Alec was a merry little fellow, full of life and fun, and a great
favourite with his aunties and uncles, who often gave him nice presents.
The strange thing about Alec was that he always forgot to say "Thank
you". No matter how beautiful the present, he would just take it and
play with it, and return no thanks to the kind giver, until his mother
reminded him how rude it was not to say "Thank you". Alec was not like
little Vernon (Story Lesson 44), who was brimming over with thanks.
One night as Alec's mother was putting him to bed, she said: "Alec, I
have been reading some verses about a little girl who would not say
'Please'. She would cry 'Pass me the butter,' 'Give me some cheese'. So
the fairies, 'this very rude maiden to tease,' carried her down into the
woods, among the butterflies and birds and bees, until she should have
learnt better manners."
Alec listened with wide-open eyes fixed on his mother's face, but when
she said, "I wonder what the fairies would do with a little boy who
always forgets to say 'Thank you,'" his eyes dropped, and he was very
quiet while his mother was tucking him in his little cot.
When she had gone Alec thought to himself, "Suppose the fairies should
come and take all my toys away," then he fell asleep, and this is what
happened.
The fairies =did= come, and Alec saw them. Such funny little fellows
they were, dressed in red, with funny little wings stuck out behind, and
the funniest of little peaked caps on their heads.
Alec began to wonder about his toys, and sure enough they had come to
fetch them. First they picked up a beautiful, long railway train, which
was a present from Aunt Sophie. It took them all to lift it, there were
so many carriages. (Why do they not draw it along? thought Alec.) Up on
their shoulders it went. Would the peaked caps fall off? No, they were
all tilted sideways, and the train was borne safely out.
Soon the funny little fairies came dancing in again, laughing and
rubbing their hands as they looked all about. Surely they were not going
to take the Noah's ark! =That= was Uncle Jack's present, and the animals
were such beauties! But that did not matter to the fairies. Slowly the
ark was lifted on their shoulders; six fairies were on one side and six
on the other; again the peaked caps were tilted sideways, and solemnly
they all marched out.
Next time they pulled out a wooden horse, papa's gift, and Alec saw that
the fairies all jumped on its back, and then a funny thing happened--the
horse walked out of its own accord.
Again and again they came in and bore away one precious toy after
another, until there was nothing left but grandpapa's gift--the
tricycle. Surely they will leave that! Alec never knew until now how
much he loved his toys; but here they are again, and, yes! they are
actually bringing out the tricycle. One sits on the saddle, one on each
pedal, and all the rest on the handle-bar. Now the pedals go round, and,
strange to say, the funny little men do not fall off. The tricycle seems
to go of itself, as the horse did.
And now, oh dear! =everything= is gone, and Alec thinks he is worse off
than the little girl who was carried away by the fairies.
Morning comes! Alec wakes and rubs his eyes; what has happened? Oh! the
toys! Quick as thought he is out of bed, and off to the playroom in his
night-dress. Where are the toys? All there, just as he left them last
night. "It was only a dream, then," said Alec; "how glad I am that it is
not true, but all the same I =will= remember to say 'Thank you' in
future," and he did.
(Blackboard.)
Always Remember to say "Please" and "Thank you,"
not in a Whisper, but loudly enough to be Heard.