There are matter-of-fact people nowadays who do not believe in the
_Arabian Nights_, and fairies, and Mother Goose, and the wonderful
things that we have all read about and heard stories about. I confess
that I was one of those people; but I have gone back to dear old Mother
Goose, and Aladdin, and Sindbad the Sailor. From henceforth I am Prince
Carnival's most devoted subject. And now I will tell you why.
But suppose I ask you to fancy that you are with me at the Academy of
Music in New York on the eve of St. Valentine's Day. Beautiful music is
heard in the distance, and presently a gauzy curtain is lifted up, and
disappears out of sight. Then the music grows louder, as an immense army
of fairies and goblins is seen, from the midst of whom a graceful figure
issues forth, and dances along in front until he comes to a huge hen's
nest, on which is lying a great white egg. The Court Jester--for that is
his name--stops when he comes to the egg, hits it with his staff, and,
lo! the top falls off, and Prince Carnival, a ruddy little fellow about
six years old, is seen waving his wand for the fun to begin.
And thus it began: First came the Court Jester, dancing and bowing and
leaping with the utmost grace; then followed three clowns; after them
came three Shanghai chickens, each about as big as a horse, and dancing
as gayly as if they knew they were too big to be eaten. Then came Prince
Carnival himself, in his broken egg on the nest, which was drawn by his
attendants in fantastic costumes. After him came an old rooster and an
old hen.
Then came a carriage drawn by two live white goats, containing a boy and
girl gorgeously dressed, and after them a band of Gypsy Maidens. But
what have we here? A lot of little old things with blue-gray gowns and
red hoods and blue-gray beards, and behind them a wonderful being,
riding on a chariot of gray rocks in which the gold dust glitters.
Surely this is the Queen of Fairy-land.
Then came Aurora, the rosy Goddess of Dawn; Zuleika, the beautiful
Grecian Princess; and behind her were actually twenty babies in their
night dresses and night-caps, with pink sashes. What little things they
were! Some of them were so small that they could hardly toddle fast
enough to keep up with the procession. And last of all came the Gardener
in his cart, drawn by a live donkey, and attended by a group of Flower
Maidens.
Then the dancing began. Whenever Prince Carnival waved his hand, a
beautiful being stepped forward and danced in the most enchanting
fashion, until the whole building rang with the applause that greeted
each. There was the Queen, of Fairy-land, who came without her little
gray-bearded attendants, and danced beautifully. But the little gnomes
soon missed her, for before she had finished they ran up and huddled
themselves together to watch her. Then, when she rested, they began
their dance. It was just such a dance as you would expect little imps of
mischief to perform. They didn't dance at all. They simply romped. They
played "snap-the-whip," chased each other about the floor, and at last
left the stage more on their heads than their feet, for they all turned
head over heels time after time, until they were back among the crowd of
fairy folk again.
A little later, the twenty babies in their night dresses came on, and
they tried to dance, and were doing very nicely until, as they were all
standing in a line, the end one fell, and so they all fell and knocked
one another over, just like a row of tin soldiers. After that they gave
up dancing, and just frolicked as the gnomes had done, until five little
soldiers came, when they retreated in just such another head-over-heels
fashion as the gnomes had.
The most wonderful dancing of all was that of Zuleika, the Grecian
Princess, who was about twelve years old, and was dressed in a beautiful
costume of blue and white satin. She was attended by a group of Grecian
maidens who performed the brilliant cymbal-dance. The applause was loud
and long, and hardly had Zuleika collected the beautiful bouquets, when
little Prince Carnival waved his wand, and five mysterious figures
appeared, arrayed in long cloaks covering them from head to foot. The
Prince stepped forward, and going from one to another, he waved his wand
over them, and they threw off their long cloaks, and appeared as five
beautiful little fairies, representing the Five Continents--Europe,
Asia, Africa, America, and Australia. Then each came forward and danced,
but the prettiest dance of all was danced by America, who had a bow and
arrow, like an Indian.
It was not long after this that Fairy-land broke loose. I was standing
watching the brilliant scene, and wishing that I might remain in
Fairy-land forever, when I heard a sweet little voice saying, "Please
let me pass." I looked round, and it was--could I be awake, or was I
dreaming?--yes, it was the Queen of Fairy-land herself asking me to let
her pass. I drew back, and she went right up to a beautiful lady, who
called her "My child," and kissed her. Happy lady to be the mother of
the Queen of Fairy-land!
And so they were not fairies, after all, but real children, and they had
mothers, who kissed them, and called them "My child," "My darling!"
Did the fairies we read about have mothers? I think not. So much the
happier, then, these fairies. And since they are prettier far than any
of the fairies the story-books tell us about, and dance more gracefully,
and are altogether far more wonderful, therefore I believe in
fairies--this kind of fairies--from this time forth, and swear
allegiance to my sovereign lord Prince Carnival and all his merry band.
[Illustration: THE CHILDREN'S CARNIVAL.]
[Illustration: SLEEPING IN THE MEADOW.]