THE QUEEN OF THE DOLLS
The hot sun was now standing directly over the tops of the trees, and,
as the moving shade had left the Vagabond with a part of his circle of
children out in its broiling rays, he was glad indeed to pause with his
story while they all rose at his request and formed a new circle farther
in under the sheltering branches. Four of the boys leaped from the
ground and scampered away to bring the water as the Vagabond had
requested.
When the new circle was formed, one of the little girls,—a sweet-faced
darling of not more than five years, pushed herself away from the
others, and with a feeling of pride, took a seat by the side of the
Vagabond, where she sat looking into his face quite anxious for him to
go on with his story.
The boys were not slow in returning from the well; and in order to
assure themselves that the water would reach the parched lips of their
companions fresh and cool, they had unbound the old oaken bucket from
the well pole and were bearing it along, dripping full, between them.
The water soon arrived, and by order of the Vagabond it was passed
around, he not even forgetting to first wait upon the little lady who,
so honored, sat proudly by his side. When they were all comfortably
seated in the shade at last, it was thus he continued his interesting
tale:
"After the two children had eaten all they possibly could, just as many
of you drank all the water you possibly could, the dwarfs and brownies
came hurrying up the stairs and were not long in removing the dishes and
table. The brownies, in a most winning manner, insisted upon their
eating more, for there was enough left to feed a dozen hungry children,
but they were forced to reluctantly decline.
"The sun-tanned brownie, who removed the dishes from in front of Maud,
looked too funny for anything with his long-peaked cap set aslant on his
little round head and roguishly pushed over to one side. On his face
appeared a broad grin as he took the dishes under his arm, and gazing
intently toward little Maud, said in a shy, half-whisper though
sufficiently loud for her to hear: "Pretty girl!"
"Then without waiting a reply, he made one wild, hilarious plunge,
dishes and all, down the balustrade. Nor did he stop when he struck the
ground, but hurried away toward the mountain, halting only for a second
when half way up its steep side to wave her an affectionate adieu with
his funny round cap. Thus waving he passed from sight under the
sheltering trees that grew along the mountain way, while the children
turned to view other parts of the beautiful valley.
"'What broad, golden stream is that, Aunt Twaddles?' inquired little
Arthur, as he pointed toward the Work Shops of Santa Claus.
"'Aunt Twaddles' glanced up as he spoke and looking in the direction of
the golden stream, she replied.
"'That, my darlings, is Taffy River.'
"'Taffy River!' exclaimed the children in one breath. Then Arthur, in an
excited tone, continued: 'You don't mean to tell us, Aunt Twaddles, that
taffy flows in a river like that!'
"The children stood anxiously awaiting her reply.
"'Yes, darlings! Oh, yes!' she replied. 'Taffy River gets its start up
at Honey Springs in the lower end of Ice Cream Valley and flows, as you
see, down between Ginger Bread Hills and Cake Mountain, then on past the
Work Shops of Santa Claus and empties into Lake Fudge, over beyond the
Pop-Corn Fields where you see the reindeer.'
"Arthur was so bewildered he did not know what to say; while little Maud
stood with her mouth open in such a manner that she was quite amusing to
look upon. Suddenly she exclaimed:
"'Mercy, Aunt Twaddles! Is that white field pop corn? Why I thought it
was snow!'
"'No! no! my children!' smilingly exclaimed the good lady. 'That field
is all pop corn. You see,' she continued, 'we never have either rain or
snow here. Not a particle of water is ever permitted to fall in this
enchanted valley, not even a drop of dew; for if it should, though it
was only a tear, something dreadful would surely happen. This is not our
will, but the will of Heaven; and if you watch, you will see for
yourselves.'
"'Aunt Twaddles' touched another button in the arm of her golden chair
and gazed calmly over the valley.
"While they were waiting for something unusual to happen, little Maud
roused from a spell of deep thought and inquired:
"'Aunt Twaddles, does any of Taffy River ever empty into the
Shenandoah?' And her eyes sparkled at the thought.
"'Ah, no, darling,' replied the generous old woman with a knowing smile.
'When the children of the earth are good, Santa Claus takes most of it
on his journey at Christmas time; but when they are naughty it overflows
Lake Fudge and is wasted among the surrounding hills.'
"'Aunt Twaddles' seemed somewhat impatient and again pressing the button
with a firm hand, the children were greatly surprised to behold a heavy,
dark cloud rising in the west. Leaping upward it came flying angrily
over the summit of Ginger Bread Hills; then dashing furiously against
the tall sides of Cake Mountain it rolled upward with the sound of deep,
muttering thunder and spread over the entire sky.
"The wind came howling bitterly down the beautiful valley with a sudden
dash and roar, and again turned the sign above the factory of Santa
Claus out of reasonable position.
"Strong trees bent low before the breath of the on-coming storm, while
the entire end of Beauty Valley grew suddenly dark. All the dolls of the
village hastened into their play-houses as fast as their little legs
could carry them. Santa Claus came out of his factory and, arching his
eyebrows with the palms of his wide-open hands, cast a sweeping glance
over the threatening sky and then disappeared within.
"The doors throughout this great factory were suddenly closed. Windows
came down with a bang. Louder and louder the shrill wind howled with a
wintry wail and in a few moments a blinding snowstorm of pop corn buried
the distant field in a spotless coverlet of white.
"'Aunt Twaddles' touched another button in the arm of her chair.
Suddenly the clouds melted away into a veil of thin mist and again the
sun poured down its wealth of golden glory.
"Up went the windows in the factory of Santa Claus. The dolls rushed out
of their play-houses and danced once more upon the green, while a mighty
host of brownies rushed from the factories into the field and began to
gather basket after basket of pop corn to be made into pop-corn balls on
the banks of Taffy River.
"'Aunt Twaddles' sat back in her chair, smiling silently, for she had
watched the expressions upon the faces of the children during the
wonderful storm.
"The scene was indeed most marvelous and it was a long time before
either of the children ventured to say a word, for the wonderful
workings of nature, all under control of the little, shining buttons,
mystified them beyond utterance.
"Suddenly they beheld a little brownie hurrying from the factory toward
the throne. 'Aunt Twaddles' arose when she saw him coming.
"'Here comes a messenger,' she said, 'and something must be wrong.'
"In another second he bounded up the onyx steps and soon afterward stood
tremblingly before them.
"'What is it, Spit?' inquired 'Aunt Twaddles' as she gazed down upon
him.
"'Spit,' for that was the name of the brownie, looked up into her face
as he stood awed by her presence.
"'Twaddles!' he exclaimed, 'during the storm the lightning struck a
wooden doll in the village and hurt it mighty badly.'
"As this sad bit of news fell on the ears of 'Aunt Twaddles,' she
dismissed the brownie with a wave of her hand and sank back in her
chair, and the children could see that she was much distressed.
"'Come! come!' she said to herself at last, 'we must not grieve so much
over accidents, for they are often the will of Heaven.'
"She arose and greeted the children with a glad smile.
"'Aunt Twaddles,' inquired Arthur, 'does Santa Claus always live here?'
"Instantly, 'Aunt Twaddles' stepped back from the children and paused.
She stood near the steps of the golden throne, her hand resting upon the
white polished onyx post that ornamented the end of the beautiful
balustrade, and turning to them, she said:
"'Yes, children, Santa Claus always lives here and I am his sister.'
"As she spoke the last word, a magical change came over her entire
features.
"Instead of the fat, flabby, emotionless countenance the children had
long known and loved, each careworn line withered instantly away, and in
place came the bloom and smile of eternal youth and beauty; while the
ungainly and ponderous weight that had so encumbered her journeys,
disappeared all in a moment, until she now looked more like a beautiful
fairy than the dear, good 'Aunt Twaddles' of old.
"All the odd, ill-fitting garments, with the long, heavy skirt to which
they had so firmly clung for their lives while climbing the face of the
cliff, were changed before their very eyes into raiments of rich lace
and gold; and she stood before them in her true character, no longer
'Aunt Twaddles,' the herb woman, but the fairy sister of Santa Claus,
more lovely by far than any doll they had ever beheld.
"'You see me now, darlings, as no mortal eye has ever beheld me. Amid
the common walks of life, when gathering wintergreen, spices, and herbs
on the mountain, with which to flavor the candy for Santa Claus, I am
awkward and ugly, fat, and ungainly, and I care not; for the rarest of
womanly beauty on earth lies not in the looks, but the heart. But here,
in this haven of blissful repose, you now behold me as I truly am;—not
Aunt Twaddles, the herb woman, but _Twaddles, the Queen of the Dolls_,
and the ruler who reigns over the Village of Hide and Seek.'
Illustration: _"All the odd, ill-fitting garments were changed into
raiments of gold."_
"Awed beyond measure and wrapt in admiring silence, the poor children
stood trembling in the presence of the queen. Nor could they reconcile
themselves to the sudden change, for 'Aunt Twaddles,' the herb woman,
had always been so good and kind to them.
"Little Maud suddenly sank to her knees on the throne, and cried aloud
in a pitiful voice:
"'Oh, dear queen, how beautiful you are! But please be your dear self
again, for I love the Aunt Twaddles who has always been so good to me.'
"Before she could finish her heart-rending plea, the beautiful Doll
Queen folded her to her bosom and covered the face of the child with
sweet, motherly caresses.
"'Come! come!' she said softly, at last. 'We will make a tour of Beauty
Valley, or, as the dolls of the village all love to call it, 'The Land
of Santa Claus.' And she unclasped Maud from her arms.
"The Queen touched a bell on a silver stand and at the faint sound a
beautiful white-winged dove, with a pale blue ribbon about its snowy
neck, came flying from a near-by olive tree and lit upon the edge of the
throne before them.
"The children, much interested in the unusual sight, drew back toward
the opposite side of the throne as if fearing they might frighten the
bird away; but the Queen, smiling so sweetly that they felt like falling
to their knees and worshipping her, turned to them as she exclaimed:
"'Have no fear, my darlings, for you cannot frighten it away. This bird
is my private messenger that always finds Kimbo when I want him.'
"The Queen waved her hands with a graceful, easy motion, and the dove
rose in the air on its snowy wings. Three times it circled above the
throne, and then took its course toward the buildings of Santa Claus and
passed out of sight. The Queen stepped lightly beside them and said:
"'Let us wait now, my darlings, for the arrival of Kimbo.'
"And now while we leave the beautiful Queen standing with the children
upon the golden throne and waiting for Kimbo, whoever he is, I will wait
here by the side of this little queen, seated upon God's Throne, the
green grass, until some of the boys bring us more water; for the day is
sultry and warm and Miss Lady, so sweet at my side, must be kept like a
fresh cut flower, shaded and cool."
The Vagabond ceased with that part of his story.
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