LAY-OVERS FOR MEDDLERS.
As Davy stood in the road, in doubt which way to go, a Roc came around
the corner of the house. She was a large bird, nearly six feet tall, and
was comfortably dressed, in a bonnet and a plaid shawl, and wore
overshoes. About her neck was hung a covered basket and a door-key; and
Davy at once concluded that she was Sindbad's house-keeper.
"I didn't mean to keep you waiting," said the Roc, leading the way along
the road; "but I declare that, what with combing that lawn every morning
with a fine tooth comb, and brushing those shells every evening with a
fine tooth-brush, I don't get time for anything else let alone feeding
the animals."
"What animals?" said Davy, beginning to be interested.
"Why, _his_, of course," said the Roc, rattling on in her harsh voice.
"There's an Emphasis and two Periodicals, and a Spotted Disaster, all
crawlin' and creepin' and screechin'"--
Here Davy, unable to control himself, burst into a fit of laughter, in
which the Roc joined heartily, rolling her head from side to side, and
repeating, "All crawlin' and creepin' and screechin'," over and over
again, as if that were the cream of the joke. Suddenly she stopped
laughing, and said in a low voice, "You don't happen to have a beefsteak
about you, do you?"
[Illustration]
Davy confessed that he had not, and the Roc continued, "Then I must go
back. Just hold my basket, like a good child." Here there was a
scuffling sound in the basket, and the Roc rapped on the cover with her
hard beak, and cried, "Hush!"
"What's in it?" said Davy, cautiously taking the basket.
"Lay-overs for meddlers," said the Roc, and, hurrying back along the
road, was soon out of sight.
"I wonder what they're like," said Davy to himself, getting down upon
his hands and knees and listening curiously with his ear against the
cover of the basket. The scuffling sound continued, mingled with little
sneezes and squeaking sobs, as if some very small kittens had bad colds
and were crying about it.
"I think I'll take a peep," said Davy, looking cautiously about him.
There was no one in sight, and he carefully raised the cover a little
way and tried to look in. The scuffling sound and the sobs ceased, and
the next instant the cover flew off the basket, and out poured a swarm
of little brown creatures, like snuff-boxes with legs. As they scampered
off in all directions Davy made a frantic grab at one of them, when it
instantly turned over on its back and blew a puff of smoke into his
face, and he rolled over in the road, almost stifled. When he was able
to sit up again and look about him the empty basket was lying on its
side near him, and not a lay-over was to be seen. At that moment the Roc
came in sight, hurrying along the road with her shawl and her
bonnet-strings fluttering behind her; and Davy, clapping the cover on
the basket, took to his heels and ran for dear life.