Produced by MFR, RichardW, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive. Two missing pages with high resolution
illustrations were produced from images generously made
available by University of Minnesota Libraries, Twin Cities,
Children's Literature Research Collections)
PETER POODLE,
BY WILLIAM HENRY BRADLEY
[Illustration: _Toyville_]
[Illustration: _A Story of the Valley of Happiness and the City of
Toyville_]
[Illustration: _The Banquet_]
Peter Poodle
_Toy Maker to the King_
_By_
WILL BRADLEY
[Illustration]
_New York_
DODD, MEAD & COMPANY
1906
_Copyright 1906_
By _Dodd, Mead & Company_
Published in October 1906.
[Illustration]
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Peter Poodle
_Toy Maker to the King_
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
_This is_
───────────────────
Peter Poodle _Book_
Please Handle _Carefully_
[Illustration]
_The Story_
_The Chapter_ _The Page_
I. THE TOY SHOP 1
II. THE TOY LANGUAGE 9
III. THE INN 19
IV. A JOURNEY 27
V. THE MESSENGER 33
VI. THE CURLY ROAD 39
VII. THE AMBUSH 47
VIII. THE GREETING 53
IX. THE WELCOME 63
X. THE MUSICIANS 73
XI. RED BEARD 81
XII. THE BANQUET 87
XIII. THE SAIL 97
XIV. THE CHASE 105
XV. THE BARLEY MILL 111
XVI. THE ROSE WREATH 119
XVII. THE GARDEN PARTY 127
XVIII. A SURPRISE 133
XIX. THE FOUNTAIN OF THE FROG 141
XX. GOOD NIGHT 149
XXI. JOY 155
_CONCLUSION_ 163
[Illustration]
To Fern, Willie and Paul this Story is Dedicated by their Father.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
_The Pictures_
“_The BANQUET_” _Frontispiece_
“_The Toy Shop_” _Facing Page_ 3
“_The Song_” “ “ 11
“_The Sign of the Black Lion_” “ “ 21
“_The Gateway_” “ “ 29
“_The Capture_” “ “ 35
“_The Orchard_” “ “ 41
“_A Surprise_” “ “ 49
“_On to Toyville_” “ “ 55
“_The Arch of Welcome_” “ “ 65
“_Professor Wow Bow_” “ “ 68
“_The Musicians_” “ “ 75
“_Stop!_” “ “ 76
“_The Black Rover_” “ “ 83
“_The House Guards_” “ “ 89
“_The Artillery_” “ “ 94
“_Fire!_” “ “ 99
“_To the Rescue_” “ “ 107
“_The Miller of Dee_” “ “ 113
“_The Rose Wreath_” “ “ 121
“_In the Gardens_” “ “ 129
“_The Parley_” “ “ 135
“_The Ducking_” “ “ 143
“_The Royal Guard_” “ “ 151
“_The Toy Box_” “ “ 157
“_The Sign_” “ “ 163
¶ _Also, there are many Chapter Titles, Headings & Small Pictures, of
which no mention is made in this List._
[Illustration]
{1}
[Illustration]
Chapter I. THE TOY SHOP.
{2}
[Illustration: The Toy Shop]
{3}
The First Chapter.
_In which is told of a little Lad that came from out the Hills. Also
of Peter Poodle’s wonderful Toy Shop. And how Helen had a Playfellow._
[Illustration]
Tommy stood with his little nose pressed flat against the pane. He was
very tired, and also very hungry, for he had walked ever and ever so
far. How far, he did not know. At first, he had thought it would take
only a day to reach the city, and now, he could not remember how long
it had taken. A good many days, of that he was certain.
Over hills and through fields and forests he had travelled, sleeping
at night in the lee of some rick of hay, or on the soft moss beneath
low hung fir boughs. Sometimes, a shepherd or a forester had shared
with him his simple fare of bread and cheese. At other times, he ate
berries, or such of the wild fruits as were then ripe, and once, or {4}
twice, he had gone to sleep hungry. But here he was, at last, in the
big city and before the most wonderful window into which a boy ever
looked. It was evening, and the window, with its bright lights, seemed
like a bit of fairyland, for in it were all manner of the finest games
and toys imaginable.
Tommy did not know that this was Mr. Peter Poodle’s famous toy shop.
He did not even know the toys were for sale. He had never been in a
big city and knew nothing about stores. He thought this was merely
somebody’s fine house, and when he lifted his eyes from the toys and
saw a big card that hung beneath one of the lamps, he was more than
ever filled with wonder.
“BOY WANTED!”
Those were the words on the card. Tommy spelled the letters twice to
make sure; “I suppose the people inside must be lonely,” he thought “I
will go in and visit them, and perhaps they will tell me how to find
the King.”
Mr. Poodle, a kindly little man with gray hair and bright twinkling
eyes, answered the rap at the door.
“Please sir,” said Tommy, “do you live here and are you lonely?
Because, if you are, I can come in and play with you; but by and by,
I must go and find the King. Please, can you tell me where the King
lives? Because the kind lady, who took care of me when I was sick, is
very poor. Did you know that once I was very sick? When I was sick
the kind lady told me all about the Fairy King. I am well now, and I
am going to find the Fairy King and get some gold and jewels for the
kind lady. Would you like me to come in and play with you a little
while? I am too tired to play very much, because I have been walking
all day. {5} And tonight, when I came through a dark street, a bad,
rough man chased me, and I ran so fast that it made me more tired.
Don’t you think I am a fast runner to get away from the man? Please,
shall we play games now? Perhaps you don’t want to play with a little
boy that has such raggedy clothes. Would you rather have a little boy
that has fine clothes and wears shoes and stockings? I am sorry you are
lonesome. I think you are a nice man and I like you; but perhaps you
don’t want such a raggedy boy.”
The twinkling laughter had left the little man’s eyes and the corners
of his mouth twitched when he tried to speak. Then he quickly stooped
and held out both arms. “I do want a raggedy boy” were the words that
came from his trembling lips, and the next second, Tommy’s curly head
was nestling on the little man’s shoulder.
“What game shall we play now?” asked Mr. Poodle.
“I don’t know,” said Tommy. “Sometimes, when I was sick and the kind
lady gave me bread and milk, she said we were playing dinner party.
That is the only game I know how to play. Please, sir, shall we play
dinner party?”
The twinkle came back again into Mr. Poodle’s eyes. “Yes, my boy, we
_will_ play dinner party,” he said. “I think dinner party is a fine
game.”
Mr. Poodle now spread the cloth on the table. “O me, O my,” said he;
“this cloth has a hole right in the corner! O, well, that is soon
mended.” Then, what did he do but tear right off the whole corner.
“There!” said he; “now we have a cloth without any hole.”
“Here is a pitcher of milk,” he added, as he sat it on the table;
“and, here are two mugs. O dear, O dear, why this mug has no handle!
Now how could that handle ever {6} have jumped right off the mug and we
not see it! The first thing tomorrow, I must get a new handle.”
“Please, sir,” said Tommy, “the handle is gone from the pitcher, too.”
“No, you don’t mean to tell me that that handle also is gone?” said
Mr. Poodle, taking the pitcher. “Yes, it certainly has. Now, how could
that have happened? Oh, I know. Those two handles were lonely the same
as I was lonely, and the mug handle said to the pitcher handle: Mr.
Pitcher handle, you can stay in this house if you wish, but as for me,
why was I trimmed all up with colored paint and made so handsome, if it
wasn’t for some little boy; and now, there is no boy in this house, so
I am just going to leave! Of course, then the pitcher handle thought
he would be very lonely without the mug handle, and so they went away
together.”
Tommy laughed merrily. “You are a very funny man,” he said. “Handles
couldn’t say all that, but it was just a fine story. Please tell it to
me again.”
“Well, if I tell all that again,” said Mr. Poodle, “why then our roast
turkey will be getting cold.”
Tommy laughed gaily. “You certainly are a very funny man,” he said.
“This isn’t roast turkey, this is bread!”
“Let me see,” said Mr. Poodle. “Well, so it is. Now, how could I ever
have made such a silly mistake.”
“Never mind, sir,” said the boy. “I am sure the bread is very nice, and
I just love milk. Can we play now?”
“Yes indeed,” answered Mr. Poodle.
When Tommy had eaten the bread and milk, Mr. Poodle took him in his
arms to the big easy chair. “What shall we play now?” asked the
toymaker. {7}
[Illustration: Helen.]
Tommy’s eyes were almost closed. “I don’t know,” he answered. “Please,
sir, I am very sorry, because I wanted to play and make you happy, you
are so kind to me, but I am pretty tired. If I could go to sleep for
only a minute, then when I awake I would be all rested and could play
some more. Please, may I go to sleep for only a minute?”
“Yes, indeed you may,” said the toymaker.
Tommy’s tired eyes looked timidly up into Mr. Poodle’s. “Please sir,
may I kiss you for being so good to me?” he asked. {8}
Mr. Poodle bowed his head. “Good night, boy,” he said. “Good night,
sir,” answered Tommy.
This was the manner in which Tommy Piper came to Peter Poodle’s toy
shop. Who he was and from where he came, Mr. Poodle could not learn;
only this much—that he had been found unconscious in the forest by a
poor wood chopper, and tenderly nursed during a long illness by the
wood chopper’s good wife.
As for Mr. Poodle, he was the kindest and jolliest little man you ever
did see. His business was the making of toys for little girls and boys,
and he had a fine big shop all littered with yellow, curly shavings,
blocks of wood and bits of colored cloth. In this shop, the first thing
the next morning, Tommy went to play.
He had on a nice new suit of clothes which Mr. Poodle had provided, and
he was glad indeed to be dressed so finely, for right in the midst of
the floor, sat a little girl.
“Good morning, Helen,” said Mr. Poodle.
“Good morning, Mr. Poodle,” Helen answered, and then turning to Tommy,
she said: “Good morning, little boy.”
That was the beginning of good times in Peter Poodle’s work shop.
[Illustration]
{9}
[Illustration]