Produced by Al Haines.
[Illustration: Cover]
The Sandman's Hour
Stories _for_ Bedtime
By Abbie Phillips Walker
_Illustrated by_ Rhoda. C. Chase
Harper & Brothers, Publishers
[Illustration: Title page]
The Sandman's Hour
Copyright, 1917, by Harper & Brothers
Printed in the United States of America
*CONTENTS*
Where the Sparks Go
The Good Sea Monster
Mother Turkey and Her Chicks
The Fairies and the Dandelion
Mr. 'Possum
The Rooster That Crowed Too Soon
Tearful
Hilda's Mermaid
The Mirror's Dream
The Contest
The Pink and Blue Eggs
Why the Morning-Glory Sleeps
Dorothy and the Portrait
Mistress Pussy's Mistake
Kid
The Shoemaker Rat
The Poppies
Little China Doll
The Disorderly Girl
The Wise Old Gander
Dinah Cat and the Witch
The Star and the Lily
Lazy Gray
The Old Gray Hen
The Worsted Doll
*THE SANDMAN'S HOUR*
[Illustration: Headpiece to Where the Sparks Go]
*WHERE THE SPARKS GO*
One night when the wind was blowing and it was clear and cold out of
doors, a cat and a dog, who were very good friends, sat dozing before a
fire-place. The wood was snapping and crackling, making the sparks fly.
Some flew up the chimney, others settled into coals in the bed of the
fireplace, while others flew out on the hearth and slowly closed their
eyes and went to sleep.
One spark ventured farther out upon the hearth and fell very near Pussy.
This made her jump, which awakened the dog.
"That almost scorched your fur coat, Miss Pussy," said the dog.
"No, indeed," answered the cat. "I am far too quick to be caught by
those silly sparks."
"Why do you call them silly?" asked the dog. "I think them very good to
look at, and they help to keep us warm."
"Yes, that is all true," said the cat, "but those that fly up the
chimney on a night like this certainly are silly, when they could be
warm and comfortable inside; for my part, I cannot see why they fly up
the chimney."
The spark that flew so near Pussy was still winking, and she blazed up a
little when she heard the remark the cat made.
"If you knew our reason you would not call us silly," she said. "You
cannot see what we do, but if you were to look up the chimney and see
what happens if we are fortunate enough to get out at the top, you would
not call us silly."
The dog and cat were very curious to know what happened, but the spark
told them to look and see for themselves. Pussy was very cautious and
told the dog to look first, so he stepped boldly up to the fireplace and
thrust his head in. He quickly withdrew it, for his hair was singed,
which made him cry and run to the other side of the room.
Miss Pussy smoothed her soft coat and was very glad she had been so
wise; she walked over to the dog and urged him to come nearer the fire,
but he realized why a burnt child dreads the fire, and remained at a
safe distance.
Pussy walked back to the spark and continued to question it. "We cannot
go into the fire," she said. "Now, pretty, bright spark, do tell us what
becomes of you when you fly up the chimney. I am sure you only become
soot and that cannot make you long to get to the top."
"Oh, you are very wrong," said the spark. "We are far from being black
when we fly up the chimney, for once we reach the top, we live forever
sparkling in the sky. You can see, if you look up the chimney, all of
our brothers and sisters, who have been lucky and reached the top,
winking at us almost every night. Sometimes the wind blows them away, I
suppose, for there are nights when we cannot see the sparks shine."
"Who told you all that?" said the cat. "Did any of the sparks ever come
back and tell you they could live forever?"
"Oh no!" said the spark; "but we can see them, can we not? And, of
course, we all want to shine forever."
"I said you were silly," said the cat, "and now I know it; those are not
sparks you see; they are stars in the sky."
"You can call them anything you like," replied the spark, "but we make
the bright light you see."
"Well, if you take my advice," said the cat, "you will stay right in the
fireplace, for once you reach the top of the chimney out of sight you
go. The stars you see twinkling are far above the chimney, and you
never could reach them." But the spark would not be convinced. Just
then some one opened a door and the draught blew the spark back into the
fireplace. In a few minutes it was flying with the others toward the top
of the chimney.
Pussy watched the fire a minute and then looked at the dog.
"The spark may be right, after all," said the dog. "Let us go out and
see if we can see it."
Pussy stretched herself and blinked. "Perhaps it is true," she replied;
"anyway, I will go with you and look."
[Illustration: Headpiece to The Good Sea Monster]
*THE GOOD SEA MONSTER*
On an island of rocks out in the ocean lived a sea monster. His head
was large, and when he opened his mouth it looked like a cave.
It had been said that he was so huge that he could swallow a ship, and
that on stormy nights he sat on the rocks and the flashing of his eyes
could be seen for miles around.
The sailors spoke of him with fear and trembling, but, as you can see,
the sea monster had really been a friend to them, showing them the rock
in the storm by flashing his eyes; but because he looked so hideous all
who beheld him thought he must be a cruel monster.
One night there was a terrible storm, and the monster went out into the
ocean to see if any ship was wrecked in the night, and, if possible,
help any one that was floating about.
He found one little boy floating about on a plank. His name was Ko-Ko,
and when he saw the monster he was afraid, but when Ko-Ko saw that the
monster did not attempt to harm him he climbed on the monster's back and
he took him to the rocky island. Then the monster went back into the sea
and Ko-Ko wondered if he were to be left alone. But after a while the
monster returned and opened his mouth very wide.
Ko-Ko ran when he saw the huge mouth, for he thought the monster
intended to swallow him, but as he did not follow him Ko-Ko went back.
The monster opened his mouth again, and Ko-Ko asked, "Do you want me to
go inside?" and the monster nodded his head.
"It must be for my own good," said Ko-Ko, "for he could easily swallow
me if he wished, without waiting for me to walk in."
So Ko-Ko walked into the big mouth and down a dark passage, but what the
monster wanted him to do he could not think. He could see very faintly
now, and after a while he saw a stove, a chair, and a table. "I will
take these out," said Ko-Ko, "for I am sure I can use them."
He took them to a cave on the island, and when he returned the monster
was gone; but he soon returned, and again he opened his mouth.
Ko-Ko walked in this time without waiting, and he found boxes and
barrels of food, which he stored away in the cave. When Ko-Ko had
removed everything the monster lay down and went to sleep.
Ko-Ko cooked his dinner and then he awoke the monster and said, "Dinner
is ready," but the monster shook his head and plunged into the ocean.
He soon returned with his mouth full of fish. Then Ko-Ko knew that the
monster had brought all the things from the sunken ship for him, and he
began to wish that the monster could talk, for he no longer feared him.
"I wish you could talk," he said.
"I can," the monster replied. "No one ever wished it before. An old
witch changed me into a monster and put me on this island, where no one
could reach me, and the only way I can be restored to my original form
is for some one to wish it."
"I wish it," said Ko-Ko.
"You have had your wish," said the monster, "and I can talk; but for me
to become a man some one else must wish it."
The monster and Ko-Ko lived for a long time on the island. He took
Ko-Ko for long rides on his back, and when the waves were too high and
Ko-Ko was afraid the monster would open his mouth and Ko-Ko would crawl
inside and be brought back safe to the island.
One night, after a storm, Ko-Ko saw something floating on the water, and
he jumped on the monster's back and they swam out to it.
It proved to be a little girl, about Ko-Ko's age, who had been on one of
the wrecked vessels, and they brought her to the island.
At first she was afraid of the monster, but when she learned that he had
saved Ko-Ko as well as her and brought them all their food she became as
fond of him as Ko-Ko was.
"I wish he were a man," she said one day, as she sat on his back with
Ko-Ko, ready for a sail. Splash went both children into the water, and
there in place of the monster was an old man. He caught the children in
his arms and brought them to the shore.
"But what will we do for food, now that you are a man?" asked Ko-Ko.
"We shall want for nothing now," replied the old man. "I am a sea-god
and can do many things, now that I have my own form again. We will
change this island into a beautiful garden, and when the little girl and
you are grown up and married you shall have a castle, and all the
sea-gods and nymphs will care for you. You will never want for anything
again.
"I will take you out on the ocean on the backs of my dolphins."
Ko-Ko and the little girl lived on the enchanted island, and all the
things that the old sea-god promised came true.
[Illustration: Headpiece to Mother Turkey and Her Chicks]
*MOTHER TURKEY AND HER CHICKS*
Mother Turkey believed in the old adage taught to her by her
grandmother, "The early bird catches the worm," and every night when the
sun set she took her little chicks to the highest branch they could
reach in an old apple-tree and sang them to sleep with this lullaby:
"Close your eyes, my little turkey chicks;
Hide your heads, don't peep.
Mother knows the bogy fox's tricks,
And she'll watch while you sleep."
Mother Turkey had told them about the bogy fox that lived in a hole on
the other side of the hill, and it did not need more than the mention of
that name to make them obey.
"I do wish we could get just a look at him," said one chick, as his
mother came to the end of the verse. "I should not know him if I met
him."
"Oh yes, you would," replied his mother. "He has a very long tail, and
a sharp nose, and his teeth! Oh, dear me!" she exclaimed, as she flapped
her wings at the thought of them.
"Will you wake us if he comes to-night?" asked another chick.
"I shall not need to do that," replied Mother Turkey; "you will hear us
talking. He is a very sly fellow, and always very polite and says nice
things. But you cover your heads; it is getting late," and she began to
sing:
"Close your eyes, my little turkey chicks;
Hide your heads, don't peep.
Mother knows the bogy fox's tricks,
And she'll watch while you sleep."
By the time Mother Turkey reached the end of the verse this time all the
chicks were fast asleep.
Mother Turkey stretched out her wings once or twice and turned her head
in all directions, and then she settled herself for a nap.
The moon was shining brightly when she awoke, and she saw not far off
what looked like a large black dog walking cautiously toward the tree.
Mother Turkey took another look and saw the bushy tail, and she perched
herself more firmly on the limb and looked to see if her children were
safe on there, too, for she knew that the bogy fox had come to take one
of her chicks back to his hole if he could.
"Good evening, Mr. Fox," she said, as the fox came near enough to hear
her. "I was sure that I knew your splendid figure; you certainly make a
most remarkable picture in the moonlight."
Mr. Fox was somewhat taken aback at this compliment paid him in such a
pleasant manner, for usually he was the one to make remarks and the
turkeys listened, not daring to move or speak.
He recovered from his surprise by the time he was under the tree, and
said: "You are most flattering, Mistress Turkey, and I can only return
the compliment by telling you that you are a picture yourself in the
moonlight, sitting so stately on that limb, but if you would enjoy to
the full extent this beautiful evening you must come from the tree and
take a walk over the hill."
"No doubt you are right," replied Mrs. Turkey, "but I could not think of
leaving my children alone."
"I should be very glad to take care of the little dears while you are
gone," said Mr. Fox, "and if you will have them come down beside me I
will tell them a story which I am sure will keep them interested until
you return."
By this time the turkey chicks were awake and listening to what the fox
was saying. He seemed so nice and polite that they quite forgot to be
afraid, and when he spoke of telling them a story one of them said: "Oh,
please do go, mother, and let him tell us a story. We'll be very good
if you will."
"You see, my dear madam," said the fox, "the little dears are quite
willing to stay with me. Do go and enjoy the moonlight."
Mother Turkey looked at her children in a way that plainly said to them,
"Be quiet," and then she said to Mr. Fox: "I appreciate your kind offer,
and were my children well should be very glad to leave them with you,
but they have been sick, and are so lean that I have to be very careful
that they sleep and eat well, or they will not be fat by next
Thanksgiving, and that would be a disgrace, you know."
When the fox heard this he was not so anxious to have the chicks come
down, so he said, "I know just how anxious you must feel, Mistress
Turkey, and if you will come down where I can talk with you without
being heard I will tell you the very thing to give them to make them
fat."
"If he cannot get the chicks he will take me," thought Mrs. Turkey, "but
I am too old a bird to be caught even by this sly fellow."
Mrs. Turkey did not reply to this last remark. She was thinking of a
trap she saw her master set the day before. "I wish you would walk
around a little so my children can see what a beautiful bushy tail you
have," she said. "They have never seen so handsome a fellow as you
are."
Mr. Fox was very proud of his tail, so he walked out from the shade of
the tree and strutted about.
"Tell him how handsome he is," whispered Mother Turkey to her chicks.
"Oh, isn't he handsome!" said one, and another said, "I wish we had such
bushy tails, instead of these straight feathers," while Mrs. Turkey
said, "You are quite the handsomest creature I have ever seen, and I
have seen many in my time."
By this time the fox was so pleased with their admiration that he was
ready to do anything to display his charms, so when Mrs. Turkey said, "I
wish you would run and show them how you can run and jump," he asked
what he could jump on to show his nimbleness.
"The top of that hogshead would be a good place," said Mrs. Turkey,
knowing well that the cask had no head and that it was nearly full of
water.
Away ran Mr. Fox, and splash he went into the hogshead. He tried to get
out, but it was no use; the cask was too high, and then the farmer,
hearing the noise, came out and soon put an end to Mr. Fox.
The little turkeys sat wide-awake and trembling beside their mother, but
when the farmer went into the house she began to sing:
"Close your eyes, my little turkey chicks;
Hide your heads, don't peep.
Mother knows the bogy fox's tricks,
And she'll watch while you sleep."
And in a few minutes all was quiet again in the yard.
[Illustration: headpiece to The Fairies and the Dandelion]
*THE FAIRIES AND THE DANDELION*
The Fairies say that a long time ago the dandelion did not have a yellow
blossom or the fluffy white cap it wears after the yellow has been taken
off.
They tell the story that one night, a long time ago, while they were
holding one of their revels in a field, sounds of weeping and moaning
were heard.
The Fairy Queen stopped the dance and listened. "It comes from the
ground," she said, "down among the grasses. Hurry, all of you; find out
who is in trouble and come back and tell me."
Away went the Fairies into the fields and gardens and lanes. Darting in
and out among the blades of grass, they found queer-looking weeds with
leaves resembling a lion's tooth. They were crying and chanting a
sing-song tune:
"Here we grow so bright and green,
The color of grass, and can't be seen.
O bitter woe, but we'll not stop
Till the Fairies give us a yellow top."
Back flew the Fairies to their Queen and told her what they had heard.
"If only they had asked for some other color!" she said. "There are so
many yellow blossoms now. The buttercup, the goldenglow, and the
goldenrod will all be jealous if another yellow flower enters their
bright circle. Go back and ask them if they will be quiet if we give
them a white top."
The Fairies danced away to the crying dandelions with the Queen's
message.
"The Queen will give you a white top," they said.
"No, no!" they cried. "Yellow is the color we should wear with our
green leaves. It is the color of the sun and we wish to be as near like
him as we can," and they all began to cry:
"O bitter woe, we will not stop
Till the Fairies give us a yellow top."
They made such a noise that the Fairies put their fingers in their ears
as they flew back to the Queen.
The grass-blades stood up higher and looked about. "Do quiet those noisy
weeds," they said to the Queen; "give them the yellow top for which they
are crying, and let us go to sleep. We have been kept awake since
sunset and it will soon be sunrise."
"What shall we do?" said the Queen. "I do not know where to get the
yellow they want."
"If we could get some sunbeams," said one Fairy, "we could have just the
color they are crying for. Of course, we cannot venture into such a
strong light, but the Elves might gather them for us."
So they went to the Elves and asked them to gather the sunbeams for the
next day, and bring them to the valley the next night.
The Elves were very willing to help them, but the sun shone very little
the next day, and they were able to gather only a few basketfuls of the
bright golden color.
When the Queen saw the quantity she was in despair. "This will never go
around," she said, "and those that are left without a yellow top will
cry louder than ever."
"Why not divide it among them?" said one Fairy. "It will last for a
little while and we can give them our fluffy white caps when that is
gone. We shall take them off soon and the dandelions can wear them the
rest of the season."
The face of the Queen brightened. "The very thing," she said, "if only
the noisy little weeds will agree. Go to them and say they can wear
yellow of the very shade they most desire half the season if they are
willing to accept our fluffy white caps for the other half."
The Fairies hurried to the dandelions and told them what the Queen had
said. The dandelions stopped crying and said they would be satisfied,
and the Queen rode through the meadows, fields, gardens, and lanes,
dropping gold upon each weed as she passed along.
In the morning when the sun beheld his own bright color looking up at
him he was so surprised that he almost stood still.
The Fairies kept their promise, and when it was time to take off their
fluffy white caps they went among the dandelions and hung a cap on each
stem.
The dandelions did not cry again, and the grass sleeps on from sunset to
sunrise, undisturbed.
[Illustration: headpiece to Mr. 'Possum]
*MR. 'POSSUM*
Mr. 'Possum lived in a tree in the woods where Mr. Bear lived, and one
morning just before spring Mr. 'Possum awoke very hungry.
He ran around to Mr. Squirrel's house and tried to get an invitation to
breakfast, but Mr. Squirrel had only enough for himself. He knew that
Mr. 'Possum always lived on his neighbors when he could, so he said: "Of
course you have been to breakfast long ago, Mr. 'Possum, you are such a
smart fellow, so I will not offer you any."
Mr. 'Possum of course said he had, and that he only dropped in to make a
call; he was on his way to Mr. Rabbit's house.
But he met with no better success at Mr. Rabbit's, for he only put his
nose out of the door, and when he saw who was there, said: "I am as busy
as I can be getting ready for my spring planting. Will you come in and
help sort seeds?"
Mr. Rabbit knew the easiest way to be rid of Mr. 'Possum was to ask him
to work.
"I would gladly help you," replied Mr. 'Possum, "but I am in a great
hurry this morning. I have some important business with Mr. Bear and I
only stopped to say how-do-you-do."
"Mr. Bear, I am afraid, will not be receiving to-day," said Mr. Rabbit.
"It is rather early for him to be up, isn't it?"
"I thought as the sun was nice and warm he might venture out, and I
thought it would please him to have me there to welcome him," said Mr.
'Possum. "Besides that, I wish to see him on business."
Now, Mr. 'Possum knew well enough that Mr. Bear would not be up, and he
wanted to find him sleeping, and soundly, too.
He went to the door and knocked softly, then he waited, and as he did
not hear any moving inside he went to a window and looked in. There was
Mr. Bear's chair and pipe just as he left them when he went to bed. He
looked in the bedroom window and he could see in the bed a big heap of
bedclothes, and just the tiniest tip of Mr. Bear's nose.
Mr. 'Possum listened, and he trembled a little, for he could hear Mr.
Bear breathing very loud, and it sounded anything but pleasant.
"Oh, he is sound asleep for another week!" said Mr. 'Possum. "What is
the use of being afraid?" He walked around the house until he came to
the pantry window; then he stopped and raised the sash.
He put in one foot and sat on the sill and listened. All was still, so
he slid off to the floor. Mr. 'Possum looked around Mr. Bear's
well-filled pantry. He did not know where to begin, he was so hungry.
He became so interested and was so greedy that he forgot all about that
he was in Mr. Bear's pantry, and he stayed on and on and ate and ate.
Then he fell asleep, and the first thing he knew a pair of shining eyes
were looking in the window and a big head with a red mouth full of long
white teeth was poked into the pantry.
Mr. 'Possum thought his time had come, so he just closed his eyes and
pretended he was dead, but he peeked a little so as to see what
happened.
The big head was followed by a body, and when it was on the sill Mr.
'Possum saw it was Mr. Fox, and the next thing he knew Mr. Fox came off
the sill with a bang and hit a pan of beans and then knocked over a jar
of preserves.
The noise was enough to awaken all the bears for miles around, and Mr.
'Possum was frightened nearly to death, for he heard Mr. Bear growling
in the next room.
While Mr. Fox was on the floor and trying to get up on his feet Mr.
'Possum jumped up and was out of the window like a flash. Mr. Fox saw
something, but he did not know what, and before he could make his escape
the door of the pantry opened and there stood Mr. Bear with a candle in
his hand, looking in.
"Oh, oh!" he growled, "so you are trying to rob me while I'm taking my
sleep," and he sprang at Mr. Fox.
"Wait, wait," said Mr. Fox. "Let me explain, my dear Mr. Bear. You are
mistaken; I was trying to protect your home. I saw your window open and
knew you were asleep, and when I got in the window the thief attacked me
and nearly killed me and now you are blaming me for it. You are most
ungrateful. I shall know another time what to do."
Mr. Bear looked at him. His mouth did not show any signs of food, and
Mr. Fox opened his mouth and told him to look.
"I wonder who it could have been?" he said, when he was satisfied that
Mr. Fox was not the thief. "It may have been that 'Possum fellow. I'll
go over to his house in the morning."
The next morning Mr. Bear called on Mr. 'Possum. He found him sleeping
soundly, and when he at last opened the door he was rubbing his eyes as
though he was not half awake.
"Why, how do you do?" he said, when he saw Mr. Bear. "I did not suppose
you were up yet."
"You didn't?" asked Mr. Bear, and then he stared at Mr. 'Possum's coat.
"What is the matter with your coat?" he asked. "You have white hairs
sticking out all over you, and the rest of your coat is almost white,
too."
Now Mr. 'Possum had a black coat before, and he ran to the mirror and
looked at himself. It was true; he was almost white. He knew what had
happened. He was so frightened when he was caught in Mr. Bear's pantry
by Mr. Fox, and heard Mr. Bear growl, that he had turned nearly white
with fright.
"I have been terribly ill," he told Mr. Bear, going back to the door.
"And I have been here all alone this winter. It was a terrible
sickness; I guess that is what has caused it."
Mr. Bear went away, shaking his head. "That fellow is crafty," he said.
"I feel sure he was the thief, and yet he certainly does look sick."
After that all the opossums were of dull white color, with long, white
hairs scattered here and there over their fur. They were never able to
outgrow the mark the thieving Mr. 'Possum left upon his race.
[Illustration: headpiece to The Rooster that Crowed too Soon]
*THE ROOSTER THAT CROWED TOO SOON*
Red Rooster felt it was time he showed the new drake that had come to
live in the barnyard that he was a very brave rooster, as well as the
ruler of the barnyard.
So the next time he saw the drake he said: "I suppose you have been in
many battles, and no doubt the home you have just come from will miss
your protection as well as your company.'
"No," replied the drake; "I never was in a battle. I do not quarrel with
any one. I believe in living in peace with all around me."
"Oh, well, that is all very well for you, perhaps," said the rooster;
"but for me, it is a different matter. I have to protect all the hens
and chickens and I also protect myself. I can whip any rooster around
here, and no one dares come into my yard."
The drake did not reply, for just then a strange rooster came into the
yard, and Red Rooster ran at him with sweeping wings.
He pecked at the intruder and spurred him until he was glad to run away.
"There, what did I tell you?" said Red Rooster, coming back to the
drake. "I am the greatest fighter around this part of the country. I
am not afraid of anything."
"Oh, don't talk so much about it," said the dog from his house near-by.
"I think there are a few things even you are afraid of, Mr. Rooster. I
guess you would run from a fox."
"I am not afraid of a fox," said Red Rooster. "I can scare him by
crowing loudly. Master knows when I make a great noise it is time for
him to find the cause. Oh, I am very brave and can take care of myself."
Red Rooster felt so brave that he thought the highest place he could get
on the wall would be a good place to talk about his bravery, so he flew
up on the wall by the gate, and then to the top of the hen-house.
Madam Pig was in her pen on the other side. "Madam Pig," he said, "did
you see me whip that impudent rooster that came through our yard?"
Madam Pig grunted that she did not, as she could not see over the wall.
"You surely missed a great sight," said the rooster, stretching his neck
and strutting along the roof. "I am a brave fellow. I never allow any
one to come around here that does not belong here. I have just been
telling the new drake about my prowess and bravery.
"Mr. Drake," he called, as the new drake and his family waddled past the
hen-house, "if you need protection at any time do not hesitate to call
upon me."
A robin perched upon the roof not far from him, and Red Rooster flew at
him. "Go away," he said. "I am very fierce and brave, and if you were
as large as a cow I should attack you just the same. I am not afraid of
anything."
Red Rooster strutted up and down, crowing and thinking how brave he was,
and so intent was he upon his greatness that he did not heed the warning
cries that came from the fowls in the yard below him.
In a moment more a big hawk swooped down and held Red Rooster in his
claws. He started to fly just as the shot from a gun sounded, and Red
Rooster fell to the ground.
He jumped up and shook himself, and looked in time to see his master
pick up the dead hawk.
"I guess that hawk won't show himself around here again," he said.
"That was a very hard fight, but I won, even if I did get a tumble."
"Well, if you are not a conceited fellow!" laughed the dog; "but I was
not the only one that saw the hawk start off with you, and we all know
that if master had not shot it you would not be here to crow to-morrow
morning."
"No," piped the robin from a tree; "you were telling me how brave you
were, and the hawk was not half as large as a cow. You were not very
brave when he came upon you. You did not do a thing. Oh, dear! it was
so funny to hear you crowing about your bravery and then to see you
caught up so soon by a hawk that is only a little larger than you."
The drake and all his family were listening, and Madam Pig had put her
head over the wall to listen. Poor Red Rooster felt that it was no time
to crow about his bravery, so he walked away with all the dignity he
could muster.
"He crowed too soon," said the drake.
"He crowed too much," said the dog.
"He crowed too loud," said the robin, "or he would have heard the
warning cries from the hens and chickens."
[Illustration: headpiece to Tearful]
*TEARFUL*
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Tearful, because she
cried so often.
If she could not have her own way, she cried; if she could not have
everything for which she wished, she cried.
Her mother told her one day that she would melt away in tears if she
cried so often. "You are like the boy who cried for the moon," she told
her, "and if it had been given to him it would not have made him happy,
for what possible use could the moon be to any one out of its proper
place? And that is the way with you; half the things for which you cry
would be of no use to you if you got them."
Tearful did not take warning or heed her mother's words of wisdom, and
kept on crying just the same.
One morning she was crying as she walked along to school, because she
wanted to stay at home, when she noticed a frog hopping along beside
her.
"Why are you following me?" she asked, looking at him through her tears.
"Because you will soon form a pond around you with your tears," replied
the frog, "and I have always wanted a pond all to myself."
"I shall not make any pond for you," said Tearful, "and I do not want
you following me, either."
The frog continued to hop along beside her, and Tearful stopped crying
and began to run, but the frog hopped faster, and she could not get away
from him, so she began to cry again.
"Go away, you horrid green frog!" she said.
At last she was so tired she sat on a stone by the roadside, crying all
the time.
"Now," replied the frog, "I shall soon have my pond."
Tearful cried harder than ever, then; she could not see, her tears fell
so fast, and by and by she heard a splashing sound. She opened her eyes
and saw water all around her.
She was on a small island in the middle of the pond; the frog hopped out
of the pond, making a terrible grimace as he sat down beside her.
"I hope you are satisfied," said Tearful. "You have your pond; why
don't you stay in it?"
"Alas!" replied the frog, "I have wished for something which I cannot
use now that I have it. Your tears are salt and my pond which I have
all by myself is so salt that I cannot enjoy it. If only your tears had
been fresh I should have been a most fortunate fellow."
"You needn't stay if you do not like it," said Tearful, "and you needn't
find fault with my tears, either," she said, beginning to cry again.
"Stop! stop!" cried the frog, hopping about excitedly; "you will have a
flood if you keep on crying."
Tearful saw the water rising around her, so she stopped a minute. "What
shall I do?" she asked. "I cannot swim, and I will die if I have to stay
here," and then she began to cry again.
The frog hopped up and down in front of her, waving his front legs and
telling her to hush. "If you would only stop crying," he said, "I might
be able to help you, but I cannot do a thing if you cover me with your
salt tears."
Tearful listened, and promised she would not cry if he would get her
away from the island.
"There is only one way that I know of," said the frog; "you must smile;
that will dry the pond and we can escape."
"But I do not feel like smiling," said Tearful, and her eyes filled with
tears again.
"Look out!" said the frog; "you will surely be drowned in your own tears
if you cry again."
Tearful began to laugh. "That would be queer, wouldn't it, to be
drowned in my own tears?" she said.
"That is right, keep on smiling," said the frog; "the pond is smaller
already." And he stood up on his hind legs and began to dance for joy.
Tearful laughed again. "Oh, you are so funny!" she said. "I wish I had
your picture. I never saw a frog dance before."
"You have a slate under your arm," said the frog. "Why don't you draw a
picture of me?" The frog picked up a stick and stuck it in the ground,
and then he leaned on it with one arm, or front leg, and, crossing his
feet, he stood very still.
Tearful drew him in that position, and then he kicked up his legs as if
he were dancing, and she tried to draw him that way, but it was not a
very good likeness.
"Do you like that?" she asked the frog when she held the slate for him
to see. He looked so surprised that Tearful laughed again. "You did
not think you were handsome, did you?" she asked.
"I had never thought I looked as bad as those pictures," replied the
frog. "Let me try drawing your picture," he said.
"Now look pleasant," he said, as he seated himself in front of Tearful,
"and do smile."
Tearful did as he requested, and in a few minutes he handed her the
slate. "Where is my nose?" asked Tearful, laughing.
"Oh, I forgot the nose!" said the frog. "But don't you think your eyes
are nice and large, and your mouth, too?"
"They are certainly big in this picture," said Tearful. "I hope I do
not look just like that."
"I do not think either of us are artists," replied the frog.
Tearful looked around her. "Why, where is the pond?" she asked. "It is
gone."
"I thought it would dry up if you would only smile," said the frog; "and
I think both of us have learned a lesson. I shall never again wish for
a pond of my own. I should be lonely without my companions, and then,
it might be salt, just as this one was. And you surely will never cry
over little things again, for you see what might happen to you, and then
you look so much prettier smiling."
"Perhaps I do," said Tearful, "but your pictures of me make me doubt it.
However, I feel much happier smiling, and I do not want to be on an
island again, even with such a pleasant companion as you were."
"Look out for the tears, then," said the frog as he hopped away.
[Illustration: headpiece to Hilda's Mermaid]
*HILDA'S MERMAID*
Little Hilda's father was a sailor and went away on long voyages. Hilda
lived in a little cottage on the shore and used to spin and knit while
her father was away, for her mother was dead and she had to be the
housekeeper. Some days she would go out in her boat and fish, for Hilda
was fond of the water. She was born and had always lived on the shore.
When the water was very calm Hilda would look down into the blue depths
and try to see a mermaid. She was very anxious to see one, she had
heard her father tell such wonderful stories about them--how they sang,
and combed their beautiful long hair.
One night when the wind was blowing and the rain was beating hard upon
her window Hilda could hear the horn warning the sailors off the rocks.
Hilda lighted her father's big lantern and ran down to the shore and
hung it on the mast of a wreck which lay there, so the sailors would not
run their ships upon it. Little Hilda was not afraid, for she had seen
many such storms. When she returned to her cottage she found the door
was unlatched, but thought the wind had blown it open. When she entered
she found a little girl with beautiful hair sitting on the floor. She
was a little frightened at first, for the girl wore a green dress and it
was wound around her body in the strangest manner.
"I saw your light," said the child, "and came in. The wind blew me far
up on shore. I should not have come up on a night like this, but a big
wave looked so tempting I thought I would jump on it and have a nice
ride, but it was nearer the shore than I thought it, and it landed me
right near your door."
"Oh, my!" How Hilda's heart beat, for she knew this child must be a
mermaid. Then she saw what she had thought a green dress was really her
body and tail curled up on the floor, and it was beautiful as the lamp
fell upon it and made it glisten.
"Will you have some of my supper?" asked Hilda, for she wanted to be
hospitable, although she had not the least idea what mermaids ate.
"Thank you," answered the mermaid. "I am not very hungry, but if you
could give me a seaweed sandwich I should like it."
Poor Hilda did not know what to do, but she went to the closet and
brought out some bread, which she spread with nice fresh butter, and
filled a glass with milk. She told her she was sorry, but she did not
have any seaweed sandwiches, but she hoped she would like what she had
prepared. The little mermaid ate it and Hilda was pleased.
"Do you live here all the time?" she asked Hilda. "I should think you
would be very warm and want to be in the water part of the time."
Hilda told her she could not live in the water as she did, because her
body was not like hers.
"Oh, I am so sorry!" replied the mermaid. "I hoped you would visit me
some time; we have such good times, my sisters and I, under the sea."
"Tell me about your home," said Hilda.
"Come and sit beside me and I will," she replied.
Hilda sat upon the floor by her side. The mermaid felt of Hilda's
clothes and thought it must be a bother to have so many clothes.
"How can you swim?" she asked.
Hilda told her she put on a bathing-suit, but the mermaid thought that a
nuisance.
"I will tell you about our house first," she began. "Our father,
Neptune, lives in a beautiful castle at the bottom of the sea. It is
built of mother-of-pearl. All around the castle grow beautiful green
things, and it has fine white sand around it also. All my sisters live
there, and we are always glad to get home after we have been at the top
of the ocean, it is so nice and cool in our home. The wind never blows
there and the rain does not reach us."
"You do not mind being wet by the rain, do you?" asked Hilda.
"Oh no!" said the mermaid, "but the rain hurts us. It falls in little
sharp points and feels like pebbles."
"How do you know how pebbles feel?" Hilda asked.
"Oh, sometimes the nereids come and bother us; they throw pebbles and
stir up the water so we cannot see."
"Who are the nereids?" asked Hilda.
"They are the sea-nymphs; but we make the dogfish drive them away. We
are sirens, and they are very jealous of us because we are more
beautiful than they," said the mermaid.
Hilda thought she was rather conceited, but the little mermaid seemed to
be quite unconscious she had conveyed that impression.
"How do you find your way home after you have been at the top of the
ocean?" asked Hilda.
"Oh, when Father Neptune counts us and finds any missing he sends a
whale to spout; sometimes he sends more than one, and we know where to
dive when we see that."
"What do you eat besides seaweed sandwiches?" asked Hilda.
"Fish eggs, and very little fish," answered the mermaid. "When we have
a party we have cake."
Hilda opened her eyes. "Where do you get cake?" she asked.
"We make it. We grind coral into flour and mix it with fish eggs; then
we put it in a shell and send a mermaid to the top of the ocean with it
and she holds it in the sun until it bakes. We go to the Gulf Stream
and gather grapes and we have sea-foam and lemonade to drink."
"Lemonade?" said Hilda. "Where do you get your lemons?"
"Why, the sea-lemon!" replied the mermaid; "that is a small mussel-fish
the color of a lemon."
"What do you do at your parties--you cannot dance?" said Hilda.
"We swim to the music, circle around and dive and glide."
"But the music--where do you get musicians?" Hilda continued.
"We have plenty of music," replied the mermaid. "The sea-elephant
trumpets for us; then there is the pipefish, the swordfish runs the
scales of the sea-adder with his sword, the sea-shells blob, and
altogether we have splendid music. But it is late, and we must not talk
any more."
So the little mermaid curled herself up and soon they were asleep.
The sun shining in the window awakened Hilda next morning and she looked
about her. The mermaid was not there, but Hilda was sure it had not
been a dream, for she found pieces of seaweed on the floor, and every
time she goes out in her boat she looks for her friend, and when the
whales spout she knows they are telling the mermaids to come home.
[Illustration: headpiece to The Mirror's Dream]
*THE MIRROR'S DREAM*
"The very idea of putting me in the attic!" said the little
old-fashioned table, as it spread out both leaves in a gesture of
despair. "I have stood in the parlor down-stairs for fifty years, and
now I am consigned to the rubbish-room," and it dropped its leaves at
its side with a sigh.
"I was there longer than that," said the sofa. "Many a courtship I have
helped along."
"What do you think of me?" asked an old mirror that stood on the floor,
leaning against the wall. "To be brought to the attic after reflecting
generation after generation. All the famous beauties have looked into
my face; it is a degradation from which I can never recover. This young
mistress who has come here to live does not seem to understand the
dignity of our position. Why, I was in the family when her husband's
grandmother was a girl and she has doomed me to a dusty attic to dream
out the rest of my days."
The shadows deepened in the room and gradually the discarded mirror
ceased to complain. It had fallen asleep, but later the moonlight
streamed in through the window and showed that its dreams were pleasant
ones, for it dreamed of the old and happy days.
The door opened softly and a young girl entered. Her hair was dark and
hung in curls over her white shoulders. Her dark eyes wandered over the
room until she saw the old mirror.
She ran across the room and stood in front of it. She wore a hoop-skirt
over which hung her dress of pale gray, with tiny pink ruffles that
began at her slender waist and ended at the bottom of her wide skirt.
Tiny pink rosebuds were dotted over the waist and skirt, and she also
wore them in her dark curls, where one stray blossom bolder than the
others rested against her soft cheek.
She stood before the mirror and gazed at her reflection a minute; then
she curtsied, and said, with a laugh, "I think you will do; he must
speak to-night."
She seemed to fade away in the moonlight, and the door opened again and
a lady entered, and with her came five handsome children.
They went to the mirror, and one little girl with dark curls and pink
cheeks went close and touched it with her finger. "Look," she said to
the others, "I look just like the picture of mother when she was a
girl." And as they stood there a gentleman appeared beside them and put
his arm around the lady and the children gathered around them. They
seemed to walk along the moonlight path and disappear through the
window.
Softly the door opened again and an old lady entered, leaning on the arm
of an old gentleman. They walked to the mirror and he put his arms
around her and kissed her withered cheek.
"You are always young and fair to me," he said, and her face smiled into
the depths of the old mirror.
The moonlight made a halo around their heads as they faded away.
The morning light streamed in through the window and the mirror's dream
was ended.
By and by the door opened and a young girl came in the room. Her dark
hair was piled high on her head, and her dark eyes looked over the room
until they fell upon a chest in the corner. She went to it and opened
it and took out a pale-gray dress with pink ruffles. She put it on;
then she let down her hair, which fell in curls over her shoulders.
She ran to the old mirror and looked at herself. "I do look like
grandmother," she said. "I will wear this to the old folks' party
to-night. Grandfather proposed to grandmother the night she wore this
dress." Her cheeks turned very pink as she said this, and she ran out
of the room.
Then one day the door opened again and a bride entered, leaning on the
arm of her young husband. There were tears in her eyes, although she was
smiling. She led him in front of the old mirror. "This old mirror," she
said, "has seen all the brides in our family for generations, and I am
going far away and may never look into it again. My brother's wife does
not want it down-stairs, and I may be the last bride it will ever see,"
and she passed her hand over its frame caressingly.
And then she went away and the old mirror was left to its dreams for
many years. Then one day the door opened again and a lady entered; with
her was a young girl.
The lady looked around the attic room until she saw the mirror. "There
it is," she said. "Come and look in it, dear." The young girl followed
her. "The last time I looked into this dear old mirror," the lady said,
"was the day your father and I were married. I never expected to have
it for my own then. But your uncle's wife wants to remodel the house,
and these things are in the way; she does not want old-fashioned things,
and they are willing I should have them."
"Oh, mother, they are beautiful!" said the girl, looking around the
room. "We will never part with them; we will take them to our home and
make them forget they were ever discarded."
And so the mirror and the sofa and the table and many other pieces of
bygone days went to live where they were loved, and the old mirror still
reflects dark-haired girls and ladies, who smile into its depths and see
its beauty as well as their own.
[Illustration: headpiece to The Contest]
*THE CONTEST*
The old white rooster was dead.
The hens stood in groups of threes and fours all around the yard, the
turkeys were gathered around the big gobbler and seemed to be talking
very earnestly.
The ducks stood around the old drake, who was shaking his head
emphatically as he talked.
The geese were listening very attentively to the gander, and he was
stretching his neck and seemed to be trying to impress them with its
length.
"I see no reason now why I should not be king of the yard," he was
saying. "White Rooster is dead and there is no other rooster to take
his place. I am going to see the hens and ask them what they think.
"White Rooster is dead," he said to them, "and I think I should be king
of the yard. My neck is very long and I can see over the heads of all
the fowls; I see no reason why I should not take the place of White
Rooster."
The turkeys and the geese, seeing the gander approach the hens, ran as
fast as they could to hear what he was saying.
The turkey gobbler, hearing the last part of the gander's remark, said:
"How can you say that you can see over all heads? Have you forgotten me
and my height? And as for being king," he said, "the rooster never
should have been cock of the walk. I am a much more majestic-looking
bird than any rooster. No, indeed, you should never think of ruling, Sir
Gander. I should be king of the yard."
The gobbler walked away, spreading out his wings and letting them drag
on the ground and gobbling very loudly.
The ducks and the drake stood listening to all this talk, and as the
gobbler walked away the drake said: "I cannot understand why any one
should think of being king when I know so much of the world. I am the
one to rule, for I have been all around the pond, and it is very large;
because of my knowledge I think I should be king."
"He must not be king," whispered one old hen to another; "he would make
us go in the water, and we will all be drowned."
They had talked a long time without reaching any decision, when the dog
happened along. "What is the matter?" he asked.
"The old white rooster is dead," said the gobbler, who had returned with
his family to hear the discussion, "and I think I should be king, and
the drake and the gander think they should, but, of course, you can see
that I am best suited to rule the yard."
"You can settle that very easily," said the dog. "You can all take a
turn at being king, and in that way you will know who is best suited to
rule." And so it was decided, and the gobbler was the first one to go
on trial. The poor hens tagged along after the turkeys, for the gobbler
insisted upon parading all around the yard. The gander and the drake
would not follow behind, so the gander and his family walked on one side
of the gobbler, and the drake and his family on the other.
The poor hens wept as they followed behind. "I never was so humiliated
in my life," said one old hen, "and it is not right."
The next day there was so much dissatisfaction because of the gobbler's
overbearing way that the dog decided that the drake must take his turn.
"Everybody must learn to swim," said the drake as soon as he was
appointed ruler. "Come down to the pond," and off he started, his
family waddling after him.
"What did I tell you?" said the old hen. "This will be the end of us."
The geese did not mind being in the water part of the time, but the
turkeys set up such a gobble and the hens cackled so loudly that the dog
had to decide right there that the drake was not a suitable king.
The gander, knowing that his time had come, stretched his neck and
looked very important.
"You need not go near the pond," he said to the hens, "but you must
learn to fly," and he spread out his wings as he spoke and flew over the
fence, the geese following him.
The turkeys flew to the top of the fence and roosted there, but the hens
and ducks stood on the ground, looking up at them in the most
discouraged way, and at the gobbler, who gobbled at them, saying, "You
are to be pitied, for you do not see all the sights we do and you never
can fly to the top of this fence.