\nKeo laughed his jolly \u201cguk-uk-uk-uk!\u201d and ran with the speed of the\nwind. But this time he made straight for the river bank where his own\ntribe lived, and when he reached it he waded into the river, dived to\nthe bottom and left Gouie floating in the middle of the stream.\n\nThe black man began swimming toward the right bank, but there he saw\nUncle Nep and half the royal tribe waiting to stamp him into the soft\nmud. So he turned toward the left bank, and there stood the queen\nmother and Uncle Nikki, red-eyed and angry, waiting to tear him with\ntheir tusks.\n\nThen Gouie uttered loud screams of terror, and, spying the Jolly One,\nwho swam near him, he cried:\n\n\u201cSave me, Keo! Save me, and I will release you from slavery!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is not enough,\u201d laughed Keo.\n\n\u201cI will serve you all my life!\u201d screamed Gouie; \u201cI will do everything\nyou bid me!\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you return to me in a year and a day and become my captive, if I\nallow you to escape?\u201d asked Keo.\n\n\u201cI will! I will! I will!\u201d cried Gouie.\n\n\u201cSwear it by the bones of your grandfather!\u201d commanded Keo, remembering\nthat black men have no tusks to swear by.\n\nAnd Gouie swore it by the bones of his grandfather.\n\nThen Keo swam to the black one, who clambered upon his back again. In\nthis fashion they came to the bank, where Keo told his mother and all\nthe tribe of the bargain he had made with Gouie, who was to return in a\nyear and a day and become his slave.\n\nTherefore the black man was permitted to depart in peace, and once more\nthe Jolly One lived with his own people and was happy.\n\nWhen a year and a day had passed Keo began watching for the return of\nGouie; but he did not come, then or ever afterwards.\n\nFor the black man had made a bundle of his bracelets and shell\nnecklaces and little gold ornaments and had traveled many miles into\nanother country, where the ancient and royal tribe of hippopotamuses\nwas unknown. And he set up for a great chief, because of his riches,\nand people bowed down before him.\n\nBy day he was proud and swaggering. But at night he tumbled and tossed\nupon his bed and could not sleep. His conscience troubled him.\n\nFor he had sworn by the bones of his grandfather; and his grandfather\nhad no bones.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MAGIC BON BONS\n\n\nThere lived in Boston a wise and ancient chemist by the name of Dr.\nDaws, who dabbled somewhat in magic. There also lived in Boston a young\nlady by the name of Claribel Sudds, who was possessed of much money,\nlittle wit and an intense desire to go upon the stage.\n\nSo Claribel went to Dr. Daws and said:\n\n\u201cI can neither sing nor dance; I cannot recite verse nor play upon the\npiano; I am no acrobat nor leaper nor high kicker; yet I wish to go\nupon the stage. What shall I do?\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you willing to pay for such accomplishments?\u201d asked the wise\nchemist.\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d answered Claribel, jingling her purse.\n\n\u201cThen come to me to-morrow at two o\u2019clock,\u201d said he.\n\nAll that night he practiced what is known as chemical sorcery; so that\nwhen Claribel Sudds came next day at two o\u2019clock he showed her a small\nbox filled with compounds that closely resembled French bonbons.\n\n\u201cThis is a progressive age,\u201d said the old man, \u201cand I flatter myself\nyour Uncle Daws keeps right along with the procession. Now, one of your\nold-fashioned sorcerers would have made you some nasty, bitter pills to\nswallow; but I have consulted your taste and convenience. Here are some\nmagic bonbons. If you eat this one with the lavender color you can\ndance thereafter as lightly and gracefully as if you had been trained a\nlifetime. After you consume the pink confection you will sing like a\nnightingale. Eating the white one will enable you to become the finest\nelocutionist in the land. The chocolate piece will charm you into\nplaying the piano better than Rubenstein, while after eating the\nlemon-yellow bonbon you can easily kick six feet above your head.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow delightful!\u201d exclaimed Claribel, who was truly enraptured. \u201cYou\nare certainly a most clever sorcerer as well as a considerate\ncompounder,\u201d and she held out her hand for the box.\n\n\u201cAhem!\u201d said the wise one; \u201ca check, please.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes; to be sure! How stupid of me to forget it,\u201d she returned.\n\nHe considerately retained the box in his own hand while she signed a\ncheck for a large amount of money, after which he allowed her to hold\nthe box herself.\n\n\u201cAre you sure you have made them strong enough?\u201d she inquired,\nanxiously; \u201cit usually takes a great deal to affect me.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy only fear,\u201d replied Dr. Daws, \u201cis that I have made them too strong.\nFor this is the first time I have ever been called upon to prepare\nthese wonderful confections.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d said Claribel; \u201cthe stronger they act the better I shall\nact myself.\u201d\n\nShe went away, after saying this, but stopping in at a dry goods store\nto shop, she forgot the precious box in her new interest and left it\nlying on the ribbon counter.\n\nThen little Bessie Bostwick came to the counter to buy a hair ribbon\nand laid her parcels beside the box. When she went away she gathered up\nthe box with her other bundles and trotted off home with it.\n\nBessie never knew, until after she had hung her coat in the hall closet\nand counted up her parcels, that she had one too many. Then she opened\nit and exclaimed:\n\n\u201cWhy, it\u2019s a box of candy! Someone must have mislaid it. But it is too\nsmall a matter to worry about; there are only a few pieces.\u201d So she\ndumped the contents of the box into a bonbon dish that stood upon the\nhall table and picking out the chocolate piece\u2014she was fond of\nchocolates\u2014ate it daintily while she examined her purchases.\n\nThese were not many, for Bessie was only twelve years old and was not\nyet trusted by her parents to expend much money at the stores. But\nwhile she tried on the hair ribbon she suddenly felt a great desire to\nplay upon the piano, and the desire at last became so overpowering that\nshe went into the parlor and opened the instrument.\n\nThe little girl had, with infinite pains, contrived to learn two\n\u201cpieces\u201d which she usually executed with a jerky movement of her right\nhand and a left hand that forgot to keep up and so made dreadful\ndiscords. But under the influence of the chocolate bonbon she sat down\nand ran her fingers lightly over the keys producing such exquisite\nharmony that she was filled with amazement at her own performance.\n\nThat was the prelude, however. The next moment she dashed into\nBeethoven\u2019s seventh sonata and played it magnificently.\n\nHer mother, hearing the unusual burst of melody, came downstairs to see\nwhat musical guest had arrived; but when she discovered it was her own\nlittle daughter who was playing so divinely she had an attack of\npalpitation of the heart (to which she was subject) and sat down upon a\nsofa until it should pass away.\n\nMeanwhile Bessie played one piece after another with untiring energy.\nShe loved music, and now found that all she need do was to sit at the\npiano and listen and watch her hands twinkle over the keyboard.\n\nTwilight deepened in the room and Bessie\u2019s father came home and hung up\nhis hat and overcoat and placed his umbrella in the rack. Then he\npeeped into the parlor to see who was playing.\n\n\u201cGreat Caesar!\u201d he exclaimed. But the mother came to him softly with\nher finger on her lips and whispered: \u201cDon\u2019t interrupt her, John. Our\nchild seems to be in a trance. Did you ever hear such superb music?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, she\u2019s an infant prodigy!\u201d gasped the astounded father. \u201cBeats\nBlind Tom all hollow! It\u2019s\u2014it\u2019s wonderful!\u201d\n\nAs they stood listening the senator arrived, having been invited to\ndine with them that evening. And before he had taken off his coat the\nYale professor\u2014a man of deep learning and scholarly attainments\u2014joined\nthe party.\n\nBessie played on; and the four elders stood in a huddled but silent and\namazed group, listening to the music and waiting for the sound of the\ndinner gong.\n\nMr. Bostwick, who was hungry, picked up the bonbon dish that lay on the\ntable beside him and ate the pink confection. The professor was\nwatching him, so Mr. Bostwick courteously held the dish toward him. The\nprofessor ate the lemon-yellow piece and the senator reached out his\nhand and took the lavender piece. He did not eat it, however, for,\nchancing to remember that it might spoil his dinner, he put it in his\nvest pocket. Mrs. Bostwick, still intently listening to her precocious\ndaughter, without thinking what she did, took the remaining piece,\nwhich was the white one, and slowly devoured it.\n\nThe dish was now empty, and Claribel Sudds\u2019 precious bonbons had passed\nfrom her possession forever!\n\nSuddenly Mr. Bostwick, who was a big man, began to sing in a shrill,\ntremolo soprano voice. It was not the same song Bessie was playing, and\nthe discord was shocking that the professor smiled, the senator put his\nhands to his ears and Mrs. Bostwick cried in a horrified voice:\n\n\u201cWilliam!\u201d\n\nHer husband continued to sing as if endeavoring to emulate the famous\nChristine Nillson, and paid no attention whatever to his wife or his\nguests.\n\nFortunately the dinner gong now sounded, and Mrs. Bostwick dragged\nBessie from the piano and ushered her guests into the dining-room. Mr.\nBostwick followed, singing \u201cThe Last Rose of Summer\u201d as if it had been\nan encore demanded by a thousand delighted hearers.\n\nThe poor woman was in despair at witnessing her husband\u2019s undignified\nactions and wondered what she might do to control him. The professor\nseemed more grave than usual; the senator\u2019s face wore an offended\nexpression, and Bessie kept moving her fingers as if she still wanted\nto play the piano.\n\nMrs. Bostwick managed to get them all seated, although her husband had\nbroken into another aria; and then the maid brought in the soup.\n\nWhen she carried a plate to the professor, he cried, in an excited\nvoice:\n\n\u201cHold it higher! Higher\u2014I say!\u201d And springing up he gave it a sudden\nkick that sent it nearly to the ceiling, from whence the dish descended\nto scatter soup over Bessie and the maid and to smash in pieces upon\nthe crown of the professor\u2019s bald head.\n\nAt this atrocious act the senator rose from his seat with an\nexclamation of horror and glanced at his hostess.\n\nFor some time Mrs. Bostwick had been staring straight ahead, with a\ndazed expression; but now, catching the senator\u2019s eye, she bowed\ngracefully and began reciting \u201cThe Charge of the Light Brigade\u201d in\nforceful tones.\n\nThe senator shuddered. Such disgraceful rioting he had never seen nor\nheard before in a decent private family. He felt that his reputation\nwas at stake, and, being the only sane person, apparently, in the room,\nthere was no one to whom he might appeal.\n\nThe maid had run away to cry hysterically in the kitchen; Mr. Bostwick\nwas singing \u201cO Promise Me;\u201d the professor was trying to kick the globes\noff the chandelier; Mrs. Bostwick had switched her recitation to \u201cThe\nBoy Stood on the Burning Deck,\u201d and Bessie had stolen into the parlor\nand was pounding out the overture from the \u201cFlying Dutchman.\u201d\n\nThe senator was not at all sure he would not go crazy himself,\npresently; so he slipped away from the turmoil, and, catching up his\nhad and coat in the hall, hurried from the house.\n\nThat night he sat up late writing a political speech he was to deliver\nthe next afternoon at Faneuil hall, but his experiences at the\nBostwicks\u2019 had so unnerved him that he could scarcely collect his\nthoughts, and often he would pause and shake his head pityingly as he\nremembered the strange things he had seen in that usually respectable\nhome.\n\nThe next day he met Mr. Bostwick in the street, but passed him by with\na stony glare of oblivion. He felt he really could not afford to know\nthis gentleman in the future. Mr. Bostwick was naturally indignant at\nthe direct snub; yet in his mind lingered a faint memory of some quite\nunusual occurrences at his dinner party the evening before, and he\nhardly knew whether he dared resent the senator\u2019s treatment or not.\n\nThe political meeting was the feature of the day, for the senator\u2019s\neloquence was well known in Boston. So the big hall was crowded with\npeople, and in one of the front rows sat the Bostwick family, with the\nlearned Yale professor beside them. They all looked tired and pale, as\nif they had passed a rather dissipated evening, and the senator was\nrendered so nervous by seeing them that he refused to look in their\ndirection a second time.\n\nWhile the mayor was introducing him the great man sat fidgeting in his\nchair; and, happening to put his thumb and finger into his vest pocket,\nhe found the lavender-colored bonbon he had placed there the evening\nbefore.\n\n\u201cThis may clear my throat,\u201d thought the senator, and slipped the bonbon\ninto his mouth.\n\nA few minutes afterwards he arose before the vast audience, which\ngreeted him with enthusiastic plaudits.\n\n\u201cMy friends,\u201d began the senator, in a grave voice, \u201cthis is a most\nimpressive and important occasion.\u201d\n\nThen he paused, balanced himself upon his left foot, and kicked his\nright leg into the air in the way favored by ballet-dancers!\n\nThere was a hum of amazement and horror from the spectators, but the\nsenator appeared not to notice it. He whirled around upon the tips of\nhis toes, kicked right and left in a graceful manner, and startled a\nbald-headed man in the front row by casting a languishing glance in his\ndirection.\n\nSuddenly Claribel Sudds, who happened to be present, uttered a scream\nand sprang to her feet. Pointing an accusing finger at the dancing\nsenator, she cried in a loud voice:\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s the man who stole my bonbons! Seize him! Arrest him! Don\u2019t let\nhim escape!\u201d\n\nBut the ushers rushed her out of the hall, thinking she had gone\nsuddenly insane; and the senator\u2019s friends seized him firmly and\ncarried him out the stage entrance to the street, where they put him\ninto an open carriage and instructed the driver to take him home.\n\nThe effect of the magic bonbon was still powerful enough to control the\npoor senator, who stood upon the rear seat of the carriage and danced\nenergetically all the way home, to the delight of the crowd of small\nboys who followed the carriage and the grief of the sober-minded\ncitizens, who shook their heads sadly and whispered that \u201canother good\nman had gone wrong.\u201d\n\nIt took the senator several months to recover from the shame and\nhumiliation of this escapade; and, curiously enough, he never had the\nslightest idea what had induced him to act in so extraordinary a\nmanner. Perhaps it was fortunate the last bonbon had now been eaten,\nfor they might easily have caused considerably more trouble than they\ndid.\n\nOf course Claribel went again to the wise chemist and signed a check\nfor another box of magic bonbons; but she must have taken better care\nof these, for she is now a famous vaudeville actress.\n\n\nThis story should teach us the folly of condemning others for actions\nthat we do not understand, for we never know what may happen to\nourselves. It may also serve as a hint to be careful about leaving\nparcels in public places, and, incidentally, to let other people\u2019s\npackages severely alone.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAPTURE OF FATHER TIME\n\n\nJim was the son of a cowboy, and lived on the broad plains of Arizona.\nHis father had trained him to lasso a bronco or a young bull with\nperfect accuracy, and had Jim possessed the strength to back up his\nskill he would have been as good a cowboy as any in all Arizona.\n\nWhen he was twelve years old he made his first visit to the east, where\nUncle Charles, his father\u2019s brother, lived. Of course Jim took his\nlasso with him, for he was proud of his skill in casting it, and wanted\nto show his cousins what a cowboy could do.\n\nAt first the city boys and girls were much interested in watching Jim\nlasso posts and fence pickets, but they soon tired of it, and even Jim\ndecided it was not the right sort of sport for cities.\n\nBut one day the butcher asked Jim to ride one of his horses into the\ncountry, to a pasture that had been engaged, and Jim eagerly consented.\nHe had been longing for a horseback ride, and to make it seem like old\ntimes he took his lasso with him.\n\nHe rode through the streets demurely enough, but on reaching the open\ncountry roads his spirits broke forth into wild jubilation, and, urging\nthe butcher\u2019s horse to full gallop, he dashed away in true cowboy\nfashion.\n\nThen he wanted still more liberty, and letting down the bars that led\ninto a big field he began riding over the meadow and throwing his lasso\nat imaginary cattle, while he yelled and whooped to his heart\u2019s\ncontent.\n\nSuddenly, on making a long cast with his lasso, the loop caught upon\nsomething and rested about three feet from the ground, while the rope\ndrew taut and nearly pulled Jim from his horse.\n\nThis was unexpected. More than that, it was wonderful; for the field\nseemed bare of even a stump. Jim\u2019s eyes grew big with amazement, but he\nknew he had caught something when a voice cried out:\n\n\u201cHere, let go! Let go, I say! Can\u2019t you see what you\u2019ve done?\u201d\n\nNo, Jim couldn\u2019t see, nor did he intend to let go until he found out\nwhat was holding the loop of the lasso. So he resorted to an old trick\nhis father had taught him and, putting the butcher\u2019s horse to a run,\nbegan riding in a circle around the spot where his lasso had caught.\n\nAs he thus drew nearer and nearer his quarry he saw the rope coil up,\nyet it looked to be coiling over nothing but air. One end of the lasso\nwas made fast to a ring in the saddle, and when the rope was almost\nwound up and the horse began to pull away and snort with fear, Jim\ndismounted. Holding the reins of the bridle in one hand, he followed\nthe rope, and an instant later saw an old man caught fast in the coils\nof the lasso.\n\nHis head was bald and uncovered, but long white whiskers grew down to\nhis waist. About his body was thrown a loose robe of fine white linen.\nIn one hand he bore a great scythe, and beneath the other arm he\ncarried an hourglass.\n\nWhile Jim gazed wonderingly upon him, this venerable old man spoke in\nan angry voice:\n\n\u201cNow, then\u2014get that rope off as fast as you can! You\u2019ve brought\neverything on earth to a standstill by your foolishness! Well\u2014what are\nyou staring at? Don\u2019t you know who I am?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Jim, stupidly.\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m Time\u2014Father Time! Now, make haste and set me free\u2014if you\nwant the world to run properly.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow did I happen to catch you?\u201d asked Jim, without making a move to\nrelease his captive.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. I\u2019ve never been caught before,\u201d growled Father Time.\n\u201cBut I suppose it was because you were foolishly throwing your lasso at\nnothing.\u201d\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t see you,\u201d said Jim.\n\n\u201cOf course you didn\u2019t. I\u2019m invisible to the eyes of human beings unless\nthey get within three feet of me, and I take care to keep more than\nthat distance away from them. That\u2019s why I was crossing this field,\nwhere I supposed no one would be. And I should have been perfectly safe\nhad it not been for your beastly lasso. Now, then,\u201d he added, crossly,\n\u201care you going to get that rope off?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy should I?\u201d asked Jim.\n\n\u201cBecause everything in the world stopped moving the moment you caught\nme. I don\u2019t suppose you want to make an end of all business and\npleasure, and war and love, and misery and ambition and everything\nelse, do you? Not a watch has ticked since you tied me up here like a\nmummy!\u201d\n\nJim laughed. It really was funny to see the old man wound round and\nround with coils of rope from his knees up to his chin.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019ll do you good to rest,\u201d said the boy. \u201cFrom all I\u2019ve heard you\nlead a rather busy life.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed I do,\u201d replied Father Time, with a sigh. \u201cI\u2019m due in Kamchatka\nthis very minute. And to think one small boy is upsetting all my\nregular habits!\u201d\n\n\u201cToo bad!\u201d said Jim, with a grin. \u201cBut since the world has stopped\nanyhow, it won\u2019t matter if it takes a little longer recess. As soon as\nI let you go Time will fly again. Where are your wings?\u201d\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t any,\u201d answered the old man. \u201cThat is a story cooked up by\nsome one who never saw me. As a matter of fact, I move rather slowly.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see, you take your time,\u201d remarked the boy. \u201cWhat do you use that\nscythe for?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo mow down the people,\u201d said the ancient one. \u201cEvery time I swing my\nscythe some one dies.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen I ought to win a life-saving medal by keeping you tied up,\u201d said\nJim. \u201cSome folks will live this much longer.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut they won\u2019t know it,\u201d said Father Time, with a sad smile; \u201cso it\nwill do them no good. You may as well untie me at once.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Jim, with a determined air. \u201cI may never capture you again;\nso I\u2019ll hold you for awhile and see how the world wags without you.\u201d\n\nThen he swung the old man, bound as he was, upon the back of the\nbutcher\u2019s horse, and, getting into the saddle himself, started back\ntoward town, one hand holding his prisoner and the other guiding the\nreins.\n\nWhen he reached the road his eye fell on a strange tableau. A horse and\nbuggy stood in the middle of the road, the horse in the act of\ntrotting, with his head held high and two legs in the air, but\nperfectly motionless. In the buggy a man and a woman were seated; but\nhad they been turned into stone they could not have been more still and\nstiff.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s no Time for them!\u201d sighed the old man. \u201cWon\u2019t you let me go\nnow?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot yet,\u201d replied the boy.\n\nHe rode on until he reached the city, where all the people stood in\nexactly the same positions they were in when Jim lassoed Father Time.\nStopping in front of a big dry goods store, the boy hitched his horse\nand went in. The clerks were measuring out goods and showing patterns\nto the rows of customers in front of them, but everyone seemed suddenly\nto have become a statue.\n\nThere was something very unpleasant in this scene, and a cold shiver\nbegan to run up and down Jim\u2019s back; so he hurried out again.\n\nOn the edge of the sidewalk sat a poor, crippled beggar, holding out\nhis hat, and beside him stood a prosperous-looking gentleman who was\nabout to drop a penny into the beggar\u2019s hat. Jim knew this gentleman to\nbe very rich but rather stingy, so he ventured to run his hand into the\nman\u2019s pocket and take out his purse, in which was a $20 gold piece.\nThis glittering coin he put in the gentleman\u2019s fingers instead of the\npenny and then restored the purse to the rich man\u2019s pocket.\n\n\u201cThat donation will surprise him when he comes to life,\u201d thought the\nboy.\n\nHe mounted the horse again and rode up the street. As he passed the\nshop of his friend, the butcher, he noticed several pieces of meat\nhanging outside.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m afraid that meat\u2019ll spoil,\u201d he remarked.\n\n\u201cIt takes Time to spoil meat,\u201d answered the old man.\n\nThis struck Jim as being queer, but true.\n\n\u201cIt seems Time meddles with everything,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cYes; you\u2019ve made a prisoner of the most important personage in the\nworld,\u201d groaned the old man; \u201cand you haven\u2019t enough sense to let him\ngo again.\u201d\n\nJim did not reply, and soon they came to his uncle\u2019s house, where he\nagain dismounted. The street was filled with teams and people, but all\nwere motionless. His two little cousins were just coming out the gate\non their way to school, with their books and slates underneath their\narms; so Jim had to jump over the fence to avoid knocking them down.\n\nIn the front room sat his aunt, reading her Bible. She was just turning\na page when Time stopped. In the dining-room was his uncle, finishing\nhis luncheon. His mouth was open and his fork poised just before it,\nwhile his eyes were fixed upon the newspaper folded beside him. Jim\nhelped himself to his uncle\u2019s pie, and while he ate it he walked out to\nhis prisoner.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s one thing I don\u2019t understand,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d asked Father Time.\n\n\u201cWhy is it that I\u2019m able to move around while everyone else is\u2014is\u2014froze\nup?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is because I\u2019m your prisoner,\u201d answered the other. \u201cYou can do\nanything you wish with Time now. But unless you are careful you\u2019ll do\nsomething you will be sorry for.\u201d\n\nJim threw the crust of his pie at a bird that was suspended in the air,\nwhere it had been flying when Time stopped.\n\n\u201cAnyway,\u201d he laughed, \u201cI\u2019m living longer than anyone else. No one will\never be able to catch up with me again.\u201d\n\n\u201cEach life has its allotted span,\u201d said the old man. \u201cWhen you have\nlived your proper time my scythe will mow you down.\u201d\n\n\u201cI forgot your scythe,\u201d said Jim, thoughtfully.\n\nThen a spirit of mischief came into the boy\u2019s head, for he happened to\nthink that the present opportunity to have fun would never occur again.\nHe tied Father Time to his uncle\u2019s hitching post, that he might not\nescape, and then crossed the road to the corner grocery.\n\nThe grocer had scolded Jim that very morning for stepping into a basket\nof turnips by accident. So the boy went to the back end of the grocery\nand turned on the faucet of the molasses barrel.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019ll make a nice mess when Time starts the molasses running all\nover the floor,\u201d said Jim, with a laugh.\n\nA little further down the street was a barber shop, and sitting in the\nbarber\u2019s chair Jim saw the man that all the boys declared was the\n\u201cmeanest man in town.\u201d He certainly did not like the boys and the boys\nknew it. The barber was in the act of shampooing this person when Time\nwas captured. Jim ran to the drug store, and, getting a bottle of\nmucilage, he returned and poured it over the ruffled hair of the\nunpopular citizen.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019ll probably surprise him when he wakes up,\u201d thought Jim.\n\nNear by was the schoolhouse. Jim entered it and found that only a few\nof the pupils were assembled. But the teacher sat at his desk, stern\nand frowning as usual.\n\nTaking a piece of chalk, Jim marked upon the blackboard in big letters\nthe following words:\n\n\u201cEvery scholar is requested to yell the minute he enters the room. He\nwill also please throw his books at the teacher\u2019s head. Signed, Prof.\nSharpe.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat ought to raise a nice rumpus,\u201d murmured the mischiefmaker, as he\nwalked away.\n\nOn the corner stood Policeman Mulligan, talking with old Miss Scrapple,\nthe worst gossip in town, who always delighted in saying something\ndisagreeable about her neighbors. Jim thought this opportunity was too\ngood to lose. So he took off the policeman\u2019s cap and brass-buttoned\ncoat and put them on Miss Scrapple, while the lady\u2019s feathered and\nribboned hat he placed jauntily upon the policeman\u2019s head.\n\nThe effect was so comical that the boy laughed aloud, and as a good\nmany people were standing near the corner Jim decided that Miss\nScrapple and Officer Mulligan would create a sensation when Time\nstarted upon his travels.\n\nThen the young cowboy remembered his prisoner, and, walking back to the\nhitching post, he came within three feet of it and saw Father Time\nstill standing patiently within the toils of the lasso. He looked angry\nand annoyed, however, and growled out:\n\n\u201cWell, when do you intend to release me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve been thinking about that ugly scythe of yours,\u201d said Jim.\n\n\u201cWhat about it?\u201d asked Father Time.\n\n\u201cPerhaps if I let you go you\u2019ll swing it at me the first thing, to be\nrevenged,\u201d replied the boy.\n\nFather Time gave him a severe look, but said:\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve known boys for thousands of years, and of course I know they\u2019re\nmischievous and reckless. But I like boys, because they grow up to be\nmen and people my world. Now, if a man had caught me by accident, as\nyou did, I could have scared him into letting me go instantly; but boys\nare harder to scare. I don\u2019t know as I blame you. I was a boy myself,\nlong ago, when the world was new. But surely you\u2019ve had enough fun with\nme by this time, and now I hope you\u2019ll show the respect that is due to\nold age. Let me go, and in return I will promise to forget all about my\ncapture. The incident won\u2019t do much harm, anyway, for no one will ever\nknow that Time has halted the last three hours or so.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d said Jim, cheerfully, \u201csince you\u2019ve promised not to mow me\ndown, I\u2019ll let you go.\u201d But he had a notion some people in the town\nwould suspect Time had stopped when they returned to life.\n\nHe carefully unwound the rope from the old man, who, when he was free,\nat once shouldered his scythe, rearranged his white robe and nodded\nfarewell.\n\nThe next moment he had disappeared, and with a rustle and rumble and\nroar of activity the world came to life again and jogged along as it\nalways had before.\n\nJim wound up his lasso, mounted the butcher\u2019s horse and rode slowly\ndown the street.\n\nLoud screams came from the corner, where a great crowd of people\nquickly assembled. From his seat on the horse Jim saw Miss Scrapple,\nattired in the policeman\u2019s uniform, angrily shaking her fists in\nMulligan\u2019s face, while the officer was furiously stamping upon the\nlady\u2019s hat, which he had torn from his own head amidst the jeers of the\ncrowd.\n\nAs he rode past the schoolhouse he heard a tremendous chorus of yells,\nand knew Prof. Sharpe was having a hard time to quell the riot caused\nby the sign on the blackboard.\n\nThrough the window of the barber shop he saw the \u201cmean man\u201d frantically\nbelaboring the barber with a hair brush, while his hair stood up stiff\nas bayonets in all directions. And the grocer ran out of his door and\nyelled \u201cFire!\u201d while his shoes left a track of molasses wherever he\nstepped.\n\nJim\u2019s heart was filled with joy. He was fairly reveling in the\nexcitement he had caused when some one caught his leg and pulled him\nfrom the horse.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019re ye doin\u2019 hear, ye rascal?\u201d cried the butcher, angrily; \u201cdidn\u2019t\nye promise to put that beast inter Plympton\u2019s pasture? An\u2019 now I find\nye ridin\u2019 the poor nag around like a gentleman o\u2019 leisure!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s a fact,\u201d said Jim, with surprise; \u201cI clean forgot about the\nhorse!\u201d\n\n\nThis story should teach us the supreme importance of Time and the folly\nof trying to stop it. For should you succeed, as Jim did, in bringing\nTime to a standstill, the world would soon become a dreary place and\nlife decidedly unpleasant.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WONDERFUL PUMP\n\n\nNot many years ago there lived on a stony, barren New England farm a\nman and his wife. They were sober, honest people, working hard from\nearly morning until dark to enable them to secure a scanty living from\ntheir poor land.\n\nTheir house, a small, one-storied building, stood upon the side of a\nsteep hill, and the stones lay so thickly about it that scarce anything\ngreen could grow from the ground. At the foot of the hill, a quarter of\na mile from the house by the winding path, was a small brook, and the\nwoman was obliged to go there for water and to carry it up the hill to\nthe house. This was a tedious task, and with the other hard work that\nfell to her share had made her gaunt and bent and lean.\n\nYet she never complained, but meekly and faithfully performed her\nduties, doing the housework, carrying the water and helping her husband\nhoe the scanty crop that grew upon the best part of their land.\n\nOne day, as she walked down the path to the brook, her big shoes\nscattering the pebbles right and left, she noticed a large beetle lying\nupon its back and struggling hard with its little legs to turn over,\nthat its feet might again touch the ground. But this it could not\naccomplish; so the woman, who had a kind heart, reached down and gently\nturned the beetle with her finger. At once it scampered from the path\nand she went on to the brook.\n\nThe next day, as she came for water, she was surprised to see the\nbeetle again lying upon its back and struggling helplessly to turn.\nOnce more the woman stopped and set him upon his feet; and then, as she\nstooped over the tiny creature, she heard a small voice say:\n\n\u201cOh, thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!\u201d\n\nHalf frightened at hearing a beetle speak in her own language, the\nwoman started back and exclaimed:\n\n\u201cLa sakes! Surely you can\u2019t talk like humans!\u201d Then, recovering from\nher alarm, she again bent over the beetle, who answered her:\n\n\u201cWhy shouldn\u2019t I talk, if I have anything to say?\n\n\u201c\u2019Cause you\u2019re a bug,\u201d replied the woman.\n\n\u201cThat is true; and you saved my life\u2014saved me from my enemies, the\nsparrows. And this is the second time you have come to my assistance,\nso I owe you a debt of gratitude. Bugs value their lives as much as\nhuman beings, and I am a more important creature than you, in your\nignorance, may suppose. But, tell me, why do you come each day to the\nbrook?\u201d\n\n\u201cFor water,\u201d she answered, staring stupidly down at the talking beetle.\n\n\u201cIsn\u2019t it hard work?\u201d the creature inquired.\n\n\u201cYes; but there\u2019s no water on the hill,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cThen dig a well and put a pump in it,\u201d replied the beetle.\n\nShe shook her head.\n\n\u201cMy man tried it once; but there was no water,\u201d she said, sadly.\n\n\u201cTry it again,\u201d commanded the beetle; \u201cand in return for your kindness\nto me I will make this promise: if you do not get water from the well\nyou will get that which is more precious to you. I must go now. Do not\nforget. Dig a well.\u201d\n\nAnd then, without pausing to say good-by, it ran swiftly away and was\nlost among the stones.\n\nThe woman returned to the house much perplexed by what the beetle had\nsaid, and when her husband came in from his work she told him the whole\nstory.\n\nThe poor man thought deeply for a time, and then declared:\n\n\u201cWife, there may be truth in what the bug told you. There must be magic\nin the world yet, if a beetle can speak; and if there is such a thing\nas magic we may get water from the well. The pump I bought to use in\nthe well which proved to be dry is now lying in the barn, and the only\nexpense in following the talking bug\u2019s advice will be the labor of\ndigging the hole. Labor I am used to; so I will dig the well.\u201d\n\nNext day he set about it, and dug so far down in the ground that he\ncould hardly reach the top to climb out again; but not a drop of water\nwas found.\n\n\u201cPerhaps you did not dig deep enough,\u201d his wife said, when he told her\nof his failure.\n\nSo the following day he made a long ladder, which he put into the hole;\nand then he dug, and dug, and dug, until the top of the ladder barely\nreached the top of the hole. But still there was no water.\n\nWhen the woman next went to the brook with her pail she saw the beetle\nsitting upon a stone beside her path. So she stopped and said:\n\n\u201cMy husband has dug the well; but there is no water.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid he put the pump in the well?\u201d asked the beetle.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d she answered.\n\n\u201cThen do as I commanded; put in the pump, and if you do not get water I\npromise you something still more precious.\u201d\n\nSaying which, the beetle swiftly slid from the stone and disappeared.\nThe woman went back to the house and told her husband what the bug had\nsaid.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d replied the simple fellow, \u201cthere can be no harm in trying.\u201d\n\nSo he got the pump from the barn and placed it in the well, and then he\ntook hold of the handle and began to pump, while his wife stood by to\nwatch what would happen.\n\nNo water came, but after a few moments a gold piece dropped from the\nspout of the pump, and then another, and another, until several\nhandfuls of gold lay in a little heap upon the ground.\n\nThe man stopped pumping then and ran to help his wife gather the gold\npieces into her apron; but their hands trembled so greatly through\nexcitement and joy that they could scarcely pick up the sparkling\ncoins.\n\nAt last she gathered them close to her bosom and together they ran to\nthe house, where they emptied the precious gold upon the table and\ncounted the pieces.\n\nAll were stamped with the design of the United States mint and were\nworth five dollars each. Some were worn and somewhat discolored from\nuse, while others seemed bright and new, as if they had not been much\nhandled. When the value of the pieces was added together they were\nfound to be worth three hundred dollars.\n\nSuddenly the woman spoke.\n\n\u201cHusband, the beetle said truly when he declared we should get\nsomething more precious than water from the well. But run at once and\ntake away the handle from the pump, lest anyone should pass this way\nand discover our secret.\u201d\n\nSo the man ran to the pump and removed the handle, which he carried to\nthe house and hid underneath the bed.\n\nThey hardly slept a wink that night, lying awake to think of their good\nfortune and what they should do with their store of yellow gold. In all\ntheir former lives they had never possessed more than a few dollars at\na time, and now the cracked teapot was nearly full of gold coins.\n\nThe following day was Sunday, and they arose early and ran to see if\ntheir treasure was safe. There it lay, heaped snugly within the teapot,\nand they were so willing to feast their eyes upon it that it was long\nbefore the man could leave it to build the fire or the woman to cook\nthe breakfast.\n\nWhile they ate their simple meal the woman said:\n\n\u201cWe will go to church to-day and return thanks for the riches that have\ncome to us so suddenly. And I will give the pastor one of the gold\npieces.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is well enough to go to church,\u201d replied her husband, \u201cand also to\nreturn thanks. But in the night I decided how we will spend all our\nmoney; so there will be none left for the pastor.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can pump more,\u201d said the woman.\n\n\u201cPerhaps; and perhaps not,\u201d he answered, cautiously. \u201cWhat we have we\ncan depend upon, but whether or not there be more in the well I cannot\nsay.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen go and find out,\u201d she returned, \u201cfor I am anxious to give\nsomething to the pastor, who is a poor man and deserving.\u201d\n\nSo the man got the pump handle from beneath the bed, and, going to the\npump, fitted it in place. Then he set a large wooden bucket under the\nspout and began to pump. To their joy the gold pieces soon began\nflowing into the pail, and, seeing it about to run over the brim, the\nwoman brought another pail. But now the stream suddenly stopped, and\nthe man said, cheerfully:\n\n\u201cThat is enough for to-day, good wife! We have added greatly to our\ntreasure, and the parson shall have his gold piece. Indeed, I think I\nshall also put a coin into the contribution box.\u201d\n\nThen, because the teapot would hold no more gold, the farmer emptied\nthe pail into the wood-box, covering the money with dried leaves and\ntwigs, that no one might suspect what lay underneath.\n\nAfterward they dressed themselves in their best clothing and started\nfor the church, each taking a bright gold piece from the teapot as a\ngift to the pastor.\n\nOver the hill and down into the valley beyond they walked, feeling so\ngay and light-hearted that they did not mind the distance at all. At\nlast they came to the little country church and entered just as the\nservices began.\n\nBeing proud of their wealth and of the gifts they had brought for the\npastor, they could scarcely wait for the moment when the deacon passed\nthe contribution box. But at last the time came, and the farmer held\nhis hand high over the box and dropped the gold piece so that all the\ncongregation could see what he had given. The woman did likewise,\nfeeling important and happy at being able to give the good parson so\nmuch.\n\nThe parson, watching from the pulpit, saw the gold drop into the box,\nand could hardly believe that his eyes did not deceive him. However,\nwhen the box was laid upon his desk there were the two gold pieces, and\nhe was so surprised that he nearly forgot his sermon.\n\nWhen the people were leaving the church at the close of the services\nthe good man stopped the farmer and his wife and asked:\n\n\u201cWhere did you get so much gold?\u201d\n\nThe woman gladly told him how she had rescued the beetle, and how, in\nreturn, they had been rewarded with the wonderful pump. The pastor\nlistened to it all gravely, and when the story was finished he said:\n\n\u201cAccording to tradition strange things happened in this world ages ago,\nand now I find that strange things may also happen to-day. For by your\ntale you have found a beetle that can speak and also has power to\nbestow upon you great wealth.\u201d Then he looked carefully at the gold\npieces and continued: \u201cEither this money is fairy gold or it is genuine\nmetal, stamped at the mint of the United States government. If it is\nfairy gold it will disappear within 24 hours, and will therefore do no\none any good. If it is real money, then your beetle must have robbed\nsome one of the gold and placed it in your well. For all money belongs\nto some one, and if you have not earned it honestly, but have come by\nit in the mysterious way you mention, it was surely taken from the\npersons who owned it, without their consent. Where else could real\nmoney come from?\u201d\n\nThe farmer and his wife were confused by this statement and looked\nguiltily at each other, for they were honest people and wished to wrong\nno one.\n\n\u201cThen you think the beetle stole the money?\u201d asked the woman.\n\n\u201cBy his magic powers he probably took it from its rightful owners. Even\nbugs which can speak have no consciences and cannot tell the difference\nbetween right and wrong. With a desire to reward you for your kindness\nthe beetle took from its lawful possessors the money you pumped from\nthe well.\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps it really is fairy gold,\u201d suggested the man. \u201cIf so, we must\ngo to the town and spend the money before it disappears.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would be wrong,\u201d answered the pastor; \u201cfor then the merchants\nwould have neither money nor goods. To give them fairy gold would be to\nrob them.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, then, shall we do?\u201d asked the poor woman, wringing her hands\nwith grief and disappointment.\n\n\u201cGo home and wait until to-morrow. If the gold is then in your\npossession it is real money and not fairy gold. But if it is real money\nyou must try to restore it to its rightful owners. Take, also, these\npieces which you have given me, for I cannot accept gold that is not\nhonestly come by.\u201d\n\nSadly the poor people returned to their home, being greatly disturbed\nby what they had heard. Another sleepless night was passed, and on\nMonday morning they arose at daylight and ran to see if the gold was\nstill visible.\n\n\u201cIt is real money, after all!\u201d cried the man; \u201cfor not a single piece\nhas disappeared.\u201d\n\nWhen the woman went to the brook that day she looked for the beetle,\nand, sure enough, there he sat upon the flat stone.\n\n\u201cAre you happy now?\u201d asked the beetle, as the woman paused before him.\n\n\u201cWe are very unhappy,\u201d she answered; \u201cfor, although you have given us\nmuch gold, our good parson says it surely belongs to some one else, and\nwas stolen by you to reward us.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour parson may be a good man,\u201d returned the beetle, with some\nindignation, \u201cbut he certainly is not overwise. Nevertheless, if you do\nnot want the gold I can take it from you as easily as I gave it.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut we do want it!\u201d cried the woman, fearfully. \u201cThat is,\u201d she added,\n\u201cif it is honestly come by.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is not stolen,\u201d replied the beetle, sulkily, \u201cand now belongs to no\none but yourselves. When you saved my life I thought how I might reward\nyou; and, knowing you to be poor, I decided gold would make you happier\nthan anything else.\n\n\u201cYou must know,\u201d he continued, \u201cthat although I appear so small and\ninsignificant, I am really king of all the insects, and my people obey\nmy slightest wish. Living, as they do, close to the ground, the insects\noften come across gold and other pieces of money which have been lost\nby men and have fallen into cracks or crevasses or become covered with\nearth or hidden by grass or weeds. Whenever my people find money in\nthis way they report the fact to me; but I have always let it lie,\nbecause it could be of no possible use to an insect.\n\n\u201cHowever, when I decided to give you gold I knew just where to obtain\nit without robbing any of your fellow creatures. Thousands of insects\nwere at once sent by me in every direction to bring the pieces of lost\ngold to this hill. It cost my people several days of hard labor, as you\nmay suppose; but by the time your husband had finished the well the\ngold began to arrive from all parts of the country, and during the\nnight my subjects dumped it all into the well. So you may use it with a\nclear conscience, knowing that you wrong no one.\u201d\n\nThis explanation delighted the woman, and when she returned to the\nhouse and reported to her husband what the beetle had said he also was\noverjoyed.\n\nSo they at once took a number of the gold pieces and went to the town\nto purchase provisions and clothing and many things of which they had\nlong stood in need; but so proud were they of their newly acquired\nwealth that they took no pains to conceal it. They wanted everyone to\nknow they had money, and so it was no wonder that when some of the\nwicked men in the village saw the gold they longed to possess it\nthemselves.\n\n\u201cIf they spend this money so freely,\u201d whispered one to another, \u201cthere\nmust be a great store of gold at their home.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is true,\u201d was the answer. \u201cLet us hasten there before they return\nand ransack the house.\u201d\n\nSo they left the village and hurried away to the farm on the hill,\nwhere they broke down the door and turned everything topsy turvy until\nthey had discovered the gold in the wood-box and the teapot. It did not\ntake them long to make this into bundles, which they slung upon their\nbacks and carried off, and it was probably because they were in a great\nhurry that they did not stop to put the house in order again.\n\nPresently the good woman and her husband came up the hill from the\nvillage with their arms full of bundles and followed by a crowd of\nsmall boys who had been hired to help carry the purchases. Then\nfollowed others, youngsters and country louts, attracted by the wealth\nand prodigality of the pair, who, from simple curiosity, trailed along\nbehind like the tail of a comet and helped swell the concourse into a\ntriumphal procession. Last of all came Guggins, the shopkeeper,\ncarrying with much tenderness a new silk dress which was to be paid for\nwhen they reached the house, all the money they had taken to the\nvillage having been lavishly expended.\n\nThe farmer, who had formerly been a modest man, was now so swelled with\npride that he tipped the rim of his hat over his left ear and smoked a\nbig cigar that was fast making him ill. His wife strutted along beside\nhim like a peacock, enjoying to the full the homage and respect her\nwealth had won from those who formerly deigned not to notice her, and\nglancing from time to time at the admiring procession in the rear.\n\nBut, alas for their new-born pride! when they reached the farmhouse\nthey found the door broken in, the furniture strewn in all directions\nand their treasure stolen to the very last gold piece.\n\nThe crowd grinned and made slighting remarks of a personal nature, and\nGuggins, the shopkeeper, demanded in a loud voice the money for the\nsilk dress he had brought.\n\nThen the woman whispered to her husband to run and pump some more gold\nwhile she kept the crowd quiet, and he obeyed quickly. But after a few\nmoments he returned with a white face to tell her the pump was dry, and\nnot a gold piece could now be coaxed from the spout.\n\nThe procession marched back to the village laughing and jeering at the\nfarmer and his wife, who had pretended to be so rich; and some of the\nboys were naughty enough to throw stones at the house from the top of\nthe hill. Mr. Guggins carried away his dress after severely scolding\nthe woman for deceiving him, and when the couple at last found\nthemselves alone their pride had turned to humiliation and their joy to\nbitter grief.\n\nJust before sundown the woman dried her eyes and, having resumed her\nordinary attire, went to the brook for water. When she came to the flat\nstone she saw the King Beetle sitting upon it.\n\n\u201cThe well is dry!\u201d she cried out, angrily.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered the beetle, calmly, \u201cyou have pumped from it all the\ngold my people could find.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut we are now ruined,\u201d said the woman, sitting down in the path\nbeginning to weep; \u201cfor robbers have stolen from us every penny we\npossessed.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d returned the beetle; \u201cbut it is your own fault. Had you\nnot made so great a show of your wealth no one would have suspected you\npossessed a treasure, or thought to rob you. As it is, you have merely\nlost the gold which others have lost before you. It will probably be\nlost many times more before the world comes to an end.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what are we to do now?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cWhat did you do before I gave you the money?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe worked from morning \u2019til night,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cThen work still remains for you,\u201d remarked the beetle, composedly; \u201cno\none will ever try to rob you of that, you may be sure!\u201d And he slid\nfrom the stone and disappeared for the last time.\n\n\nThis story should teach us to accept good fortune with humble hearts\nand to use it with moderation. For, had the farmer and his wife\nresisted the temptation to display their wealth ostentatiously, they\nmight have retained it to this very day.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DUMMY THAT LIVED\n\n\nIn all Fairyland there is no more mischievous a person than\nTanko-Mankie the Yellow Ryl. He flew through the city one\nafternoon\u2014quite invisible to mortal eyes, but seeing everything\nhimself\u2014and noticed a figure of a wax lady standing behind the big\nplate glass window of Mr. Floman\u2019s department store.\n\nThe wax lady was beautifully dressed, and extended in her stiff left\nhand was a card bearing the words:\n\n\u201cRARE BARGIN!\nThis Stylish Costume\n(Imported from Paris)\nFormer Price, $20,\nREDUCED TO ONLY $19.98.\u201d\n\n\nThis impressive announcement had drawn before the window a crowd of\nwomen shoppers, who stood looking at the wax lady with critical eyes.\n\nTanko-Mankie laughed to himself the low, gurgling little laugh that\nalways means mischief. Then he flew close to the wax figure and\nbreathed twice upon its forehead.\n\nFrom that instant the dummy began to live, but so dazed and astonished\nwas she at the unexpected sensation that she continued to stand\nstupidly staring at the women outside and holding out the placard as\nbefore.\n\nThe ryl laughed again and flew away. Anyone but Tanko-Mankie would have\nremained to help the wax lady out of the troubles that were sure to\novertake her; but this naughty elf thought it rare fun to turn the\ninexperienced lady loose in a cold and heartless world and leave her to\nshift for herself.\n\nFortunately it was almost six o\u2019clock when the dummy first realized\nthat she was alive, and before she had collected her new thoughts and\ndecided what to do a man came around and drew down all the window\nshades, shutting off the view from the curious shoppers.\n\nThen the clerks and cashiers and floorwalkers and cash girls went home\nand the store was closed for the night, although the sweepers and\nscrubbers remained to clean the floors for the following day.\n\nThe window inhabited by the wax lady was boxed in, like a little room,\none small door being left at the side for the window-trimmer to creep\nin and out of. So the scrubbers never noticed that the dummy, when left\nto herself, dropped the placard to the floor and sat down upon a pile\nof silks to wonder who she was, where she was, and how she happened to\nbe alive.\n\nFor you must consider, dear reader, that in spite of her size and her\nrich costume, in spite of her pink cheeks and fluffy yellow hair, this\nlady was very young\u2014no older, in reality, than a baby born but half an\nhour. All she knew of the world was contained in the glimpse she had\nsecured of the busy street facing her window; all she knew of people\nlay in the actions of the group of women which had stood before her on\nthe other side of the window pane and criticised the fit of her dress\nor remarked upon its stylish appearance.\n\nSo she had little enough to think about, and her thoughts moved\nsomewhat slowly; yet one thing she really decided upon, and that was\nnot to remain in the window and be insolently stared at by a lot of\nwomen who were not nearly so handsome or well dressed as herself.\n\nBy the time she reached this important conclusion, it was after\nmidnight; but dim lights were burning in the big, deserted store, so\nshe crept through the door of her window and walked down the long\naisles, pausing now and then to look with much curiosity at the wealth\nof finery confronting her on every side.\n\nWhen she came to the glass cases filled with trimmed hats she\nremembered having seen upon the heads of the women in the street\nsimilar creations. So she selected one that suited her fancy and placed\nit carefully upon her yellow locks. I won\u2019t attempt to explain what\ninstinct it was that made her glance into a near-by mirror to see if\nthe hat was straight, but this she certainly did. It didn\u2019t correspond\nwith her dress very well, but the poor thing was too young to have much\ntaste in matching colors.\n\nWhen she reached the glove counter she remembered that gloves were also\nworn by the women she had seen. She took a pair from the case and tried\nto fit them upon her stiff, wax-coated fingers; but the gloves were too\nsmall and ripped in the seams. Then she tried another pair, and several\nothers, as well; but hours passed before she finally succeeded in\ngetting her hands covered with a pair of pea-green kids.\n\nNext she selected a parasol from a large and varied assortment in the\nrear of the store. Not that she had any idea what it was used for; but\nother ladies carried such things, so she also would have one.\n\nWhen she again examined herself critically in the mirror she decided\nher outfit was now complete, and to her inexperienced eyes there was no\nperceptible difference between her and the women who had stood outside\nthe window. Whereupon she tried to leave the store, but found every\ndoor fast locked.\n\nThe wax lady was in no hurry. She inherited patience from her previous\nexistence. Just to be alive and to wear beautiful clothes was\nsufficient enjoyment for her at present. So she sat down upon a stool\nand waited quietly until daylight.\n\nWhen the janitor unlocked the door in the morning the wax lady swept\npast him and walked with stiff but stately strides down the street. The\npoor fellow was so completely whuckered at seeing the well-known wax\nlady leave her window and march away from the store that he fell over\nin a heap and only saved himself from fainting by striking his funny\nbone against the doorstep. When he recovered his wits she had turned\nthe corner and disappeared.\n\nThe wax lady\u2019s immature mind had reasoned that, since she had come to\nlife, her evident duty was to mix with the world and do whatever other\nfolks did. She could not realize how different she was from people of\nflesh and blood; nor did she know she was the first dummy that had ever\nlived, or that she owed her unique experience to Tanko-Mankie\u2019s love of\nmischief. So ignorance gave her a confidence in herself that she was\nnot justly entitled to.\n\nIt was yet early in the day, and the few people she met were hurrying\nalong the streets. Many of them turned into restaurants and eating\nhouses, and following their example the wax lady also entered one and\nsat upon a stool before a lunch counter.\n\n\u201cCoffee \u2019n\u2019 rolls!\u201d said a shop girl on the next stool.\n\n\u201cCoffee \u2019n\u2019 rolls!\u201d repeated the dummy, and soon the waiter placed them\nbefore her. Of course she had no appetite, as her constitution, being\nmostly wood, did not require food; but she watched the shop girl, and\nsaw her put the coffee to her mouth and drink it. Therefore the wax\nlady did the same, and the next instant was surprised to feel the hot\nliquid trickling out between her wooden ribs. The coffee also blistered\nher wax lips, and so disagreeable was the experience that she arose and\nleft the restaurant, paying no attention to the demands of the waiter\nfor \u201c20 cents, mum.\u201d Not that she intended to defraud him, but the poor\ncreature had no idea what he meant by \u201c20 cents, mum.\u201d\n\nAs she came out she met the window trimmer at Floman\u2019s store. The man\nwas rather near-sighted, but seeing something familiar in the lady\u2019s\nfeatures he politely raised his hat. The wax lady also raised her hat,\nthinking it the proper thing to do, and the man hurried away with a\nhorrified face.\n\nThen a woman touched her arm and said:\n\n\u201cBeg pardon, ma\u2019am; but there\u2019s a price-mark hanging on your dress\nbehind.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I know,\u201d replied the wax lady, stiffly; \u201cit was originally $20,\nbut it\u2019s been reduced to $19.98.\u201d\n\nThe woman looked surprised at such indifference and walked on. Some\ncarriages were standing at the edge of the sidewalk, and seeing the\ndummy hesitate a driver approached her and touched his cap.\n\n\u201cCab, ma\u2019am?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said she, misunderstanding him; \u201cI\u2019m wax.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d he exclaimed, and looked after her wonderingly.\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s yer mornin\u2019 paper!\u201d yelled a newsboy.\n\n\u201cMine, did you say?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cSure! Chronicle, \u2019Quirer, R\u2019public \u2019n\u2019 \u2019Spatch! Wot\u2019ll ye \u2019ave?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are they for?\u201d inquired the wax lady, simply.\n\n\u201cW\u2019y, ter read, o\u2019 course. All the news, you know.\u201d\n\nShe shook her head and glanced at a paper.\n\n\u201cIt looks all speckled and mixed up,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t\nread.\u201d\n\n\u201cEver ben to school?\u201d asked the boy, becoming interested.\n\n\u201cNo; what\u2019s school?\u201d she inquired.\n\nThe boy gave her an indignant look.\n\n\u201cSay!\u201d he cried, \u201cye\u2019r just a dummy, that\u2019s wot ye are!\u201d and ran away\nto seek a more promising customer.\n\n\u201cI wonder that he means,\u201d thought the poor lady. \u201cAm I really different\nin some way from all the others? I look like them, certainly; and I try\nto act like them; yet that boy called me a dummy and seemed to think I\nacted queerly.\u201d\n\nThis idea worried her a little, but she walked on to the corner, where\nshe noticed a street car stop to let some people on. The wax lady,\nstill determined to do as others did, also boarded the car and sat down\nquietly in a corner.\n\nAfter riding a few blocks the conductor approached her and said:\n\n\u201cFare, please!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d she inquired, innocently.\n\n\u201cYour fare!\u201d said the man, impatiently.\n\nShe stared at him stupidly, trying to think what he meant.\n\n\u201cCome, come!\u201d growled the conductor, \u201ceither pay up or get off!\u201d\n\nStill she did not understand, and he grabbed her rudely by the arm and\nlifted her to her feet. But when his hand came in contact with the hard\nwood of which her arm was made the fellow was filled with surprise. He\nstooped down and peered into her face, and, seeing it was wax instead\nof flesh, he gave a yell of fear and jumped from the car, running as if\nhe had seen a ghost.\n\nAt this the other passengers also yelled and sprang from the car,\nfearing a collision; and the motorman, knowing something was wrong,\nfollowed suit. The wax lady, seeing the others run, jumped from the car\nlast of all, and stepped in front of another car coming at full speed\nfrom the opposite direction.\n\nShe heard cries of fear and of warning on all sides, but before she\nunderstood her danger she was knocked down and dragged for half a\nblock.\n\nWhen the car was brought to a stop a policeman reached down and pulled\nher from under the wheels. Her dress was badly torn and soiled. Her\nleft ear was entirely gone, and the left side of her head was caved in;\nbut she quickly scrambled to her feet and asked for her hat. This a\ngentleman had already picked up, and when the policeman handed it to\nher and noticed the great hole in her head and the hollow place it\ndisclosed, the poor fellow trembled so frightfully that his knees\nactually knocked together.\n\n\u201cWhy\u2014why, ma\u2019am, you\u2019re killed!\u201d he gasped.\n\n\u201cWhat does it mean to be killed?\u201d asked the wax lady.\n\nThe policeman shuddered and wiped the perspiration from his forehead.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re it!\u201d he answered, with a groan.\n\nThe crowd that had collected were looking upon the lady wonderingly,\nand a middle-aged gentleman now exclaimed:\n\n\u201cWhy, she\u2019s wax!\u201d\n\n\u201cWax!\u201d echoed the policeman.\n\n\u201cCertainly. She\u2019s one of those dummies they put in the windows,\u201d\ndeclared the middle-aged man.\n\nThe people who had collected shouted: \u201cYou\u2019re right!\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s what she\nis!\u201d \u201cShe\u2019s a dummy!\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you?\u201d inquired the policeman, sternly.\n\nThe wax lady did not reply. She began to fear she was getting into\ntrouble, and the staring crowd seemed to embarrass her.\n\nSuddenly a bootblack attempted to solve the problem by saying: \u201cYou\nguys is all wrong! Can a dummy talk? Can a dummy walk? Can a dummy\nlive?\u201d\n\n\u201cHush!\u201d murmured the policeman. \u201cLook here!\u201d and he pointed to the hole\nin the lady\u2019s head. The newsboy looked, turned pale and whistled to\nkeep himself from shivering.\n\nA second policeman now arrived, and after a brief conference it was\ndecided to take the strange creature to headquarters. So they called a\nhurry-up wagon, and the damaged wax lady was helped inside and driven\nto the police station. There the policeman locked her in a cell and\nhastened to tell Inspector Mugg their wonderful story.\n\nInspector Mugg had just eaten a poor breakfast, and was not in a\npleasant mood; so he roared and stormed at the unlucky policemen,\nsaying they were themselves dummies to bring such a fairy tale to a man\nof sense. He also hinted that they had been guilty of intemperance.\n\nThe policemen tried to explain, but Inspector Mugg would not listen;\nand while they were still disputing in rushed Mr. Floman, the owner of\nthe department store.\n\n\u201cI want a dozen detectives, at once, inspector!\u201d he cried.\n\n\u201cWhat for?\u201d demanded Mugg.\n\n\u201cOne of the wax ladies has escaped from my store and eloped with a\n$19.98 costume, a $4.23 hat, a $2.19 parasol and a 76-cent pair of\ngloves, and I want her arrested!\u201d\n\nWhile he paused for breath the inspector glared at him in amazement.\n\n\u201cIs everybody going crazy at the same time?\u201d he inquired,\nsarcastically. \u201cHow could a wax dummy run away?\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know; but she did. When my janitor opened the door this\nmorning he saw her run out.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t he stop her?\u201d asked Mugg.\n\n\u201cHe was too frightened. But she\u2019s stolen my property, your honor, and I\nwant her arrested!\u201d declared the storekeeper.\n\nThe inspector thought for a moment.\n\n\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t be able to prosecute her,\u201d he said, \u201cfor there\u2019s no law\nagainst dummies stealing.\u201d\n\nMr. Floman sighed bitterly.\n\n\u201cAm I to lose that $19.98 costume and the $4.25 hat and\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cBy no means,\u201d interrupted Inspector Mugg. \u201cThe police of this city are\never prompt to act in defense of our worthy citizens. We have already\narrested the wax lady, and she is locked up in cell No. 16. You may go\nthere and recover your property, if you wish, but before you prosecute\nher for stealing you\u2019d better hunt up a law that applies to dummies.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll I want,\u201d said Mr. Floman, \u201cis that $19.98 costume and\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cCome along!\u201d interrupted the policeman. \u201cI\u2019ll take you to the cell.\u201d\n\nBut when they entered No. 16 they found only a lifeless dummy lying\nprone upon the floor. Its wax was cracked and blistered, its head was\nbadly damaged, and the bargain costume was dusty, soiled and much\nbedraggled. For the mischief-loving Tanko-Mankie had flown by and\nbreathed once more upon the poor wax lady, and in that instant her\nbrief life ended.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s just as I thought,\u201d said Inspector Mugg, leaning back in his\nchair contentedly. \u201cI knew all the time the thing was a fake. It seems\nsometimes as though the whole world would go crazy if there wasn\u2019t some\nlevel-headed man around to bring \u2019em to their senses. Dummies are wood\nan\u2019 wax, an\u2019 that\u2019s all there is of \u2019em.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat may be the rule,\u201d whispered the policeman to himself, \u201cbut this\none were a dummy as lived!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE KING OF THE POLAR BEARS\n\n\nThe King of the Polar Bears lived among the icebergs in the far north\ncountry. He was old and monstrous big; he was wise and friendly to all\nwho knew him. His body was thickly covered with long, white hair that\nglistened like silver under the rays of the midnight sun. His claws\nwere strong and sharp, that he might walk safely over the smooth ice or\ngrasp and tear the fishes and seals upon which he fed.\n\nThe seals were afraid when he drew near, and tried to avoid him; but\nthe gulls, both white and gray, loved him because he left the remnants\nof his feasts for them to devour.\n\nOften his subjects, the polar bears, came to him for advice when ill or\nin trouble; but they wisely kept away from his hunting grounds, lest\nthey might interfere with his sport and arouse his anger.\n\nThe wolves, who sometimes came as far north as the icebergs, whispered\namong themselves that the King of the Polar Bears was either a magician\nor under the protection of a powerful fairy. For no earthly thing\nseemed able to harm him; he never failed to secure plenty of food, and\nhe grew bigger and stronger day by day and year by year.\n\nYet the time came when this monarch of the north met man, and his\nwisdom failed him.\n\nHe came out of his cave among the icebergs one day and saw a boat\nmoving through the strip of water which had been uncovered by the\nshifting of the summer ice. In the boat were men.\n\nThe great bear had never seen such creatures before, and therefore\nadvanced toward the boat, sniffing the strange scent with aroused\ncuriosity and wondering whether he might take them for friends or foes,\nfood or carrion.\n\nWhen the king came near the water\u2019s edge a man stood up in the boat and\nwith a queer instrument made a loud \u201cbang!\u201d The polar bear felt a\nshock; his brain became numb; his thoughts deserted him; his great\nlimbs shook and gave way beneath him and his body fell heavily upon the\nhard ice.\n\nThat was all he remembered for a time.\n\nWhen he awoke he was smarting with pain on every inch of his huge bulk,\nfor the men had cut away his hide with its glorious white hair and\ncarried it with them to a distant ship.\n\nAbove him circled thousands of his friends the gulls, wondering if\ntheir benefactor were really dead and it was proper to eat him. But\nwhen they saw him raise his head and groan and tremble they knew he\nstill lived, and one of them said to his comrades:\n\n\u201cThe wolves were right. The king is a great magician, for even men\ncannot kill him. But he suffers for lack of covering. Let us repay his\nkindness to us by each giving him as many feathers as we can spare.\u201d\n\nThis idea pleased the gulls. One after another they plucked with their\nbeaks the softest feathers from under their wings, and, flying down,\ndropped then gently upon the body of the King of the Polar Bears.\n\nThen they called to him in a chorus:\n\n\u201cCourage, friend! Our feathers are as soft and beautiful as your own\nshaggy hair. They will guard you from the cold winds and warm you while\nyou sleep. Have courage, then, and live!\u201d\n\nAnd the King of the Polar Bears had courage to bear his pain and lived\nand was strong again.\n\nThe feathers grew as they had grown upon the bodies of the birds and\ncovered him as his own hair had done. Mostly they were pure white in\ncolor, but some from the gray gulls gave his majesty a slight mottled\nappearance.\n\nThe rest of that summer and all through the six months of night the\nking left his icy cavern only to fish or catch seals for food. He felt\nno shame at his feathery covering, but it was still strange to him, and\nhe avoided meeting any of his brother bears.\n\nDuring this period of retirement he thought much of the men who had\nharmed him, and remembered the way they had made the great \u201cbang!\u201d And\nhe decided it was best to keep away from such fierce creatures. Thus he\nadded to his store of wisdom.\n\nWhen the moon fell away from the sky and the sun came to make the\nicebergs glitter with the gorgeous tintings of the rainbow, two of the\npolar bears arrived at the king\u2019s cavern to ask his advice about the\nhunting season. But when they saw his great body covered with feathers\ninstead of hair they began to laugh, and one said:\n\n\u201cOur mighty king has become a bird! Who ever before heard of a\nfeathered polar bear?\u201d\n\nThen the king gave way to wrath. He advanced upon them with deep growls\nand stately tread and with one blow of his monstrous paw stretched the\nmocker lifeless at his feet.\n\nThe other ran away to his fellows and carried the news of the king\u2019s\nstrange appearance. The result was a meeting of all the polar bears\nupon a broad field of ice, where they talked gravely of the remarkable\nchange that had come upon their monarch.\n\n\u201cHe is, in reality, no longer a bear,\u201d said one; \u201cnor can he justly be\ncalled a bird. But he is half bird and half bear, and so unfitted to\nremain our king.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen who shall take his place?\u201d asked another.\n\n\u201cHe who can fight the bird-bear and overcome him,\u201d answered an aged\nmember of the group. \u201cOnly the strongest is fit to rule our race.\u201d\n\nThere was silence for a time, but at length a great bear moved to the\nfront and said:\n\n\u201cI will fight him; I\u2014Woof\u2014the strongest of our race! And I will be King\nof the Polar Bears.\u201d\n\nThe others nodded assent, and dispatched a messenger to the king to say\nhe must fight the great Woof and master him or resign his sovereignty.\n\n\u201cFor a bear with feathers,\u201d added the messenger, \u201cis no bear at all,\nand the king we obey must resemble the rest of us.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wear feathers because it pleases me,\u201d growled the king. \u201cAm I not a\ngreat magician? But I will fight, nevertheless, and if Woof masters me\nhe shall be king in my stead.\u201d\n\nThen he visited his friends, the gulls, who were even then feasting\nupon the dead bear, and told them of the coming battle.\n\n\u201cI shall conquer,\u201d he said, proudly. \u201cYet my people are in the right,\nfor only a hairy one like themselves can hope to command their\nobedience.\u201d\n\nThe queen gull said:\n\n\u201cI met an eagle yesterday, which had made its escape from a big city of\nmen. And the eagle told me he had seen a monstrous polar bear skin\nthrown over the back of a carriage that rolled along the street. That\nskin must have been yours, oh king, and if you wish I will sent an\nhundred of my gulls to the city to bring it back to you.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet them go!\u201d said the king, gruffly. And the hundred gulls were soon\nflying rapidly southward.\n\nFor three days they flew straight as an arrow, until they came to\nscattered houses, to villages, and to cities. Then their search began.\n\nThe gulls were brave, and cunning, and wise. Upon the fourth day they\nreached the great metropolis, and hovered over the streets until a\ncarriage rolled along with a great white bear robe thrown over the back\nseat. Then the birds swooped down\u2014the whole hundred of them\u2014and seizing\nthe skin in their beaks flew quickly away.\n\nThey were late. The king\u2019s great battle was upon the seventh day, and\nthey must fly swiftly to reach the Polar regions by that time.\n\nMeanwhile the bird-bear was preparing for his fight. He sharpened his\nclaws in the small crevasses of the ice. He caught a seal and tested\nhis big yellow teeth by crunching its bones between them. And the queen\ngull set her band to pluming the king bear\u2019s feathers until they lay\nsmoothly upon his body.\n\nBut every day they cast anxious glances into the southern sky, watching\nfor the hundred gulls to bring back the king\u2019s own skin.\n\nThe seventh day came, and all the Polar bears in that region gathered\naround the king\u2019s cavern. Among them was Woof, strong and confident of\nhis success.\n\n\u201cThe bird-bear\u2019s feathers will fly fast enough when I get my claws upon\nhim!\u201d he boasted; and the others laughed and encouraged him.\n\nThe king was disappointed at not having recovered his skin, but he\nresolved to fight bravely without it. He advanced from the opening of\nhis cavern with a proud and kingly bearing, and when he faced his enemy\nhe gave so terrible a growl that Woof\u2019s heart stopped beating for a\nmoment, and he began to realize that a fight with the wise and mighty\nking of his race was no laughing matter.\n\nAfter exchanging one or two heavy blows with his foe Woof\u2019s courage\nreturned, and he determined to dishearten his adversary by bluster.\n\n\u201cCome nearer, bird-bear!\u201d he cried. \u201cCome nearer, that I may pluck your\nplumage!\u201d\n\nThe defiance filled the king with rage. He ruffled his feathers as a\nbird does, till he appeared to be twice his actual size, and then he\nstrode forward and struck Woof so powerful a blow that his skull\ncrackled like an egg-shell and he fell prone upon the ground.\n\nWhile the assembled bears stood looking with fear and wonder at their\nfallen champion the sky became darkened.\n\nAn hundred gulls flew down from above and dripped upon the king\u2019s body\na skin covered with pure white hair that glittered in the sun like\nsilver.\n\nAnd behold! the bears saw before them the well-known form of their wise\nand respected master, and with one accord they bowed their shaggy heads\nin homage to the mighty King of the Polar Bears.\n\n\nThis story teaches us that true dignity and courage depend not upon\noutward appearance, but come rather from within; also that brag and\nbluster are poor weapons to carry into battle.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MANDARIN AND THE BUTTERFLY\n\n\nA mandarin once lived in Kiang-ho who was so exceedingly cross and\ndisagreeable that everyone hated him. He snarled and stormed at every\nperson he met and was never known to laugh or be merry under any\ncircumstances. Especially he hated boys and girls; for the boys jeered\nat him, which aroused his wrath, and the girls made fun of him, which\nhurt his pride.\n\nWhen he had become so unpopular that no one would speak to him, the\nemperor heard about it and commanded him to emigrate to America. This\nsuited the mandarin very well; but before he left China he stole the\nGreat Book of Magic that belonged to the wise magician Haot-sai. Then,\ngathering up his little store of money, he took ship for America.\n\nHe settled in a city of the middle west and of course started a\nlaundry, since that seems to be the natural vocation of every Chinaman,\nbe he coolie or mandarin.\n\nHe made no acquaintances with the other Chinamen of the town, who, when\nthey met him and saw the red button in his hat, knew him for a real\nmandarin and bowed low before him. He put up a red and white sign and\npeople brought their laundry to him and got paper checks, with Chinese\ncharacters upon them, in exchange, this being the only sort of\ncharacter the mandarin had left.\n\nOne day as the ugly one was ironing in his shop in the basement of 263\n1/2 Main street, he looked up and saw a crowd of childish faces pressed\nagainst the window. Most Chinamen make friends with children; this one\nhated them and tried to drive them away. But as soon as he returned to\nhis work they were back at the window again, mischievously smiling down\nupon him.\n\nThe naughty mandarin uttered horrid words in the Manchu language and\nmade fierce gestures; but this did no good at all. The children stayed\nas long as they pleased, and they came again the very next day as soon\nas school was over, and likewise the next day, and the next. For they\nsaw their presence at the window bothered the Chinaman and were\ndelighted accordingly.\n\nThe following day being Sunday the children did not appear, but as the\nmandarin, being a heathen, worked in his little shop a big butterfly\nflew in at the open door and fluttered about the room.\n\nThe mandarin closed the door and chased the butterfly until he caught\nit, when he pinned it against the wall by sticking two pins through its\nbeautiful wings. This did not hurt the butterfly, there being no\nfeeling in its wings; but it made him a safe prisoner.\n\nThis butterfly was of large size and its wings were exquisitely marked\nby gorgeous colors laid out in regular designs like the stained glass\nwindows of a cathedral.\n\nThe mandarin now opened his wooden chest and drew forth the Great Book\nof Magic he had stolen from Haot-sai. Turning the pages slowly he came\nto a passage describing \u201cHow to understand the language of\nbutterflies.\u201d This he read carefully and then mixed a magic formula in\na tin cup and drank it down with a wry face. Immediately thereafter he\nspoke to the butterfly in its own language, saying:\n\n\u201cWhy did you enter this room?\u201d\n\n\u201cI smelled bees-wax,\u201d answered the butterfly; \u201ctherefore I thought I\nmight find honey here.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you are my prisoner,\u201d said the mandarin. \u201cIf I please I can kill\nyou, or leave you on the wall to starve to death.\u201d\n\n\u201cI expect that,\u201d replied the butterfly, with a sigh. \u201cBut my race is\nshortlived, anyway; it doesn\u2019t matter whether death comes sooner or\nlater.\u201d\n\n\u201cYet you like to live, do you not?\u201d asked the mandarin.\n\n\u201cYet; life is pleasant and the world is beautiful. I do not seek\ndeath.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the mandarin, \u201cI will give you life\u2014a long and pleasant\nlife\u2014if you will promise to obey me for a time and carry out my\ninstructions.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow can a butterfly serve a man?\u201d asked the creature, in surprise.\n\n\u201cUsually they cannot,\u201d was the reply. \u201cBut I have a book of magic which\nteaches me strange things. Do you promise?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes; I promise,\u201d answered the butterfly; \u201cfor even as your slave I\nwill get some enjoyment out of life, while should you kill me\u2014that is\nthe end of everything!\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d said the mandarin, \u201cbutterflies have no souls, and therefore\ncannot live again.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I have enjoyed three lives already,\u201d returned the butterfly, with\nsome pride. \u201cI have been a caterpillar and a chrysalis before I became\na butterfly. You were never anything but a Chinaman, although I admit\nyour life is longer than mine.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will extend your life for many days, if you will obey me,\u201d declared\nthe Chinaman. \u201cI can easily do so by means of my magic.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course I will obey you,\u201d said the butterfly, carelessly.\n\n\u201cThen, listen! You know children, do you not?\u2014boys and girls?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I know them. They chase me, and try to catch me, as you have\ndone,\u201d replied the butterfly.\n\n\u201cAnd they mock me, and jeer at me through the window,\u201d continued the\nmandarin, bitterly. \u201cTherefore, they are your enemies and mine! But\nwith your aid and the help of the magic book we shall have a fine\nrevenge for their insults.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t care much for revenge,\u201d said the butterfly. \u201cThey are but\nchildren, and \u2019tis natural they should wish to catch such a beautiful\ncreature as I am.\u201d\n\n\u201cNevertheless, I care! and you must obey me,\u201d retorted the mandarin,\nharshly. \u201cI, at least, will have my revenge.\u201d\n\nThen he stuck a drop of molasses upon the wall beside the butterfly\u2019s\nhead and said:\n\n\u201cEat that, while I read my book and prepare my magic formula.\u201d\n\nSo the butterfly feasted upon the molasses and the mandarin studied his\nbook, after which he began to mix a magic compound in the tin cup.\n\nWhen the mixture was ready he released the butterfly from the wall and\nsaid to it:\n\n\u201cI command you to dip your two front feet into this magic compound and\nthen fly away until you meet a child. Fly close, whether it be a boy or\na girl, and touch the child upon its forehead with your feet. Whosoever\nis thus touched, the book declares, will at once become a pig, and will\nremain such forever after. Then return to me and dip your legs afresh\nin the contents of this cup. So shall all my enemies, the children,\nbecome miserable swine, while no one will think of accusing me of the\nsorcery.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well; since such is your command, I obey,\u201d said the butterfly.\nThen it dipped its front legs, which were the shortest of the six, into\nthe contents of the tin cup, and flew out of the door and away over the\nhouses to the edge of the town. There it alighted in a flower garden\nand soon forgot all about its mission to turn children into swine.\n\nIn going from flower to flower it soon brushed the magic compound from\nits legs, so that when the sun began to set and the butterfly finally\nremembered its master, the mandarin, it could not have injured a child\nhad it tried.\n\nBut it did not intend to try.\n\n\u201cThat horrid old Chinaman,\u201d it thought, \u201chates children and wishes to\ndestroy them. But I rather like children myself and shall not harm\nthem. Of course I must return to my master, for he is a magician, and\nwould seek me out and kill me; but I can deceive him about this matter\neasily enough.\u201d\n\nWhen the butterfly flew in at the door of the mandarin\u2019s laundry he\nasked, eagerly:\n\n\u201cWell, did you meet a child?\u201d\n\n\u201cI did,\u201d replied the butterfly, calmly. \u201cIt was a pretty, golden-haired\ngirl\u2014but now \u2019tis a grunting pig!\u201d\n\n\u201cGood! Good! Good!\u201d cried the mandarin, dancing joyfully about the\nroom. \u201cYou shall have molasses for your supper, and to-morrow you must\nchange two children into pigs.\u201d\n\nThe butterfly did not reply, but ate the molasses in silence. Having no\nsoul it had no conscience, and having no conscience it was able to lie\nto the mandarin with great readiness and a certain amount of enjoyment.\n\nNext morning, by the mandarin\u2019s command, the butterfly dipped its legs\nin the mixture and flew away in search of children.\n\nWhen it came to the edge of the town it noticed a pig in a sty, and\nalighting upon the rail of the sty it looked down at the creature and\nthought.\n\n\u201cIf I could change a child into a pig by touching it with the magic\ncompound, what could I change a pig into, I wonder?\u201d\n\nBeing curious to determine this fine point in sorcery the butterfly\nfluttered down and touched its front feet to the pig\u2019s nose. Instantly\nthe animal disappeared, and in its place was a shock-headed, dirty\nlooking boy, which sprang from the sty and ran down the road uttering\nload whoops.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s funny,\u201d said the butterfly to itself. \u201cThe mandarin would be\nvery angry with me if he knew of this, for I have liberated one more of\nthe creatures that bother him.\u201d\n\nIt fluttered along after the boy, who had paused to throw stones at a\ncat. But pussy escaped by running up a tree, where thick branches\nprotected her from the stones. Then the boy discovered a newly-planted\ngarden, and trampled upon the beds until the seeds were scattered far\nand wide, and the garden was ruined. Next he caught up a switch and\nstruck with it a young calf that stood quietly grazing in a field. The\npoor creature ran away with piteous bleats, and the boy laughed and\nfollowed after it, striking the frightened animal again and again.\n\n\u201cReally,\u201d thought the butterfly, \u201cI do not wonder the mandarin hates\nchildren, if they are all so cruel and wicked as this one.\u201d\n\nThe calf having escaped him the boy came back to the road, where he met\ntwo little girls on their way to school. One of them had a red apple in\nher hand, and the boy snatched it away and began eating it. The little\ngirl commenced to cry, but her companion, more brave and sturdy, cried\nout:\n\n\u201cYou ought to be ashamed of yourself, you nasty boy!\u201d\n\nAt this the boy reached out and slapped her pretty face, whereupon she\nalso began to sob.\n\nAlthough possessed of neither soul nor conscience, the butterfly had a\nvery tender heart, and now decided it could endure this boy no longer.\n\n\u201cIf I permitted him to exist,\u201d it reflected, \u201cI should never forgive\nmyself, for the monster would do nothing but evil from morning \u2019til\nnight.\u201d\n\nSo it flew directly into his face and touched his forehead with its\nsticky front feet.\n\nThe next instant the boy had disappeared, but a grunting pig ran\nswiftly up the road in the direction of its sty.\n\nThe butterfly gave a sigh of relief.\n\n\u201cThis time I have indeed used the mandarin\u2019s magic upon a child,\u201d it\nwhispered, as it floated lazily upon the light breeze; \u201cbut since the\nchild was originally a pig I do not think I have any cause to reproach\nmyself. The little girls were sweet and gentle, and I would not injure\nthem to save my life, but were all boys like this transformed pig, I\nshould not hesitate to carry out the mandarin\u2019s orders.\u201d\n\nThen it flew into a rose bush, where it remained comfortably until\nevening. At sundown it returned to its master.\n\n\u201cHave you changed two of them into pigs?\u201d he asked, at once.\n\n\u201cI have,\u201d replied the butterfly. \u201cOne was a pretty, black-eyed baby,\nand the other a freckle-faced, red-haired, barefooted newboy.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood! Good! Good!\u201d screamed the mandarin, in an ecstasy of delight.\n\u201cThose are the ones who torment me the most! Change every newboy you\nmeet into a pig!\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d answered the butterfly, quietly, and ate its supper of\nmolasses.\n\nSeveral days were passed by the butterfly in the same manner. It\nfluttered aimlessly about the flower gardens while the sun shone, and\nreturned at night to the mandarin with false tales of turning children\ninto swine. Sometimes it would be one child which was transformed,\nsometimes two, and occasionally three; but the mandarin always greeted\nthe butterfly\u2019s report with intense delight and gave him molasses for\nsupper.\n\nOne evening, however, the butterfly thought it might be well to vary\nthe report, so that the mandarin might not grow suspicious; and when\nits master asked what child had been had been changed into a pig that\nday the lying creature answered:\n\n\u201cIt was a Chinese boy, and when I touched him he became a black pig.\u201d\n\nThis angered the mandarin, who was in an especially cross mood. He\nspitefully snapped the butterfly with his finger, and nearly broke its\nbeautiful wing; for he forgot that Chinese boys had once mocked him and\nonly remembered his hatred for American boys.\n\nThe butterfly became very indignant at this abuse from the mandarin. It\nrefused to eat its molasses and sulked all the evening, for it had\ngrown to hate the mandarin almost as much as the mandarin hated\nchildren.\n\nWhen morning came it was still trembling with indignation; but the\nmandarin cried out:\n\n\u201cMake haste, miserable slave; for to-day you must change four children\ninto pigs, to make up for yesterday.\u201d\n\nThe butterfly did not reply. His little black eyes were sparkling\nwickedly, and no sooner had he dipped his feet into the magic compound\nthan he flew full in the mandarin\u2019s face, and touched him upon his\nugly, flat forehead.\n\nSoon after a gentleman came into the room for his laundry. The mandarin\nwas not there, but running around the place was a repulsive, scrawny\npig, which squealed most miserably.\n\nThe butterfly flew away to a brook and washed from its feet all traces\nof the magic compound. When night came it slept in a rose bush.","title":"American Fairy Tales","tradition":"folklore-oral-tradition","translated_text":null,"word_count":31809}