{"collection":"folklore-oral-tradition","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_74526/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_74526","id":"gutenberg_74526","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74526","summary":null,"tags":["Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction","Children's stories","Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction","Fairies -- Juvenile fiction","Fairy tales","Fantasy literature","Flowers -- Juvenile fiction"],"text":"[Illustration: TINA ASLEEP.]\n\n\n\n\n                                  THE\n                             WONDERFUL FAN\n\n\n                              BY AUNT ELLA\n\n[Illustration: [Girl]]\n\n                                NEW YORK\n                         E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY\n                      39 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET\n\n\n\n\n                               COPYRIGHT,\n                                 1882,\n                         BY E. P. DUTTON & CO.\n\n\n                      PRESS OF J. J. LITTLE & CO.,\n                  NOS. 10 TO 20 ASTOR PLACE, NEW YORK.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n                                CONTENTS\n\n\n                                            PAGE\n                       The Solar Wave,         7\n                       The Frog,              20\n                       The Sunset Land,       24\n                       The Rose Garden,       36\n                       The Fairy\u2019s Friends,   47\n                       Flower Children,       58\n                       A Magic Rose,          70\n                       Cloud Country,         84\n\n[Illustration: [Fleuron]]\n\n\n\n\n                           THE WONDERFUL FAN.\n\n\n\n\n                            THE SOLAR WAVE.\n\n\nWhat a warm day it was! The sun beat down till everything was baking hot\nout of doors, and indoors it was nearly as bad.\n\nTina wandered about, up-stairs and down, and finally opened the parlor\ndoor.\n\n\u201cThis is the coolest place yet,\u201d she said. The shutters were closed, so\nthe hot sun did not find its way in there. There was an odor of new\nmatting and fresh flowers.\n\nTina picked up a fan that was lying on the table, threw herself down on\nthe sofa, and began fanning herself.\n\n\u201cMy, how warm I am!\u201d she said. \u201cI believe it\u2019s just the hottest day that\never was. Maria said you could bake bread on the roof.\u201d\n\nShe kept on fanning herself, once in a while opening and shutting the\nfan, which was quite a pretty one, and Tina found herself counting the\nslats and looking at the decorations on them, till suddenly a little\nface appeared, peeping at her from the center slat of the fan, and as\nthe fan waved back and forth, the little white face seemed to be bowing\nand bowing.\n\n\u201cI wonder where that little girl came from?\u201d thought Tina; \u201cshe wasn\u2019t\nhere a minute ago.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I was,\u201d said a voice, \u201conly you didn\u2019t see me. I was folded up in\nthe fan, and when you waved the fan, I came out with the breeze.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s queer,\u201d said Tina.\n\nBy this time the little face had grown larger and larger, and presently\na whole little girl stood beside her.\n\n\u201cIsn\u2019t it warm?\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cNot so very, in here,\u201d said the little girl; \u201cbut I will take you to a\nwarm place;\u201d and before Tina could say a word, she was seized by the\nhand, and found herself running swiftly along. She looked up at the\nlittle girl, who grew taller and taller, and by the time they had\nstopped running, she was a tall young maiden.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said she, as she opened a door.\n\nTina went in. There was a smell of bread-baking, and just as they\nentered Tina saw a baker taking loaves of bread out of an oven.\n\n\u201cI never was in a bake-shop before like this,\u201d thought Tina. \u201cI am glad\nI can see how they make bread, and bake it;\u201d and she stood still to\nwatch the baker.\n\nHe had a long shovel with which he was drawing the bread out of the\noven; and just at that moment Tina saw him start back, and there,\nstepping on the shovel, was a little black imp. It grinned at the baker,\nand the baker stood still and stared back at it.\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d said he. \u201cWhere did you come from?\u201d\n\n\u201cI came from the oven,\u201d said the imp. \u201cI\u2019ve been in there for a week.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo wonder he is so black,\u201d thought Tina.\n\n\u201cWell, where are you going?\u201d said the baker.\n\n[Illustration: [Baker]]\n\n\u201cI am going to the king\u2019s palace,\u201d said the imp.\n\n\u201cOho! I\u2019d like to see you,\u201d said the baker.\n\n\u201cWell, see me, then,\u201d said the imp, as he jumped down and ran to the\ndoor, shouting, \u201cHurrah for King Caloric!\u201d\n\n\u201cCome, come quickly! it is the king\u2019s son,\u201d said the maiden, seizing\nTina by the hand.\n\nThen they ran out of the door, and as they went, Tina saw the figure of\nthe imp ahead of them grow larger and larger, until they came to an open\nfield where the sun was shining brightly.\n\nAs soon as the first sunbeam struck the imp, he changed into a tall\nprince, with a golden crown on his head; but he looked thin and pale.\n\nPresently a flock of twelve geese appeared, and one of them followed the\nprince, gently pulling his coat, till he turned round to look at it.\n\nThen it ran on ahead until it came to a little brook, near to which a\ntree was growing.\n\nThe prince followed it, and taking off his crown, he hung it on the\ntree; then he lay down by the brook and went to sleep, while the goose\ncrouched down beside him, and the eleven other geese stayed a little\ndistance off, none of them allowing a soul to pass them.\n\nTina looked around, and saw in the distance what at first she thought\nwas a pile of very bright clouds, but, as she looked, she saw that it\nwas a palace, that glittered as if made of sunlight.\n\n\u201cThat is where King Caloric lives,\u201d said her companion.\n\nJust then two men passed, going different ways. One was carrying a lamp\nthat twinkled like a star, and the other had two or three vessels from\nwhich smoke seemed to come, as if there were fire inside.\n\nThey both looked in the direction of the sleeping prince, and one of\nthem said to the other:\n\n\u201cWhat is heat?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe sensation of warmth,\u201d was the reply.\n\n\u201cWhat is caloric?\u201d\n\n\u201cA subtle, invisible fluid,\u201d and his voice died away.\n\n\u201cWhat on earth do they say \u2018Familiar Science\u2019 for?\u201d said Tina.\n\n[Illustration: [Boy]]\n\n\u201cHush!\u201d said the maiden.\n\n\u201cThe Solar Wave,\u201d said the men, looking over at the prince; and they\npassed on.\n\n\u201cThis is the oddest place I ever saw,\u201d said Tina; but as she looked up\nat her companion, she saw that the tears were running down her cheeks,\nand she stooped down and kissed Tina on the forehead.\n\nThen she said, \u201cKeep fifty yards behind me, and you will be safe.\u201d And\nleaving Tina, she went toward the sleeping prince.\n\nThe geese stood aside and let her pass on.\n\nShe knelt down by the brook, and taking some water up in the hollow of\nher hand, she dropped a drop on each of the prince\u2019s eyelids.\n\nHe awoke with a start, and looked at her.\n\n\u201cIt is time,\u201d she said.\n\nHe took her by the hand, and they walked off together. The geese all\nmarched to the brink of the brook, and stood there till they were out of\nsight.\n\nTina followed them till they came to a city.\n\nShe was careful to keep fifty yards behind them.\n\n[Illustration: [Couple]]\n\nAs they went on, the streets became very narrow, the houses nearer\ntogether and crowded with people who looked from the windows and doors,\nand sat in the streets outside.\n\nAs the prince and the maiden came up to them, they seemed very much\nafraid and distressed, and once the pair stopped, and the maiden said:\n\n\u201cDo not be afraid, my good people; the prince is on his way to his\nfather\u2019s house, and he must come this way. It will only be for a little\nwhile.\u201d But as she looked at a woman holding a little sick child, she\nbegan to sob, and hurried on.\n\nTina could not imagine what was the matter, until she noticed that it\ngrew warmer and warmer, and the people could hardly breathe for the\nheat.\n\nAfter a while they came to the gates of the palace, and, for the first\ntime, Tina saw that the prince did not have on his crown. He must have\nleft it hanging on the tree, she thought.\n\nAs they went through the gates there was a great noise of trumpets.\nEverything seemed to be blazing with light and heat.\n\nThey went on from hall to hall. Just before they were to go into the\nlast one, some one handed the prince a harp.\n\nHe carried this with him into a large room. At the end of this room sat\na king on a throne.\n\n\u201cIs that King Caloric?\u201d asked Tina of the maiden, who had left the\nprince and was standing by her side.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d she replied. \u201cListen!\u201d\n\nThe prince went up to the foot of the throne, where a seat was ready for\nhim.\n\nEverything was as still as could be. There were a great many persons\nstanding about, but it was as silent as noonday, and there was the same\nfeeling in the air.\n\nPresently in came the twelve geese, the first one with the prince\u2019s\ncrown on its head. They stopped some distance from the throne, and the\nprince began to play.\n\nAs he played, Tina saw the oven and the baker, the field and the brook,\nthe narrow streets, and everything.\n\nEveryone looked very grave, and the king listened. It seemed as if the\nprince were telling all that had happened, and yet he was only playing\non his harp.\n\n\u201cIt will do. It is not so bad,\u201d said the king, when he had finished.\n\n\u201cIt is all my good Breeze,\u201d said the prince; \u201cbut for her, there would\nhave been a sad tale to tell.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is she?\u201d asked the king.\n\nThere was a little rustle, and Tina saw the maiden glide forward and\nstand by the prince.\n\n\u201cGo, my children,\u201d said the king; \u201cthe world will be glad to see you\ntogether, and I hope your dear Breeze will grow stronger, for the\nworld\u2019s sake,\u201d he said to the prince. \u201cI see now that it would not do to\npart you.\u201d\n\nThen there was a sound of rushing wings. Tina felt a cool air blowing on\nher face; the palace, the prince, and all seemed to melt away, and she\nwas looking around the parlor to find that a shutter on the shady side\nof the room had blown open, and quite a breeze was blowing. She picked\nup the fan, but the little girl\u2019s face was gone, and it looked just as\nit did before.\n\n[Illustration: [Couple]]\n\n\n\n\n                               THE FROG.\n\n\nShe commenced fanning herself again, still wondering about the prince\nand King Caloric, and looking at the fan, in hopes the little face would\nappear again.\n\nAnd in a few moments something did seem to be coming out on another\nslat; and as Tina looked, she saw it was a face, but not the same one\nshe had seen before.\n\nThis one was laughing, and the more it laughed the wider the mouth\nbecame, and the broader the face.\n\n\u201cThat is the funniest looking thing I ever saw,\u201d thought Tina, as she\nwatched it.\n\nThe face grew and grew, and in a few minutes a body appeared; that, too,\nswelled and swelled.\n\n[Illustration: [Frogs]]\n\n\u201cIt looks like a frog,\u201d said Tina, and just as she said this, hop went\nthe figure into the middle of the floor.\n\n\u201cIt is a frog,\u201d said Tina; and sure enough, there it stood on its hind\nlegs.\n\n\u201cWell, I never,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cKnee-deep,\u201d said the frog.\n\n\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d asked Tina.\n\n\u201cBottle o\u2019 rum,\u201d said the frog.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s funny talk,\u201d she said; and as she spoke the frog went hopping\nout of the door, and the first thing she knew, she was hopping after\nhim.\n\n\u201cI believe I\u2019m a frog, too,\u201d she thought.\n\nThey went hopping along, till they came to a marshy stream.\n\nThe frog sat down, and said, \u201cKnee-deep!\u201d when up hopped another frog\nand almost knocked Tina over.\n\nIt laid its hand on its stomach, and began to sing:\n\n                     \u201cCome, come, come,\n                       Come to the marsh so green,\n                     Where reeds and rushes grow,\n                       And turtles gay are seen.\u201d\n\nThe big frog pointed to Tina, and, making one leap, jumped into the\nwater. The other frog jumped in after him, and Tina was left alone.\n\nIn a few moments the big frog came up to the surface and began to sing,\nin a hoarse voice:\n\n                      \u201cDown, down, down,\n                    Down in the water cold,\n                      Down in the water clear;\n                    Here is my hand, take hold,\n                      Come, come with me, my dear.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! I don\u2019t want to go,\u201d said Tina. \u201cI don\u2019t like to be a frog.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you must,\u201d said the frog; and he reached up his hand and drew her\ndown, \u201cplump\u201d into the water.\n\nBut just as she was going, she found it wasn\u2019t the water at all, that\nshe had only rolled off the sofa. So she got up and began to fan again.\n\n\n\n\n                            THE SUNSET LAND.\n\n\n\u201cHow stupid of me to roll off the sofa,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cAnyhow, I am glad I am not a frog. I do think this is the strangest fan\nI ever saw. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see anything come out of it.\u201d\n\nThe fan wafted a soft breeze back and forth, and Tina forgot to look for\nthe little faces on it, she was so comfortable, till she heard a voice\nsay:\n\n\u201cCome, go into the woods with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d said Tina, looking at the fan.\n\n\u201cIt is I,\u201d said the voice. \u201cDon\u2019t you see me? I won\u2019t come out, unless\nyou say you will go to the woods with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, I will go,\u201d said Tina; \u201cif we don\u2019t have to go through the\nsun\u2014it is so hot.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: [Couple]]\n\n\u201cIt will be pleasant, where we are going,\u201d said the voice; and then Tina\nsaw a little boy\u2019s face appear on the fan.\n\nHe was a very pretty little boy, and as he said \u201cCome,\u201d Tina put down\nthe fan, and there was the boy standing by her side.\n\nHe took her by the hand, and suddenly she found herself with him on a\nbroad terrace, in front of a beautiful house.\n\n\u201cHow did we get here?\u201d said Tina. \u201cThis isn\u2019t my home.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, but it is one of mine,\u201d said the little boy.\n\nTina looked about her, as they walked down the steps of the marble\nterrace, and saw a lovely scene spread out before her.\n\nAll about were vases of flowers, and clumps of shrubbery. At the foot of\nthe steps there was a garden with sparkling fountains, shady walks,\nstatues peeping out here and there, and beyond a dense forest.\n\nThe air was mild, and everything looked well-cared for, but not a\ncreature was to be seen; and it was as still as could be.\n\nThey went on toward the forest, and as they entered it, Tina saw flowers\neverywhere.\n\n\u201cDo let us get some,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said the boy. \u201cI will get you a basket;\u201d and, turning a\nlittle out of the path, he went to a tree, and Tina saw that from every\nlimb baskets were hanging, as if they grew there.\n\nHe came back with one for Tina, and as she thanked him, she said: \u201cYou\nhaven\u2019t told me your name.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy name,\u201d said he, \u201cis Sunny Summer.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat a queer name!\u201d said Tina, \u201cbut I rather like it.\u201d\n\nThey went on, and Tina filled her basket with blossoms. They were the\nmost beautiful she had ever seen.\n\nSunny climbed trees for her, and helped her find the finest colors.\n\nSoon they came to a bridge.\n\n\u201cTake off your hat, and throw it in,\u201d said Sunny.\n\n\u201cIn the water?\u201d said Tina. \u201cWhat for?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou cannot go over, unless you do,\u201d said he.\n\nSo Tina took off her hat, and threw it in the water. Sunny did the same\nwith his, and they went bareheaded over the bridge.\n\n\u201cNow we can go to the Sunset Land,\u201d said he; \u201cbut we couldn\u2019t have gone\nin our old hats, for we never would have reached there alive. We will\nget new ones directly.\u201d\n\nAs they reached the other side of the bridge, Sunny went to a big hollow\ntree, and tapped on the bark, saying:\n\n                         \u201cSun, Sun, Sun,\n                           The day is not done,\n                         What have you for me,\n                           A bonnet or none?\u201d\n\nAnd at once a hand appeared, holding out a pink sunbonnet.\n\n[Illustration: [Couple]]\n\nSunny took it, and gave it to Tina. She put it on, and they went along a\nlittle further till they came to another hollow tree. Sunny tapped again\non that, saying:\n\n                         \u201cSun, Sun, Sun,\n                         The day is not done;\n                         What have you for two,\n                         A hat old or new?\u201d\n\nAnd a hand appeared with a hat in it.\n\nSunny put it on, and they went on till they came to the foot of a hill.\n\nHere they sat down and arranged the flowers.\n\n\u201cMust we go up that steep hill?\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said Sunny; \u201cwe shall see the Sunset Land from the top of it. We\nhad better start now, or we will not get there.\u201d\n\nSo he put his arm around Tina, and they trudged up the hill. When they\nreached the top, he pointed to the sky, where the sun was going down.\n\n\u201cThere is the Sunset Land!\u201d said he\u2014\u201cthe beautiful Sunset Land! See the\nrivers, and temples and the people in their rose-colored robes.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: [Chase]]\n\n\u201cI never knew it was really a place,\u201d said Tina; \u201cbut now I see that it\nis. How beautiful the gold is, and the purple. Let us hurry; I want to\nsee it nearer.\u201d\n\nSo they started down hill, and the Sunset Land faded from their sight as\nthey went on.\n\nIt grew chilly, and they came to another forest. This seemed full of\nlife. There were whiskings to and fro, chatterings up in the trees,\nrustlings among the branches, and now and then Tina heard a laugh.\n\nTina clung close to Sunny, and said, \u201cI am afraid.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, you needn\u2019t be,\u201d he said. \u201cYou mustn\u2019t be afraid of anything you\nsee, for you are perfectly safe now that you have your sunbonnet on; as\nsoon as they see that, they will know who you are.\u201d\n\nJust then two beasts came dashing along. The first was a deer, and after\nit came a wolf, while another started up from among some bushes. They\nall rushed along, but the deer was ahead; and in a moment all three were\nout of sight.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d asked Tina.\n\n\u201cThey are in a hurry to get to Sunset Land before the sun goes down. The\ndeer has despatches for China, and the wolf wants to get them away from\nhim, so they won\u2019t go off,\u201d said Sunny.\n\n\u201cPolitics, I suppose,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t the least idea what politics are,\u201d said Tina, \u201cbut it sounds\nsomething like that, when papa talks to Mr. Wright, and mamma says it is\npolitics.\u201d\n\nPresently they saw, not far off, what at first looked like the stump of\na tree; but, on coming up to it, Tina saw it was an old woman, all\nhuddled up. She had a quantity of leaves spread out before her, and she\nwas saying, over and over:\n\n                  \u201cTurn to red and turn to gold,\n                  Though we\u2019re young, we must be old.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is she doing?\u201d whispered Tina.\n\n\u201cGetting the leaves ready to turn,\u201d said Sunny.\n\n\u201cI know what that means. It means I must be going.\u201d\n\nTina couldn\u2019t imagine what he meant, but she followed him.\n\n\u201cI am getting very tired,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen will we get to Sunset Land?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt will not be long, now,\u201d said Sunny. \u201cWe will see the sentinel soon.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t believe I can go any further,\u201d said Tina, \u201cunless I rest.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust a few moments,\u201d said Sunny, kindly. \u201cWhen we come in sight of the\nsentinel, we will be all right, and can rest as long as we want to.\u201d\n\nThey walked a few yards, and in among the bushes Tina spied a man\nstanding.\n\n\u201cThere he is,\u201d said Sunny, and he sat down under a large tree.\n\nTina threw herself down beside him, and he drew her head down on his\nlap; she took hold of his hand, and in a few moments was fast asleep.\n\n[Illustration: [Couple]]\n\n\n\n\n                            THE ROSE GARDEN.\n\n\nTina thought she had slept some time when she heard a voice singing:\n\n                     \u201cI must go, I must go,\n                       To the Sunset Land;\n                     Where the golden rivers\n                       Roll on golden sand;\n                     And the purple mountains,\n                       With their peaks so bright,\n                     Tower up by mansions\n                       Built of clouds of light.\n                         Sleep, Tina, sleep,\n                         The rivers are deep!\n                             I\u2019ll away,\n                             I\u2019ll not stay!\n                                 Fare you well!\n\n                     \u201cFare you well! Fare you well!\n                       I must go, \u2019tis late;\n                     And I see opened wide,\n                       The sunlit gate\n                     Of that beautiful land,\n                     Where the cloud shapes stand,\n                     With their robes wind-blown,\n                     When the sun goes down.\n                         Dream, Tina, dreams\n                         Of those golden gleams.\n                             Think of me,\n                             When you see\n                                 The Sunset Land.\u201d\n\nBut it was some time before she could wake up at all, and then she saw\nthat the little boy had gone, and she was lying with the fan in her\nhand.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t remember having this with me,\u201d she said; \u201cbut I suppose I must\nhave taken it, or it wouldn\u2019t be here. I wonder where Sunny has gone; it\nis too bad I couldn\u2019t get to the Sunset Land after all. That must have\nbeen he singing to me. But how this fan came here is a mystery to me.\nThere is another face, of course. I knew it. I wonder how this is going\nto turn out? It looks like a girl, but I\u2019m not so sure that it is. It\nhas a ruffle around its neck\u2014no it isn\u2019t a ruffle. I believe it has\nwings.\u201d\n\nThe wings fluttered, and something flew out.\n\n\u201cWhy, you\u2019re a butterfly,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cI know it,\u201d said the creature. \u201cYou might as well say to a horse,\nyou\u2019re a horse. Everybody knows I am a butterfly. I don\u2019t see anything\nso very peculiar in my being a butterfly.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you needn\u2019t be so snappish,\u201d said Tina. \u201cI didn\u2019t suppose you\nwere going to take my head off. I\u2019m sorry I spoke.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, well, come along,\u201d said the butterfly; and Tina was amazed at\nfinding herself flying through the air after the butterfly.\n\n\u201cI should like to know what I am,\u201d she thought; \u201cbut I don\u2019t dare ask\nany questions\u2014the butterfly has such an unpleasant manner.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: [Birds]]\n\nThey went flying along, and presently Tina heard the rushing of wings\nbehind, and she saw they were joined by four birds; one of them flew\nclose by Tina. \u201cI wonder if I am a bird?\u201d thought she. \u201cI believe I will\nask. Am I a bird?\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cWhat a question!\u201d answered the bird; \u201cas if you didn\u2019t know. How could\nyou fly, if you were not a bird?\u201d\n\n\u201cI might be a butterfly,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cSo you might,\u201d said the bird. \u201cI never thought of that; but you are\nnot, all the same.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen, I suppose I must be a bird,\u201d thought Tina. \u201cI am glad I know.\u201d\n\nIt was delightful to go skimming along through the air, and Tina came to\nthe conclusion that to be a bird was better than to be a little girl.\n\n\u201cWhere are we going?\u201d she asked the bird, who was flying by her side.\n\n\u201cNo one but the butterfly knows,\u201d said the bird.\n\nPretty soon they came to a forest. \u201cI can go no further with you,\u201d said\nthe butterfly. \u201cI must go find the rose before its petals drop. If you\nreach the snow in time, turn around and come back! I will be there.\u201d\n\nThen it flew away, and Tina and the other birds went on into the forest.\nAs they went on, they heard sounds of distress, and they saw among the\nbranches of a tree two birds whose nest had been overturned, and the\neggs broken. They all gathered around, and asked the pair what had\nhappened.\n\n\u201cHe has been here,\u201d said they, chirping pitifully.\n\n\u201cCome with us,\u201d said the birds. \u201cWe are going to the North Country, and\nwe can find him. After that we will all be happy in the Rose Garden.\u201d\n\nSo the birds went with them, and they all rose up over the tops of the\ntrees, and flew through the air to the north.\n\nIt grew colder and colder. Every now and then other birds would join\nthem, when they heard where they were going; and by the time they\nreached the snow there was a large flock of them.\n\nTina wondered what they were all going to do, when they all settled down\non the snow-covered ground.\n\nThere were buildings and trees about; and after a great deal of\nchattering, some of them flew up on the branches, and others on\ndifferent places, where they all seemed to be waiting for something.\n\nFinally, they all looked at each other, and said, \u201cHere he comes!\u201d\n\nTina looked too, and saw a strange creature coming toward them. It\nlooked something like a cat, and something like a snake. She could not\ntell which it was.\n\nAt once there was a great flutter and stir among the birds, and they all\nflew furiously at the creature.\n\n[Illustration: [Birds]]\n\nTina thought it must be the one that had ruined the eggs, as she saw the\npair of birds whose nest it was, seeming very angry.\n\nShe joined the others, and they began to battle with the creature, who\nwas so taken by surprise that it did not know what to do.\n\nThey pecked at its eyes, they beat it with their wings. At last they all\nflew up on a tree, and looked at Tina.\n\n\u201cWhat am I to do?\u201d she said. \u201cYou seem to expect something of me.\u201d\n\n\u201cFinish it!\u201d said they. \u201cFinish it!\u201d they all screamed.\n\n\u201cHow can I?\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cYou know,\u201d they said. \u201cYou know best; go on.\u201d\n\nTina stood still for a moment, and then she picked up a little twig, and\nflew toward the beast.\n\nIt seemed to be greatly afraid when it saw her, and as she waved the\ntwig before its eyes, it sank back and closed them.\n\n[Illustration: [Birds]]\n\nThere was a scream of delight from the birds, and they all gathered\naround her twittering and singing.\n\n\u201cNow, to the Rose Garden,\u201d said they, and they flew off, with Tina in\ntheir midst.\n\nAs they went on, the air grew warm and balmy, and the perfume of flowers\nbecame stronger. Soon they saw a row of marble pillars, white as snow.\n\nThey all alighted, and the butterfly flew toward them.\n\n\u201cYou have done well,\u201d it said to Tina. \u201cWelcome to the Rose Garden.\u201d\n\nTina looked around and saw that she was in the most enchanting place.\nMyriads of beautiful birds flew about; butterflies of every hue darted\nhere and there, and there were roses\u2014roses everywhere.\n\nIt seemed like Fairy-land; and Tina thought it must be, when she saw she\nstill had the fan, and a little fairy face was looking at her from\nanother slat.\n\n\n\n\n                          THE FAIRY\u2019S FRIENDS.\n\n\n\u201cI thought I was a bird,\u201d said Tina, \u201cand birds don\u2019t carry fans.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were a bird, but you\u2019re not one now,\u201d said the fairy. \u201cYou touched\nthe rose before its petals fell.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen did I touch it?\u201d said Tina.\n\nThe fairy pointed to a rosebush by which Tina was sitting, and she saw\nthat one rose leaf lay on her lap; it had just dropped from a lovely\nrose that rested by her shoulder.\n\n\u201cAnd you came from the fan, too?\u201d she said to the fairy, who picked up\nthe rose leaf and began to fan herself with it.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the fairy, \u201cI am one of the Zephyrs.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you are very pretty,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cI know it,\u201d said the fairy. \u201cAt least most people think so. Now, I will\ntake you to see some friends of mine, if you would like to go,\u201d said\nshe; \u201cbut you will not see me after we leave the Rose Garden.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow will I know your friends, when I see them, and how can I find the\nway?\u201d asked Tina.\n\n\u201cOh, I will be there,\u201d said the fairy, \u201cto tell you; only you can\u2019t see\nme. I will give you a book to look at before we go, and if anything\nshould possibly happen, you have only to look in the book, and it will\nbe all plain to you. Sit there under that tree, and I will come for you\nin a moment.\u201d\n\nTina sat down and took the book in her lap, and began to look at it.\n\nIt was a very queer book, full of pictures which, when you looked close\nat them, seemed not to be pictures merely, but the places themselves.\n\nTina was puzzling over them when the fairy came back.\n\nThey passed through the Rose Garden, all the roses nodding to them, and\nthe butterflies flying about their heads to the very gate.\n\n[Illustration: [Girl]]\n\nAs they passed through the gate, the fairy disappeared.\n\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d asked Tina.\n\n\u201cI am right here beside you,\u201d said a voice. \u201cGo on straight ahead till\nyou come to an open space, where you will see some gray hares feeding.\u201d\n\nIt was not long before Tina spied the hares.\n\n\u201cNow, where shall I go?\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cKeep on to that old tree with gnarly roots.\u201d\n\nShe did so, and sat down under the tree, wondering what was coming next.\n\nPresently up hopped four hares, and sat down in front of her.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said they.\n\n\u201cIt is a fine day,\u201d said Tina, not knowing exactly what to say.\n\nThe hares looked at each other as much as to say, \u201cShe is very silly.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course it is a fine day,\u201d said one of them. \u201cDid you think we\ncouldn\u2019t see?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Tina, \u201cI only wanted to be polite.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said the hare, \u201cI\u2019m glad I know.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: [Girl]]\n\nTina put her hand in her pocket and found a piece of bread, which she\nthought she would give to the hares.\n\nThey hopped to her and began to quiver their noses.\n\n\u201cWon\u2019t you have a piece?\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d asked they.\n\n\u201cOnly bread.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is that? We never saw any before.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is very good,\u201d she replied. \u201cYou had better try it.\u201d\n\nOne of them began to nibble it, but while he was eating he began to turn\nfrom gray to black, and at once they all hopped away.\n\nTina got up and followed them. \u201cWhere is the fairy, I wonder?\u201d she said,\nlooking around.\n\n\u201cHere I am,\u201d said a voice over her head.\n\nShe looked up and saw a bird, but that was all.\n\n\u201cLook at your book,\u201d said the voice.\n\nTina looked at her book and saw a path leading to a fence. A gun was\nleaning by the fence, and a dead hare was lying on its back near by.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll go there,\u201d she said. \u201cNeed I?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the fairy. \u201cYou can go the other way.\u201d\n\nShe turned the page of her book and saw a path leading toward a village,\nand as she shut the book, there was the path before her.\n\nShe turned into it, and as she walked on she heard merry voices, that\nseemed to come nearer and nearer. She looked to the right and left, but\nsaw no one.\n\n\u201cIt must be children in the village,\u201d she thought. \u201cI will keep on. It\nsounds as if they were having a pretty good time.\u201d\n\nA few yards from her she saw two squirrels sitting up, eating nuts, and\nwhen she came up to them a nut fell right on the top of her head, and\nshe heard a little laugh somewhere above her.\n\nShe looked up, and there, in the branches of a tree, were three or four\nlittle children gathering nuts.\n\n\u201cCome up,\u201d they said. \u201cYou don\u2019t know what fun it is!\u201d\n\n\u201cShall I go?\u201d said Tina to the fairy.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d she said. \u201cThese are my friends. My father, the West Wind, is\ncoming to-night to blow down the nuts, and the squirrels will get them\nall; it is their tree, anyhow.\u201d\n\nTina went up to the tree, and was going to climb up, when suddenly she\nfelt herself lifted off her feet, and before she could turn around she\nwas sitting on a limb of the tree, with three children near her.\n\n\u201cWe have been waiting for you ever so long,\u201d said they. \u201cWhat made you\nso late?\u201d\n\n\u201cI stopped to talk to the hares,\u201d said she. \u201cI didn\u2019t know you were\nwaiting.\u201d\n\nJust then a squirrel whisked by them, stopping to look over his shoulder\nat them, and saying, \u201cDon\u2019t take too many.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: [Girl]]\n\n\u201cWe won\u2019t,\u201d said they.\n\n\u201cI never knew squirrels and such things could talk,\u201d said Tina.\n\nThe children laughed, and said, \u201cYou must have lived in a funny place\nall your life, if you never heard squirrels talk.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was a very nice place,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cPerhaps so,\u201d said the children. \u201cNever mind; let us get down, and see\nwhat is in the nuts.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, what is always in nuts, I suppose,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cOh, you don\u2019t know,\u201d said they; and they all gave a little jump, and\nsank lightly to the ground as if they were feathers.\n\nThey set to work to crack the nuts, and Tina was amazed to find that in\nevery one was something different.\n\nThe first one held a delicious bon-bon; the second a tiny little horse\nand wagon. The horse seemed alive and trotted off by itself, no one\ntried to stop it. And nut after nut was cracked, each holding something\nmore wonderful\u2014the strange part of it being that no amount of hard blows\non the shell seemed to break what was inside.\n\nAfter a while they were tired; and, taking Tina by the hand, led her to\nthe village, through the streets to a cottage. They all went in, and the\nfirst thing she knew, Tina was lying on a soft bed, feeling, oh, so\nsleepy. And in a moment more she forgot everything.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: [Children]]\n\n                            FLOWER CHILDREN.\n\n\n\u201cWake up! wake up!\u201d was the first thing she heard. She raised herself on\none elbow, and looked about her.\n\nOn the floor lay the fan, and staring up at her from one of the slats\nwas a face.\n\n\u201cWell, I declare!\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cCome, wake up! They are waiting for you,\u201d said the child, who now stood\nby the bed. \u201cThey are all down stairs.\u201d\n\nTina did not have time to say anything, but picked up the fan and\nfollowed the child downstairs.\n\nThey went into a room full of children; most of them were sitting around\nthe floor, and one seemed to be telling the others a story.\n\nAs Tina came in they made room for her.\n\n\u201cBegin the story over again, Daffodil,\u201d said they, \u201cso Eglantine can\nhear it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy name isn\u2019t Eglantine,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cOh, yes, it is,\u201d said they. \u201cThat\u2019s why you are called Tina.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I don\u2019t know your names,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cWell, we\u2019ll tell you,\u201d said they, \u201cbefore we begin the story. Here are\nViolet, and Rose, and Lily; Hyacinth, Johnny-jump-up, and Sweet William;\nand Daffodil is going to tell us about little Snow-drop.\u201d\n\nDaffodil had lovely long, yellow hair. Violet was dressed in blue, Rose\nin pink, and Lily in white. Hyacinth\u2019s clothes were of different colors.\nJohnny-jump-up was a pretty little fellow in purple velvet jacket, and\nSweet William wore dark red.\n\n\u201cAnd what is your name?\u201d said Tina to the child who had awaked her.\n\n\u201cFour-o\u2019-clock,\u201d said she, spreading out her red and white striped\nfrock. \u201cThat is why they sent me up to call you.\u201d\n\nShy little Violet nestled up to Daffodil, Rose stood near her, tall Lily\nsat opposite, and Four-o\u2019-clock sat down by Hyacinth. Tina knelt down\nbetween Rose and Sweet William, and Johnny-jump-up stood behind\nDaffodil.\n\n\u201cOne day,\u201d began Daffodil, \u201cvery early in the spring, I chanced to be\nout for the first time. It was quite cold; the snow was on the ground,\nand I began to wish I had stayed in a while longer. I looked about for\nsome one to speak to, for I felt lonely. I thought perhaps Hyacinth\nmight be out, but he wasn\u2019t; and I knew it was too soon for little\nViolet. I sat for some time looking about, then I jumped down, and\nthought I would take a walk.\n\n[Illustration: [Girl]]\n\n\u201cI went along through the snow. Oh, it was so cold! I was really glad\nthat every one was indoors. Pretty soon I saw a little heap over in the\ncorner where the snow-drops live. I went over there and brushed aside\nthe snow, and there was a dear little baby snow-drop. She was asleep,\nand I was sorry I had brushed off her cover, for I knew the frost would\nnip her, she was so young.\n\n\u201cI couldn\u2019t cover her up again very well, so I picked her up in my arms\nand brought her to a sunny spot. As soon as she was warmed through, she\nopened her eyes and smiled.\n\n\u201cShe stayed near me all that day, and was so much company. But it was so\ncold that night that she couldn\u2019t stand it; so she was taken home before\nI was, and when I got here she was waiting for me.\n\n\u201cHow glad I was to see her, for none of you had come there, you know.\nBut there is Bluebell ringing for us. We must run to the school-room.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: [Children]]\n\nThey all got up and ran out, taking Tina with them.\n\n\u201cWe only have to go to look over our lessons for to-morrow,\u201d said\nFour-o\u2019-clock, putting her arm around Tina. \u201cIt will only be for half an\nhour.\u201d\n\nTina went with them into a large school-room, and saw that there were\ndifferent classes for them all, though they all seemed to learn pretty\nmuch the same thing.\n\nAfter a while Bluebell rang again, and they all stood up waiting for\ntheir teachers, and in they came.\n\nThere was Miss Sunshine, Miss Wind, and Miss Rain. They all gathered\naround Miss Sunshine, and some of them went out with her; but two or\nthree stayed behind to have their lessons explained by Miss Wind and\nMiss Rain.\n\n\u201cWhere is Snow-drop?\u201d said Tina. \u201cI have not seen her.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is so little and delicate she doesn\u2019t often come to school. She is\nwith Eolus, Miss Wind\u2019s brother; he is so fond of music, and Snow-drop\nloves to hear him play.\u201d\n\nThey passed along through the garden, and everywhere Miss Sunshine went\nit looked brighter. She smiled down on Tina, and Tina blushed with\npleasure.\n\nThey went on into the house, and came to a curtained doorway. As they\ndrew near, Tina heard music that sounded like the wind blowing over\nharp-strings. It had a wild, sweet, wailing sound, that almost made Tina\ncry. She pushed aside the curtain and went into the room. A boy was\nplaying on a violoncello, and on the floor sat the dearest little child,\nall in white.\n\n\u201cThat must be Snow-drop,\u201d thought Tina, \u201cand she does look like one.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are you playing?\u201d she asked the boy.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you hear?\u201d he replied. \u201cIt is the Wind\u2019s Song.\u201d\n\n\u201cI knew it sounded like the wind,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cSit down and listen,\u201d said he.\n\nTina sat down, and it seemed to her that the wind was speaking, and this\nwas what it said:\n\n         \u201cUp and away, where the leaves are at play,\n         Or where on the rocks the waves dash their spray;\n         Sending wild clouds scudding fast through the sky,\n         Sweeping along o\u2019er the whole earth go I.\n                     Whe-e-e-e-ew!\n\n         \u201cUp and away; ever on, ever on,\n         Strewing my tokens wherever I\u2019ve gone;\n         Whirling, and driving, and hurrying by,\n         O\u2019er hill-top, through valley, forever go I.\n                     Whe-e-e-e-ew!\n\n         \u201cUp and away, with a blast and a swoop,\n         All round the house, with a howl and a whoop;\n         Singing my wild song, now low, now high,\n         Through key-holes, down chimneys, round corners go I.\n                     Whe-e-e-e-ew!\u201d\n\n\u201cHow do you like it?\u201d said Eolus.\n\n[Illustration: [Children]]\n\n\u201cVery much,\u201d Tina replied. \u201cWon\u2019t you please play something else?\u201d\n\nHe did so; and all the time he was playing Tina thought of trickling\nwater, lovely flowers, and moonlight.\n\n\u201cThat was lovely,\u201d she said, sighing, when he had finished.\n\n\u201cI think so, too,\u201d said Snow-drop. \u201cCome, take me to the dear Sunshine.\nI am tired.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou look pale,\u201d said Tina; and taking her by the hand, she led her out\ndoors. The others were running hither and thither, their bright dresses\nmaking them look like bunches of flowers at a little distance.\n\n\u201cCome play,\u201d they called to Tina; and she ran to join them, leaving\nSnow-drop with Miss Sunshine.\n\n\u201cLet us play the \u2018Wreath,\u2019\u201d they said.\n\n\u201cWhat is that?\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cOh, you will see;\u201d and in another moment they were formed into a long\nchain.\n\n\u201cNow, go see how we look,\u201d they said to Tina.\n\nShe ran off a little way, and saw that they looked like a wreath of\nflowers.\n\nWhile she was looking, they all gathered around Lily, and there was a\nbig bouquet, with Lily in the middle.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t see how they do it,\u201d thought Tina.\n\n\u201cNow we are going to hide,\u201d said they, \u201cand you must find us;\u201d and in\nanother moment they were gone.\n\nTina looked all around for them, but not one was to be seen. Instead,\nthe garden was full of blooming flowers.\n\nAs she passed by the different ones, they all seemed to look knowingly\nat her.\n\nShe ran about till she was quite warm and tired. She stopped by a\nrosebush, and began to fan herself with a big leaf; and what was her\nsurprise to find, while she was fanning, it turned into the same fan she\nhad used so often before.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: [Children]]\n\n                             A MAGIC ROSE.\n\n\n\u201cWell, here you are again,\u201d she said. \u201cYou must have wings. I don\u2019t see\nhow else you could get about as you do. I really am tired of you;\u201d and,\ngiving the fan a fling, she threw it over the wall.\n\n\u201cHa! ha! You can\u2019t get rid of me that way,\u201d said some one. \u201cYou\u2019ll have\nto give me a rose now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho on earth is that?\u201d said Tina. And a little girl appeared on the\nother side of the wall.\n\n\u201cI suppose you came out of the fan?\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cOf course,\u201d said she. \u201cYou had no business to throw the fan away; and\nnow you will have to give me a rose for it.\u201d\n\nTina turned and took a rose from the bush by her side. \u201cWhat are you\ngoing to do with it?\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cYou will see,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what they all say,\u201d said Tina; \u201cand I should think I did see.\u201d\n\nThe little girl laughed, and said: \u201cI had better not tell you what is\ncoming, but you have been with the Flower Children long enough;\u201d and\nsaying this, she touched Tina with the rose, and in another moment she\nwas on the other side of the wall.\n\nThe ground was rough and stony, and hard to walk upon.\n\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t a bit nice,\u201d said she. \u201cYou might have taken a better path.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t expect to have things always pleasant,\u201d said the little girl.\n\u201cRemember, this is where you threw the fan.\u201d\n\nTina was silent, and went on stumbling over the rocks.\n\nThey soon came to a muddy ditch; the little girl sprang over it, and\nstood on the other side waiting for Tina; but although she tried and\ntried, she could not get over it.\n\n\u201cWhat am I to do?\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cSay you are sorry you threw the fan over the wall,\u201d said the little\ngirl.\n\n\u201cI am sorry,\u201d said Tina.\n\nThe little girl leaned over and touched her with the rose, and at once\nshe was on the other side.\n\nThey went on, picking their way through the mud, till they came to a\nlarge hole in the side of a hill. There was a heavy stone rolled up in\nfront of it.\n\n[Illustration: [Dog]]\n\nThe little girl took the rose, and lightly tapped with it, saying:\n\n                       \u201cKitty-cat! Kitty-cat!\n                         Some one is here;\n                       Two times, or three times,\n                         You need have no fear.\u201d\n\nThe heavy stone was rolled away, and they went into what seemed a long,\nwinding passage. It grew darker and darker as they went on.\n\n\u201cTake care,\u201d said the little girl. \u201cHere are some steps.\u201d\n\nThey went down two or three steps, and came to a big stone door.\n\nThe little girl touched it two or three times with the rose, saying:\n\n                      \u201cKitty-cat! Kitty-cat!\n                        Open the door;\n                      Two knocks, or three knocks,\n                        Have brought you before.\u201d\n\nThe door swung open, and they stepped into a large room, or rather hall.\n\nOn a big rug, in front of a door, lay a large dog, with two or three\nkittens crawling over him.\n\n\u201cIs Kitty-cat ready for us?\u201d asked the little girl.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the big dog, in a gruff voice. \u201cShe has just taken her nap.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan we go in?\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cKnock, and see,\u201d was the reply.\n\nThe little girl knocked with the rose, and said:\n\n                        \u201cKitty-cat! Kitty-cat!\n                          Are you at home?\n                        Open the door, please,\n                          And see who has come.\u201d\n\nThe door slowly opened\u2014they went in. It closed after them, and Tina saw\nthat they were in a large room. There seemed to be no one there at\nfirst; but, on looking around, she saw a large Maltese cat, sitting on a\nvelvet cushion in front of the fire. She had a gold crown on her head,\nand around her neck a fine collar embroidered with pearls.\n\nThe two girls went softly up to her. She waved her paw toward a lounge\non one side, and they sat down.\n\nFor some time nothing was said, and they all sat looking at the fire.\n\nThen the cat turned her green eyes toward Tina, and said, \u201cSo you\ncouldn\u2019t get over the ditch?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cHow do I know anything?\u201d said the cat. \u201cLook in the fire.\u201d\n\nTina looked, and saw the most wonderful sights, just as if they were\nreally there. All that had just passed was plainly before her. She even\nsaw herself standing by the ditch, and waiting to have the stone doors\nopened.\n\n\u201cThis is very strange,\u201d she thought. Just then the cat got up, stretched\nherself, and walked over to where Tina was sitting. She jumped up on the\nlounge and put her paw in Tina\u2019s lap.\n\n[Illustration: [Girl]]\n\nTina looked around for the little girl, but she was gone, and only the\nrose was lying where she had been sitting.\n\nTina picked up the rose, but the cat took it from her, saying, \u201cYou must\nnot have that till you go. Now it is time for me to take another nap; so\nyou can go to your room.\u201d And, holding the rose in her paw, she gave\nTina a tap with it, and she at once found that she was in her own room\nat home.\n\n\u201cWell, I am glad to get back,\u201d she said. \u201cI wonder if everything is all\nright?\u201d\n\nShe looked about her for her toys. She only saw a few of them, and at\nthe same time she heard something scratching and growling over by the\nwindow. She ran quickly to see, and there found a black cat wound up in\nher favorite toys, kicking and scratching, and making a great fuss.\n\n\u201cOh, dear!\u201d she began to cry, \u201cyou have ruined my things, you nasty,\nmean cat!\u201d The cat sat up on its hind legs, every hair bristling.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you call me that!\u201d it said. \u201cWhat did you do to the fan? Remember\nwhere you are.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am in my own room,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cOh, you think so,\u201d said the cat. \u201cWell, perhaps you will find out you\nare mistaken. It is my room, I\u2019ll have you to know.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt isn\u2019t,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cIt is,\u201d said the cat.\n\n\u201cI am going to tell my mamma,\u201d sobbed Tina; and she ran to the door.\n\nBut the cat was there before her, and began waltzing around on its hind\nlegs, crying, \u201cWhere is the rose? How are you going to get out without\nthe rose?\u201d\n\nAnd Tina found she could not get by the cat. She made a rush at it and\ngave it a knock. Instantly the room was full of cats. They snarled and\nglared at Tina, so that she was frightened nearly to death.\n\nShe began to wring her hands and look for some way to get out, but the\ncats were all around her.\n\nIn the midst of the noise and fuss, in came the cat with the crown and\ncollar. Two little white kittens were holding up her tail; and another\none held a silver waiter, with the rose lying on it. A large black cat\nbrought up the rear with the velvet cushion.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d asked the queen cat.\n\nThen all the cats began to point at Tina, and to talk at once.\n\nShe stood there crying, hardly knowing what to do, when a thought struck\nher, and she ran forward and snatched the rose from the silver waiter.\n\nIn an instant she was standing outside of the stone castle.\n\n\u201cNow, where am I to go?\u201d said she. \u201cI would like to get away from here\nas fast as I can. I am afraid the cats will come after me.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: [Horse]]\n\nShe looked around, and saw a stable. \u201cI wonder if there is a horse in\nthere?\u201d she said. \u201cI might get on his back, if there is, and get away.\u201d\n\nShe went up to the door, and touched it with the rose, but it did not\nopen.\n\n\u201cOh, dear! if I could only think of something to say,\u201d she said.\n\nShe stood there looking at the rose, and lifted it to her lips without\nthinking. As soon as she had done it, she found herself saying:\n\n                   \u201cHorse, horse, open the door,\n                   I never wished you so much before.\n                           Take me away,\n                           Horsey, I pray,\n                   Horse, horse, open the door!\u201d\n\nThe door flew open, and there stood a horse. Tina climbed up on his\nback, touched him with the rose, and he trotted out. The door swung to,\nand they set off down the road.\n\n\u201cHow glad I am to get out of there, and yet I thought I was in my own\nroom,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cI wonder where the horse will take me?\u201d\n\nThe horse pricked up his ears and jogged along in a very sleepy sort of\na way, and Tina began to get sleepy too.\n\nShe felt herself nodding, nodding, when all at once the horse kicked up\nhis heels, and over Tina went, right into a snow-bank.\n\nShe sat up rubbing her eyes, and looked around for the horse, but he was\nnowhere in sight. The rose too was gone, but there by her side was the\nfan.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: [Girl]]\n\n                             CLOUD COUNTRY.\n\n\n\u201cYou must have dropped from the clouds,\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cSo I did.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho is I?\u201d\n\n\u201cLook up, and you will see.\u201d\n\nTina looked up, and saw nothing but a little white cloud floating along.\nIt came nearer and nearer, and a voice said \u201cCome!\u201d\n\nTina got up and ran along the road following the little cloud, which\nseemed to be a few yards ahead of her.\n\nThey presently came to the edge of a wood. The cloud suddenly\ndisappeared, and Tina followed a path that led into the wood. The snow\nhad all disappeared, and she saw ahead of her a little spring bubbling\nout of a rock, and gurgling along till it ran off a little happy brook.\n\nWhen she reached the spring she saw, seated on a rock near by, a\nbeautiful little creature in soft fleecy white, that floated about her\nlike a cloud. She wore a scarf that looked like a rainbow; stars\ntwinkled in her hair, and in her hands she held a bow like a new moon.\n\n\u201cYou certainly must have come from the clouds,\u201d said Tina, \u201cfor I never\nsaw anything like you before.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said she, \u201cI did come from Cloud Country, and I am going to take\nyou back with me. I am one of the little clouds, and my name is\n\u2018Fleecy.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cI shall like to go with you,\u201d said Tina. \u201cYou are so lovely.\u201d\n\nFleecy smiled, and, tying one end of her scarf around Tina\u2019s waist, she\nkissed her cheek, and they rose up in the air.\n\nIt was delightful.\n\nTina felt herself wafted along, and felt as if she could float that way\nforever.\n\nUp, up they went, till trees looked like bushes, and people like ants,\nand then they entered the gates of Cloud Country.\n\nThese were of pure white; and what a beautiful sight Tina saw as they\nwent in, and the gates rolled together.\n\nStretching to one side was a wide sea, as blue as blue could be, the\nshores stretching out of sight. Great rocks towered up all around.\n\nOn the other side rose up a gleaming palace. The doors were hung with\npurple and rose color, and, as the curtains swayed, you caught sight of\nthe dazzling splendor inside.\n\n[Illustration: [Children]]\n\nOver the palace a rainbow arched and dipped down into the sea, where\nlittle white ships were sailing about.\n\nFleecy took Tina to the shore of the sea, and she saw on the rocks\nseveral children looking out on the water.\n\n\u201cWhat are they there for?\u201d asked Tina.\n\n\u201cThey are stars,\u201d said Fleecy, \u201cand they are waiting till it is time for\nthem to come out.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey don\u2019t look like stars,\u201d said Tina. \u201cThey just look like any\nchildren. I thought stars must be very beautiful.\u201d\n\n\u201cSome of them are,\u201d said Fleecy, \u201cbut these are quite ordinary. Those\nthat attend the moon are very beautiful.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is the moon?\u201d said Tina.\n\n\u201cShe is in the palace,\u201d said Fleecy. \u201cShe will come out soon, then you\ncan see her. Maybe she will let you go with her to-night, as you are a\nstranger here.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat shall we do now?\u201d asked Tina.\n\n\u201cOh, we can slide down the rainbow, or rock in one of the hammocks, or\ngo sailing on the water.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am almost afraid to slide down the rainbow; it goes right into the\nwater.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but you go right through that; it won\u2019t hurt you. When we are in a\nhurry we go down to earth that way.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think I would rather rock in a hammock.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well; come with me.\u201d\n\nShe took Tina farther away from the sea, and in another moment she was\nlying on the softest, rosiest cloud, with Fleecy by her side.\n\n\u201cWhen will the moon be out?\u201d said she. \u201cIsn\u2019t it nearly time?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said Fleecy. \u201cI see the lights over in the palace now. They are\nbringing out the chariot.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe had better go,\u201d she said to Tina, and they got out of the hammock,\nand went and stood by the palace steps.\n\nVery soon there was a rustle. It grew lighter and lighter. Down the\nsteps came first a beautiful maiden bearing a lighted taper, that shone\nwith the fairest, purest light.\n\n\u201cThat is Venus,\u201d whispered Fleecy. \u201cShe is the Evening Star now, and\ngoes ahead of the queen.\u201d\n\nThen came a procession of other stars, and next them the queen herself.\n\n\u201cHow fair and lovely she is!\u201d said Tina.\n\nShe wore a dress of spun silver, and a crown of diamonds on her head.\n\nAs she passed along, Tina saw quantities of figures on each side the\nsteps, a long procession of them that extended to the sea.\n\n\u201cThose are clouds,\u201d whispered Fleecy, quietly. \u201cStay here. I must go and\ntake my place among them.\u201d\n\nTina stood at the foot of the steps. As the queen passed along, the\ncrowd made way, and she went through them until she came to Tina.\n\nShe stopped and looked at her.\n\n\u201cYou are an earth child,\u201d she said. \u201cYou shall go with me in my\nchariot.\u201d And, taking her by the hand, she led her to a silver chariot\nthat was waiting just beyond.\n\nTaking the taper from Venus, the queen got in, and motioned Tina to\nfollow.\n\n[Illustration: [Tina]]\n\nShe did so, and they rolled along toward the sea, the crowd scattering\nas they passed.\n\nThe chariot seemed to have no wheels, and when they reached the blue\nwater, it slipped in and sailed along as easily as a boat.\n\nTina looked over, and saw that she could look through the water as\neasily as if there were nothing there.\n\nThe whole earth lay quiet before her. She looked down and saw a maiden\nstanding at a window, looking out.\n\n\u201cShe is unhappy,\u201d said the queen; \u201cand yet I think she will be glad to\nsee me.\u201d And she turned her face toward the windows where the maiden\nstood.\n\nShe turned and looked up at them, and a faint smile came over her face.\n\nIt was so still, that Tina heard her say distinctly, \u201cOh, fair moon, you\nhave driven away the clouds from the sky. Perhaps there may come some\nbright hope to drive away the clouds from my life.\u201d\n\nThey went sailing on over the blue sea, till they came to land again.\nThey passed by huge masses of gray rocks, and Tina saw ahead of them a\npale pink light.\n\n\u201cThe sun is coming,\u201d said the moon. \u201cWe must hurry home, or I will have\nto put out my light.\u201d\n\nThey soon came in sight of the gleaming palace. Fleecy came to meet\nthem, and the queen went in and left them.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said Fleecy, \u201cwe will go sailing on the water; and when you get\ntired, you can just slide down the rainbow to earth again.\u201d\n\nA quantity of little white ships were sailing about. One floated up to\nthem. They got in, and sailed along with the rest.\n\nIn every ship there was a little cloud. They all smiled at\nTina\u2014sometimes sailing right along by the ship she was in. They were all\nsuch happy little clouds.\n\n\u201cDo you always have such a good time?\u201d asked Tina of Fleecy.\n\n\u201cNo; sometimes the storms come,\u201d she said, \u201cand they hurry us along, and\nwhirl us about till we hardly know which way to go, and fly as hard as\nwe can to get out of their way.\u201d\n\nJust then thunder was heard in the distance, and Tina began to get\nfrightened. \u201cOh, I wish I were at home!\u201d she said.\n\nShe looked over the side of the ship, and saw that they were directly\nover a lake on the earth. There was a little boat on it, with some\npeople in it. One end of the rainbow seemed to go down directly into the\nlake, and the people were looking at it.\n\n\u201cI will go right into the water,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cOh, no you won\u2019t,\u201d said Fleecy. \u201cI will watch to see that you get down\nsafely.\u201d\n\nPatter, patter, came big drops of rain.\n\nThe little ship sailed up to the rainbow, and Tina got on it, holding on\nwith both hands.\n\n\u201cGood-bye,\u201d called Fleecy.\n\n\u201cGood-bye,\u201d she answered; and down she went through the blue sea.\nDown\u2014down, so swiftly!\n\nShe looked back at Fleecy sitting in the boat, and held on as hard as\nshe could, hoping to be saved from the cold water.\n\nDown she went, and she shut her eyes hard and knew she was lost.\n\nNow how sorry she was that she had left the boat, and trusted herself to\nthe rainbow.\n\n[Illustration: [Children]]\n\n\u201cOh, I shall be drowned!\u201d she cried; and she clung to the rainbow with\nall her might, but it felt hard, like wood. She rubbed her eyes, looked\naround, and saw that she was lying on the sofa, in her own parlor at\nhome, holding fast to the fan, surprised to find that a heavy gust had\ncome up, and it was raining hard.\n\n[Illustration: [Dog]]\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n                         E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY\n\n                           NEW AND BEAUTIFUL\n\n                           ILLUSTRATED BOOKS\n\n                                  FOR\n\n                            THE LITTLE ONES,\n\n  Bound in bright and attractive Chromo-Lithograph Board Covers. Large\n                              Quarto size.\n\n\n                __NEW PICTURES.__      __NEW STORIES.__\n\n\n                       AT TWENTY-FIVE CENTS EACH.\n\n                   All Around a Christmas Tree.\n                   Winter Snow, Summer Sunshine.\n                   Happy Times, Pictures and Rhymes.\n                   Oh! So Pretty.\n                   Little Baby Buds.\n                   Nursery Sunshine and Prattle.\n\n\n                          AT FIFTY CENTS EACH.\n\n                           At the Seaside.\n                           The Wonderful Fan.\n                           On the Lawn.\n\n\n                      AT SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS EACH.\n\n                          My Christmas Album.\n                          For Mamma\u2019s Darling.\n\n\n                          AT ONE DOLLAR EACH.\n\n                         Eight Happy Holidays.\n                         Daisies and Raindrops.\n\n\n               AT ONE DOLLAR AND TWENTY-FIVE CENTS EACH.\n\n                      Sunday, 1882.\n                      Little Ones at Play.\n                      The Captain\u2019s Children.\n                      Aunt Sophy\u2019s Boys and Girls.\n                      The Little Brown House.\n                      Frisk and his Flock.\n                      A Houseful of Children.\n                      Pussy Tiptoes Family.\n\n\n               AT ONE DOLLAR AND SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS EACH.\n\n        Little Folks in Feathers and Fur By OLIVE THORNE MILLER.\n        Queer Pets at Marcy\u2019s            By OLIVE THORNE MILLER.\n\n         \u2042 ASK YOUR BOOKSELLER FOR DUTTON\u2019S BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.\n\n   _Any Book on this List sent, postpaid, on receipt of price, by the\n                              Publishers._\n\n                        E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY,\n\n              39 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET,      NEW YORK.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                          TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES\n\n\n \u25cf Typos fixed; non-standard spelling and dialect retained.\n \u25cf Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.","title":"The wonderful fan","tradition":"folklore-oral-tradition","translated_text":null,"word_count":10237}