always returning.'
"'But how?' Valentine asked.
"'Not this way,' said the River, 'but over your head. When in the
early morning, or in the warmer noon, or in the pleasant evenings, you
see the white clouds flying westward, you may be sure that I am
returning.' Then the River broke into a thousand ripples, as if
smiling.
"But Valentine sat with a very serious face. 'I do not know how you
can aid me,' he sighed.
"'I know what you wish,' the River replied. 'You wish riches.'
"'Yes,' said Valentine, 'but not for the sake of the riches
themselves.'
"'Of course not!' the River exclaimed. 'Riches would be worthless if
they could not command something better; and they are worse than
worthless when the power they give is used for evil. I can give you
riches, but not without your help. I can give you the power to obtain
wealth, but I cannot give you the power to use it as it should be
used.'
"Valentine listened to the mysterious Voice of the River like one in a
dream. He could hardly believe his ears.
"'You say nothing,' said the River; 'you seem half asleep. But if I am
to help you, you must help yourself. Walk by my side a little way.
Further down you will come to a boat that has drifted against the
bank.'
[Illustration: VALENTINE TALKING TO THE RIVER]
"Valentine rose and stretched himself, and walked by the side of the
River. He had not gone far before he came upon a boat that had drifted
into an eddy. It lay there rocking, and a long oar rested against the
seat.
"'Jump in,' said the River; 'shove the boat away from the bank and
trust to me. Take the oar and pull, and I will push you along.'
"Valentine did as he was told, and he soon found that the boat was
gliding swiftly along. The trees and houses on each side seemed to be
running a race to the rear, and the boats that he passed on the River
seemed to be standing still. He went on for some hours, always
trusting to the River. When he grew tired, he held his oar in the air
and rested, but whether he rested or whether he rowed, he saw that his
boat was always gliding swiftly along.
"Presently, in the far distance, he could see the spires and steeples
of a city, and he wondered whether he would be compelled to go gliding
by, or whether the River would land him there. But he was not left
long in doubt.
"'That is your future home,' said the River. 'There you will find
friends, and there you will become rich and famous.'
"'But how?' asked Valentine.
"'I can only tell you the beginning,' replied the River. 'When your
boat glides to the landing-place, you will see there an old gentleman
richly dressed. He will ask you if you have seen his little son. He
has been there every day for two days, and he has asked of all comers
the same question.'
"'What shall I say to him?' asked Valentine.
"'Tell him you have not seen his son,' replied the River, 'but that
you feel sure you can find the boy. Tell the old gentleman that you
have come a long journey, and need rest, but that when you have
refreshed yourself, you will go and seek his son.'
"'But where shall I seek for the boy?' asked Valentine.
"'Come to me,' said the River. 'I will be here. I am always going, and
yet I am always coming.'
"By this time they had come to the city. 'Row for the landing,' said
the River; 'your fortune is there.'
"Valentine dipped his oar in the water and rowed to the landing. He
leaped from his boat, threw the chain around a stake, and looked
around. Sure enough, an old gentleman, richly dressed, was walking up
and down, his hands crossed behind him. When he saw Valentine he
paused and looked at him. Valentine bowed politely as he had been
taught to do.
"'You are a comely lad,' said the old gentleman. 'Did you come down
the River, or from below?'
"'I came down the River,' replied Valentine, touching his hat again.
"'I have lost my youngest son,' said the old gentleman. 'He is a
little boy about six years old. He wandered from home two days ago,
came to the River landing, and was last seen playing in a boat. I have
been trying to find him. My boats have been searching in all
directions, but the child cannot be found.'
"'I think I can find him,' said Valentine, 'but first I must rest and
refresh myself. I have come a long journey, and I am tired.'
"The old gentleman seized him by the hand. 'Come with me!' he
exclaimed. 'You shall go to my house. Your every want shall be
supplied. If you succeed in finding my lost boy you shall have
whatever you ask for.'
"'I shall ask for nothing,' replied Valentine. 'The pleasure I shall
have in restoring your son to your arms will be sufficient reward for
me.'
"'Nevertheless,' said the gentleman, 'you shall have a more
substantial reward than that.'
"So he took Valentine home, and treated him with the greatest
kindness. He was served with rich food and the finest spiced wines,
and fitted out with an elegant suit of clothes. Early the next
morning, Valentine thanked the gentleman for his kindness.
"'I go now,' he said, 'to find your son. Watch for me near the River.
I may return soon, or I may be gone long, but when I return I will
bring your son.'
"'You are young,' remarked the gentleman. 'You are hopeful and brave.
You imagine you can succeed where others have failed. But I fear not.
My lost boy has been sought by men older than you, and quite as brave,
but they have not found him.'
"'Certainly, I may fail,' Valentine replied. 'If I depended on myself
alone, I know I would fail. But I trust in Providence.'
"Valentine and the gentleman then went to the River--one to go in
search of the lost child, and the other to watch and wait for the
return. Valentine went to the water's edge.
"'Get a boat with a sail,' whispered the River, lapping the sand at
his feet. This was provided at once, for the gentleman was very
wealthy, and then Valentine set out on his voyage. 'Go back the way
you came,' said the River, 'but keep out of the middle current. Let
the wind fill your sails and carry you near the shore, on the right.'
With the River to direct him, Valentine sailed along with a light
heart and a happy mind. For more than two hours he journeyed up the
River, and it was not until the sun was low in the west that the River
told him to lower the sails of his boat. This done, the River carried
his boat gently ashore, and as it glided on the sand, he saw, near by,
a boat, in which a little boy lay fast asleep. Without disturbing him,
Valentine lifted the little fellow in his arms, and transferred him to
the new boat, in which wraps, and cloaks, and food had been placed.
"It was easy to guess how the little boy had been lost. He had gone
to play in a boat, which broke loose from its fastenings, and drifted
slowly up the River in the eddies that play hide and seek near the
bank. The first day the searchers searched for him, they went too far.
The next day they searched too near, and so the child drifted and
drifted, and was lost sure enough. He was very cold and wet when
Valentine found him, but in a little while he was warmly wrapped in
the cloaks that had been provided.
"'Take his boat in tow,' said the River. 'Let your sails stay down,
and take the oars and row home as hard as you can.'
"The River helped with its swift current, and it was not long before
Valentine caught a glimpse of the bonfire that was burning at the
landing to light him back to the city.
"There was great rejoicing when Valentine returned with the lost
child. The bells were rung and salutes fired from the big cannon that
commanded the approaches to the city. It turned out that the gentleman
whose child Valentine had found was the ruler of the city, and you may
depend upon it he was grateful to the unknown young man.
"But in all large cities there are some envious people, and these
soon had it whispered about that Valentine was a mere adventurer who
had stolen the child and hid it so that he might rescue it again when
a big reward was offered. These whispers grew thicker and thicker
until at last they reached the ears of every one. No one knew
Valentine, and appearances were against him, but one day he was
approached by an old man with a long white beard, who asked him from
whence he came. The old man was so kind and agreeable in his manner
that Valentine told him the story of the rescue of Geraldine.
"Much to his surprise the old man rose and embraced him. 'Come with
me!' he cried. So saying, he carried Valentine to the marketplace, and
there in the presence of a great crowd of people, the old man said:--
"'Behold my rescuer! Behold the brave youth who conquered Rimrak, the
Conjurer.'
"This closed the mouths of the envious, and when that happens, there
is not much more to tell in any story."
Here Mrs. Meadows paused and looked at Mr. Rabbit, who sat fast asleep
in his chair.
"Did he get rich and marry Geraldine?" inquired Sweetest Susan.
"Why of course," replied Mrs. Meadows. "Do you reckon he'd have gone
through all these ups and downs if he wasn't to marry and settle down
and be happy in the end?"
"Well," said Buster John, "it was a pretty good story."
"I speck so," remarked Drusilla, "but dey's lots too much richness in
it fer me."
Mrs. Meadows laughed so heartily at this that Mr. Rabbit was aroused
from his nap, and looked around in surprise.
"Did I hear somebody say supper was ready?" he asked.
Mrs. Meadows laughed again, but this time she glanced at the sky of
Mr. Thimblefinger's queer country. It had grown perceptibly darker.
Mr. Thimblefinger drew out his little watch. Mr. Rabbit closed one
eye, and sat as if listening for something.
"Well," said Mrs. Meadows with a sigh, "I reckon we'll have to tell
you good-by for this time, but I do hope you'll come again. I declare
it has been a treat to have some new somebody to talk to. By the
time you get back home the sun will be setting in your country, and
your folks will begin to be uneasy about you."
[Illustration: BUSTER JOHN SHAKING HANDS WITH MR. RABBIT]
The children were not at all anxious to go. They had had a very
curious experience in Mr. Thimblefinger's queer country, and they had
almost forgotten that the sun in their part of the world had a habit
of going down. But they said they were ready, and then they shook
hands all around. When Buster John came to shake hands with Mr.
Rabbit, the latter looked at the youngster a moment.
"Did you ever happen to know a colored man named Aaron?" he asked.
"Uncle Aaron!" exclaimed Buster John. "Why, he lives on our
plantation. He's the foreman."
"Well," said Mr. Rabbit solemnly, "when you see Aaron, take his left
hand in both of yours, bend his thumb back a little, and with your
right thumb make this mark *. The first time he will pay no attention.
Make it the second time. Then he will be ready to listen. Make it the
third time. Then he will ask you what you want. Say to him that you
want to learn the language of the animals."
"Won't he get angry?" asked Buster John.
"Try him," replied Mr. Rabbit with a cunning look. "Now, good-by!"
"When you get ready to come again," said Mrs. Meadows, "just drop a
big apple in the spring, and I'll be bound we'll all see it and know
what it means. And when you come be sure and bring the apple. It's
been a month of Sundays since I've had one."
The children promised they would, and then, with Mr. Thimblefinger
leading the way, they started home, which they reached without further
adventure. As they stood on the brink of the spring, waving their
hands to Mr. Thimblefinger, who was smiling at them from the bottom,
Drusilla remarked with unction:--
"I dunner how 't is wid you all, but I don't no mo' b'lieve we been
down dar under dat water dar dan--dan--dan de man in de moon. Dat I
don't!"
Then the youngsters heard the supper-bell ring, and they all ran
towards the house.
Transcriber's Note
Minor typographic errors have been corrected without note.
Some illustrations have been moved slightly so that they are not
mid-paragraph.