scarlet foot, protruded from between the valves of the shell for the
purpose of locomotion; and the grandfather oyster hailed him for a chat.
"'If you would only push the trumpets nearer we might swallow them,'
urged the former, when he had explained matters.
"'Wait a bit,' said the cockle, 'until I fetch a few of my brothers, who
are prowling about here somewhere.'
"He darted off, and soon returned with the requisite assistance. So the
cockles nimbly pushed and rolled the trumpets close to the oysters.
"'Can you accommodate the others, my sons?' inquired the grandfather of
two no less plump children.
"'It will be inconvenient; still'--here the little waves gathered in a
sparkling heap, and swept the trumpets into the oysters' mouths; who,
with a gulp or two, succeeded in swallowing them. None too soon was all
this labor accomplished.
"The fairy amused herself watching the children for a while, and then
she despatched some of her attendants to search for Madam Pug's gifts. A
rare search they made of it, too. The tiny courtiers, clothed in rainbow
frills and scales, poked about everywhere, peering into the anemones'
mouths, which made the sea-flowers very angry, as they were not used to
such liberties; tumbling the crabs about, and pushing the lazy
flat-fish into motion. They even knocked on the oysters' houses with
their little knuckles; but the oysters said never a word, so they were
obliged to relinquish the search, and return to their queen.
"Elfie and her brother splashed about, thinking it great fun to live in
the sea. One day they altered their minds; and this is how it all
happened:--
"Perke, the lobster, became very hungry (lobsters are generally hungry);
and he sniffed about in search of food, until he smelt a most savory
odor, which proceeded from a wicker sort of cage, that bobbed up and
down in the most tempting manner. Had Perke been born a lobster, his
mother would probably have taught him wisdom. Not knowing any better, he
now swam about until he discovered a neat tunnel just large enough to
admit him, and leading straight to the meat he coveted. In he slipped
for a nibble; but, having entered, he found to his sorrow he could not
get out again; so there he sat, looking out through the slats, as
miserable an object as one would wish to behold, when Small came darting
by.
"'Oh! why did we ever leave home?' groaned Perke.
"'Hulloa!' exclaimed his brother, pausing. 'How did you get there?'
"'I am caught in a trap,' cried Perke. 'When the fisherman hauls me up,
I shall be boiled alive and eaten.'
"Small flashed up to the surface, where Elfie was sporting with her
companions, and said, dryly,--
"'It is all very pleasant for you; but, in the mean while, Perke is a
captive down yonder.'
"'I am so sorry,' said Elfie. 'How can we free him?'
"The tender-hearted sister began to cry; and the other jelly-fish, who
were tender-hearted also, began to cry from sheer sympathy.
"'I will go to the fairy, and beg her to change them,' sobbed Elfie.
"'It will do no good,' sobbed the jelly-fish chorus, in reply; 'she is
so cruel.'
"Tears made Small, the mackerel, nervous, as they would have done Small,
the boy. He determined to find the trumpets, which could alone relieve
them from the present trouble; and, accordingly, dived to the bottom,
where, of course, he did not find them.
"At last the oysters took compassion upon his sorrow,--for he feared
Perke might be taken at any moment by the fishermen,--and opened their
shells, when out rolled the trumpets.
"Small did not recognize them: they were covered by a coating of
mother-o'-pearl. When it was explained, he was overjoyed at his good
fortune in recovering them at all. He also thanked the oysters warmly
for their kindness.
"'We have not eaten any thing; we were afraid to open our mouths,' said
the grandfather. 'Still a fast, now and then, does one no harm.'
"In less time than it takes to write the fact, Small had taken one
trumpet in his mouth, and rejoined Perke, who eagerly seized it, in one
claw, through the bars of his cage.
"'Wait five minutes for Elfie and I, then wish yourself out of the
water,' advised the zealous little brother, hastening back for his
sister's trumpet, which he presented in the same way.
"Simultaneously the children wished themselves out of the water. The
desire was gratified certainly, for they were suspended between heaven
and earth, held by some invisible chain, the links of which bound them
firmly; yet they felt a terrible fear of being dashed headlong on the
sharp-pointed rocks below. There they swayed about, the sun laughing at
them, the winds tossing them on every breath, and the birds swooping in
giddy circles over their heads.
"'Let us wish for land,' said Elfie.
"They closed their eyes, blew through the trumpets, and then their feet
rested on a firm surface once more.
"'Oh, I am so glad!' laughed Elfie.
"Yes, they had land; but such a land! Not a tree; not a spring of fresh,
cool water; not a blade of green grass; only a barren wilderness, a
dreary waste. The children toiled along wearily, yet they seemed to make
no progress towards a fairer landscape; for as far as the eye could see
stretched the blank of earth.
"'What shall we do next?' asked Perke, in perplexity.
"'Let us go home. Mother will advise us,' said Small; and, with the aid
of Madam Pug's gifts, they again stood at the door of their humble
cottage, which had never looked so pleasant to them before. Their mother
was not in the house; but they saw her coming along the road, bending
under the weight of the meal-bag, from the mill.
"They had not been absent a day, and so much had happened! The two
little sons ran to her assistance, bearing between them the bag of meal;
and, as they did so, Small inserted his trumpet into a fold of it,
whispering,--
"'I wish this meal might be changed into a feast for my poor mother.'
"When they entered the door, Perke wished, 'Let us have a fine large
table, if you please.'
"The mother looked at him in surprise; and then she saw that something
unusual had occurred during her absence, for a spacious table of
polished rosewood occupied the centre of the room.
"'I should like an arm-chair,' said Elfie; and when it appeared, they
seated the astonished mother in it, suffering her tired frame to enjoy
luxury and ease.
"Next, they emptied the meal-bag of its contents, and Small's bright
eyes danced with delight at the fulfilment of his wish. Such savory
viands! such puffs and tarts of delicate pastry! such delicious fruits
and sweet-perfumed flower garlands! such tempting nuts, and many-colored
candies in all manner of fantastic shapes,--pink horses, lemon castles,
green birds, and blue ships,--had never before been seen in the widow's
cottage. She did not forget those who were poor; so, reserving some of
the choice articles of the feast, the mother sent her children to many
neighbors, who would have otherwise gone to bed supperless.
"When all this was done, the children gave a long history of their
adventures beneath the waters. The mother uttered a prayer of gratitude
for their safe return; then she said,--
"'Your godmother wished to test your character. One desire brings
another always. Vanity caused all your troubles; you wished to be as
handsome as the king's children, and the boat vanished, as you have
described. Give me the trumpets, and learn to be happy without them.'
"They did as she desired, only, first, Elfie begged to have one more
wish gratified. What do you suppose it was? Why, that night the mother
slept in a soft bed of eider down, with satin curtains, and an
embroidered coverlet fit for a duchess, while the children sought their
pallets of straw, light-hearted and happy, thinking how comfortable she
was.
"All this pleased Madam Pug, who had heard of it from her trusty allies
the gnats; and she now came flying along in the moonlight, mounted on a
moth. She crept through the keyhole leaving her moth outside; and the
water spirit changed herself into an ugly gray bat for the purpose of
devouring Madam Pug's horse: so that she had to sit on the chimney all
night, after paying the visit, until one of the gnats had flown away for
another moth. This made the water spirit, down under the waves, laugh.
"Having entered the cottage, Madam Pug squeezed a drop of some precious
balsam out of a diminutive flask upon the eyelids of her slumbering
godchildren, which served to make their dreams pleasant, and would
prepare them for any disappointment the next day. She next looked about
to see what was to be done afterward, and espied the trumpets on the
shelf, where the careful mother had placed them. These the fairy changed
to three little boxes, one of a rusty steel, another of lead, and the
third of iron; then, placing them on the children's pillows, crept out
by the keyhole to perch on the chimney, as I have said, to await the
arrival of another moth-charger.
"Next morning Elfie and her brothers peeped into the boxes, and found
each to contain a small cake. On the cakes were baked these words:--
FOR THE KING'S FESTIVAL.
"The godmother gave them no donation of handsome clothes this time; so
the mother, after dressing them fresh and clean, sent them away on the
journey. Elfie plucked a few wild roses on the way, which Perke twined
among her curls for a head-dress.
"They were ferried across the river in a royal barge, with other
guests, and then found themselves before the gates of the king's palace.
A vast crowd of people thronged the way, bringing rare gifts; and all
were finely robed, except the poor widow's children. The soldiers
presented the glittering points of their lances, asking rudely,--
"'What do you bring?'
"'Curiosities to show the king,' replied Small, bravely.
"'What if there should be nothing in the cakes, after all,' remarked
Perke.
"'Let us open them and see,' proposed Elfie.
"'No,' said Perke. 'Wait until we are in the presence of the court.'
"The palace now rose before them, and was even more splendid than they
had supposed. Entering an archway, the children paused in a spacious
apartment, the dome of which was supported on marble pillars, wrought
with flowers. The king occupied a throne of mosaic-work, under a canopy
of crimson velvet. He wore a stiff mantle of some rich material, had a
long, yellow beard, and such fierce eyes, that little Elfie trembled
when he looked at her. Perke and Small said they did not mind it much.
"First, there approached an old woman, black as ebony, with a gorgeous
yellow turban on her head, a broad purple sash about her waist, and red
slippers on her feet. She was a very gay old African lady indeed. In her
hand she carried a shrine of beautiful, fragrant wood; and from it she
took an idol of pure amber, carved with marvellous skill.
"Next, came an old man, with bent form and silver hair, who drew a case
from his girdle, and displayed, to the delight of the whole court, a
ruby the size of a hen's egg of so brilliant a color that it filled the
palace with a soft, rosy glow.
"Upon this, a young man hastened forward to hold up before the throne a
diamond chain of rare purity, that absorbed the lustre of the ruby's
splendor, and twinkled like pendent dew-drops.
"Others brought precious stones also, sapphires, amethysts, and
emeralds, until it would seem as though the world had been sifted for
the costliest gems. Then there were urns of pungent spices, censers of
incense, keen-tempered weapons, cloth-of-gold, heavy damask, and
specimens of lace.
"What seemed to Small the most wonderful thing, was a scroll of tapestry
upon which appeared moving figures, weaving into fantastic forms.
Whatever the king desired to see rehearsed, was there depicted.
"Afterward approached a fair lady, wearing a green gauze mantle, from
which dripped little rills of water with a musical splash, and wherever
they fell upon the pavement there formed pearls. She displayed a snake
that twined his enamelled body about in graceful coils, at her bidding,
and even licked the king's foot,--an act of homage which made his
majesty rather nervous. The children recognized their enemy, the water
spirit.
"It now came their turn, and they advanced, the water spirit smiling
maliciously all the time. When they opened the boxes, each cake said, in
a smothered little voice,--
"'Break me!'
"This they did, when lo! out of Elfie's stepped a goat, wearing a broad
gold collar, and holding a tambourine. He walked up to the throne on his
hind legs, and made a very profound bow. At this everybody laughed; but
what was their astonishment to behold a quaint monkey emerge from
Small's box, with a smart cravat on, and carrying a cocked hat under one
paw. The monkey, instead of following the goat's ceremonious example,
leaped upon Small's shoulder, put on his hat, and winked at the king in
so droll a manner as to entirely disarm any wrath at his impertinence.
"As for Perke, a bird was already perched upon his finger, whose plumage
resembled spun gold, relieved by an emerald green crest, and patch upon
the breast.
"'What can your animals do to amuse me?' inquired the king.
"'If it please your highness,' said the goat, 'the bird will sing while
we dance.'
"The king assenting, the bird began to sing a lively air; and the other
two executed a quadrille in excellent style, the goat gracefully tapping
his tambourine with one hoof to the music. Nor was this the full extent
of their accomplishments; for the three then performed a tragedy, in
which the bird was a stern father, the goat his daughter, and the
monkey, who was naturally the best actor, took several parts, with
admirable skill.
"All this would have been very amusing, only that the proud king could
not forget that the children belonged only to a poor widow after all.
Perhaps they might have received some prize, as a token of royal favor,
had not the water spirit's snake darted forward, hissing spitefully, and
twined about them.
"The monkey seized the monster by the throat with his little black paws,
the bird pecked at its eyes, and the goat rapped the tambourine over its
head with a right good-will.
"Thus defended, the children escaped from the palace safely, still
accompanied by their favorites.
"'Dear children,' said the bird, as they approached home once more, 'do
not be disappointed that the king has treated you with no more kindness.
Madam Pug allows us to remain with you so long as you are good, and
find happiness in the home God has given you.'
"'We can have a great deal more fun here than with those stupid people
in the palace yonder,' added the monkey, cutting a caper. 'The goat and
I can dance all day for your amusement.'
"'As to that,' said the goat, stroking his beard gravely, 'we might do
something more profitable.'
"These were the godmother's gifts after all, which, in course of time,
became famous throughout the country. If any thing was stolen, the
monkey could detect the thief at once. If any debate arose among the
wise men, the goat could settle the argument to their satisfaction, for
he was classically educated. If any person was ill, the bird could
prescribe for them, as he was skilled in the knowledge of medicine.
"The king could never obtain these three with all the wealth in the
world."
The Wasp went his way again, the Caterpillar and Spider did the same,
leaving the others alone as before.
The Saucepan's day was over, and the Teapot was so badly cracked as to
be unfit for use.
One day, as the Kettle was swinging lazily on the hook in the chimney, a
lovely butterfly, with wings like shaded brown velvet, poised on a
rose-spray outside the window. It was the Caterpillar transformed!
The Kettle called to the Cricket, but he did not find his crutch in time
to hobble out (for he was growing infirm) before the butterfly had
flitted out into the sunshine again.
THE END.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Cricket's Friends, by Virginia W. Johnson