The Queen of Merryland
When the boat carried Dot and Tot beyond the rocky arch that led to
the Fourth and most important Valley of Merry-land, the children held
their breaths in suspense; for here lived the Queen of all this
wonderful country, and they had no idea what she was like.
"Perhaps she will be angry with us for disobeying the Watch-Dog's
orders," Dot whispered; "and then she may punish us in some terrible
manner."
"No, she won't," replied Tot, confidently.
"Perhaps she will make us slaves and compel us to work for her,"
continued Dot, with a little shudder.
"No, she won't," protested Tot, stoutly.
"Why won't she, Tot?" asked the girl.
"'Cause it's Merryland," returned the boy.
"Ah! That's true," said Dot, thoughtfully; "the Queen of this lovely
and happy country couldn't be very cross with us."
"Course not," agreed Tot.
"Then we won't be afraid," she added, her courage restored by Tot's
simple faith; "but will wait and see what happens to us."
The boat now swept around a bend in the river, and they saw they were
in a Valley somewhat larger than any they had yet visited; but their
view was shut off by a high wall that ran along the river bank on one
side, and by the rocky edge of the Valley on the other side.
The wall was higher than their heads when they stood up in the boat,
and upon its top Dot noticed several little wooden soldiers, with
guns on their shoulders, walking stiffly back and forth, as if they
were keeping guard. Each of these soldiers was seemingly made out of
one piece of wood, and wore a high black hat and a red coat with
black buttons, while his trousers were painted white. The guns did
not look very dangerous, and Dot remembered that once she had owned a
box of just such looking soldiers as these.
But the soldiers on the wall were moving around, and Dot's soldiers
had never moved at all--at least, while she was looking at them. What
they might have done when she was not looking she, of course, could
not tell.
The wooden soldiers paid no attention to the boat, which glided
slowly down the stream, while the children looked for a place to
land.
"Perhaps we'll float right through the Valley," whispered Dot, "and
then the Queen will never know we've been in her country at all."
In a few moments, however, they saw a gate in the wall, made of wood
and nearly covered with gold and silver plates that shone brightly in
the sun. In front of this gate was a little landing place and some
steps leading down to the river. They floated up to the steps and
stopped, so Dot and Tot got out and tied the boat to a silver ring in
the wall. Then they walked to the gate, where Dot was just putting
out her hand to open it, when she heard a voice cry:
"Halt!"
She looked up and saw that on each side of the gate was standing one
of the wooden soldiers. Their guns were pointed straight at Dot and
Tot, and although the soldiers were not much taller than Tot's knee,
the children were startled at their warlike attitude and stood still
in surprise.
"Can't we open the gate?" asked the girl, after a moment.
"No!" answered one of the soldiers, in a voice he tried to make
gruff, but which sounded rather squeaky, as if it needed oiling.
"Why not?" inquired Tot.
"It's against orders," replied the soldier. "The Queen has commanded
me to shoot any stranger who tries to open the gate."
"But your gun is only wood," said Dot, who was annoyed at the
soldier's interference.
"Wooden guns can't shoot!" shouted Tot, gleefully.
The soldier seemed somewhat embarrassed at this and Dot thought he
blushed a little.
"It does not matter whether my gun will shoot or not," he answered,
stiffly. "I am ordered not to let anyone open the gate."
"But you have no right to give me orders," said the girl. "I don't
belong to Merryland, so your Queen has no authority over either Tot
or me."
"Then why are you here, if you don't belong here?" asked the soldier.
Dot hesitated to reply, for she felt the rebuke this question
implied.
"We couldn't help coming," she explained, at last; "the boat brought
us."
"Well, since you are here," said the soldier, "you must obey the laws
of this country and the Queen who rules it."
"That's rubbish!" cried Dot, now thoroughly provoked. "You can't obey
the orders of your Queen yourself."
"Why not?" inquired the soldier, in surprise.
"You were ordered to shoot, were you not?"
"Certainly."
"Well, you can't shoot, for your gun is made of wood. So you cannot
obey orders."
"But if you had not come here," protested the soldier, "I should have
had no occasion to shoot. So it is all your fault."
"Perhaps so," replied Dot; "but I mean to open the gate in spite of
your orders."
She raised the latch and the gate began to swing slowly back upon its
hinges; but when it had partly opened, she saw standing before her
another wooden soldier, dressed like a Captain, who held in his hand
a wooden sword.
"Stand back!" cried the Captain. "If you advance another step I will
stick my sword into you."
Dot looked at the sword and saw that the point of it was really
sharp. So she stopped short and said, "Does the Queen of Merryland
live here?"
"She does," replied the Captain.
"Then please let her know that I have come to call upon her,"
continued Dot. She was a wise little girl, and knew that while she
might safely argue with the helpless soldiers, it was far better to
be polite to the Captain with the sharp sword.
At her request the officer bowed courteously and blew upon a pewter
whistle that hung around his neck. In answer to the summons another
soldier appeared, who saluted his Captain respectfully.
"Go to her Majesty the Queen," commanded the officer, "and tell her
there are two strangers at the gate who wish to see her."
At once the soldier started upon his mission, and the little wooden
Captain turned to Dot and Tot, saying, "You may come within the gate
and sit down while you await the commands of our Queen; but if she
will not receive you, of course you must go out again."
So the children passed through the gateway, which the Captain closed
behind them, and sat down upon a small wooden bench built against the
wall. Then they began to look around, for now before their eyes was
the Fourth Valley of Merryland, the home of the Queen.
"Why, it's just like a toy village!" cried Dot, after the first look.
It really was something like a toy village. There were several pretty
streets, with rows of little houses facing them, and each house was
much ornamented and brightly painted. Before the houses were rows of
trees which seemed to have been whittled out of wood, for the leaves
looked like shavings. These trees were colored a bright emerald
green, and each one stood upon a little round platform of its own.
The grass also looked like wood shavings, and was dyed the same
bright green color as the trees.
Dot gazed dreamily at the houses and thought they resembled the big
doll's playhouse her papa had once given her for Christmas, and which
now was standing in the attic of her city home.
At the far end of the main street, which ran down to the gate where
they sat, was a house much bigger than the others, having for a roof
a round dome which shone in the sun as if made of gold. This house
was built in a remarkably beautiful and artistic manner, and before
it, upon a bright green lawn, stood many trees and flowering shrubs.
"Who lives there?" Dot asked the wooden Captain.
"That is the palace of her Majesty the Queen," was the reply.
"Oh!" said Dot; "is she very big?"
"Quite big," answered the Captain, proudly.
"But," he added, "of course she is not so extremely large as you
are."
"Oh!" exclaimed Dot again, and before he had time to say anything
more she saw a carriage drive around to the front of the palace. Then
the door quickly opened, and what looked to be a lady came out and
entered the carriage.
It was so far away she could not see the lady clearly at first; but
soon the carriage came rolling swiftly toward them, and both Dot and
Tot stood up that they might see plainly who was coming.
In a remarkably short time the carriage reached the gate and stopped
short, and now the children's eyes were big with wonder as they
looked upon it and its occupants.
The carriage itself was of the kind that are sold in toy shops, and
it was drawn by two horses standing upon wooden platforms with
rollers underneath, so that instead of the horses themselves running,
the wheels of the platforms whirled around, taking the carriage
wherever the driver might direct. This driver looked for all the
world like a rag doll dressed in a coachman's uniform. His neck was
rather weak, and that caused his head to lean slightly to one side,
giving him a somewhat broken-down appearance; but he held the reins
firmly in his stuffed hands and looked straight ahead, like a
well-trained servant.
Seated in the carriage was the loveliest Wax Doll the children had
ever looked upon. She was nearly as big as Tot, and was exquisitely
dressed in a gown of soft, fluffy white material, with many pink
ribbons upon her shoulders and sleeves, and a broad sash around her
waist. Her silken hair was long and of a golden color, while her eyes
were blue, and had in their depths a sweet and gentle expression. As
for her complexion, it was a dainty pink-and-white, delicately
blended. Upon her head she wore a golden crown with seven points upon
it, and each point was tipped with a gleaming jewel.
Almost at first sight Dot longed to hold the Wax Doll in her arms and
love and fondle her, and Tot suddenly became so bashful that he took
off his hat and bowed his head to the "sweet lady" (as he called
her), with his eyes bent upon the ground.
Yet scarcely had the children taken a good look at this delightful
creature, when the Wax Doll leaped lightly from the carriage and
stood before them, showing, as she did so, that her feet were clad in
white satin slippers, embroidered with silver.
"Who are you?" she asked, in a pleasant voice, but with some anxiety,
Dot thought; "and how did you ever get to Merryland?"
"We came in a boat," replied the girl; "and this is my friend, Tot
Thompson, and I am Dot Freeland."
"Dot F'eelun," murmured Tot, shyly lifting his eyes and nodding his
head.
"But you shouldn't have come here," said the little lady. "This is
private property, and I have placed guards to prevent anyone entering
my Valleys."
"Are you the Queen?" asked the girl.
"Yes, I am Queen of all Merryland; and I cannot understand why my
guards have disobeyed my orders."
"Oh, the guards were all right," said Dot. "It was we who disobeyed.
But we really couldn't help it, for we had to go wherever the boat
carried us."
Then she told the Queen all the story of their adventures, and of how
they had been carried by accident into the Valleys of Merryland.
After she had heard the story, the little lady looked puzzled for a
moment and then said, "No one who enters my kingdom should ever be
allowed to leave it again, for if they did the world should soon know
all about me and my people. If that happened, all our comfort and fun
would be spoiled, for strangers would be coming here every day."
"Have strangers been here before?" asked Dot, timidly.
"Never," answered the Queen.
"Then what are you going to do with us?" inquired the girl.
"Really, I do not know. You see, I am so perplexed that I have
stopped smiling, and that will never do in the world; for should the
weather change and cool my wax, I would remain solemn until it warmed
up again, and my people would then think me unworthy to be the Queen
of Merryland."
"I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble," said Dot, softly.
"I'd much rather be at home again, if I could, although your Valleys
are so queer and delightful."
Then the Queen again smiled upon them.
"Don't worry, my dear," she exclaimed, brightly, "I'll find some way
out of our difficulty when I have used my thinking machine. Until
then you must come to my palace and be treated as my guests."
"Thank you," said Dot and Tot together.
The Queen turned to the wooden Captain and commanded:
"Escort these strangers to my royal palace, and see that you treat
them most politely; for although they are in reality my prisoners,
they have been guilty of no intentional wrong and seem to be nice
children."
The wooden Captain removed his wooden hat and bowed very low, so low
indeed that Tot could see the peg on the top of his head that held
the hat on when it was in place.
"Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed," he said.
Then the Queen stepped into her carriage, the rag coachman cracked
his whip, and the wheels of the horses' platform began spinning
around. Then the Queen rode swiftly up the street to her royal
palace.
Dot and Tot followed more slowly, for the Captain who escorted them
was exceedingly small and walked stiffly, having no joints in his
knees. As they trudged along Tot asked the Captain:
"Why do the horses go on wheels?"
"Because they're made that way, I suppose," was the reply.
"Why don't they make 'em to walk on their legs?" continued the boy.
"It would tire them too much," answered the Captain. "Being on
platforms, the horses never get tired, you see, for the wheels do all
the work."
"Oh!" said Tot, "I see." Then, after a pause, he asked:
"What do you feed 'em?"
"Cotton," answered the Captain. "We keep them quite full of it all
the time. That's what makes them look so plump and healthy. What do
they feed horses on in your country?"
"Hay," said Tot.
"We tried stuffing ours with hay once," remarked the Captain; "but it
made their skins look lumpy, it was so coarse; so now we use cotton
altogether."
"I see," said Tot again, in a rather bewildered voice.
The street they were walking upon was smooth and level, and the
houses they passed were neat and pretty; but both the children
noticed there were no people to be seen anywhere about the village.
This seemed strange, and Dot was about ask who lived in the houses,
when they arrived at the gate of the palace, upon which the Captain
knocked three times with the handle of his wooden sword.
Thereupon the gate opened slowly, and they passed into a beautiful
flower garden, and walked along the green-bordered paths until they
came to the high-arched doorway of the palace.
Dot had only time to notice that there were seven golden stars above
the doorway, when the Queen herself appeared and led them through a
hall into her drawing room, having dismissed the wooden Captain with
a nod of her royal head.
Although the house was by far the biggest one in the Valley, the tops
of the doors were only a little way above Dot's head, and when the
children sat down in the drawing room they chose the biggest chairs,
and found them just about the right size.
"Now, my dears," said the pretty Queen, "it is almost dinner time,
and I know you must be nearly starved; so I will have you shown at
once to your rooms, and when you have bathed your faces and brushed
your clothes you shall have something nice to eat."
She touched a bell that stood upon a table near by, and at once there
came into the room a little boy doll, dressed in a brown suit with
brass buttons. He was larger in size than any doll Tot had seen
outside of Merryland, yet he was not so big as the Queen herself.
When the children looked at him closely, they could see that his face
and hands and feet were knitted from colored worsteds, while his eyes
were two big black beads.
This curious doll walked straight up to the Queen and bowed before
her, while she said, "Scollops, show this young man to the laughing
chamber, and wait upon him while he arranges his toilet."
Scollops, as the knitted boy seemed named, bowed again and murmured,
"Your Majesty shall be obeyed." Then, turning to Tot, he took his
hand and led him from the room. The hand felt soft and woolly to Tot,
but he did not object to it, for Scollops had a merry expression to
his face that won the little boy's heart at once.
"Where are we going?" he asked, as they began to mount the stairs.
"To the laughing chamber," replied Scollops; and having reached the
top of the stairs, they walked down a long hallway and entered a room
so odd and pretty that Tot stopped short and gazed at it in
astonishment.
In many ways it was like an ordinary room, for it contained a
dresser, a bed, chairs and a table. But upon the wall were painted
hundreds of heads of children--boys and girls of all countries, with
light and dark hair, straight and curly hair, blue and black and
brown and gray eyes, and all with laughing faces. The posts of the
bed were also carved into laughing baby faces; the chairs and the
dresser showed a face upon every spot where there was a place for
one, and every face throughout the whole room had a smile upon it. To
match the rest of the furniture, the carpet had woven upon it in
bright colors all kinds of laughing children's faces, and the effect
of the queer room was to make Tot himself laugh until the tears roll
down his cheeks.
When the boy had looked the room over and seen all the faces,
Scollops helped him to wash his hands and face, to comb his hair and
to brush his clothes, and when this task was finished, the woolly
doll said:
"I will now show you why this room is called the laughing chamber.
Lie down upon the bed a moment--but don't get your shoes against the
clean covers."
Tot lay down upon the bed, and at once heard a sweet, tinkling chorus
of laughter coming from every part of the room. It was so delightful
and soothing that he listened to it rapture. Softly his eyes closed,
and in another moment he would have been sound asleep had not
Scollops raised him to his feet and said:
"It is not time for sleep yet, for you haven't had your dinner. But
the laughing faces will make you slumber peacefully when the time
comes, and give you pleasant dreams, too."