Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper, Emmy and the
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[Illustration]
_"Come with me for a visit
To Fairyland, dear Ned.
I'll show you many won'drous things,"
The tiny Gnomeman said._
[Illustration]
_"I've lost a magic golden ring,"
The pretty Bluebird sighed.
"Don't worry," laughed the kind old fish,
"I have it safe inside."_
[Illustration]
_"I'll hurry, Mother," Jimmy cried,
As down the road he ran,
When in a jiffy up there jumped
A little Rabbitman._
[Illustration]
_"Come, Mr. Elephant," cried Shem,
"Don't fear the dreadful Shark.
The Circus Folk are calling us
To leave the big Noah's Ark."_
[Illustration]
THE MAGIC SOAP BUBBLE
by
DAVID CORY
LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPYLAND
The Cruise of the Noah's Ark
The Magic Soap-Bubble
The Iceberg Express
The Wind Wagon
The Magic Umbrella
BY
DAVID CORY
Author of
Little Jack Rabbit Series
(Trademark Registered)
[Illustration: NED ATE THE MAGIC CAKE
_The Magic Soap Bubble_ _Frontispiece_]
LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPY LAND
(Trademark Registered)
* * * * *
THE MAGIC SOAP BUBBLE
BY
DAVID CORY
AUTHOR OF
THE LITTLE JACK RABBIT BOOKS
[Illustration]
PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED
BY
E.I. JONES AND P.H. WEBB
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
* * * * *
Made in the United States of America
COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY
GROSSET & DUNLAP.
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE MAGIC SOAP PIPE 9
THE MAGIC CAKE 25
THE MAGIC NECTAR 39
THE MAGIC AXE 53
THE MAGIC SPRING 63
MAGIC FOOD 73
MAGIC EARS 85
THE MAGIC BASKET 95
THE MAGIC RING 123
THE MAGIC BALLOON 139
THE MAGIC SOAP PIPE
The King of the Gnomes prepares the Magic Pipe for making the Magic Soap
Bubble.
[Illustration]
THE MAGIC SOAP PIPE
NED had been reading a very interesting book about fairies and goblins,
and how these real queer little folk inhabit dense forests and lofty
mountain caves and lead a wonderful life apart from the homes and cities
of men.
The book was very large and heavy, and the afternoon was very warm, and
the big armchair in which he was curled up was so comfortable that by
and by he let the book slip to one side.
He had just closed his eyes for a moment to rest them, when he was
startled by a little squeaky voice at his elbow.
He opened his eyes with a start and saw a Gnome standing on the
window-sill just in front of him. Yes, there was no mistake about it, it
was a Gnome. For had not Ned a moment before seen his picture in the big
book he had been reading? Indeed, it almost seemed as if the picture
itself had stepped out of the page from between the covers, so exactly a
duplicate did the little man appear.
"Hello, Ned!" said the little squeaky voice again. "I say, hello! You
ought to know me well enough by this time to answer, since you've been
reading about me for the last hour."
"Hello, yourself!" replied Ned, laughing in spite of himself, and
rubbing his eyes again to make sure that it was not a picture from the
book.
[Illustration]
"Can't you see a fellow is sleepy after reading so long a time? I
didn't think you were coming out of the book to speak to me, you know."
"Neither did I," retorted the Gnome, with a funny wink. "I came from the
forest to invite you to take a little journey with me through Gnomeland.
I am the King of the Gnomes, and my subjects have told me how interested
you are in reading about us, so I have come to take you for a trip
through our kingdom. I know you will love to see all the wonderful
things you have been reading about. Will you come?"
"Indeed, I will," said Ned.
"Then follow me," replied the Gnome.
Ned jumped through the window after the little fellow, who ran swiftly
down the walk and across the fields to the forest beyond.
As they neared the brook that ran through the meadow, the Gnome paused.
Taking from his pocket a clay pipe, he stooped over and filled it with
water.
"Did you ever blow soap bubbles?" he asked, taking a piece of soap from
another pocket and rubbing it carefully around the inside of the
pipe-bowl.
"Yes," replied Ned, "lots of times."
"Well, you wait and see what sort of a bubble I'll blow," replied the
Gnome.
It was a bubble! But the strangest part of it all was that Ned found
himself inside of it with his companion.
"How did we get inside, or how did the bubble get around us?" asked Ned,
but before his question was answered away went the bubble up in the air,
across the meadow, above the little brook, yes, over the roof of his own
house, higher and higher, until finally it reached the big high mountain
that he had so often dimly seen from the window of his bedroom at home.
After circling about the highest peak the bubble at length safely
landed on a rocky ledge.
Before Ned could ask how they were ever going to get out the Gnome
opened a little door through which he led him to the outer air.
There was a great change in the temperature, or else the inside of the
bubble was very warm, for Ned began to shiver and shake. "Who-o-!" he
cried; "it's co-old!"
"Of course it is. Look," answered the Gnome, and Ned's eyes, following
the pointing finger of his little friend, fell upon a strange and
terrifying figure.
Behind a bank of icicles stood a giant, with an immense helmet upon his
head, from which hung long sharp pieces of ice. The top part was covered
with snow which slipped off at intervals like a small avalanche to the
ground below. His beard and mustache were festooned with thin slivers
of ice, and his shoulders bore epaulets of frosted snow. The cuffs of
his greatcoat were fringed with snowflakes, and altogether he was a
startling and frigid looking individual. In his hands he held a
monstrous bellows, from which he forced out a blast of icy air which,
scattering the snow in whirling clouds, went howling down the rocky
ravines.
"He's the Wind Man of the Mountain," explained the Gnome, turning to
shivering Ned, whose toes and fingers by this time were quite numb with
the cold.
"Well, I'd like to meet a Hot Air Man," said Ned, blowing on his hands
to keep them from freezing. "I'd like to feel warm again."
"Well, then follow me!" cried the Gnome, and turning to a big rock he
tapped upon it twice with the toe of his little red boot. In a moment a
door opened, showing a pair of rocky steps leading down into the
mountain.
"Be careful," admonished the Gnome, as he and Ned descended the rough
flight. "Don't slip, for you might fall a long way."
Ned assured him he had no desire to fall, but that his feet were so numb
he wasn't at all sure but what he might slip, no matter how hard he
tried to be careful.
Although it was not exactly dark, at the same time the light was not
sufficient for Ned to make out anything distinctly, and as the stairway
was narrow and the walls dim he kept his eyes closely upon the ground.
Soon they came to a level corridor and he perceived a dim light in the
distance. "Where are we going?" he asked. But at this point an iron door
arrested their progress, and without pausing to answer, the Gnome took
from his pocket a key. Inserting it in the lock, the door slowly swung
open, and Ned heard the faint beating of a drum.
"Sit down," said the Gnome, drawing forward a wooden stool, much too
small for Ned, but probably just the right size for a Gnome; "sit down
and wait a moment while I go in search of the Gnomeland Band. I want you
to hear them play, and I hear them practising now."
Ned glanced curiously around the strange place. It suddenly occurred to
him that he was a long, long way from home. Here he was, deep down in
the mountain, in a rocky cavern, sitting on a little Gnome stool,
waiting for his friend to return. But what if he did not come back?
Ned's hair suddenly stood on end at the thought. Going over to the big
iron door, he tried to turn the great knob, but his fingers either were
not strong enough or he did not know the secret of the lock. Returning
to his seat, he made up his mind to wait a while before allowing his
fears to get the better of him. This is what every brave boy would do
under the circumstances, he said to himself, resolving not to be a
coward.
Presently he was relieved to hear music, as the Gnome, at the head of
the Gnomeland Band, came into view; and the funniest band that Ned had
ever seen. Why, each instrument was playing itself and dancing the
Mountain Tango at the same time!
The big drum went "Bum, bum, bum, diddle dum," and pranced around on a
pair of short, fat legs in red stockings. Two fat little arms beat the
drumsticks on the top of his head, or what appeared to be the top of his
head, which was in reality a funny face, which winked and blinked as
the drumsticks traveled over the queer little features.
"Toot! toot!" went the big yellow horn, as his fat little fingers
pressed in the brass stops that made the notes high or low, or soft or
shrill. Over the floor he skipped, after the round, fat drum.
The 'cello and the violin came next. The latter ran his bow across his
stringed waistcoat in perfect time, while the former twanged the strings
that covered his happy face in a jolly fashion. The rest of the band
played on themselves beautifully, and the Gnome, with his baton, proved
a most capable leader. In fact, the music was so delightful that Ned
finally could restrain himself no longer, and, jumping up, began dancing
around to the tune of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow!"
"Heigh-ho! hey diddle-do!
Down in the mountain deep,
Fiddle and drum, tiddle-dy-um,
Are doing the Leopard Leap!"
Just then the music stopped, or, rather, the Musical Instruments paused
to take breath, and Ned sat down again, wondering what next would
happen. In a few minutes the round, fat drum commenced to beat "Left,
right! left, right!" and the Gnomeland Band fell into line and marched
slowly down the long cavern until it was out of sight.
THE MAGIC CAKE
Ned and the Gnome landed safely on a big soft bunker of moss.
[Illustration]
THE MAGIC CAKE
AS the last drum beat died away in the distance, the Gnome turned to Ned
and said: "Come, let us hasten, for I am rather hungry, and you no doubt
are in need of nourishment also."
Ned obeyed willingly, for he had tasted nothing since breakfast and was
now as hungry as a healthy youngster should be.
At the farther end of the cavern was an inclined plane, very much like
the chutes at Coney Island.
Carefully seating Ned at his side the Gnome said: "Now hold tight, and
hold your breath and hold your tongue--in fact, hold everything you've
got--for we are going to take a swift shoot to the bottom of the
mountain and you'll find out what the word swift means if you never have
before!"
At this they began to move, and in another moment they were traveling as
fast as a bullet from a gun.
The wind, whistling by, cut Ned's cheeks like little sharp needles; his
hair stood out behind like feathers on a speeding arrow.
They were going so fast it was almost impossible to breathe.
Presently a tiny light appeared in the distance, and he saw that they
were now on a level, although still going at a tremendous rate of speed.
In another moment they shot through the little round hole of light,
which turned out to be the opening at the other end, and he and the
Gnome landed safely on a big soft bunker of moss in the midst of a
beautiful forest.
Birds were singing in the treetops and little rabbits were skipping on
the soft carpet of the woodland.
Pretty flowers sent forth a delicious perfume and a brook close at hand
rippled over the pebbly bottom of its bed.
"Wait," cried the Gnome, as Ned leaned over to drink the cool water.
"Wait; I have for you the most delicious drink if you will restrain your
impatience a moment longer."
Ned obeyed and followed the Gnome along a narrow path until they came to
a small clearing, where the blue sky smiled down upon them.
In the center of the spot was a monstrous watermelon, standing up on
end, the thick vine supporting it like a strong round barrel stave.
A large wooden spigot protruded from one side and over it leaned a
Gnome, who had climbed upon the vine in order to reach the handle.
Ned's little companion lifted a goblin cup to catch the drops of
delicious looking pink juice which began to drip slowly from the spigot
when the Gnome carefully turned the handle.
"Careful, now," commanded the Gnome, as he handed the brimming goblet to
Ned. "See that you spill not a drop of the precious nectar.
"Good, is it?" he inquired, seeing the sparkle in Ned's eyes and hearing
the smack on his lips as the last drop disappeared. "Pretty good, eh?"
"Better'n soda water," replied Ned; "lots better."
The little Gnome at the spigot smiled. "I grew the melon," he said with
pride. "It's the largest so far in Gnomeland. But next year I'm going to
grow even a bigger one!"
"How do you make them grow so large?" inquired Ned, hoping he would be
invited to have another glass of the juice.
"Not another drop!" said Ned's little friend. "A second goblet and you
would be so hungry you could eat stones."
"Come with me," said the small Gnome guide. "We must eat."
Ned eagerly followed him, and they pressed forward at a rapid walk until
they came to a queer little hut, from which issued a most delicious odor
of sponge cake.
Around the door, or, more properly, what appeared to be one, but which
was in fact but a small opening, stood several goblins, evidently
awaiting orders from someone.
As Ned drew near he perceived that instead of a hut it was in reality a
huge oven, in which something very delicious was being baked.
"Minions!" called out Ned's friend, "is not the goblin cake ready?"
"Yes, sire!" responded several voices, and in another moment the oven
was taken apart and removed from the most delicious looking sponge cake
that Ned had ever seen. A soft, warm brown color made it most tempting
to the eyes, and the delicious smell made Ned so anxious to commence
eating that he could with difficulty restrain himself.
"Help yourself," cried his little friend, and without a moment's
hesitation Ned pulled off a piece of cake and eagerly commenced.
"Begone!" commanded the Gnome to the small bakers, who still stood
around curiously watching their cake disappearing down the mouth of a
mortal as rapidly as its owner could cram it in; "begone and leave us to
enjoy the cake alone!"
At this they turned away and descended the steep hill which lay to the
right and disappeared below.
"Be careful," admonished the Gnome, as Ned showed no signs of finishing,
"you may eat too much. Gnome cake, while most delicious, is more filling
than that of mortal make!"
But Ned paid no heed. Already he had eaten a great hole in the cake and,
finding the inside warm and flaky, he squeezed himself in.
It was much easier to eat the inside, as it was softer, and the crust
had already grown quite hard.
He was so busy eating and, I'm sorry to say, so greedy, that he did not
notice that as he ate away the interior of the sponge cake the outside
gradually grew tighter, and the opening which he had made at the
beginning of his feast, and through which he had crowded, became smaller
and smaller, until finally it closed altogether.
When Ned perceived this, and it was some time after, I assure you, he
was indeed frightened. He pounded on the walls of his sponge cake prison
and called loudly to the Gnome, but for some time he heard nothing.
Finally, after frantically running around and around inside the huge
cake ball, he thought he heard the voice of his small friend. He pressed
his ear close to the wall and listened.
Sure enough, he could just hear the words, "Hold on tight to one side,
and brace your feet," and the next moment he perceived that the cake was
in motion.
Slowly at first, but in a few minutes the great cake ball began to
revolve faster and faster.
Ned was terrified at first, as it was with great difficulty that he kept
his body from playing battledore and shuttlecock. The greater the speed
of the huge mass, however, the less inclination there was to bounce
about, and he soon found himself literally glued, as it were, to one
side.
While thus traveling in this novel way, he began to entertain some fear
as to what would happen should an obstacle be encountered, and by some
strange coincidence no sooner had, the idea come than it was followed by
a terrific crash!
The crust of the cake ball broke into a thousand pieces, and Ned landed
safely some distance from the spot, still clinging to a huge piece of
sponge cake, which acted like a cushion between him and the ground.
Looking anxiously around, after wiping some stray crumbs from his eyes,
he saw his little friend, the Gnome, running frantically down the steep
incline, which, luckily for Ned, had been the cause of his liberation.
Finding him unhurt, the Gnome sat down on the piece of cake to rest
himself and regain his breath before speaking.
When he did, however, what he said caused Ned to run quickly over to the
brook to look at himself in the water.
To his dismay, what the Gnome had said was, indeed, too true. Ned was
nearly as broad as he was high.
The cake he had eaten had evidently occupied the same space inside of
him as it had inside the brown crust.
"What am I ever going to do?" said Ned.
"'Twas a lucky think I kept you from drinking another gobletful of the
watermelon juice," answered the Gnome. "Otherwise you might have eaten
the whole cake, and then you might have been twice as large as you are
now."
"I don't think there is anything to laugh at," said Ned, as his small
friend burst into a hearty peal of laughter.
"Of course you don't," replied the Gnome, "you can't see yourself. If
you could, though--oh, my!" and he again burst into peals of laughter.
Ned waited a few moments and then asked: "Well, what are we going to
do?"
"Don't worry, Ned, dear," replied his little friend, touched by his good
nature and feeling sorry for him, "don't worry. The watermelon juice
made the sponge cake swell. All that is necessary now is to take the
antidote, and I know where it can be found without any trouble."
THE MAGIC NECTAR
The Fairies brought a lily filled with the Magic Nectar.
[Illustration]
THE MAGIC NECTAR
NED and the Gnome continued their journey down the valley, following the
crystal stream, in whose waters he had just a short time before seen his
distorted figure, until they came to a beautiful waterfall, down whose
silvery sheen slid numerous water sprites and water fairies.
"Over yonder," exclaimed the Gnome, "lives the Fairy of the Lake. She
brews a magic liquid from checkerberries, which, I am told, if you but
drink a thimbleful, will enable you to regain your natural shape. There
she goes now, over the bridge, on some such errand I dare say."
Ned watched the fairy stepping across the silver network which hung
above a miniature Niagara that he could easily have spanned with a
single step. Catching up a handful of berries he followed her, not
heeding the Gnome's remark "that she would probably prefer to pick them
herself," and, almost treading on some of the fairies who were blowing
about in the long grass like the flowers they represented, threw the
berries in a heap at the door of her castle.
It was, indeed, a most beautiful little palace. Made of brilliant
crystals, it sparkled in the sun like a rainbow. Inside, it was even
more exquisite, for all her little subjects, the flower fairies and the
woodland fays, had adorned it with many lovely things.
Ned stooped over and peeped in at the doorway. There was a bright light
inside which came from a little star suspended from the ceiling, the
crystal walls on all sides reflecting the light with great brilliancy.
Here and there were draped beautiful laces, no doubt spun by the spiders
kept by the fairies for that purpose.
"Come," said the Gnome somewhat impatiently, as Ned's curiosity still
held him at the little castle's doorway. "Come away, or else the Queen
will not return. How is she to enter if you block up her entrance?"
Following his advice, Ned withdrew some little distance and stood
watching the gay scene around him.
Hundreds of insects were flying about and large, gay-winged butterflies
fluttered over the flowers. On some he noticed tiny figures and others
with blades of grass tied around the necks of robins, bluebirds and
golden orioles were also flying about in mid-air, while some sailed on
the silver backs of fishes or floated in shells upon the water near his
feet.
"Look!" cried the Gnome suddenly, "here she comes."
A half horsechestnut, with damask roseleaf cushions, mounted on four
ivy-berry wheels and with four shining beetles for horses came driving
up from the waterfall.
Leaning back in her carriage sat the Queen Fairy, fanning her face with
a fly's wing.
The beetles came to a stand in front of the palace, and the Queen,
gathering up her white satin dress, stepped out.
Instantly numerous ladies in waiting, jumped from off their butterfly
steeds and escorted her through the palace door.
Ned cautiously peeped in again. The room was filled with fairies about
as large as your thumb, dancing here and there and singing a low, sweet
song.
On perceiving that a mortal was gazing at them they began to dance more
slowly, and presently ceased altogether. Whereupon the Queen, looking
about to ascertain the reason and catching sight of Ned's admiring face,
exclaimed:
"No wonder you feel so faint, my little fays, and that you stop your
merry dancing. The hot air is pouring in upon us from a fiery furnace
outside. Look here, my giant friend," she added, coming up to Ned, "if
you want to see how we live you mustn't hold your mouth open with
astonishment. Your breath is very hot to us little people!"
With that the mischievous Queen jumped quite unexpectedly on Ned's nose
and gave it a sharp pinch.
"Don't cry," said the fairy in a cheery voice, the laughs falling from
her like waterdrops from the cascade just outside; "I only wanted to
let you know what I could do; but I am ready to be as polite as you
wish."
"May it please your highness," interposed the Gnome, who at this point
squeezed himself through Ned's legs and entered the door, "to give my
mortal friend a drop of your crystal nectar, in order that he may regain
his boyish shape again?"
The Queen Fairy looked politely inquisitive.
"You see, your highness," the Gnome went on to explain, "he has eaten
too heartily of gnome cake, and that together with a gobletful of gnome
watermelon juice, has caused him much inconvenience, as well as an
entire change of form."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Queen called the Waterfall
Fairy, the Brook Fairy and yet another, somewhat smaller, called Violet
Water.
"Hasten," she said to them when they had assembled before her, "hasten
to make a draft of crystal nectar, that this mortal may drink and assume
once more his natural shape."
"Move off!" cried a shrill voice in Ned's ear, and, looking up, he saw a
Snapdragon, who seemed to be a sort of policeman for the fairies.
"How can you expect these Ladies-in-Waiting to fulfill their Queen's
commands if you stand there blocking the royal exit?"
"Tell your friend to sit him down and wait patiently, for it will take
some time to brew the magic draft," said the Queen to the Gnome, who
repeated her words to Ned.
He was very glad indeed to rest, for, not being accustomed to carry so
much weight on his young legs, he felt very weary and somewhat
discouraged.
However, relief was in sight, and, following the suggestion of the good
fairy, he threw himself down on a mossy bank and waited.
Before long the three fairies returned, bearing between them a lily
filled with a white liquid.
As they approached the Queen herself came forth from her crystal palace,
followed by many of her subjects.
Stepping up to where Ned lay, she said in a soft voice: "Do not rise,
for even now you are much too tall. I myself must pour this magic nectar
upon your lips."
So saying, she stepped lightly upon a stone close by and, bending
forward, placed the lily to Ned's mouth.
[Illustration: "DO NOT RISE," SAID THE FAIRY QUEEN.]
The next moment he felt a strange sensation running through him, and
looking down at his hands and feet was delighted to see that they
were becoming smaller and smaller.
Though great was his delight, he did not forget his manners, and,
turning to the little fairy, said: "How may I ever repay you for your
great kindness? Indeed," he added, scarcely able to restrain the tears
which came to his eyes, "whatever would my dear mother have thought had
I returned to her in the form of a giant?"
"Thank me no more," answered the Fairy Queen, "for gladly will I do any
favor for the boy who thinks of his mother first. In the future, should
you need my aid, hang this ring about a bluebird's throat and send him
to me."
And with these words she placed a slender gold ring upon Ned's little
finger.
"But how shall I catch the bird?" asked Ned, his curiosity aroused
before he had time to think of thanking her small highness.
"Whistle thrice upon a blade of grass," she answered, "and the bird will
fly to thee. Then place the ring about his neck and bid him hasten to
the Fairy Queen of the Lake."
During all this time Ned had been growing smaller and smaller. He had
almost forgotten this, when his little friend, the Gnome, exclaimed:
"There! You're your own self again!" At which Ned turned to the Queen,
and, after thanking her again ran hastily to the brook to assure himself
that such was the case.
So, bidding farewell to his kind friend, the Fairy Queen, and her three
Ladies-in-Waiting, he accompanied the Gnome down the valley.
THE MAGIC AXE
Ned meets the King and proposes to cut down the big Oak Tree.
[Illustration]
THE MAGIC AXE
PRESENTLY the Gnome turned to Ned and said:
"I must leave you for a time. But with the Fairy Queen's magic ring upon
your finger, you will be safe from harm. Self reliance is what all boys
should practise. Therefore, travel for a few days alone. At the end of
that time I will join you." And with these words the Gnome disappeared.
For a moment Ned felt a wild desire to call him back. But with a shrug
of his shoulder, he put away the thought and bravely set out in search
of further adventure.
He had gone but a short distance when he came to a Magic Axe, chopping
away all by itself at one of the tallest trees.
"Good morning, Mistress Axe," he said. "Doesn't it tire you to be
chopping away all alone there at that old tree?"
"Not at all, my son. Put me in your knapsack and I will make you
famous."
Picking up the axe, Ned placed it in his knapsack and set off once more.
After a while, he came to a place where the road was hollowed out of a
mass of solid rock, and here, in the distance, he heard a sharp noise
like that of iron striking against stone.
"Some giant must be breaking rocks away up there," he said to himself,
and climbed up the mountain. When he reached the top of the high rock,
he found a Magic Pickaxe, all alone by itself, digging away at the hard
stone as if it were soft clay.
Every time that wonderful pickaxe struck a blow it went more than a foot
into the rock.
"Good morning, Mistress Pickaxe," said Ned. "Doesn't it tire you to be
digging alone here, hollowing away at that old rock?"
"Not at all, my little man. Put me in your knapsack and I will make you
famous."
Ned picked up the pickaxe and placing it in his knapsack, again went on.
After a while he came to a brook which he followed up the hillside.
The farther he went the smaller it grew until finally, it ended in a
little nutshell, from which this tiny stream began its journey down the
mountain.
"Good morning, Miss Spring," said Ned. "Doesn't it tire you to be
gushing away all alone by yourself in your little corner?"
"Indeed it does, my little man. Put me in your knapsack and I will make
you famous."
Ned picked up the little nutshell and plugging it up with moss, placed
it carefully in his knapsack with the Magic Axe and the Magic Pickaxe.
After some little time he came to a king's palace. Now, although it was
a magnificent palace, everyone living there was perfectly miserable, for
one morning, without the least warning, an immense oak had sprung up,
with leaves and branches so thick that they shut out the sun from all
the windows, making the castle as dark as night.
Of course in those days there was no gas and electricity, and although
the king had commanded that candles be made as high as barber poles,
they spluttered and often went out when the wind blew.
All the woodcutters in the kingdom had tried to cut down this tree, but
its bark was so tough that it turned the edge of every axe, and for
every branch that was lopped off, two instantly grew in its place. At
last the king had offered three bags of gold to anyone who would rid him
of his troublesome oaktree.
Now this was not the only trouble that beset the poor king. For,
although the surrounding country was rich in springs and brooks, the
royal gardens were dry as the desert of Sahara. And although the king
had also promised three bags of gold to anyone who would dig a well, no
one had yet been able to dig deeper than a foot, as the palace was built
on a rock of solid granite.
Each day the king grew more angry, but of course that did no good. At
last calling the poet laureate of his kingdom, he asked him what should
be done.
Running his fingers through his long curly hair, the poet thought a
while. Then summoning the Royal Carpenter, ordered him to make an
immense placard, on which, when finished, this wise poet printed:
"To him who cuts my oaktree down
I'll give three bags of gold
But he who fails shall lose his life
And lie beneath the mold."
"But what good will that exquisite poem do?" asked the king,
sarcastically.
"It will keep your Royal Highness from being irritated by this endless
sound of chop, chop, chop," replied the poet. "I verily believe every
man in your kingdom has had a hack at the tree. Now, he who reads this
sign, will first make sure his axe is a good one. And my poetic ears
will be spared much of this frightful noise which is far worse than a
steel rivetter at work on a ninety story building in New York City."
Which shows that this poet had an eye that could see into the future,
for at that time, as far as I know, Columbus hadn't even asked the Queen
of Spain to pawn her diamond rings!
"Very well," replied the king, "have the sign nailed on this dreadful
tree and we will see what happens."
As soon as Ned arrived at the castle he bowed politely to the king, who
happened to be standing nearby with all his courtiers.
"Ha, ha," laughed the king, as Ned read the sign. "Do you, too, wish to
lose your ears?" At which all the courtiers laughed heartily, the first
time in many months that anybody in that castle had laughed, or even
smiled, for that matter.
"I can but try," answered Ned bravely, and opening his knapsack, took
out his Magic Axe. Standing it up, with the handle leaning against the
enchanted tree, he stepped back a few feet and shouted: "Chop, chop,
chop!"
At once the axe began to chop, now right, now left, and up and down, and
in an incredibly short time that immense tree was cut to bits. It took
only a quarter of an hour, and yet there was such a monstrous heap of
wood that the whole court needed nothing else to burn for a whole year.
But when Ned asked the king for the three bags of gold, that stingy old
monarch said, "Before I give you the reward, you must perform another
task."
"What is it?" asked Ned.
"You must dig me a well so that I may have plenty of water," answered
the king.
THE MAGIC SPRING
Ned mounted the little Donkey and rode away.
[Illustration]
THE MAGIC SPRING
"I CAN but try, your Majesty," said Ned bravely, and again opening his
knapsack, took out his Magic Pickaxe. Laying it carefully on the ground
in the proper position, he shouted:
"Pick, pick, pick!"
At once the pick began to burst the granite to splinters, and in less
than a quarter of an hour had dug a well more than a hundred feet deep
in the solid rock.
"Is the well deep enough, your Majesty?" asked Ned politely.
"Certainly," answered the king, "but where is the water to come from?"
And he winked at his courtiers, who smiled to themselves, for they all
thought Ned would fail, after all, for as yet there wasn't a drop of
water in the well.
But Ned wasn't discouraged. He quietly opened his knapsack again and
took out the nutshell covered with moss, and placed it on a magnificent
fountain vase which, not having any water, had been filled with a
beautiful bouquet of flowers.
"Gush, gush, gush!" he shouted, stepping aside to avoid a wetting.
At once water began to burst out among the flowers, singing with a
gentle murmur, and falling down in a sparkling cascade, that was so cold
it made everybody shiver. And in less than a quarter of an hour the well
was filled, and a deep trench had to be dug to take away the overflow,
otherwise the whole palace would have been flooded.
"You have indeed earned the reward," said the king. And he ordered a
little donkey saddled and bridled and the six bags of gold hung from his
back, three on either side. After which Ned was invited to a great
feast, and when that was over, he mounted the little donkey and rode
away, with the three bags of gold hanging from each side of the saddle
and a little gold ring on his finger, which the king's daughter gave him
after washing her pretty face in water for the first time in many
months.
But before Ned rode away, he put his Magic Axe and his Magic Pickaxe
back in his knapsack, "for who can tell," he said to himself, "what need
I may have of these two useful tools."
His knapsack was now well filled, for the cook in the royal kitchen had
also placed in it a loaf of bread, a cheese and a knife in case he
became hungry while on his journey of adventure.
As Ned traveled on, the forest became darker and darker, for the trees
grew so close together that the sun could hardly shine through the thick
leafy roof. Suddenly he heard a great voice singing:
"I am the master of this wood
And everyone bows to me,
My head is as big as a drygoods box
And my legs as long as a tree."
Then, all at once, the voice changed to a whistle, which sounded like
the siren on a sound steamer when the weather is foggy.
"It must be a giant singing," thought Ned. "Goodness! but he's a loud
whistler. I guess he blows through his fingers!" and he hid beneath a
clump of bushes.
"Ho, ho!" cried the voice, and a giant came crashing through the forest.
On seeing Ned, he shouted:
"Come out of there, and I'll make a mouthful of you."
"Don't be in a hurry," replied Ned bravely. "I'm going to make you my
servant."
"Ho, ho!" laughed the giant, "that is a good joke! I'll pitch you into
that raven's nest up there to teach you to make less noise in my
forest."
"_Your_ forest!" laughed Ned. "It's as much mine as yours, and if you
say another word, I'll cut it down in a quarter of an hour."
"Ha, ha!" shouted the giant, "I should like to see you begin, my brave
Sir Kid!"
Carefully placing his Magic Axe on the ground, Ned shouted, "Chop, chop,
chop!"
At once the axe began to chop, now right, now left, and up and down,
till the branches tumbled down on the giant's head like hail in autumn.
"Stop, stop!" cried the giant. "Don't destroy my forest. Who the
mischief are you?"
"Sit down and I'll tell you the story of the famous Puss in Boots, who
once killed a giant and gave his castle to his Master, the Lord of
Carabas," said Ned.
"How could a cat kill a giant? You are making sport of me."
"Not at all," replied Ned. "Have you never read the story of Puss in
Boots?"
"No, but I once heard my cousin, the Giant of the Beanstalk, speak of a
cat who wore boots. But that was long ago when we were both boys."
"Well, I'll tell you then," said Ned. "Puss in Boots' master was the
youngest of three sons. When their father died, the two older brothers
received the farm and money, while he was left nothing but a Cat, who
said to him one day, 'Do just what I tell you and I will make you rich.
Give me a bag and a pair of boots, because the brambles scratch my legs,
and you shall see what I will do for you.'
"Well, when the boots were made and he had put them on, he hung the bag
about his neck, and set out for a rabbit warren where lived great
numbers of rabbits. Opening the bag he stretched himself out as though
he were dead, and waited for a hungry rabbit to poke his nose into the
bag to eat the bran. Pretty soon along came a young rabbit and as soon
as it had crept in to eat the bran, Puss in Boots pulled the string, and
that was the last of the little rabbit.
"Then, running off to the palace, he gave it to the king, saying it was
a present from his master, my Lord of Carabas, the name he had invented
for his young master. Every day he brought some kind of game, until by
and by the king thought my Lord of Carabas a great man and Puss in Boots
a most wonderful cat, which indeed he was."
"He was indeed," said the big giant, moving uneasily on the log on which
he was sitting.
"Well, one day," continued Ned, "Puss in Boots bade his master bathe in
the river, and leave the rest to him. Just then the King passed by.
"'Help, help!' cried Puss. 'Robbers have stolen my master's clothes!'
"At once the king ordered his guards to the rescue, and fitting out my
Lord of Carabas with a new suit of clothes, invited him to ride in the
coach with his beautiful daughter.
"As they rolled along they came in sight of a castle owned by a bad
giant."
MAGIC FOOD
The Giant cannot understand how Ned can eat cheese.
[Illustration]
MAGIC FOOD
"PUSS IN BOOTS, who had reached the castle in advance of the royal
party, opened the door and said with a low bow to the wicked ogre:
"'I hear you have the power to change yourself into any animal.'
"'That is true,' answered the ogre, so pleased that at once he turned
himself into a lion.
"'I doubt if you can become as small as a mouse,' said Puss in Boots.
"Instantly the ogre changed himself into a mouse, whereupon Puss in
Boots pounced upon him and ate him up.
"At that moment up drove the coach. Throwing open the castle door, Puss
in Boots said with a hospitable bow:
"'Welcome to the castle of my Lord of Carabas.' And, to make a long
story short," laughed Ned, "his master married the King's daughter and
lived happily ever after."
"Whew!" gasped the giant. "He certainly was a wonderful cat," and he
looked anxiously at the Magic Axe.
Presently Ned began to feel hungry, and opening his knapsack, took out
his bread and cheese.
"What is that white stuff?" asked the giant, who had never seen cheese
before.
"That is a stone," answered Ned, commencing to eat it with a hungry
appetite.
"Do you eat stones?" asked the giant.
"Oh yes," answered Ned. "That's my regular food, which explains why I'm
not so big as you who eat oxen; but it's also the reason why, little as
I am, I am ten times as strong as you are. Now take me to your house."
The giant looked at the Magic Axe which had so nearly destroyed his
forest, and then at Ned eating a stone with apparent relish.
"I will," he said, and humbly led the way to his monstrous cabin.
"Now listen," said Ned to the giant after they were fairly seated, "one
of us must be the master, and the other the servant. If I can't do
whatever you do, I am to be your slave; if you're not able to do
whatever I do, you are to be mine."
"Agreed," said the giant. "I'd be tickled to death to have a little
servant like you. It's too much work for me to think, and you have
brains enough for both. Well, let's start the trial. Here are my two
buckets,--go and get the water to make the soup!"
Ned looked at the buckets, the tops of which he couldn't even see, for
they were two enormous hogsheads, ten feet high and six broad. It would
have been much easier for him to drown himself in them than to move
them.
"Ho, ho!" shouted the giant. "Do what I do and get the water."
"What's the good of that?" replied Ned. "I'll go get the spring itself
to put in the pot," knowing that he could easily run back to the king's
castle for the little magic nutshell.
"No, no!" said the giant, "that won't do. You have already half spoiled
my forest with your Magic Axe. I don't want you to take my spring away.
You may attend to the fire, and I'll go for the water."
So the giant hung up the kettle, put into it an ox cut into pieces,
fifty cabbages, and a wagon-load of carrots, skimming the broth with a
frying pan, tasting it every now and then until it was done. When
everything was ready, he turned and said:
"Now we'll see if you can do what I can. I feel like eating the whole
ox, and you into the bargain. I think I'll serve you for dessert."
"All right," answered little Ned. But before sitting down he slipped his
knapsack under his jacket.
Then the two champions set to work. Perhaps Ned was a trifle nervous,
knowing only too well that if he failed he must be the giant's servant.
Well, the giant ate and ate, and Ned wasn't idle; only he pitched
everything, beef, cabbage, carrots, and all, into his knapsack when the
giant wasn't looking.
"Ouf!" at last grunted the giant, "I can't do much more. I've got to
undo the lower button of my waistcoat."
"Eat away, starveling!" cried Ned, sticking half a cabbage into his
knapsack.
"Ouf!" groaned the giant, "I must loosen another button. But what sort
of an ostrich's stomach have you got, Kiddo? I should say you were used
to eating stones!"
"Eat away, lazy-bones!" said Ned, sticking a huge chunk of beef into his
knapsack.
"Ouf!" sighed the giant for the third time, "I must open the third
button."
"Bah!" answered Ned. "It's the easiest thing to relieve yourself," and
taking his knife, he slit his jacket and the knapsack under it the whole
length of his stomach. "Now's your turn. Do as I do, _if you can!_"
"Excuse me!" gasped the giant. "You win. I'd rather be your servant
than do that."
Then kissing Ned's hand in token of submission, he lifted his little
master on his shoulder, and slinging the six bags of gold over his back,
started off through the forest.
"Wait a minute," said Ned, "I've forgotten my Magic tools." So the giant
picked them up and thrusting them in his pocket, again set off at a
tremendous rate.
After a while, they came in sight of a great castle where lived a lord
even more wicked than the cruel Blue Beard. As they drew nearer, they
heard loud screams like those of some fair lady in distress. The next
minute the wicked lord dragged a lovely lady by the hair across the
courtyard.
With one stride the giant stepped over the castle wall.
"Shall I toss him over the moon?" he asked.
"No, leave him to me," replied Ned. The wicked lord trembled and grew as
pale as a white swan that swam nearby in a beautiful fountain.
"My giant servant at a sign from me, will pitch you over the moon. But
instead, as you have the reputation of being the greatest liar that ever
lived, we will see who can tell the biggest story, you or I. If you
lose, you shall give your castle to this fair lady and take yourself
off, I don't care where, but you must never return."
At once the wicked lord commenced to tell the biggest story he could
imagine.
"I have a bull so large that a man can sit on each of his horns, and the
two can't touch each other with a twenty foot pole."
"Oh, that's nothing," replied Ned. "At home on the farm we have a bull
so large that a servant sitting on one of his horns can't see the
servant sitting on the other."
"You win," laughed the pretty princess, clapping her hands at Ned. Then
the wicked lord went to his stable and saddling his best horse, rode
away. But as he passed through the gate, Ned touched his steed with his
magic gold ring. Instantly the horse turned into an immense bird and
flew away. But where he went no one knows to this day.
MAGIC EARS
The Man with Ears like a Donkey invited Ned to eat with him.
[Illustration]
MAGIC EARS
"DEAR me," said the giant suddenly. "I've forgotten all about my errand.
You and your Magic Axe have robbed me of my memory," and the big man
scratched his hand and looked anxiously at Ned.
"What is it?"
"I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
"Go ahead," said Ned. "I can take care of myself. At any rate it is
about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
"You are very kind," said the giant. "Here are your Magic Axe and your
Magic Pickaxe. I almost forgot them," and he set off at a great rate for
his mother's house.
Ned, too, quickened his pace, for it was growing late, and the shadows
creeping from tree to tree. At length he saw a light in the distance. It
was a very little light, not much larger than a star, and at first Ned
thought it might be a giant firefly. However, he kept on and after a
while it turned out to be a little candle in the window of a poor
woodcutter's hut. Knocking on the door, it was presently opened by a
strange looking man. He had long hairy ears like a donkey and was
dressed in the skins of wild animals.
"Welcome," he said in a kindly voice, "I am just preparing my evening
meal. Come in and eat." Ned followed the donkey-eared man into the
cottage and sat down at the rude wooden table on which were spread black
bread and beans.
"I have but humble fare to offer you," said the donkey-eared man, but
his smile was a kind one as he helped Ned to the beans with a large
wooden spoon. "But as I see you are a traveler, you no doubt have fared
worse at times," and he smiled again in such a friendly way, that Ned
took a great liking to him.
"You are right. I'm a traveler, seeking adventures and many strange
things I have seen while visiting Gnomeland."
"I have heard little of the world since my ears were changed into those
of a donkey," sighed the donkey-eared man.
"Is there no magic charm which will remove them?" asked Ned, as he
finished the last bean on his plate and wiped his mouth carefully with
the pocket handkerchief which his kind mother had given him the very
morning he had set out for Gnomeland.
"None whatever," answered the man with a sigh. "There is no charm nor
magic herb, but I've heard tell of a Magic Axe that once cut down a
charmed oak tree overshadowing a king's palace. But where am I to find
that Magic Axe?"
"Oh master dear, pray ask this lad
Your donkey ears to sever;
For then your own two ears will take
Their place as good as ever,"
sang a little bird from her tree in the forest.
When Ned heard that, he jumped up and went behind the door where he had
hung his knapsack. Taking out the Magic Axe, he laid it on the table
before the donkey-eared man.
"Cut off my ears!" shouted the donkey-eared man.
"I can't do it," said Ned, trembling all over.
"Do as I ask you," begged the donkey-eared man, laying his head on the
table.
Instead, however, Ned touched the donkey ears with his little magic gold
ring, at the same time whispering, "Away with you!"
Off went the long, hairy ears, and the next minute, two grew in their
place, just like yours and mine.
"Oh, now I'm free from donkey ears,
Three cheers and once, again, three cheers!
No more the witch's evil snare
Shall force me donkey ears to wear!"
sang the donkey-eared man, dancing about the room.
All the next day Ned trudged on alone until towards evening, he came to
the edge of a pine-forest, where close at hand stood a small hut made of
pine-branches, plastered with mud and thatched with rye-straw. No sooner
had he tapped on the door than it was opened by a girl. She looked out
timidly, thinking, I suppose, it might be a robber. But when she saw
Ned, she smiled.
"Come in," she said, and Ned saw four small children staring curiously
at him.
The room was very smoky, for there was no chimney to the rude hut. A
hole in the roof let the smoke out, and there were no windows, for the
father of these children was a poor peasant who made his living by
gathering turpentine in the pine forest.
Ned sat down, while the girl went on with her work until the black beans
were ready for supper, when she put them all in a big wooden bowl, and
invited Ned to join her and the four children.
While they were eating out of the bowl with a wooden spoon, a tame
jackdaw who had been sitting on an old stool by the fireside, hopped
over and perched himself close to Ned.
When the supper was over, and the children were ready for bed, he
whispered, "This little family is very poor. Their father is away
selling turpentine, and there is little food in the cupboard. But if you
will come with me tonight, I will show you how we can help them."
When all the children were sound asleep, Ned looked over to the fireside
where the jackdaw sat, his eyes shining brighter and brighter through
the darkness, till they made the room so light that Ned could plainly
see the five sleeping children huddled together on the straw bed in the
corner.
Then the jackdaw nodded, and hopping down from the stool on which he
sat, walked softly over to the door.
The moon shone brightly on the bare brown fields silvered with white
frost, and in the still, cold air, the forest looked like a black cloud
just dropped upon the earth.
THE MAGIC BASKET
The Little Old Woman made a low bow to the Jackdaw.
[Illustration]
THE MAGIC BASKET
ON and on they went, the jackdaw hopping over the rough fields, and now
and then turning his head and winking his fiery eyes at Ned, until they
found themselves at the foot of a high, round hill.