The Wonder Children, Their Quests and Curious Adventures

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PUBLIC LIBRARY
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THE WONDER CHILDREN
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THE WONDER CHILDREN

THEIR QUESTS AND CURIOUS
ADVENTURES
BY
CHARLES
J.
BELLAMY
ILLUSTRATED
Weiu fork
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

LONDON: MACMILLAN &
1906
All rights reserz'ed
CO., Ltd.
Copyright, 1906,
By
the MACMILLAN COMPANY,

Published October, 1906.
Set up and electrotyped.
Nortooo.':
J, S.
^rcss
Gushing & Co. Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Story of a Christmas
Eve
Story of the Three Fishes
30
58
Story of the Enchanted Cav Story of the Bad
Boy
Story of the Golden
Key
161
Story of the Magic Mirror
Story of the
Boy who Teased
Story of the Underworld

Story of the Three Wishes
280
FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS
From
the Outside
THE WONDER CHILDREN

STORY OF A CHRISTMAS EVE
HELEN'S
Christmas-tree
was
lighted
up
the
afternoon of the day before Christmas.
Her
little
mother had given her a party, and

friends, both boys
tree,
all
her
and
girls,
had been
invited.
The
each
gifts
with
its
hundreds of colored
lights
and gayly
tinted balls
and
bells
and wreaths of
it
tinsel,
branch loaded
until
fairly
groaned with
small and big, had been set in the drawing-room carefully
darkened as
guests
if it
were indeed night.
The
agreed that they had never before

All the tints
seen so beautiful a Christmas-tree.
of the rainbow
strings of glass
glowed
among
the
green,
while
beads and chains of polished metal
glistened like rain-drops in the
summer
sun.
The
parents and friends of each of the guests had sent

presents to be
B
hung upon the

I
tree or to be
heaped
THE WONDER CHILDREN

floor beneath, besides all that Helen's parents
on the
had provided.
After the tree had been stripped the
led to the
company was
table looked
grand dining-room.
a
The
almost like
flower-bed, yet space
enough had
been
liked
left for all
the kinds of dainties which are best
by children.
The
festival closed
with games;
all
and when the guests went away they

truth to the
little
told the
hostess in saying that they had
never before enjoyed so charming a Christmas Eve.
But Helen's choicest

after
gifts
had been saved
until
her guests were gone.
Among them
like a
were a
doll as large as a child
and dressed
grown
woman
set
of fashion, a pair of silver skates, a beauti-
ful little
desk with chair just
fitted to
it
in size, a
of furs, and a loving note from her father saying
there
was
new Shetland pony
for her in the stable.
But
I will
not stop to attempt so
much
as to
mention
more of them.
It is
now
half-past six o'clock
and Helen
She
is
is
just
finishing her tea in the nursery.
quite alone.
Her parents have both gone out

and the nurse, whose duty
girl, is
it
for the evening;

little
was
to attend to the
keeping her Christmas Eve down-stairs.
It so

happened that of
only
all
her presents Helen had brought

this
one into the nursery with her;
was
fruit-knife
which her uncle had found
in a far
Eastern
country.
Now, having finished her

her uncle had said,
very light meal, the

it
child took
up the knife and looked
over,
rememit
bering
how
it
when he gave
to
her, that
was many thousand years

it
old, the story
being that
once belonged to a famous magician.
She noticed some words engraved on the handle,
and drew the knife

to
close to her face while she tried
make them
as
out.
But no sooner had her breath
fallen
on the engraved words than the room suddenly

if
brightened
at once.
twice
the
lights
had blazed up
As she
raised her eyes she
saw
wonder-
ful creature
dressed in long flowing garments, like
woman
but more beautiful than any one she had
ever seen.
"What do you
from her chair
want.^" cried
Helen springing
in terror.
"What do you want

"I
V^ repeated the strange visitor;
am
here to do your bidding."

I
"But
room.
did not call
you;"
said
Helen hesitating
whether to stay for an answer or to run out of the
THE WONDER CHILDREN

**Yes," answered the visitor,
"when you breathed

still
on the words
hand, then
it
in the
handle of that knife

called
in
your
was that you
me."
The now
to rush
thoroughly frightened child was about

visitor
from the room, but the beautiful
put out her shapely white hand and, smiling very

sweetly, said:
I
it
"Do
not be afraid of me,

Listen and
to you.
I
little
girl;
am
is
your
that
I
friend.
will explain
why
come
That
knife,
which you
hold in your hand, was
made by
a great magician
more years ago than you can
easily count.
By
his
wonderful power, which people nowadays cannot understand, he so
made
it
that
when
little girl
under
ten years old breathes on the words engraved in the
handle,
I,
or others like me, must straightway appear
before her and offer to bring about whatever she

asks.
The
knife
has not been used in this

it
way
for
it
hundreds of years because
has happened that
has long been in the hands of grown persons only,
or because the children
who may have owned
it
did
not happen to breathe on the enchanted words as
you have now done.
But, after so long waiting,
am me
at last called to service.

it
Whatever you ask of

is
is
my
duty to do.
If there
anything you

want you have only
for you."
to
5
it
speak and
I will
obtain
Helen was not by nature a timid child and, without further delay, she put her hand in that of her
beautiful visitor saying:
"So
can have anything
want?"
"Yes;"
answered
is
her
visitor,
smiling
sweetly.
"Now
what
it?"
replying.
last, in
But Helen hesitated a moment before
"This
her most
little
is
very kind of you;" she said at
polite
manner.
"Can you
visitor.
spare
me
time to think ?"
"Certainly;" answered the

hours to spend with you."
"I have two
"Well," said Helen
at last,
"come with me and

Perhaps as
I
see
my new
So,
Christmas presents.
I shall
look
them over
think of something to ask for."

little
hand
in
hand, the fairy and the

hall,
girl
passed out of the nursery into the

the grand stairway to
the floor of which
and down
the
still
larger hall below,
was polished
like ivory
tints
and nearly
covered with rugs of the softest

the far
brought from
lifetime
to
East where
it
took
nearly a
make them.
THE WONDER CHILDREN

The door
to
the
dining-room
stood
still
ajar,
and
within could be seen the long table

the remains
covered with
of the feast which forty children had
lately enjoyed.
The
air of the
room was heavy with
the perfume of big bouquets of the rarest of flowers,
while before each deserted

beautiful
little
seat
was a bunch of
satisfied
blossoms which the more than
guests
had not thought
it
worth while to take
away with them.

But Helen eagerly drew her new friend
into the
drawing-room, the ceiling of which was painted to
show the
story of a
famous poem and

pictures,
its
side walls
hung with beautiful

of statuary
or
while
rare
pieces
highly
ornamented tables bearing
costly vases stood here
and
there.
At one end of the
room stood the Christmas-tree, no longer shedding

colored light from
tiful
its
electric bulbs, but
still
beau-
with ropes and wreaths of glittering tinsel and
countless balls and bells of rainbow tints.
"Were
all
these presents given to you
?''
asked the
gifts
fairy pointing to a
couch on which many
had
been carelessly thrown.

are!"
"How
kind your parents
"Pooh
" answered the child; "these are nothing

Papa and
mamma
you
didn't
want
to
put
my
the
''
best
chil-
things on the
tree for fear of
making the other
dren
envious,
I will
know.
Come
into
next
room and
show you my
real presents.
And,
Helen shows her Presents.

for the
first
time
that
night
Helen
actually
in
ap-
peared, for the
moment,
to take
an interest
her
good things
as
she thought to astonish
somebody
by showing them.
The
little
room
to
which the child and the
fairy
had now come was
full
of beautiful and costly articles
THE WONDER CHILDREN

which was fastened a card showing that
Helen with the love of father or mother
relative or close friend.
to each of
it
was
for
or of
is
some
This whole page
not
large
enough
to
name them.
gifts
The
child
fairy
glanced from the
many
to
the
upon
whom
all
these favors
had been heaped.
"Your
parents and friends love you very much.

to be greatly pleased with all
is
But you don't seem

good fortune.
your
How
it.^''
After thinking for a
moment Helen answered:

truth, I
"Well, no.
for
any of
To tell the my Christmas
don't care
much
presents."
liked better.?" asked
"But what would you have

the fairy.
"You must know

I
that
you now have
only to say what you really want, and as soon as the
words are out of your mouth
can give
I
it
to you."
"I don't know of anything that

said the child.
really
want,"
"That
is
just
my
greatest trouble."
The
before
fairy looked astonished
and Helen hastened had everything

to say nothing
I
to explain.
I
"You
see I always have

really to
had time
want
it,
of a great
number of
things which
never could
or
left
have wanted.
So now, when
is
Christmas
I
my
to
birthday comes, there
nothing
care for
"

give me.
9
a girl
What
I
is
Christmas good for

?
if
doesn't
want anything
It
only makes
me
sad to
think that
don't find the joy in Christmas which
other children do."
The fairy, too, seemed to be saddened for a moment,

and the brightness which had come from her dimmed
as does the light
from the sun when feathery clouds
come before
a time,
it.
"My
dear
little girl,"
is
she said after

I
"I
am
afraid there
nothing
could bring
parents are
I see
you
to
make you any

days those
happier.
gifts
Your
only too ready to heap

in these
upon you.
that
who
are very rich can do
more
than could the magicians of old."

as
if
The
fairy
moved
I
about to go.
"So,
if
you do not mind,
will
leave you.
Fairies
and enchantments are of

as
no use to such children

different
it
you,
think.
How
!
used to be a few thousand years ago
And
the beautiful creature sighed.

tightly to her hand.
But Helen clung

sure there
is
"Are you
nothing you could do for
me
.?
How
many
children there must be

I
have the chance
don't
who would be glad to seem to know how to use!"

strike the fairy.
A
stead
sudden idea seemed to
In-
now
of trying to release herself from Helen's
lo
clinging
a
THE WONDER CHILDREN

hand she bent her shining head and pressed
kiss
Hght
on
the
child's
pure
but
troubled
forehead.
"You have made me

self,
think of a plan;" she said.
"Perhaps, since you find you want nothing for your-
you would
like to use
your chance to help someyou."

glee.
body
else not as fortunate as
Helen clapped her hands with

she cried jumping up and
"Yes, yes;"
"that
down
in excitement,
would be
delightful.
But how
am
to
know what
replied
these other people
want or how
to help
them ?"
the
"Suppose we
fairy,
visit
some of them;"
as at
now
as
calm and sweet
first.
"I can
call
make both
shall not
of us invisible, so those that

are there.
for
we
on
know we
and see
them
talk
Then we can hear ourselves what would make

to go.?" objected
trip
them happy."
"But how
shrinking a
far are
we
Helen,
little
from a
out into the night.

as
The
as
fairy
smiled.
"Oh,
far
or as
near by
is
you choose.
You know
hesitated.
that everything
to
go
to-night by your wishes.
Shall
we
start ?"
I
Helen
still
"But how am
it .?"
to
give
people what they want just by wishing
she asked.

The
child,
ii
fairy
laughed out loud.
"Why, my
fairies
dear
to
have you not read enough fairy

that there are no
?
*
stories
know
hows' where
if
are
concerned
to start/'
Now
I will
guide you
you are ready
Helen was quite too excited to speak, but she
nodded her
little
head very bravely; and, in a moment

fairy,
more, enfolded in the loving arm of the
she
passed right through the thick stone walls of her
house and floated down the street

thistle-down floats on the gentle
much
as a bit of
summer
breeze.
As they were passing
a gayly lighted house,
Helen
cried: "Let's wait here a
minute and Hsten to the
music.
This
is
where papa and
mamma
are spend-
ing the evening.
Oh,
see the ladies

!
and gentlemen
dancing past the windows

are having
!"
What
a fine time they
"So
these people on the sidewalk

fairy.
seem
to
think;"
answered the
"Hear what they

if
say."
"How
said one.
happy people can be
they are rich!"
"Oh,
wish
could live in a house like that;"
said another.
The complaining
ones did not look Hke persons
12
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Helen whispered to her new friend:
I
to be pitied, but
"Why may
The
you choose,
not
make
:
these people happy?''

are free to give
I
fairy replied
"You
them what
my
it
dear; but
am
very sure that what
they are so envious of would not
make them any

until they
all
happier
if
was
theirs."
So the
fairy
and child swept on

where the
stores
came
to the streets
lights
were
ablaze with
into the
and crowds of people were gazing

It
show windows.
that
was
in
front of a
candy-store
at
two ragged children stood looking greedily
the tempting piles of colored bonbons just behind
the great panes of glass.
"Poor
power
I
little
things !" said Helen.
"Why
not stop
and help them?

as
Don't object;
if I
have any such

it
you
tell
me
must use some of

to
now.
want these two poor children
have not only

will take
their candies but the other things
which
away
that sad look on their faces."

fairy smiled sweetly as she replied:
The
"I obey
the
your command.
A
do
messenger
is
already on
a
way; he
will not only give will
them
happy
Christ-
mas Eve but
his best to
it
make
their
home
much more
pleasant than
has ever been."
From the Outside.

13
14
It
THE WONDER CHILDREN

was
a
few steps farther along that two wellstood

before
the
dressed
fur
women One store.

if it
windows
of
I
of them was saying:

I
"Oh,
want
that set of sealskins.
am
sure
should be perfectly
happy
was mine." hand on the arm of her new

her.
Helen
laid her
friend
"Let me help
Surely
shall
never find a
better chance to do good.
You
like;''
see
.?"
how unhappy
fairy,
she
is.
Why
not give her the furs

so
if
"You may do
"but
if
you
answered the
you take
my
advice you will hasten to those
who need you much more." Then they rapidly sped away from
gay
streets
the bright and
and
into the part of the city
where the
poorest people lived.
The
streets
became narrow,
dark and dirty; the houses were ugly blocks, twenty

families living in twice as
many
rooms.
The
visitors
were not hindered by walls, however

look, but passed through brick as
solid they
might
if it
were nothing
as
but
air
and
finally stood in a
room such
Helen had
never seen before.
Three or four broken windows

to
were stuffed with old rags
keep out the crisp
December
air.
The
walls of the
room were
bare,
and there was not so much
as a scrap of carpet
on

the rough and unpainted floor.
15
The
it,
only furniture
was a bed, with
a cot beside
a rude table,
two
or three wooden-seated chairs and an old kitchen

stove in
bad
sat
repair.
at the table
A man
had
from which the family
just eaten a scanty
and uninviting meal of bread
and water.
His head was bowed over his hands
and he seemed very unhappy.
Two
little
children,
both younger than Helen, were holding out their

stockings to their mother to
'*It's
hang behind the
stove.
Christmas Eve you know, mother;"

boy.
said
the
eight-year-old
"This
fills
is
the
night
that
Santa Claus comes and

children with presents."
the stockings of good
The mother wiped away

sounded broken
is
a tear,
and her voice

afraid there
as she
answered:
"Fm
no use of hanging up your stockings to-night."
"Why,
good.?
dear
mamma,"
asked the
little
girl,
who
was two years younger, "haven't we been pretty
We
are sorry
aren't
we, brother.?
that
we
cried to-night because there
was not bread enough

just for
for supper.
But Santa wouldn't stay away
that
when
we
are sorry."
helplessly
The mother
took
the two
pairs
of
i6
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"I guess there
she said at
stockings from the uplifted hands.

are too
last, in
many
holes in the stockings;''
a voice that did not
sound
like their mother's.
Then
to say:
the father raised his pale face from his hands
"Why
this
nonsense
You know
to cry;
there will
be nothing for them."
But
at this the children
began
and Helen,
shedding
whom
head
none of them could
see, cried too,
invisible tears, while

in his
the father again dropped his
hands but lower than before. The mother,
without another word, took up a broken poker for a
hammer, and tacked up

ings behind the stove.
gleefully into their
the two pairs of ragged stock-
Then
bed.
the children climbed
little
They were
sure that
dear Santa would come.
Their only anxiety had
been
vision
lest
the mother would not
make proper
pro-
for the
coming of the shy good genius of
childhood.
As
for Helen, she
was crying so that she could
scarcely find her voice to say: "Dear, good fairy,
please do not refuse to help them."
"Be
patient,
my
in a
dear;" answered the
fairy.
Now
again,
the father raised his head from his hands
and said
low tone to
his wife:
"Why
did

you do
little
it ?
17
You know
as well as I that their

in the
poor
I
stockings will be
empty
morning.
can
see their faces
when they
find that
Santa Claus has
forgotten
them."
did not look at
I.
The mother
them happy
morning
him
as she replied:
in
"Yes, and so can
But
saw no harm
sending
to bed.
It will
be bad enough in the
for all of us."
"True enough;"
said the father;
"not a mouthful
of food or a penny in the house, and even hope
flown out of the window. Poor
little
things, they will
cry so hard for their missing breakfast that they will
soon forget about Santa's neglect."

his eyes
And
he covered
with his hand as
if
to shut out the sight.
"Perhaps to-morrow you can
find
some work by
to
which you can earn money enough
feed
us."
little
And
his wife
added wistfully: "It takes so
just for that,
you know."
could find
"If only
my
old friend," he replied,
"there might be some hope.
But you know how
have searched
to
in vain for
him.
is
want me.
How
cruel
And nobody seems great city to a man
or
woman And now the
without friends !"

children were both asleep with sweet
i8
THE WONDER CHILDREN

dreamed about Santa
smiles on their faces as they
Claus.
But Helen could endure the scene no longer.

can't
"I
wait
minute
more;" she
cried;
"Santa
Claus must come right away.^*
Call from Santa Claus.
The words were no
sooner out of her mouth
than a sharp knock was heard at the door.
"Come
in;" called the father, without even look-
ing around.
He
expected no visitor, unless, perhaps,

for
some one asking him
money which he could not

pay.
19
He
feared most of
all
that
it
was the landlord
come
to say they
must move out
into the street.
The door opened and
a burly figure entered.

a
"Good
The
with
evening," said
all."
cheery voice, "and a
merry Christmas to
father
had turned
in his seat
ready to demand
angry words what sort of merry Christmas

be for the poor;
but a sight met his
lips.
there could
eyes that stopped the words on his
The
his
uninvited guest wore long white whiskers;
cheeks were cherry red, while laughing black
eyes twinkled out from beneath shaggy gray eye-
brows.
He was
clad in furs from top to toe, and
carried on his back a big pack, through the open
top of which could be seen

delight children.
to the floor;
all sorts
of toys such as
his
Without delay he swung

this time,
it
pack
but by
may
be believed,
the mother had
become very much
interested.
"Merry Christmas
must excuse us
greeting, for
it
to you, sir;" she said.
"You
for being slow in
answering your
has been long since
we have heard
words so pleasant.
And what
brings you to this
dreary place on so gay a night?"
"Are
there not two good
little
children here?"
20
asked
THE WONDER CHILDREN

the
bluff
visitor.
"
seldom
make
mistake.''
The
with
father looked on speechless, but the mother,
brightened
face,
promptly
replied:
"Why,
in the
yes, there are
no sweeter or better children

little girl
whole world than our
and boy."
visitor,
"Well, then,'' continued the
looking in-
quiringly around the room, "I have brought a few

things for them.
Where
are their stockings
.?"
The mother pointed to the wall behind the broken stove. "The children wanted so much to hang up
their stockings that I let
lessly.
them;" she explained breathto expect anything."
"But
told
them not
The
visitor bustled across the
room with
his pack,
the mother keeping beside him.
"There
are big
holes in the stockings;" said she sadly.
"I could
not
mend them."
in the visitor;
"Never mind that;" broke
"what
the stockings won't take, the floor will."
Just then the children in the cot were
wakened
upright
by the strange voice, and
both sat
the
bolt
gazing with wide-open eyes at

his
newcomer and
wonderful bag.
is
"It
Santa Claus;" whispered one.

"Yes;" answered the other;
21
"and you know

find
mamma
here."
thought
he
wouldn't
us
away up
"But we mustn't
said the boy.
let
him know we saw him;"

like it."
"He
might not
So without another word the dear children lay
down
again in their
to their
lost
little
bed, shut their eyes, and
went back
dreams.
Santa Claus
no time but began
at
once to take
First,
the most wonderful things out of his pack.
of course,
child's
came boxes and horns of
candy; no
Christmas would be right without candy.

of pop-corn, big oranges, and cookies
the
Then came bags

of
all
sorts.
Now
pack began
to
give
forth
still
more
delightful gifts;
trumpets and whistles,

and
dolls' clothes, toy
drums and harmonicas,
dolls
wagons, Noah's arks, blocks, picture-books, lead

soldiers, jumping-jacks,
until the space
behind the
toy-store.
dingy old
kitchen
stove
looked
like
And
all
the while the father
was trembling with
excitement
and
the loving mother kept breaking

surprise.
all
out with words of delight and
As
for
Helen, the invisible spectator of
the happiness
which her wish had brought into
this
sad home, she
22
THE WONDER CHILDREN

made no
noise.
was clapping her hands every second and wondering

because she
But
it
seemed that Santa Claus had by no means
finished
when he had taken out
of his wonderful
pack the great supply of
toys, candies
all
and
fruits.
He
next began to draw forth
sorts of
tempting
food;
a turkey
He
and a pair of chickens
all
cooked
and ready
sauce, pies
butter.
to eat, a delicious-looking jar of cranberry
and cakes and plenty of good bread and

then paused only long enough to get his
into another part of the
breath
when down he dived
big pack, and this time brought out mittens, reefers,

coats, caps, stockings, even boots
and shoes,
until
the
room began
to look like
clothing-store
and
bakery, with a toy annex behind the stove.
At
up
last,
when
the remarkable visitor began to

as if
tie
his
bag and make
he were going out, the
father started
lieve in in
suddenly forward.
"I did not beI
Santa Claus before," he said; "but
believe
him now, and he never came where he was

this
needed more than here
evening.
You
the
don't
little
know how
grateful
we
are, or
how happy
as
if
ones will be in the morning."
Santa Claus cleared
his
throat
uncertain

whether to laugh or
cry.
23
"Well, I'm glad
came.
Good-bye, and a merry Christmas, again."
Having shouldered
the door-knob
his
pack
he
was turning
to the fairy:
when Helen whispered

yet.
"Don't
let
him go
Can't Santa find the

^
man
some
nice place to
work
Oh, please make him,
dear fairy."
"Just as you say,

with a smile;
my
dear;" answered the fairy
and the words were no sooner out of
her mouth than Santa Claus turned back into the
room.
"I had
forgotten
something;" he
said
as
he
took off his pack again.

I
"I have a
letter
here which
should give you."

After fumbling awhile in his big pockets he drew
forth a sealed envelope
and handed
it it
to the father.
Then he was gone

For
visitor
his
so suddenly that
seemed
as if
he might have dropped through the

as
floor.
much
as
if
as
minute
after
the wonderful
letter in
had gone the father stood with the

he did not
hand
Then he
said to his wife:
know what to do with it. "I don't know but I am

so
dreaming."
She came close
to
him
she could look over
"
24
THE WONDER CHILDREN

answered:
his shoulder as she
"We
are both wide
awake,
letter
?
my
It
dear.
But why don't you open your
may
be another pleasant surprise."

letter as if
it,
So he tore open the
more
afraid than
hopeful of what should be in

read aloud
:
and
this is
what he
**Dear Friend,
are.
I
have just found out where you

in
need a
my
office.
man just like you, my old friend, Come the day after Christmas ready
to
go to work."
But when the father came

the letter he
it.
to the
name
to
signed to
was too much astonished

let
pronounce
He
merely
the sheet of paper flutter to the

a
floor,
murmuring: "This must be
dream."
"But who wrote

wife.
the letter?" asked his excited

that our troubles are over
.?
" Does this
mean
Then
kissed
the husband caught his wife in his arms and
her again
all
and again.
"Yes,
my
dear,
it
means that
is
our troubles are past.
This
letter
from an old friend of mine, now one of the great

city.
merchants of the found out where

his business.
I
Don't you see
He
we
has
in
am and
wants
me
to help
him
If
we
are not both dreaming,
shall

never again
suffering
suffer."
25
know what
it
is
to be cold
or hungry,
children
ten
times worse in
seeing our
Just then there was a rustling sound from the cot
and
a voice piped up: *'Has
Santa Claus gone
yet,
mamma?"
sitting
The
children
were awake and
both
their
up
in their bed, their faces flushed
and
eyes shining with excitement and pleasure.
"Yes, darlings;" answered the mother, going up

to the cot
and bending over
to kiss the sweet, eager
faces;
"Santa has gone, and he did not forget you."

get up," asked the boy,
.?
"Then mayn't we
see
till
"and
what
is
?
in
our stockings
Why
need we wait
morning
?
Oh mamma, we saw
let
let
him: didn't we,
sister
But we didn't
him know."
"Yes, please
the
little
us get up,
mamma;"
chimed
in
girl.
"We
can't go to sleep again."
"Certainly;" said the father.

this
"Let them
only
get
up
minute.
You know
Christmas
comes
once a year;" and he laughed as gayly as a child.
So the mother helped the children put on enough

clothing so they
would not take
cold,
and soon they
pattered across the bare floor to the array of wonderful

gifts
behind the stove.
26
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"Oh,
here
is
a doll !" cried the
little girl,
clapping
her hands.
doll."
"It must be for me:
did so
want a
"And
must be
a
here
for
is
:
drum!" shouted
I
the boy.
"That
to get
me
is
thought
was never going
drum."
"And "And
the boy.
here here
a set of a
little
dishes !" cried the
girl.
is
box of lead soldiers!" shouted
"See the picture-books and the blocks!"
"Look
at the
trumpets and the tops!"
"The
"Oh,
stockings are just full of candy."

see these oranges!"
just
fit
"These mittens
"This cap
is
me."
just
my
size."
"These
beautiful shoes
must be
for
me."
"And
these boots must be mine."

little
Finally the father took the
girl
in his lap,
while the mother held the boy in hers, and each

of the
children
rattled
on
about their wonderful

at
Christmas Eve, and laughed
the old folks for
having said there would be no use to hang up stockings.
And
the joy that shone on the faces of that
father and mother no words can describe.
VERY Merry Christmas.

fairy
27
Helen would have stayed much longer but the
reminded her that time was going

is
fast.
"This
girl.
so
happy
are
a night
for
me!"
said the
"But where
we going next?
this block.
You seem
Is there
to
be taking
left
me away from
nobody
unhappy within these dismal

child," answered the fairy;
walls
V
could
"Alas,
my
I
"we
that
are
hardly go amiss.
But
my time
I
is
almosfflown.
You
I
remember
told
you when
first
came
had
but two hours for you.

their last minutes.
I
Those two hours
now on
left
have barely enough time

before
I
to take
you
safely
as
home
must vanish."
Helen's nursery
As soon
they had
reached
her beautiful friend bent
down
to kiss her good-bye.
"I must now be on the wing."
"I never was
so
happy before,"
all
cried the child.
"It was better than

received in
all
the fine presents I
have
my
life."
"Good-bye;"
said the fairy,
moving away.
"but
it
"Good-bye;" answered Helen;

be for long.
will not
Now
that
know
you,
I shall call for
you very
night?"
often.
Can't you come again to-morrow
"As long
as
you keep your enchanted knife and
28
THE WONDER CHILDREN

call
remain under ten years old you can
me whenI
ever you wish, and I shall be glad to come;
have
to
had vacation enough.
It
is
delight
for.
to
me
do such things as you have asked
Another
little
The End of the Christmas

girl
Eve.
might not use the enchanted knife so well: be

it."
very careful not to lose
Helen began to look troubled as she glanced over

the table.
"
I
am
afraid
I
took the knife with

it,
me
in
my
it
hand;
hope
didn't lose
but
don't see
.?"
about the room.
Oh, what
shall I
do
if it is lost

"Perhaps you may
still
29
find
it
yet;" replied her friend,
moving away.
"But,
if
you do not,
just
keep
to-
on doing what you have so much enjoyed doing

night,
helping
I
those
who need
help.
You have
found the secret of
real happiness."
"But
to cry.
am
will
not a fairy;" said the child, ready
**You
^*
find,"
smiled
the beautiful
visitor,
that the good
you can do of your own

all.
self will
give
you the greatest happiness of

the fairy
Good-bye."
And
was gone, while
in her place,
when
long
Helen looked up again, was the nurse.

past your bedtime, child;" said the
didn't
"It
is
woman.
"Why
so
you
call
me
have
I
been
having
pleasant a time down-stairs that
quite forgot you.
You must have been
lonesome."
"Oh
no;" answered Helen, following her out of
the nursery;
"I have enjoyed every minute."
STORY OF THE THREE FISHES
IT
to
is
a sad thing for a
boy
to
be
is
left
without a
father and mother, but that
what happened
old.
Harry Bolton when he was only ten years

father
His
died
first;
his
mother
had
a
to
hard
time for two years earning enough
money
buy
food and clothes for herself and her boy; then she
also fell sick
and
died.
Harry's uncle was not a very kindly man, and
he had a large family of

although he
his
own
to care for;
so,
made
home
for Harry, the
boy could
not help thinking that his uncle did not love him,
and that
his
aunt wished him out of the way.
His
they
cousins, too,
were not agreeable playfellows;
often treated
him
so harshly that he cried, but he
was
so,
careful always to go by himself
when he
did
because he knew very well that he could expect

his
no sympathy from
uncle or aunt.
a
His father
and mother had always thought he was
good boy.
They never had had
to tell
30
him but once when they

wanted him
to
31
do or not
to
do anything.
All the
neighbors had said, too, that there was no better
boy
in
town than Harry Bolton.
But, although he
was
just the
same boy
in his uncle's house,
always
willing to
do as he was bid, not quarrelsome or

still
fault-finding,
he never had a word of praise

for the
here,
and he hoped only
day when he would

his
be grown up and could go away and earn

living.
own
Harry's room was in the attic of the house, a very

large
room indeed,
top
floor
for that matter, since
it
was the
roof,
whole
his
of
the
house
floor in
under
the
bed being
laid
on the
one corner.
had no companion
afraid of the rats
at night,
and was very

in the
He much
dark-
which scurried about
ness like small race horses.

It
happened one night that one of
his cousins
had
and
quarrelled with him, struck
him
in the face,
then put the blame on Harry,
who was promptly

any supper.
lively
whipped and sent

Harry
that
tried to
to his attic without
sleep; but the rats
were very
night
and,
although
they meant no harm,

to thinking
frightened him.
Then he
was,
fell
how
un-
happy
his
life
and longing
for
father
and
32
THE WONDER CHILDREN

care.
mother love and
The boy had

live.
not
known
such a thing as a loving vôrd or kiss since he had
come
to his uncle's
it
house to
When
his
had grown quite dark Harry rose from

to the little
bed and, walking
window of
his attic,
looked out at the twinkling lights of the village and
wondered whether there was any other

so miserable.
little
boy
"I wish there were such things

sobbed;
his
as fairies;"
at the
he
and then was frightened

voice lest
it
sound of
own
might have been heard down-
stairs.
All of a sudden
came an answer: "I am one."

on
the
sill
Sure
enough,
of
the
little
little
attic
window
stood the most beautiful

of.
creature one
could think
She was not much
taller
than the
length of your arm, and was dressed in cloth of gold

all
sprinkled over with
diamonds.
Her
beautiful
lin-
arms were bare from the shoulder; and on her
gers were rings set with jewels the names, even, of
which poor Harry did not know. From each shoulder

white wings
unfolded, their edges
fall
glistening
hke
hoar-frost on a bright
morning.
On
wand
her head
was
little
crown and
in her
hand
of ivory in

the top of which shone a
ss
diamond
as large as a pea.
all,
But her face was most beautiful of

smiling and gentle.
so sweet
and
"
am
a fairy,"
she said,
"and
have come to
help you/'
A Welcome
Visitor in Harry's Attic.
"How
did you happen to
come
to
me?"
asked
Harry trembhng with excitement.
"Because you have always been a good boy,"

she said, "have always told the truth, been obedient
34
to
THE WONDER CHILDREN

your parents and kind to every one.
fairies love to help
When
them.
such
boys are in trouble

tell
Nov^
me what I can do for you." The boy vâs too much confused and too happy "Oh, at her kind words to know quite what to say.
thank you
;'*
he began, and then he stopped.

at
She smiled very sweetly

don't seem to
for you.
will all be
him and
said:
"You
know what
do just as
to ask, so I will think

I
Now
I will
!
say and your sorrows
ended."
I will !"
"Oh,
still
he
cried.
So, while he
was
leaning on the
window and
the beautiful fairy
standing on the ledge outside, she laid out a pro-
gramme
for him.
" Get up early tomorrow morning and go
down
to
the brook to
fish.
Throw your
line first
where the
water
is
deepest,
Httle distance
below the bridge,
you know.
to
But whatever you catch there be sure
throw back again.
Then wade
across the brook
to the other side,
throw your
line again and,
once
more, whatever you catch you must surely throw
back into the brook.
Then walk
along to the
shallowest place in the whole brook, just above the

big rock,
you remember the place, and throw in

your hook once more; but what you catch
35
this third
and
last
time you are carefully to keep."
A
gan.
dozen questions rushed to the end of Harry's
tongue.
"What good
all
can a
fish
do
me?"
he be-
But
he heard was a laugh,
like a
chime of
sweet
bells, a rustle
of wings like a dove's, and his
strange caller was gone.
For
a long time he stood breathless at the
window,
hoping that the fairy would come back; and when

she
did
not
return
visit.
he
felt
even
more lonesome
for
than before her
Why
in
had he not asked

?
some great thing when he had the chance

he went tack to his bed
himself to sleep.
the corner
Then
and cried
When
attic
the
first light
of day that
recalled
It
came
into Harry's
fairy
wakened him he
what the
had
to
said the night before.
did not take
him long
put on his few clothes, get his fish-line and pole and
hurry down-stairs.
fast
He
did not wait for his break-
but hurried out into the garden to dig his bait,

to the stream.
and then ran down

a
little
Taking
his place
way below
the bridge, where the water

to
was
deepest, he
made ready
throw
at
his line.
There
were other fishermen close
hand,
but no one
36
THE WONDER CHILDREN

to
happened
want
to stand just
where Harry had
been told to take
his place.
He threw
happen.
his
line
very
as
carefully
although his
hands were trembling
he wondered what would

his
No
sooner
had
hook touched the
water than the pole, which was a strong one, bent

almost double, and the boys standing near sent up
a great shout as
Harry pulled
a fish nearly
two
feet
long out of the brook.
The
other boys,
who had been having poor

in
luck, ex-
gathered
around him
great excitement
fish
all
claiming at once that no such

seen in that brook before.
It
had ever been

large
was
enough
to
make
a meal for a whole family, and Harry's
first
thought was of his aunt's surprise when she saw
him bring home such

would have
a kind
a prize; perhaps at last she

for him.
word
told
Then he
to
recalled
what the
first
fairy
had
him,
tears
throw back the

to
his eyes
fish
he caught.
The
it
gushed
to think of
what he would have
to do; for he
to
was
a true fisherman, and
seemed wicked
throw
away
the wonderful catch which he had just made.
Yet no sooner had he released the hook than he

took the
big
fish
in
both
hands,
and,
obeying

the
37
the
orders
of the
fairy,
threw
it
back
into
stream.
You
evil
can imagine
how
the other boys
felt
when they
him every
saw what Harry had done.
They
of,
called
name they
could think
and one of them even

attempt to catch
could get away.
thinking of to
rushed into the water
in a foolish
it
the fish with his hands before
They asked Harry what he had been

and catching the best
back
a
into the water.
fish
do so crazy a thing, what he meant by coming there
and then throwing
it
Harry did not answer them

and pole and
side,
line,
word
but, taking his bait-box
waded
across the
little
brook to the other
very
thankful that the fairy had told him he might do

that,
and
so get
away from
his
angry fellow fishermen.

his
But he had no sooner rebaited

pared to throw
it
hook, and pre-
again into the water, than
he
found
poles
all
all
the other
boys had dropped their

to
his
side.
own
and waded across
They were
anxious to see what this queer fisherman would
do next.
When
it
the hook struck the water the pole

fish
again bent double vîth the weight of the
which
had taken
*'
in
its
mouth, and the boys shouted:
He
has caught the same one again."
38
THE WONDER CHILDREN

But when Harry attempted
to
lift
the fish out of
the water
pole
in
its
weight was so great as to break his
halves.
He had
to
rush
out
into
the
stream and catch hold of the
line itself in order to
The
Big Fish
Harry threw Away.
save his
fish,
which was so heavy
that, stout little

lift
it
boy
as
he was, he could hardly

in the
out of the
water as he stood
middle of the stream.
Then,
just as the fairy
had
told him, although
it

almost broke his heart to do
it,
39
he loosened the hook

fish
from the mouth of

and threw
the
it
this
second and even larger
back into the stream.
Now the boys

in their
on
bank of the brook went almost wild
vexa-
tion and,
when Harry came
back, they set upon him,
threw him down, struck and kicked him.

there
Perhaps
would have been no more of

a
this story to tell
unless
man had happened

young
ruffians
to
pass that
way
to
drive the
away, so that poor Harry,
with bleeding face and aching bones, could get to

his feet again.
When
the
man
asked the angry boys

little
why
they had been beating the
fellow they
all
tried to explain at once,

telling
fish
but he thought they must be
a falsehood, since he well

in
knew
so
large a
had never been seen
the village brook.
He
threatened to duck them in the brook and then went
on
his
It
way.
was
some
time
before
his
poor
Harry could
untangle his Hne, rebait
hook, and get ready,
with what was
left
of his pole, to
make
his
final
throw, according to the fairy's directions, in the shallowest part of the stream.
The
other
boys
now
gathered close about him, expecting that this wônderful
fisherman would next time surely land a whale.
40
THE WONDER CHILDREN

to take
it
and ready
away from him by main
strength
it
before he could do so fooHsh a thing as to throw
away.
And
broken
again no sooner had the hook touched the

a
fish
water than
took
it;
but the pole was not

Indeed, the
this time, or yet

fish
bent double.
weight of the
was
so slight that the line hardly
straightened out as Harry lifted his catch out of the
stream.
as
This
last
catch of Harry's was as small

;
the others
had been big

to
and the rude boys,

from
him,
in
instead
of
trying
take
it
threw
themselves on the
grass
and roared
laughter.
it
And when
the
fish
they saw Harry, instead of throwing
back, as they supposed of course he would do, since
was too small

put
to
it
eat,
take
his
it
carefully
from the hook and
in
pocket,
they
laughed louder than before.
After winding his line
about what was
left
of the pole, and throwing away

off,
the unused bait, Harry walked sadly
and the
last
sound he heard was the laughter of those

boys.
same
His bones were aching from the beating he had

received, and, even after
his face,
washing the blood from
he
still felt
very sore.
He
could not under-

stand
41
how
so
little
a fish could do
him any good,
after all his trouble;
but surely the fairy would not
have told him to throw away two such wonderful

catches as he had
made
unless there
this
was something
little
he could not see about
same
creature
which was going

a bush,
to help him.
Making his way behind

at
where no one could see and laugh
him, he
took his knife from his pocket and prepared to dress

the
a
little fish,
with the idea that next he would build

it.
fire,
cook and eat
The
silly
boy did not know

fish,
but perhaps, after he had swallov/ed the
he
would
at
once become a
man
or
some other won-
derful change take place in him.
His knife struck something hard, and he found, as

he laid the
little fish
open, a stone almost as large as

to
a pea which,
brilliant
when he came
in the
wipe
it,
shone
like the
he had seen
end of the
fairy's
wand.
Harry had often stood

store
in front of the village jewellery in the
admiring the shining gems
window; but
this,
he had never seen there a stone as large as
which the more he rubbed

the
brighter.
It
it,
shone and sparkled

there
was
diamond;
was no
doubt about
that.
Leaving
his
hook and
line
and broken pole under
42
THE WONDER CHILDREN

them
again,
the bush where he could find

ting the
and putsecret
to the
diamond
carefully
away
in his
most
pocket, Harry went into the village and

jewellery store intending to try to
prize.
down
sell his
wonderful
He was happy enough now.

to
It
seemed that
in the little
the good fairy had hidden the costly

fish
gem
meaning
it
be his
if
he followed her direcsell

it
tions.
He
could of course
for a great price,
and the money would be
all his
own.
He would now
have a pleasant home, and neat clothes, and go to

school like other boys.
The
jeweller stood near the door talking with a
customer, and Harry, hearing the word "diamond,"
suddenly became
about Mr.
Smith,
lost,
much
interested.
lived
The
talk
was
hill,
who
on top of the
and who had

diamond.
its
only the day before, a very costly

it
The
stone had fallen,
was
said, out of
setting in his scarf-pin while the
owner stood on
the bridge which crossed the very brook where Harry
had caught
his fish.
Mr. Smith had afterward

its
sent
men down
vain.
to the
brook to scrape
bed, under the

far all in
bridge, in search for the
diamond, but so
He
felt
very
much
troubled, not only because
the lost
diamond was
a valuable one but even
more

because
It
43
his
had belonged
to his father
and to
grandfather before him; and he would rather have

lost ten
other diamonds as large than this one.
Just then the jeweller happened to see Harry and
harshly ordered
him out of the
store.
Harry was
quite ready to obey;
and he did not stop on the

as
his
little
street outside, but started as fast
legs
would carry him up the road toward the bridge

which
led across the brook.
When
men
ing
still
he reached the bridge, sure enough, he saw

scraping
all
about
in search in pails
for the lost
diamond, taking up the sand

it
and then washlittle
out, looking carefully at every
pebble in
to
the hope that
some one of them might prove
be
the missing gem.
But Harry now knew that they
would not
that
little
find the
diamond
there.
in
He
his
felt
certain
Mr. Smith's diamond was

fish
pocket, the
third throw
which he had caught

it.
at his
having swallowed
He
ran quickly across the bridge and up the
hill
toward Mr. Smith's house.

was, Harry
Honest
boy that he
had but one thought now, and that

the
was
to
return
diamond
to
its
owner.
His
dream of comfort and good cheer faded away and
44
left
THE WONDER CHILDREN

only a dull pain about his heart as a reminder
of his lost hope.
Now
every boy in town
knew where Mr. home

still
Smith's
in all
house was.
Mr. Smith was the wealthiest man
the country round; he had one
in this village,
another in the city near by, and
another at the
seashore, while he passed a good deal of his time

in foreign countries.
The
place
was surrounded by
a high iron fence, the only entrance being between
two great gates which hung wide open when Harry
came
up.
Many
a time
he
to
had looked through

go inside;
this time,
that high fence
and longed
however, he did not wait for permission but, thinking only of his errand, rushed boldly through the open
gates
and up the winding driveway
in the direction
of the house, which looked to him like a palace.
He had gone
but a few steps before he heard a
grufF voice saying:
"What
are
you doing
in
here,
boy V*
and looking around he saw a man

with a rake in his hand,
gardener.
working-clothes,
who
he supposed was the
"I want
to see
Mr. Smith;" he answered, almost
out of breath from running.
"What
does such a
little
rascal as
you want of

Mr. Smith?"
him.
45
asked the gardener coming up to
"Oh,
must
is
see
him;"
said Harry.
it;"
little
"There
no *must' about
growled the garfellow's shoulder.
dener laying his hand on the
"We
don't allow boys like you in these grounds;

little
you're a
beggar, that's what you are."

cried Harry,
"Oh, no;"
life."
"I never begged
in
my
But the gardener

shoulder
still
keeping hold of Harry's
laughed at him.
I
"What
else
could you
want of Mr. Smith
Why,
the butler would whip

get along with
you out of the house.
Come,
you!"
his
and the gardener pushed the boy

strong hands.
back with
But
just then
it
happened that
a house maid,
to the village,
who
had been sent on an errand down

in
came
through the gates and, seeing the gardener roughly
pushing the boy away, cried out to him:

is
"What
the matter
.?"
At
this the
gardener took
his
hand from Harry's
shoulder and began to talk to the maid,
who hapHarry
pened to be one of
his
particular friends.
did not wait for any better chance, but the
moment
46
THE WONDER CHILDREN

hand was removed from
up the driveway
his
the heavy
shoulder he
started to run
as fast as
he could.
As
for the gardener, he
was
satisfied
with calling
after the
boy two or three times, and then gave
the rest of his attention to the pretty maid.

It
was quite
a steep
hill
and soon
all
Harry's
breath was gone.
Looking back he saw that the
gardener was no longer interested in him, so he

stopped to get breath.
place
It
was the most beautiful
he
had ever
seen.
;
On
either side of the
driveway were
tall trees
their
boughs sheltered him
from above almost beyond the

houses
all
like
the roof of a piazza.
But
trees he could see flower-beds,
summer-
covered with blossoms,
little
ponds with
white swans floating on the shining waters, and boats

against the banks,
little girl
and
a playground
where
a sweet
of about his
own
age, a
sunbonnet hanging
back
on her shoulders, was romping with two or
three of her mates.
He would
dearly have loved to
stay there for a long time; but he suddenly
remem-
bered his errand and hurried on toward the house.
The driveway
led
up
to the front steps, but they
were quite too grand for him.
The house was
so
large that he thought half the village might have lived
Bealtifll Place to Play.

In
it,
47
and
as
it
he glanced through the windows into
the rooms
was Hke
ghmpse of
the house
fairyland to him.
Making
to a
his
way around
he at
last
came
door which he thought more proper for a bareit
footed boy to enter, and going up to
he knocked.
A
see
maid came
to the
door and looked astonished to
who
it
was that had knocked.

she said.
"What do you want here?"

"I want
to see
Mr. Smith;" answered Harry.

she laughed;
little
"Mr. Smith!"
want
to see
"why, he doesn't
you."
such
scamps
to tell
as
"I have something

earnestly.
him;" pleaded Harry
The maid was

face,
just shutting the door in Harry's
when some one
quite out of sight spoke to her
from within.
"Let me
see the boy;" said the voice.
So the maid
opened the door and Harry

looking to see
stepped inside; then,

to the
It
who
it
was that had been talking
maid, he did not
at all like the face of this
man.
was the
butler
whom
Mr. Smith hired
to
manage
was
very
the other servants for him.
Now
satisfied
the butler
that
this
was
shrewd man; boy who was
he
so
little
48
THE WONDER CHILDREN

But he was
to gain
anxious to see Mr. Smith really had something important to say to him.
also a very selfish
man, always trying
something for himself
out of whatever happened.
He
little
did not
want the
he called
maid
to hear
what Harry had

this
to say; so
pleasantly:
"Come
way,
boy."
The maid
her
the
looked surprised to hear the butler
speak so politely to a barefooted boy. But she had
own work
to
do and went to attend to
it,
while
man
led
Harry through
a long hall into a
room
which the
little
fellow thought
must be the best

really
it
parlor of the whole house, although
was
only the servants' sitting-room.
"Now
ler
what
is it,
my
little
man
?''
began the but-
very smoothly.
to see
"I want
Mr. Smith;" repeated Harry.

little
"Sit down,
my
fellow;" said the man.
But
Harry had never seen such chairs and he was afraid

that he might soil one of
them
"I
if
he sat
in
it.
"Oh, no;" he
stand."
replied;
would much rather
"Why
do you want to see him,
my
little
man
.?"
asked the butler.
"I can't
tell
you;" said Harry.
For the more

smoothly the
49
man spoke
errand,
the
more
afraid
Harry
was of him.
"Tell
me your
little
boy;" said the
butler,
"and
I will see
Mr. Smith
for you."
"I can't do that;" insisted
Harry.
By
secret
this
time the butler suspected that Harry's

lost
was something about the
diamond, and
secret
he wanted very
in
much
it
to learn
his
what the
was
order to use
for
own
benefit.
So he
exclaimed suddenly:
"You
have found the diamond,
have you
.^"
"Oh, how
ting for the
did you know.?" cried Harry forgetletting his secret out.

I
moment and
to
"Give
take
it
it
me," smiled the man, '*and
will
to
him."
insisted
"No, no;"
was
a
Harry; feeling sure the butler
bad man who could not be trusted with the

"I must take
it
jewel;
to
him myself."
"Well; wait
if
At
here;
this the butler

I will
looked very stern;
go to Mr. Smith and ask him
he will
see you."
He
Smith
left
the
room, but had been gone only a
few seconds before he came back and said: "Mr.

is
eating his breakfast
and
directs
you
to
50
give
THE WONDER CHILDREN

me
the
diamond
so
that
can take
it
to
him."
"No;" answered Harry who knew

had not had time
soon; "
I
that the fellow

so
to see
it
Mr. Smith and return
must give
into his
own hand."
give
Then
from
it
the butler drew out a pocket book and took

several
for
bills.
"I
will
you
all
this
money
bills to
your trouble;" he said, holding out the

It
Harry.
was more money than the
little
fellow
had ever seen before.

to sell
But Harry was quite too honest

diamond.
Mr. Smith's
He
only shook his head.
"I don't believe you have any diamond;" growled

the butler very roughly.
little
"
think you are only a

quickly or
I
beggar.
Show
it
to
me
will shut
you
in the cellar."
So Harry, being much frightened, and not knowing
what
held
else to do,
it
took the stone from his pocket and
out in his hand.
He
instantly
it
saw from the

lost
look in the man's eyes that
was
really the
diamond, and almost
at
once the butler sprang
for-
ward and
a loud cry
in pursuit.
tried to snatch the jewel;
but Harry gave
and ran
for the door, his
enemy very
close
51
The poor boy had never been so frightened in his He thought of the dark cellar where the evil Hfe.
man had
had not
threatened to shut him up, and wished he

listened, the night before, to
what the
fairy
had said
so
to him, since
it
seemed
to
have brought
full
much
trouble
to
him who had

hall
enough
fast
before.
Out
into
the
he
ran
the
as
as
he could put one foot
before
other,
always
hearing the heavy steps of the
man behind him

he was
girl,
but drawing nearer and nearer,
until, just as
overtaken, he ran into the arms of a child, a
whom he almost knocked down. "Oh oh !" she cried. "What

!
is
the matter
.?"
Harry was too much surprised

butler
to speak, but the

this
was not slow explaining that

in the
was
a beggar
boy who had been caught

"I
house.
am
not a beggar;" Harry cried breathlessly,

little
and, looking up, he saw that the
girl
was the
a
same he had seen playing

minutes before.
in
the grounds
to see
his
few
"I only asked
your father;"
he added quickly.
this
"I have found

it
diamond, but
it
man
tried to
buy
and then
to steal
from me."
At
this the butler laid his
hand heavily on Harry's
shoulder and tried to pull him away.
52
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"Don't you
believe him, Miss
Grace;" he
said.
He
is
a bad boy."
Httle
But
Grace, looking in Harry's face, could
Harry shows the Diamond.
not believe that the boy was bad;

the butler:
talk to
and she said to

boy;
I
"Take your hands

then,
off the
want
to
him;"
more kindly,
let
to
Harry: "If you

it,
have
my
father's
diamond
me
see
little
boy."

So Harry opened
lying in
its
53
his
hand and showed the stone

eyes shone as brightly as the
all
palm.
Her
diamond
cried:
itself,
and her face was

is
smiles as she
"Yes, yes, that
how
pleased he will be!
my father's diamond; Come with me, little boy;
I will
take you to
my
father."
The
the
butler stood
back looking very angry while

in
two children passed up the hallway, hand
hand.
a far
The
little girl
took Harry from this hall into
wider and grander one, the ceilings of which

his
were very high above

beautiful pictures,
head and covered with
and
into a
room where
a gentle-
man sat alone finishing The table was bright
his breakfast.
with silver and beautifully
painted china, and Harry was more frightened to look
about him than he had been even

butler.
at the threats of the
But how surprised the gentleman
at
the
table looked
when he saw
his beautiful little
daughter
leading
barefooted
boy with a
scratched
and
bruised face
"What is this, Grace.?" he said. "He has found your diamond, papa."
"This
rising
little
chap.?"
exclaimed the gentleman,
and quickly coming toward them.
54
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"Show
it
to him,
little
boy;'' she said.

his
So Harry again opened

fist
tightly clinched little
showing the gem

said
in its
palm.
a pleased smile, "it
"Yes;"
is
Mr. Smith with
my
diamond.
it
And how
did you find it.^"
"Oh,
had
so
is
so long a story!" said

it
Harry; "and
!
hard a time getting
to
you
am
tired."
"And hungry
"Oh, yes,"
hungry."
too.?" said the gentleman.

cried the
little
girl;
"you must be
and
Harry
So she pushed a chair up

to
it
to the table
led
and served him with

table.
the
choicest
dainties
on the
But the boy was too excited

swallow;" he
said.
all
to
eat.
"I can't
Mr. Smith was
smiles
tell
and kindness.
first."
"Per-
haps you would rather

So, taking his
little
your story
daughter on
his knee,
and look-
ing pleasantly across the table to Harry, he asked
"How
did you find

tell
my
all
is
diamond.?
Begin
at
the
beginning and
who you
are,
me and who
about
it.
But
first tell
me
your father."
So Harry began by
telling
him
that he
had no father
or mother but lived with his uncle and his aunt
who

did not love him.
55
He
told about the
little attic
room
him
where he
at night.
slept,
and of the
told about
rats that frightened
He
being whipped the night
before for something he had not done, and then
r^j^^T/OK
-^-^
1
I
*1
rriy^l %
Harry tells
his Strange Story.
about the fairy

said he
who
a
stood on the window-sill and
had been
to
good boy and that she would

life.
show him how
have a pleasanter
Now
perhaps Mr. Smith thought that Harry had

but his daughter,
been dreaming about the fairy;
56
THE WONDER CHILDREN

fairies,
Grace, was not too old to believe in

could not take her eyes off the
described
and she
he
little
fellow as
how
beautiful the fairy looked as she stood
on the window-sill, with her crown of gold and

jewels, her wings of
down and gossamer,
her robe of
set in
gold,
its
and her ivory wand with the diamond
top.
Then Harry
do,
told
what the
fairy
had said he should
and how carefully he had obeyed her;
how he
had thrown back the two wonderful big

the brook and been beaten for the
it;
fishes into
how he had found

a small
diamond
not
in the third
fish,
one which
then
ex-
looked
plained
worth
saving.
The
made
was
in
boy
how he had
learned that the diamond behaste to bring

past the
longed to Mr. Smith and had

it
to
its
owner; how hard
it
to get
gardener;
how
pleasant
it
was
the shaded drive-
way where he stood resting and watching little Grace; how the house maid would have turned him
away but the
done
butler
had invited him

steal
in
and had
his best to
buy or
the
jewel, until, just
as matters
were
at their worst, little
Grace had come
to his rescue.
But the end of all Harry's troubles had come.
Mr.

he would hke to have always with him.
S7
Smith said that so brave, true and honest a boy
"You
I
shall live with

I will."
me/' he
said,
"and
all
that
can do for you
So Harry went barefoot no more; he played

beautiful grounds which he
in the
had admired
so
much,
with the dear
little
girl
who had been
so kind to
in his life
him, and
all
that
was sad and miserable
was changed.
STORY OF THE ENCHANTED CAVE
TTAROLD BARTON
children,
was the
eldest of several
and
his father
and mother were very

old,
poor.
He was
called
but thirteen years
when, one
morning, his
father being absent at his work, his
mother
him
into her
room and began
to cry
over him and kiss him at the same time that she
tried to talk.
"What are you telling me, mother "and why are you crying?"
Then
said
his
.?"
said Harold,
mother
tried to dry her eyes and, sitting
down on
:
a chair,
drew her big boy
to her lap
and
"
Dear Harold, you know that your

have hard work
father and I
are very poor and
to
buy food
and clothes
son,
for
our family.
You
are a big boy,

us.
my
and we must send you away from
Do you
suppose that you can go out into the world without
your mother's
care.?''
Harold was a brave boy as well

although he
felt
as a big one; and,
sad at the thought of leaving his

58

parents and his brothers and
sisters,
59
he choked down
I
the sob in his throat and repHed:
"Why,
ought to
else
be big enough, mother.
If I
can do nothing
you know how well
can shoot with father's gun. If

I
you
will let
me
take that
am
sure that
need not
go hungry."
"Your
and big
self but,
father feels as
unhappy
as I
do
to
have you
go, Harold,
dear;" she said; "but perhaps so brave

as
boy
you can not only take care of yourlittle
by and by, help us and your
brothers
and
yes,
sisters, too.
We
will try to think of that.
Yes,
my
son, take your father's
gun which
know you
can handle so well.

haste,
Now
good-bye,
my
dear.
Make
before your father comes back, and before

brothers and sisters begin to
your
little
wonder what
we
are
so
all
long talking about.
have your few
clothes
father's
ready in a bundle; you
know where your

son, before
gun hangs.
Go
quickly,
my
my
heart breaks."
So
it
was that Harold went out

with
all his
into the great world
to seek his fortune,
possessions in a bundle
shoulder.
in
tied
to
the gun-barrel on
his
He
did
not look
around
until the turn

last
the road where
he could catch the
glimpse of his home; then
6o
THE WONDER CHILDREN

still
he saw his mother

her hand to him.
standing in the door waving
For several days Harold tramped along the roads,

sleeping at night under such cover as he could find
in sheds,
and sometimes under
trees, for the
weather
was warm.
hungry
all
He had
plenty to eat, for
when he was
he had to do was to shoot a bird or a

fire
rabbit and, building a
out of broken branches,

for.
cook as dainty a meal as a boy could ask
As
he passed from town to town he kept asking those
he met
if
they had work for a strong boy but he
found none.
One
night, after a long
tramp through the woods
looking for some shed or old hut where he could sleep,
he came to a hollow or small cave in the side of a
hill
which he thought might have been once the den of
some wild animal.
It
was
just beginning to rain
and
he was glad of any sort of shelter. he threw himself down on a
Being very tired,

leaves which
pile of
might have been a wild animal's
nest,
and was soon
sound asleep.
When
the
morning came
so
much more
light
poured into the entrance of the cave that he could

see about him; and, being of an
inquiring mind,

he was not
it
6i
satisfied until
he had carefully examined
on
all
sides.
He had
about
made
to
up
his
mind work
that, as long as
nobody seemed
have any
for
him
to do,
he would make his
home
here
Harold
in
the Passage.
for the present;
and he was eager
to
find
out
all
about his new house.

earth seemed
as
In one corner of the cave the

softer than
much
anywhere
it
else,
and
he pushed
his feet
down
into
It
they seemed to
to
sink into an open space below.
seemed
Harold
62
THE WONDER CHILDREN

must be a hollow place below with which,
and he
lost
as if there
once, this, perhaps, had connected;
no
time in faUing upon his knees and digging the earth

out with his hands.
Soon he had an opening large enough

his
to
admit
body, and crawled down.
As he
crept along he
until
found the space about and above him enlarge

very soon he could stand
ing his
upright and, after gropto
way
for
what seemed
him
a long time,
it
began
to get lighter in the
queer passage that he

his
had discovered, and then he could make
way
much
faster.
He
felt
sure such a tunnel as this

visiting.
must lead
to
some place worth
The
the end
light
grew clearer and

at
clearer,
showing that
was
hand.
In a few steps more he leaped
out into an open space which might be called a room;

certainly
it
was very
of.
different
from any cave that he
had ever heard
The
rock overhead had been
polished almost as smooth as the ceiling of a room,
and the
different
minerals which nature had put
there glistened very brightly.

straight
The
side walls
were
and smooth, except

for quite a
for several deep cracks,
and were polished
way up from
the floor.
soft
The
floor itself
was covered with thick rugs of

colors.
63
He
looked about to find what
made
the light,
as this.
since
no sunlight could enter such a cavern

all
He
then saw that
the light
came from
a large
number of queer
which
just such
little
cups, on the top of each of
a lighted wick
floated.
He had
seen pictures of
lamps which had been
in use in the
world
thousands of years ago.
There was no one
in the
room when he
it
entered,
but there were various signs that
had not long
been vacant, and, from the number of pillows and

queer-looking musical instruments which he
saw
strewn about, he thought the tenant must have been

a
woman.
There was no such thing
as a table or
his
a chair in the room, and he
made up
mind that
of
sit-
anybody
living there
must be
in the habit
ting on the floor.
Then he heard
a soft rustling
noise at an opening in the other side of the

a
room and
young
girl
appeared.
He had no
as
time to notice
more than that she was dressed

seen a
girl
he had never before
dressed, and that she looked to be not far

age, for the
from
his
own
moment
that she
saw him
she gave a loud cry of astonishment.
She spoke
to
first,
but in a language quite strange

to
him.
The words seemed
run
very close
64
THE WONDER CHILDREN

had noticed
together, although, for that matter, he
the
same habit
girls
in
the talk
in
his
own language
of
many
he had known.
if
He
listened as best he
could, trying
he might not catch one word which he
Meeung of Harold and
Alice.
had ever heard

familiar
before,
and
at last recognized the

girl
" oh
"
which showed that the
was
much
It
excited as well as frightened.

a while before she ceased her flow of
was quite
words, and then she seemed to want to hear from

him.
Harold,
taking warning from
her
rapidity

a very queer
65
of speech, tried to speak quite slowly, saying: "This

is
home which you have
here.
hope
to
am
not too unwelcome.

r
Do you want me
girl
go
away
He
words
but
could see that the

at all
did not understand his
better than he
a
had understood hers;
when he made
was
motion toward the opening
through which he had come, then she seemed to see

that he
offering to leave her,
and the idea struck

to
her favorably.
She crossed quickly
where he
stood and, taking
him by the arm,
gently pushed
him toward the door through which he had come,
if
an opening
in
a rocky wall
may
be called a
door.
Now
at
all
Harold did not think
it
good manners
to stay
where he was not wanted.

like to
Although he did not

a place without
leave so interesting
it,
knowing more about

he
yet, since the girl
wished
it,
made up
his
mind
to go.
But before he had gone more than three or four

steps her
hand tightened on
seems
that
his
arm, and she stopped

ladies,
him.
It
young
even
under-
ground, sometimes change their minds.
She drew
as
him back again
still
talking
as
fast
human
66
THE WONDER CHILDREN

As long
as
tongue can go.
Harold could not under-
stand a word she was saying, he
made
the best of his

friend, using
chance to look a
little
closer at his
useless.
new
his eyes since his ears
were
Instead of shoes
she wore pieces of leather just covering the soles of
her feet
and held
in place
by cords.
long
Her ankles
garment,
were bare.
She wore
little
flowing
caught loosely a
above her waist; there were
no sleeves to
it,
but her arms were adorned with
beautiful gold bracelets.
Her
hair
fell
in
ringlets,
and was held away from her forehead by a pretty

band.
She had
soft
brown eyes; and although her
cheeks were anything but rosy they were as clear as

marble.
By
for
the time he had finished looking her over the
young lady had stopped talking and was waiting
him
to say
something
else
which
she, in turn,
would not be able

Harold saw
he said
;
to understand.
it
did not
make much
difference
what
but, since he
seemed
to be expected to say
something, he remarked:
"What
a beautiful dress
you have, and what
a nice little girl
you are
only
wish we talked the same language so that

understand
each other."
we
could
Then he
smiled; and,

a smile being the
67
same
in
all
languages, his
new
friend
was not slow
to understand that.
his
Reaching out her hand she took

to
and seemed
be inviting him to
sit
down.
Being eager to
floor,
please her, he
was about
to
drop down on the
when she
set
him an example by taking possession
of one of the cushions.
Drawing another cushion
near her she touched
it
with her hand and smiled at

girl
him; and a very sweet smile the

If they
had.
were
to get along at all together
Harold saw
to call each
that the
other.
first
necessity
was
to
know what
to
So, seeing
how
a
useful signs
had been
so far,
said:
he pointed
with
laugh
himself and
"Harold."
She nodded as
to say the
trials
if
she liked the
name and
tried
word
after
him, and after two or three
succeeded pretty well.
Then
was
and
she pointed to
herself
and spoke a word which Harold concluded
was
her
to
name.
But
it
not
the
so
easy for
him
pronounce
that,
it
nearest
he
could finally get to
was "Ahce."
failure
tried
It
She seemed
much amused
at
his
to
pronounce her
it
name
as
correctly,
and
it.
to
say
after
at
him
last
he pronounced
seemed
settled

68
that
THE WONDER CHILDREN

they
should
call
each
other ''Harold"
and
"Alice."
Then an
thing in her
idea seemed to strike Alice;

little
and, after
another of her
speeches, which
meant some-
own
language, but nothing to Harold,
she ran out of the room, only to return shortly with

a large platter covered with
nice things to eat,
some
slices
of cold meat,
lamb,
Harold thought,
as
some queer-looking vegetable such

seen
before,
a
he had never
like
something which looked
bread,
and
cup of milk;
there was no
doubt about the
milk.
Harold, having had nothing to eat since noon of the
day before, was very hungry; and,

to enjoy
as Alice
seemed
watching him, he kept on eating

clean.
until the
platter
was
Then
for the first time he no;
ticed that the dishes

to think that
were of pure gold
and he began
perhaps the fortune which had looked so

close at
far
away yesterday might have been

all.
hand
after
He had
apparently
made
the acquaintance
of an heiress.
He had
he
hardly finished his meal, however,

a
when
Alice
heard
it
noise
like
heavy
tread.
heard
too and, looking
much
frightened, caught

him quickly by the arm and
led
69
him once more
toward the opening through which he had come.
But
this
time Harold was not nearly so wilhng to go,
and hung back heedless of her beseeching looks
and excited words.

getting
At
last,
giving up the idea of

hastily
him out by the way he had come, she
drew him back across the room and up the passage

through which she herself had
first
entered.
When
saying
they had reached a very dark opening in the rocky

wall of the cavern, she pushed
him toward
it,
words which no doubt meant: ^'Stay

will
there, or
you
be sorry."
she ran quickly back into the larger room,
Then
leaving
him
to
himself.
For a minute
after
she
had gone, everything

black to Harold;
in his place
of refuge looked
then he noticed in one side of the
room, or den,
whichever one
and found the
might
light
call
it,
a little
glimmer of
light,
came through
which he could
a deep crack in the solid rock through

see into the large
room
to
which Alice had now
returned.
The sound
of approaching footsteps grew plainer.
He
felt for his
gun, and
if
made
certain that
it
was
ready for use
necessary.
Then
he looked again.
70
THE WONDER CHILDREN

could see Alice
He
standing in the middle of the

tightly
room with both hands pressed

som, just as he had seen
his
on her bo-
mother when some-
thing was going very wrong, with her face turned

in
the
direction
from which the sound, growing
louder every moment, seemed to come.
He was
Sud-
more sorry for Alice than anxious

denly the
little girl
for himself.
appeared to think of a better plan
and she had

cushions
just time to
throw herself on one of the

in
when
a great
form stood
one corner of
the room.
Harold had read about giants;
but he had not

this
supposed they were such terrible objects as
enormous man, almost twice
as large as his father,
with great legs like the pillars of a house, and arms

like the
branches of an oak-tree.
His cheeks and
chin were covered with a long beard;
he wore a
queer peaked hat, and his clothes seemed to be
made
of leather; his legs were bare below the knee,

his feet
and on
he wore the same strange kind of shoes

little feet.
Harold had seen on Alice's
Harold waited
nervously to hear the giant's voice, but to his relief

it
was not
at all
gruff,
although
it
seemed
to
fill
the
whole room
like the
bass notes of an organ.
He

spoke
in
71
the
same strange language which Alice

his
had used, and, from

that he said:
thing.
It
manner, Harold supposed
"How
do you do?" or some such
was long afterward before Harold learned the
language which seemed so strange to him now, but

there
is
no reason
I
for
us
to wait
as
long as did
Harold, so
as
it
will give the talk of the giant
and Alice
took place.
little
"Ah, my
one!" said the giant:

I
"Have you
been lonesome while
was away.?"
still
"Why, no;"
excitement.
she said, her voice
trembling with
"I did not think you had been gone
very long."
"Not gone
was
early
very long!" he repeated.

I
"Why,
it
it
morning when
went away, and

excited,
is
afternoon now.
But you seem

to
my
child;
what has happened
you?"
"Oh, nothing;"
at all."
she said hurriedly.
"Oh, nothing
The
at her.
giant looked about the
room and then back
"The room
if
is
turned topsy-turvy," he said, "as
you had been playing some game."
72
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"Oh, yes;"
she cried, trying to laugh;
"I have
been trying to amuse myself."
"And
"Oh,
been eating, too;" said the giant, looking
at
the plates and dishes.

no,
I
"You
did not wait for me."
was
so hungry."
"Well, well," he said, throwing himself down on a

long row of cushions, "I
am
hungry, too.
Bring
me
what there
is
to eat."
Then
the
little
Alice hurried along the passageway passing
den where Harold was watching.
He
crept
to the opening,
hoping she would speak to him as

lip,
she passed, but she only put her finger to her
and, as the light
fell
on her
face,
he saw that she
looked more frightened than ever.
Soon she
re-
turned bearing in her hands another gold platter
heaped high with some such food as Harold had so
much
enjoyed, but enough,

at least.
it
seemed
to him, for a
whole family
Much
as there was, the giant did not
seem
to
have
enough, and, after drinking six great cups of milk,

he called for more.
"There
is
no more;" said
Alice.
his
When
Harold saw the giant hold out
empty
cup he knew that he was asking for more milk, and

the boy
î,
remembered how, having been very

had made Ahce
fill
thirsty
himself, he
his cup,
much
smaller one, of course,
half
dozen times before
he was
satisfied.
"No more
gruffly.
*^
milk!"
I
exclaimed
the
giant
more
But
am
sure there was more than this in
the cave."
"I was so thirsty;" whimpered

fright
Alice, tears
of
running down her

a
little
face.
"And
thing
like
you
drank
all
that
milk!" he said:
"You must have

tell
spilled it."
Now Alice,
thought
it
not having had the best of bringing up,

a
lie.
no harm to
"Yes," she
said,
"I did
spill it;
and
was
afraid
you would be angry."

will take a
"Well, never mind;" he said; "I
nap
now."
And
rolling over
on
his pillows in a
few moments
he was sound asleep.
Harold's father had a bad
habit of snoring which caused his wife a great deal
of distress, and no
little
complaint from the
rest
of
the family, but such snoring as this the boy
had not
supposed possible;
hill
it
almost seemed to shake the
over
tht
fault.
,avern.
It
But
for
all
that
Harold
to
found no
was
a great relief to
him
have
74
THE WONDER CHILDREN

in
good proof that the giant was not

doing any mischief for a
little
the
way
of
while at
least.
Like most boys of
his
age Harold was some-
what
reckless;
and no sooner was the giant asleep

his
than he
made
way
out of his
little
den, back
through the corridor, and suddenly stood before

the very eyes of Alice, who, for a
moment, looked
too startled to speak.
But
after
little girls, like
big ones, admire courage, and,
few whispered words, which he supposed
to be in the nature of a scolding, she stole another
glance at the giant, to be certain that he was sound

asleep
and, taking Harold's hand, led him along
the corridor to another
room
quite a distance
off.
When
they had reached this room she began a long
speech to him, not a word of which he could understand, which he answered with one not quite as long
which she could not understand any

Alice
better.
was
quick-witted
girl,
and she saw
at
once that they must learn each other's
language,
better.
and the sooner the work was begun the

So, laying her
hand on
a cushion, she said
some word
which, in her language, meant "cushion," and Harold

tried to say
it
after her.
Then he put
his
hand

on the cushion and gave
its
75
name
in
his
language.
Thus,
after
knowing each other

at
for several hours,

last
these two
young people had
learned three
words
could
of each other's language which

understand.
they
both
Then
Alice
went on, putting
her hand on various objects in the room and giving

their
names
in
her language;
and
after
Harold had
repeated them he gave the names of the same things

in his
language and she said them over after him.

very
fast, for
Time went
pleasant than
school,
the lesson
was much more

at
any that Harold had ever taken
when suddenly
the sound of the heavy tread
of the giant was again heard, this time at the head of the corridor.
But Alice had already shown the

to hide,
boy a convenient place
behind a
pile of skins
which lay
in
one corner.
So, by the time the giant en-
tered the room, Alice appeared to be very busy putting
things in order.
He
tell
did not stay long.
It
seemed
he only came to
her that he was going out to
work
again.
No sooner had
other time.
the giant gone than the lessons were
resumed, and Alice's work vâs put off until some
When
it
grew
late she told the

all
boy
to
take a pile of the lambskins,
covered with wool
76
THE WONDER CHILDREN

side,
on one
little
and make a
soft
bed for himself

hidden him.
filled
in the
den where she had
first
She
then handed him another platter

to eat, but
to
with things
was careful
this
time to give him water
drink instead of milk.

his
When
the giant
came
back again from
work Harold was sound
asleep,
although fortunately the boy did not snore, and Alice
was busy getting ready the
giant's
supper as she had
done so many thousand times before.
The
next day everything was arranged very nicely.
Harold's breakfast was waiting for him as soon as

the giant went out;
and, after a morning spent with

the
Alice
in
studying,
boy
had
time
to
eat
comfortable dinner before the giant, whose

he found to be "Dor,"
name
came
for his
midday meal.
nap the lessons
While Dor was taking
his after-dinner
were resumed again, being only interrupted when

he came to announce that he was going back to his
work.
So
it
went on from day

to
to
day, from
week
to
week and from month
month.
life
Harold had never

before,
had so pleasant a time
in his
and both
all
he and Alice seemed quite to have forgotten

fear of the terrible things
which might happen
if
the

giant should find the intruder.
77
They had both
learned
enough of each other's language so that they could

begin to talk together.
But
all
it
was only long
after-
ward
of
that Harold
Alice.
that,
knew
about the strange history
Dor and
It
seemed
many thousands
a
little girl,
of years before,
Alice
was even then
the daughter of a
great king.
Dor thought
a great deal of the child,
and
finally
asked the king to promise her to him for

up.
his wife
when she should grow
The king
thereif
upon became very angry and
told the giant that
he ever came into the palace again he should be

killed.
But Dor was a very determined giant and,
since the king so scornfully refused

in-law, he
him
for a son-
made
So,
a plan to steal the
little girl
away
to be
in
and hide her

married.
until she should
grow old enough
one day when Alice was playing
the grounds about the palace, with no one watching, his
he
rushed
in
quickly and
her.
catching
her
in
arms hurried away with

Alice
Now
a
had known the giant ever since she was

as
baby and,
he had always been kind to her,
she liked him very

this
much
so,
when he took her up

her, she at first
afternoon and ran
away with
78
THE WONDER CHILDREN

it
thought
was
in play, as
he had often carried her
on
his
back, and instead of crying out she only

it.
laughed and enjoyed
But, as the giant kept on running, covering the

miles very fast with his long legs, she began to get
frightened and begged
to be taken
home.
Then
Dor promised
lived
in
to take her to a favorite aunt
another country.
The
giant well
who knew
his
that AHce's father
would follow him with
all
army, and he hardly stopped to breathe until he came

to the shore of a great sea;
there a ship lay wait-
ing for him, with sailors

great
deal
whom
The
he had hired with a

ship
sailed
of
it
money.
many
weeks before
came
to land,
and
Alice,
you may
be sure, was glad to see the green earth once more;

but she
her
as
knew now
again,
that she
would never look upon

her
that
his
home
the
giant having told
soon as she had grown up she was to be
wife.
Whatever happened
to the ship
and the
sailors
Alice never knew, but the next morning after she
had landed there was no ship
in sight.
Then
the
giant took her through this strange

killing
new
country,
animals for their food as he went, or taking

what he chose from the wild people
79
whom
they met.
She often asked him where they were going.
"On
came
on
!''
was
all
he replied, until one day they
to a sort of hollow in the side of a hill and,
going in to escape the storm which was driving outside, they
found the cave to be only the entrance

hill,
to
a long
passageway into the
while at the end of
the passage were pleasant rooms cut out of the solid
rock and
full
of beautiful things.
She thought
it
must once have been the home of
a great magician
who had
laid
spell
upon
it,
because
although
they had been there thousands of years since, neither

she nor the giant seemed to grow older than they
were the
first
day they came
in,
and even the clothes

giant,
they wore did not wear out.
But the
who was
rather stupid, did not seem to notice the years as
they went by or to wonder that this
little girl,
whom
he had taken away from her

did not grow, or the time
his wife
home
so long, long ago,
when
she could become
come any
nearer.
One
day, after Harold and Alice had pretty well
learned each other's language, the boy said he was
going to discover where
it
was the giant went every

So, taking his
morning
after breakfast.
gun
in his
8o
THE WONDER CHILDREN

would not miss him
in the
if
hand, he started to follow Dor keeping near enough

so that he
winding pas-
sage, but far
enough away so that
the giant looked
back he could not see that he was being followed.

It
was not a short walk, and Harold had been so
long without any exercise that he had become very

tired
before a light, different from that of the En-
chanted Cave, began to shine ahead.

steps ceased to echo in the
Then
the heavy
passageway and Harold

into an
knew
that the giant
must have passed out

cautiously, the
little
open space.
to his
Following
boy saw,
high
fruits
great surprise, a
valley between
mountains, and in the valley a garden with
and vegetables growing, while near by a
flock of
sheep and half a dozen cattle were eating grass.
Standing a
little
back
in the
shadow of the passage-
way, so that he could not be seen, Harold watched
Dor going about
his
morning's work, weeding the
garden with a strange-looking hoe, and milking the

cows.
kill
Then he saw him

it
call
one of the
little
lambs,
and skin
and cut the meat up
into pieces con-
venient to carry.
When
at last the giant
seemed
to be getting ready
to return with his load the
boy waited no longer, but

made
fast
his
8i
as
own way back
to the inner
chamber
as possible.
Harold found Alice waiting by the door, peering

eagerly up the passage and listening for the sound
of footsteps.
She seemed very glad

little girl
to see
him, but
in
was too wise and kind a
to put
him
any
danger by asking questions then, and only hurried
him quickly
into his
own
little
den
as the steps of the
giant were heard
approaching very rapidly down
the passage.
But when the giant took

lost
his afternoon
nap Alice
no time
in
leading Harold out into the kitchen,

faster than he could
!
and asking him questions much

answer them.
cave for so
to think
Poor
little
girl
Shut up
in
this
many thousands
and nothing
to
of years, with nothing

inquire about
!
of
You
may
guess
how
interested she
was
in the
wonderful
things which Harold told her about the giant's garden

in the
sunshine with
its
growing things, about the

in the
cows cropping the sweet grass and wading
sparkling brook, and about the mother sheep and

their
little
lambs.
killed
The boy
did not
tell
her
how
Dor had
one of the lambs;
he
disliked to
make
her unhappy.
82
THE WONDER CHILDREN

No
sooner had
Dor
risen
in a
from
his
nap the next
afternoon, and started
new
direction for
what
he
called his
'^work" than Harold again followed him.

little
After the giant had walked a
way
in the
dark
he paused and, taking one of the strange-looking
lamps from a niche

old stopped
in the
rocky wall, lighted
it.
Har-
when Dor stopped

started
to light his lamp,
and
when Dor
again the boy again started to
follow in his track, but
more
carefully now.
He
did
the
not dare to get
too
near the giant, but, on

lest, if
other hand, he was afraid
he
fell
much
behind,
he might lose his
way
entirely.
At several of the
sharp turns in the winding corridor the giant would

certainly have seen the
boy
if
he had thought to look
behind.
Harold concluded that Dor had been so
long without visitors in his wonderful cavern that
he had almost forgotten there could be any one else

in the
whole world but just himself and
little
Alice.
At
solid
last
Dor came
to a small
room
cut out of the
rock and with the same queer cracks in the
side walls
which the boy had noticed
in the
other
rooms.
He
his
then lighted a score of lamps until the

light
room was
as
as day,
and Harold saw what

of his head.
made
eyes almost
jump out
In

the middle of the
83
room were two

pearls
pile
piles of glisten-
ing diamonds, rubies,
and sapphires, sparlarge, the other
kling like stars.
One
was very
in the
much
smaller; but
even
smaller pile were
f;.^'-Zi:r ..V
The Giant counting
his Treasure.
gems enough
to
make thousands
were
chalk
of
women
happy.
the
On
side
wall
marks which
boy afterward found were put there by Dor

worked.
as he
Then
the giant began
upon
his regular daily task,
which Harold thought must be
a very pleasant one,
84
THE WONDER CHILDREN

less
being nothing more or

the big pile
than taking jewels from
and putting them on the smaller one,

so.
counting them as he did

wall were
The
chalk marks on the
made by
the giant as he counted.
Harold
did not dare to wait an instant after the giant arose
from
his
work, although almost wild with excitecuriosity, but, turning about, swiftly
ment and
his
made
way back
and, passing Alice with only a quick

into his
" hush," rushed

still.
own
little
den and lay very
Almost
at
once the giant came
in
with a strange
look on his face.
"I
am
sure
heard a noise.
Have
you been out
this
way, Alice
.^"
"Oh, no;"
kitchen.
I
I
she said.
"I have only been
in the
never dare to come after you."

sure
I
"But
am
heard a footstep;" he whispered
hoarsely.
"It must have been the echo;" suggested Alice. "It wasn't as loud as an echo of
my
heavy tread,
girl
but was more like the quick footfalls of a
or a
boy;" answered Dor.

Alice did not
know what more

as
to say,
and looked
very
much
frightened.
that she
would be
The giant naturally supposed much afraid of an intruder as

he,
85
and had not the shghtest suspicion that she

those mysterious footfalls.
knew anything about

was
he forgot
He
her
his
a kind-hearted giant too and,

all
when he saw
fears,
terror,
about
in
his his
own
and did
best to
comfort her,
own clumsy
fashion,
remarking that very
likely
he was mistaken: Surely
no one could have come along the passage unless

she had seen him.
"If you should hear or see anything unusual," he
may mean that some one from the outside world has come down into our cave. You must let
said, "it
me know
Then
at once."
she set his supper before
him and,
after eattell
ing, as usual, everything in sight, he
began to
her about the people in the outside world.
"They
came
to eat
are very bad," he said,
"and
if
they ever
in here they
would take from us
all
we have
and wear,
all
our gold and jewels, and drive
us out into the cruel outside wôrld."
"It
is
miserable
it
place
outside;" he added.
"I remember
a
little girl
very well, although you were only

left it
when we
is
and have probably
for-
gotten.
It
either too hot there or too cold all
the time; very few people have enough to eat or to
86
THE WONDER CHILDREN

is
wear; and everybody
always trying to hurt some-
body
ness,
else.
This
is
the only place to live in happiif
my
we
dear.
Now,
As
you would only grow up so

!
that
could be married
long.
I
I
it,
don't see
why
it
takes
you so
think of
I
you look
just as
young
now
as
you did when
brought you here thou-
sands of years ago.
Surely you should be a grown

I
woman by
this time.
don't understand
lift
it
at all."
But although Dor could

twist a piece of iron as
if it
very heavy weights,
were lead pipe, or take
man under
each arm and run a mile with him, any
child of ten years old that
had been
to school
was
tired
better at thinking than he.
So he quickly grew
it
of using his brains, and saying
must be bedtime
to sleep.
threw himself on
his cushions
and went
But Alice could hardly sleep
at all that night for
wonder
at
what Dor had
told her of the outside

little.
world
about which she remembered very
No
sooner
had he gone
to
his
gardening, next
his little
morning, and
Harold come out of

breakfast, than she
den and finished his

tell
made
the boy
her everything
in
he could about the people that lived
his
all
world.
as
She must know whether

outside as
really
it
was
bad
Dor had
said.

Harold did not know exactly where
87
to begin, or,
once begun, where to stop, but he told her about himself
and
his
own home, how poor

it
his
father
and
mother were and how hard
was
for
them
to get
enough
to eat
and
is
to wear.
"Then Dor down here."

But then he
rose
right;" she said.
"It
is
far better
told about the
wonderful sun which

day.
and
set in
the
sky
each
He
tried
to
describe the beautiful trees and flowers and
lovely
green meadows, the silvery rivers, the blue waves

of the ocean, the fleecy clouds, the bright stars and
the
moon which shone
at night.
Then he
told of
the birds which sang in the trees, the animals that
roamed over the
fields,
and of the wonderful things and the things

still
men made
for their use
more
wonderful which they made merely to look
at.
He
and
explained to her, too, that in the outside world
little girls
grew
to be
women, and boys

come
to
be men,
that, for all the trouble
and care and pain, yet

to real
the true and the brave did not
harm.
"Oh,
you.?"
am
sure
should like it;"
she cried.
"Can't you plan some way to take me out with
88
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Harold hesitated
for a
moment
:
before he answered
speaking slowly and carefully
"I have been thinking

I
very hard since yesterday, and
surely
mean
to take
you away from
this
Enchanted Cave and lead you
home
to
my
parents."
I shall
"Oh, how happy

her hands.
be !" she said and clapped
"Yes;" continued
empty handed.
care of
the boy, "but
we must
not go
My
parents were too poor to take
me
alone;
they can hardly provide for two
of us."
"What
shall
we
do,
then?" she asked, clasping

again, after her fashion
her hands over her
bosom
when anxious
or frightened.
"Why, my
one
little
dear Alice," he answered, "I
now know
can take
where there are heaps of jewels, and

bag only of them we
for ourselves
shall
if I
have enough
parents
and
to
spare
and
my
and
brothers and sisters.
"But have you thought how can we escape

asked eagerly.
.?"
she
"There
he replied.
are only
two ways that

is
can think of;"

giant out
"One way
if
to
drive the
ahead of us; you see
we went ahead he would

soon discover
kill
it
89
is
and follow
us.
The
other
way
to
him
then of course there would be nobody to
interfere with
our plans."
"Kill him!" she exclaimed.
"What
is
that.?"
to
Harold did not know how to explain
her.
Living in an Enchanted Cave, where one never even
grew
old, the child of course
had no idea what death
meant.
He
kept silent for some minutes while he
tried to think
what
to say.
"I could
kill
him,"
he
finally
answered,
is
"by
shooting him with this gun.
In the gun
a bullet, a
round
ball
which,
when
pull the trigger, will go

if it
out of the gun so fast that
strikes
him
in the
heart or in the head he will

just like a
fall
over and become
piece of this
rock,
and never get up
again."
"But
me."
should not like to have him hurt;" she
said with tears in her soft eyes.

to
"He
him
has been kind
"We
time to
see I
will first try to frighten
so that he will
consent to go out ahead of us; that will allow

fill
me
little
bag with jewels
the jewels you

try to go
must certainly have before we even But

I
back into the world.
have a great deal to do
90
THE WONDER CHILDREN

You
be
will cover
before then, and you have something to do.
must make clothes that

your ankles and your
cold,
your arms and
feet so that
you
will not
and so people
in
the outer world,
where we
We
are going, will not stare too curiously.

it
How long
do."
will
take you to do that

first
tell
.?"
"You must
So Harold
me what
to
She
smiled through her tears.

tried to tell her
something about the
dress of girls in the outside world, and, being a very
bright child, she readily understood
what he meant.
"I learned
"I
to
will
in
begin
at
once;" she said.
sew
my
in
father's palace
and have not forgotten.

I
Perhaps
It
two or three days
shall be ready."
was now almost time

boy
for the giant to return
for his dinner, so the
retired to his little
den and
waited until afternoon before beginning to carry out

his plans.
When, however,
the giant, having eaten his
dinner and taken his usual noonday nap, had started

for his afternoon's
work, Harold, leaving AHce to her
new
task as dressmaker,
worked
his
way
slowly along
first
the narrow passage through which he had

It
come.
was
late
when he reached
the httle nest where,
so cold
and hungry, he had
slept that night,
months

ago;
91
he could hardly beHeve so wonderful things

really
had
happened
his
since.
Early next morning he
began to work
as he
way
back, widening the passage

well believe that
came, and you
may
AHce was
glad to see
him
again.
When
became
he told her where he

so
had been and what he had been doing she grew

excited that her cheeks
for once almost rosy.

in the first place,
"If that was the route Dor took

the
hill
must have
it is
settled
since,"
said
Harold.
"Certainly
that
is
not large enough for him now; yet

I
the passage along which
must drive him

our jewels
out before
follow."
we can
safely
gather
and
" But
He
is
how will you drive him ? He is much stronger and bigger than you."
you by and by.
so large.
"I
will tell
is
My
work of widening
I
the passage
not yet finished; but this time,

give
shall
be gone
longer than before, so
me enough
last
food to last two or three days."
Before Harold came

time he had
back
this
second and
made
the channel large enough
for the
giant to pass through.
He found
Alice
had
finished
her
new
clothing according to the ideas which he had
given her and,
when
she had put
it
on and stood
92
THE WONDER CHILDREN

truly a
waiting for him to praise her, he told her that she
was
wonderful
girl.
But there was now only
a short time left before the giant might be expected

to return for his
to explain to
midday meal, and Harold hastened

do.
AHce what she must

first enters,''
"When
tell
the giant
he said, "you will
him
that
some one has come from the outside

want
to
world.
He
kill
will
know where
will
am
so that
he
may
me.
But you
say to him that this

tell
intruder has a magic piece of iron with him;
him that
awful
fire
pours out of this magic bar with an
noise
when
this
terrible
stranger
fire
says
the
word, that a ball comes out with the

to just the point
and goes
he orders, and that no one, no
matter
will
how
big a giant, can stand before him.

it;
He
answer that he does not believe

is
but you
must say that the stranger magician

first
kind and will
show what the magic bar of
iron will do.
But
then
Dor must promise
to go out of the cave as fast
as he can run
and never
to
come back, or he must

charge which
ofi^
surely die."
Ahce was much frightened

had been given her and,
clothes
at the
after taking
her
new
and
putting on her old
ones again, she

footsteps of the giant.
his gun,
93
waited pale and trembling as she listened for the
Harold looked carefully

it
to
making sure
was ready
for use
then
he went back to his
little
den awaiting the moment
which should
Alice, for
settle his
ill.
fortune,
and that of
Httle
good or
At
last the
resounding tread of Dor was heard
along the passageway, and in a
moment more
Alice
his
enormous form stood

breathless.
in the
room.
was almost
"You
said I should
tell
you," she began,
"when
to
any person from the outside world came."

"Yes, yes!" he cried;
say.?"
"and what have you

she answered.
is
"Some one has come;" "Where is he Where

?
he
.?"
And, catching a
great bar of iron from the side of the wall, he fiercely
looked about for the intruder.
"Let me explain
take heart.
first;"
she
said,
beginning to
"He
is
a wonderful magician,
and
it is
of no use for you to fight against him with your bar

of iron; he has an iron bar far mightier than yours."
"Is he a giant too," asked Dor, hesitating, "and

larger than
I
?"
94
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"No, no."
"Where
is
he, then," cried the giant, "that I
may
crush him to
powder?"
iron
"Ah, Dor! but the magic bar of

carries
is
which he
air.
not one that he has to swing in the

it,
He
rible
simply points
roar,
fire
and
at
word, with
it
terfall
comes out from
and you
dead before him."
"And
a lie."
did he
tell
you
this.?" cried
Dor.
"It
is
"Wait," cried
"until
I
tell
Alice, gaining
courage as she talked,

is
you more.
He
if
kind, as well
kill
as
powerful.
not
He
does not want to
you, and will
harm
a hair of
your head
you
will
consent to
go away out of the cave in peace."
"Away
leave
out of
you and
my own cave," shouted Dor, "and I will never my jewels here to him
?
do
^
it."
"Then he
will
have to
kill
you."
the giant boastfully.
"But he cannot;" answered

"I could
fight a
hundred
little
men.
Where
will
is
he
.?"
"Wait!" she
cried again.
"He
what
come
forth
and show you the magic power of

of iron, and you shall
first
his
it
wonderful bar
will do."
see

Now
time
the giant
95
was
in
it
afraid of magic, for in the old
when he was
talk of
the outside world there
was
;
much more
he said at
than there
really
is
is
in
our time
so
is
last:
"If he
a magician there
of course no use to fight against him.
Let us see
his
it."
wonderful bar of iron and what he can do with
At
stood
this
Harold came out of

the
a
his
little
den and
in
doorway, gun
close
in
hand.
AHce had
side,
arranged
niche in
lamp
rock,
by the giant's
in
the
and Harold, raising
his
gun,
aimed
at
the lamp.
what
to say to the
The boy had told her just giant, who had already grasped
as if to rush
his iron
bar
in his
hand and made
on
Harold.
'^He will
now show
you," cried Alice, "that he

at that
can point his bar of iron

and, at a word, the
the
lamp by your
his
side,
fire will
pour out of
bar and
lamp
will
be broken into pieces.
Shall he say
the word ?"
"Yes," roared the

So the boy called
his voice
giant, "let
him say the word."

although
at the top of his voice,

like a
sounded almost
whisper compared
with that of
Dor
in his
wrath.
fire
"Now!"
and, as he pulled the trigger,
and
96
THE WONDER CHILDREN

a loud report,
it
smoke poured from the muzzle with

and the lamp was shattered
by the
giant's head.
into pieces as
stood
The Giant
is
badly Frightened.
Quickly slipping another cartridge into
its
place
Harold turned
the
gun and
pointed
it
at
Dor.
I
"Ask him now,"
cried Harold to Alice,
"whether
shall kill him, or will
he go out of the cave in peace ?"

But the giant only gave one glance of horror
the
97
to
weapon pointed
floor,
at
him and, throwing
his bar
of iron on the
shouted in a loud voice:
"Which
to the
way?
have forgotten!"
Harold pointed
passage which he had prepared.

entrance.
last
Rushing
to
its
Dor then paused

shall I never
moment
to cast
one
look at Alice.
see
"And
piteously.
you again.?" he asked
"Tell him 'perhaps';" said the boy.
"Perhaps you may;" she answered

sorry for old Dor.
softly,
almost
Then
the giant hesitated
and
made
again as
if to
leap at Harold, but the boy
was not wiUing
to
take any chances;
aiming
at
another lamp which stood at the entrance to the
passageway he once more pulled the

flame again
trigger,
the
poured forth with

too,
deafening noise
and that lamp,
was
shattered.
The
giant hesitated no longer but rushed out and
along the corridor like a whirlwind.
"Now
many
It
put on your
I
new
clothes
quickly," said
little
Harold, "while
jewels as
a half
go and collect in a
carry with us."
bag as
we can
was
H
hour before Harold came back with
98
his
THE WONDER CHILDREN

bag
filled
from the
pile in
of gems in the treasure
chamber, and then, hand

old-fashioned lamps
still
hand, leaving the strange

in the cave, the
burning
two
children started out through the passageway along
which the giant had rushed a
little
while before.
They had taken

rumbling was
only a few steps
when
Alice,
a loud
heard
behind
and
looking
around
in terror,
clung closely to Harold while they
both stopped for an instant.
"The
he said.
the walls
hill
must be
settling
down on
the cavern;''
all
"You remember
?
those great cracks in

too soon.''
We
came out none
They waited no
and louder
until
longer, for the noise

it
grew louder
as
was almost deafening, and,
Harold glanced back, he saw the

go out.
tled
lights in the cave
This showed that the

into the very
hill
had already
all
set-
down
room where they
had been
standing a few seconds before.
Taking
girl
a firmer hold of the
hand of the trembling

fairly
hill
he ran
along
still
faster,
dragging her
after
him
and
even then the
crumbled so
quickly behind them that no sooner would they take

a step
forward than some pieces of broken rock

in
dropped
their
footprints, and,
as
they burst

through
at
last
99
into
the outer cave, the opening
through which they came closed almost as soon as

they passed through
it.
They
but
did not stop a

into
moment
woods.
in the outside cave,
hurried
the
Then
Alice
could
stand no longer but sank, almost fainting, beneath

a tree,
while Harold,
in every limb.
bold and strong as he was,
trembled
It
was indeed
at the
narrow escape.
If the giant
felt like
had
been near
time he would have
thank-
ing Harold for driving
him away from the Enchanted
Cave, which,
if
they had remained there only a few
seconds longer, would have been their
common tomb.
underneath the
nearly they had
the rumblings
The boy and
girl rested
under the tree for a time,
listening to the terrible rumblings

hill,
and hardly daring
to think
how
been buried there; but when
at last
ceased they soon recovered from their terror and

fatigue. Alice
now began
asking questions about the

differ-
wonderful things which she saw about her, so

ent from anything she had
known
in
her
life in
the
cave;
and Harold did
his best to explain
about the
trees, the wild flowers, the
green grass, the blue sky,
the birds, the sunlight, and the brooks.
100
THE WONDER CHILDREN

said after he
to
"But we must hurry on;" he

that
his
saw
companion
in
was not hkely
be
easily far
satisfied
her questioning.
"We
have very
to
go before
we
reach
my
mother and our future
home/'
Soon they came into a
village
where Alice saw no
end of people and was so much astonished she

could not speak.
Harold asked the way to

told
his old
it
home
walk.
and,
when he was
little
how
far off
was,
he knew his
princess could not endure so long a
Then he thought
of the jewels
which he
had about him; a small gem was
sufficient to hire a
very nice carriage for them and to buy plenty of food

for their journey;
and so they started on what

as the
after-
ward Alice always remembered

trip of
most delightful
her
life.
Everything was new, everything seemed beautiful

to her; the brave
boy who had saved her was by

all
her side; she had no fear for the future, and
her
long past seemed like an almost forgotten dream to

her.
At
last the carriage
drew near
and
little
cottage, the
poorest in
a whole village,
after
Harold had
helped Alice out, he sent the carriage away.
Then

the two children walked the house where Harold
loi
to
up the well-worn path
was born.
He had
hardly put his foot on the step
when
the
door swung open and his
mother rushed
to
meet him.
if
She took her son in her arms and hugged him as

she should never
let
him
go.
Tears of joy ran down
her cheeks.
At
girl
last
she seemed to notice that a pretty
little
was standing by him smiHng sweetly and

interested in the meeting as if
it
as
much
"
were herself
who was
" This
friend,
being hugged and kissed.

is
And who
is
this,
my
son
.?
''
she said.
Alice,"
Harold answered, "

to take her as
my new
and
want you
little
your daughter."
"What
ing her.
a dear
girl!" cried his mother, kiss-
"And where
a long story,
I will tell
did you find AHce,
my
son ?"
"It
is
mother;" he
said.
"After
we
are rested
you.
We
have travelled a long
way
to-day."
Then
seating
she took them inside the
little
house and,
them both on
a bench, bustled about to find

eat.
sisters
something for them to
Now
and
all
his brothers
and
came hurrying
and
kiss their
in,
had
to
hug
their brother
new
102
sister
THE WONDER CHILDREN

and ask questions which there was no time
to answer.
But while the mother had been out of the room

she had had time to think, and to wonder where
the food was coming from to feed her hungry boy
who had
returned, to say nothing of the Httle
girl
whom
he had brought with him.
As she remem-
bered the clothes that the children wore she saw no

hint of
any fortune, and
it
was
a very sorrowful
woman
to her
that returned to them.

is
"There
nothing in the house to

this
eat,''
she said
in, tired
husband who had by
time come
us, to
from
his
hard day's work, "even for

little
say notha sad
ing of Harold and this dear
girl.
What
home-coming
this
is,
after all!"
Then
the
small
cry,
brothers
and
sisters
began to
he
whimper and
and the
father's face fell as
turned away in
grief.
This was Harold's chance and, rising from the

bench, he drew his bag from beside him and showed
its
store of jewels.
"I have found

me,
little
my
fortune," he said,
all.
"enough
for
Alice,
and you
We
shall never
know
hunger or want again."

Theirs was a happy household that night.
103
In a few years Harold had grown to manhood,
and
Alice, taken
away from
the Enchanted Cave, had
at last
become
woman.
Of course
they were mar-
ried
and
lived happily ever after.
They had been married only

cus with wonderful curiosities the whole family
left
a year
when
a cir-
came
to town,
and
the grand house, in which they

to see the show.
now
lived,
and went
In a side tent
a giant
was on
exhibition, and, being especially inter-
ested in giants, Harold and Alice
went
in to see
him.
What was
their surprise to find that the giant
was
no other than their old friend Dor, whose long whiskers had been cut
off,
and who now wore the ordinary day and had become a very
clothes of people of the

fat
and happy-looking giant indeed.
Without saying who they were, Harold and Alice

talked with him, and
Dor
told
them that he was
married, and finally insisted on sending out to bring

in his wife.
"I chose her," he

a
little
said,
"because she looked Hke
girl
whom
dearly loved
many
years ago,
but
who
never seemed to grow old enough to be
married."
104
THE WONDER CHILDREN

his wife
But when
was brought
in she
turned out
to be very fat
and clumsy-looking, looking, indeed,

than the giant himself looked
like
no more
Harold.
like Alice
STORY OF THE BAD BOY
SAMMY HAWKINS was a very bad boy.

body
said
so.
Every-
He had
fully as
not a friend in the
world, except, perhaps, his elder brother with
whom
he
I
lived,
and who was
bad
as himself.
dishke to mention the
evil things that
Sammy
dirt
did.
He was
it
a dirty boy;
to
he seemed to love
himself.
and certainly hated

cruel boy;
was sport
little
animals as well as
not
tell
He was a to him to torment dumb girls and boys. He would

wash
the truth even
when
it
would serve him

lie
as well as a lie;
he seemed to love a
a thief
because
it
was one.
He was
and was
in the habit of
taking anything which he could lay his hands on.
He
used language so bad that few of the words he
used were such as could properly be repeated here.
Sammy
enjoyed throwing stones at cats and dogs

tails
or tying tin cans to the
of the poor creatures
and watching
pleasure in
their terror
and misery.
He found
picking quarrels, and in striking and

105
io6
THE WONDER CHILDREN

He amused
himself by rudegirls,
kicking other boys.

ness to Httle
their hats,
tearing their clothes, pulling off

as only evil
and otherwise plaguing them

to do.
little
boys
know how
very
He had
to
to eat,
and not enough clothes

weather; no one had
keep him comfortable
in cool
kind words for him;

as a little thief
everybody looked upon him

his
and rascal; but he found
hap-
piness in
making other people unhappy.

to
Whipping seemed
only
until
little
do him no good, scolding

worse,
street,
made him laugh; each day he grew

boys ran when they saw him on the
girls
screamed
when he came
closely
near them,
and older people watched

their
whenever he came
way
in
to see
what mischief he might be about.

boy that was ever
He was
seen
altogether the worst
the village;
and people were only wait-
ing impatiently for the time
when he would be
old
enough
to shut
behind bars.
a
One
night
when Sammy came home from

as his brother often
day
of mischief-making he found his brother absent.
He
was not surprised
at this
came
awoke
home
very late at night, but
when
still
the boy
next morning to find himself
alone he thought

it
107
time to ask questions.

it
His brother had broken
into a house,
seemed, and was

that
it
now
in jail;
the
neighbors told
before he saw
Sammy
him
would be many years

too,
again.
But Sammy,
knew
The
Fairies talk over Sammy's Case.
how
to steal
and was not
at all in
doubt as
to
being
able to get aH he
wanted
to eat; so, as his brother
had not been any too kind
to him, the
boy did not
much
care
if
he should never see him again.
Fairies do not generally care anything about
bad
io8
THE WONDER CHILDREN

some reason they had always had
their
boys, but for
eyes on
Sammy: And who knows

in
but he might
his
have been killed long before

pranks
he was
if it
some of
?
mad
had not been
for
them
So now, that
friend or
left
without any sort of
human
protector, they
made up
them
else
their
minds that the time

for
had come
him.
for
to see
what they could do

given
Everybody
had
him
up;
he
seemed
jail
to be pointed in the straight path for the

his
where
brother was walled

as a
in,
certain
to
grow up worse
man than
he had been as a boy.
The
first
thing to do was to get hold of him, and,
knowing
his disposition,
little
one of the
fairies
changed
herself into a
white dog, with a pretty gold bell

in
about her neck, and trotted up and down

of the house where he lived.
front
No
sooner had the

fell
boy come out of

pretty creature.
his
door than his eyes

if
on the
Even
the dog had not
worn
gold
bell
Sammy would
have chased
her out of
bell
mere mischief, but when he noticed the
he
saw
it
was something well worth
stealing.
The dog
would be
trotted along quite slowly,
and
Sammy
it
thought she must be either tired or
sick,
and that
a very easy thing to catch her.
But when
; ;

hers, always
109
he quickened his gait the dog seemed able to quicken
keeping just the same distance between
them.
In running and walking
several
miles,
Sammy had
little
passed over
expecting
almost every minute to

creature.
his
overtake
getting
kill
the
remarkable
Then,
rnind to
out
of temper, he
made up
her.
Angrily picking up the biggest stones from
the roadside, he began to throw

fast as
them
at
her as
he could.
He was
a very good
hit this
marksman
target
but
somehow he could not

aside
just
moving
it
no matter how straight he threw a stone

to turn
seemed
before
it
reached
her.
Then
all,
he consoled himself with the thought that, after

it
would be better
to take the
dog
alive
and
sell
her
and he again started forward
after the intelligent
creature which always trotted ahead only just fast
enough
lead
to
keep out of his reach, as
if
planning to
him
so
along.
it
And
kept on
all
that day.
When
the
the boy
stopped the
dog stopped; when
boy started
again the dog started.

to
Sometimes he
tried to call her

still
him by
soft
words, but she only barked and

Finally, as night
kept her distance.
was coming on.

no
THE WONDER CHILDREN

it
he began to think
was time
to go
back home again,

this time.
and
besides he
was very hungry by

about
But when
he looked
him he found that
he was in a country he had never seen before.
He
had no idea he had come

Just as
to find" his
so far.
Sammy was
way home,
about turning around to try

very
much
out of temper to
think that he had not succeeded in catching the dog,

a beautiful marble palace
came
in sight as if
it
had
of
suddenly risen out of the ground.
long
flight
marble steps led up
to the
wide open front door.
The dog
ran up the steps and through the door, and her no more.
Sammy saw
learning
He was
a curious boy,
however, and was
now
unwilling to go back without
what
sort of place this
was that he had come
upon.
So he climbed the marble steps and, when
he reached the open door and found no one there, he went inside hoping, bad boy as he was, that he
might find something to

tered the open door
it
steal.
But when he en-
closed behind him, and, for

life,
the
first
time in
his
he
felt
rather uneasy.
it
He
tried the
door but was unable to open
again.
Just then, however, he heard steps

staircase,
on the grand
in
silks,
and a beautiful lady dressed

her fingers glistening with
sight
iii
in
diamonds, appeared
stood before him.
said.
and
in a
moment more
"I am
must be
glad you have
come;" she
*^You
tired."
She put out her beautiful white hand and took

his
own rough and dingy one

a
dirty
to say, so,
in
it,
just as if he
had
not been
and bad boy.
Sammy
did not
in
know what
like
showing a wisdom lacked
case
by many older and better persons, he
said nothing.
"You must
"Yes,
I
be hungry;" she went on.
am;" agreed Sammy.

is
"Dinner
ready;" she
said.
" It has been wait-
ing for you an hour."

It
was the
first
time in the boy's

for him,
it
life
that dinner
had ever been waiting
and he did not know
what
as
to
make
his
of it.
at the
But
suddenly occurred to him,
he looked
white hands and the beautiful
gown of
hostess, that he
was hardly
she.
fit
to
sit
down
at a
meal with such as
"Perhaps you would

before dinner?"
like to
go to the bath-room
did not
she said.
Sammy
know
what
bath-room was, but he thought, as long as
everything was being
made
so pleasant for him,
it
112
THE WONDER CHILDREN

for
would be best
him
to
answer "yes"
to
what-
ever was suggested.
Then
suit
the lady rang a bell and a boy
in a blue
with brass buttons came along the

this
hall.
"Show
Sammy,
young gentleman
to the bath-room,'* to dinner."
said the lady,
"and then bring him down

proud
to
feeling very
be called a young
gentleman, remarked carelessly as he followed the

boy: "Pretty good place this!"
"Here
at last,
is
the bath-room;" said the boy in blue,
holding a door open for
Sammy
to enter.
"I
will wait for

little
you outside."
a porcelain bath-tub, with the
The
finest
room had
towels
of linen
hanging on the racks and

hand.
sweet-scented
soap
at
Over
chair were
beautiful clothes,
complete even
floor beneath.
to the stockings,
and shoes on the
The
tub was
full
of water, and
Sammy
strangely
for.
enough guessed correctly what the water was

a few minutes he
In
dif-
emerged from the tub a very
ferent-looking boy indeed.
He
did not hesitate to
put on the clothes which he saw over the chair.

tell
To
the truth, he
was not particular whether they be-
longed to him or not as long as he could get them on.

Then, finding
a
113
brush and comb
at
hand, he stepped
in front of the glass to give the finishing touches to

his toilet.
For
moment he
it
did not
after
know
himself
or
in the mirror,
and
was only
making three
Sammy has taken
his First Bath.
four of the ugly faces with which he used to frighten

little girls
that he
was sure he was the same Sammy.
No
a tap
sooner had he finished brushing his hair than
on the door reminded him that the boy

still
in uni-
form was
waiting outside, and
it
was with quite
114
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Sammy swung
out of the room and
down-stairs.
a swagger that
followed his
new acquaintance
Then
double doors opened showing a long table covered

with beautiful china and silverware.
but
All the seats
one
were
filled,
some with
boys and
as
girls
of about his
himself,
own
age,
and dressed
ladies
at
nicely
as
and
others with
as
beautiful
as
she
who had met him
the
door.
His
little
guide drew back a chair for him, and
Sammy
sat
down hardly knowing whether he was

But the smell of the good things
really himself.
to eat soon
brought
him
self.
to his senses,
and he
lost
no time
girl
in helping
him-
On
one side of him sat a
with yellow curls

a
and the
softest blue eyes,
and on the other side
bright-looking boy; both of
them spoke
to him, but
Sammy was
answer
so greedy that he did not stop to
make
until after his
mouth was
his
full,
and then he
full,
could not speak.
While
mouth was
however,
he looked about and had a chance to notice that

neither the boy nor the
at the table
girl,
nor indeed anybody else
seemed
to take food to the
mouth
as he
had done.
before
No one said anything to him about it, but Sammy began eating again he looked about
a
his plate for
fork
such
as
he
saw the others

get as
as
115
using and, although he was confident he could not
much
into his
mouth
at a
time with the fork
he had done with a knife,

rest did.
still
he preferred to
do as the
When,
to
after a little while, the girl

her,
again
spoke
him he answered
and did
his
best to leave
it
rough words out of

hard for
half of
It
his talk, although
was very
Sammy
to
to
say ten words unless at least

ones.
them were bad

him
seemed
that he never ate so
much
in
his life before.
Never before had he had enough,

salt
even of bread and
pork, and you
may
guess
how much he
ate to-day of these wonderful kinds of
food which almost melted in his mouth, hungry as
he was besides.
Sammy
to
did not
know how
tired he
was
until
he
had had enough
to eat,
and then, although he

girl
tried
be pleasant to the boy and
who
sat
on
either side, his eyes kept closing in spite of himself.
So he was very glad when some one
at the other
end
of the table arose, and everybody else then stood up
and began
"I
to pass out of the
room.
to his
little
am
so tired;" said
Sammy
boy
neighbor;
"I
feel
as if I
could drop down.''
ii6
THE WONDER CHILDREN

to
"You want
"I
will find
go to bed/' the
is."
little
boy
said.
where your room

it
And
such a room as
!
was which
Sammy was
ush-
ered into
The bedstead was

High pillows were
silk
of brass shining like

at
pure gold.
coverlid
to
one end, and the
was of
and
velvet,
and was pulled back

lie.
reveal
the white
sheets
where he should
Such a bed might tempt one who was not sleepy,

but poor, tired
Sammy
could hardly wait until he
was
alone.
will find
"You
what
a
your nightgown on the back of the

in blue.
bed;" said the boy
Sammy
did not
know
in
nightgown was; he had always
slept in his
clothes,
and the only reason he did not sleep

that he seldom
shoes
was
had any.
But the new
thing interested him, so, instead of climbing into

the bed with his clothes on, as he had intended, he
undressed like a civilized boy, put on his nightgown
and crept
his
in
between the sheets.
No
sooner had
head touched the pillow than the

in the
lights
went out
and he was
land of dreams.
very surprised boy was
Sammy when
he opened
his eyes the next

in a real bed,
morning and found himself lying

real sheets, with
between
a real silk

coverlid over him, wearing a real
his
117
nightgown, and
head resting on
;
real
pillows.
He
could
not
still
believe his eyes
he supposed that he must be
dreaming, and that what he remembered as having
happened the night before was part of the dream.
As he looked about the room and saw the graceful

furniture and the bright carpet, he rubbed his eyes
very hard to awake himself.
When
the things which
he saw did not disappear after he rubbed his eyes,
Sammy jumped
that,
out of bed, thinking, even now,

himself,
when he shook
dreamland would fade
out of sight, and he would find himself back in his
own
miserable room and
still
clad
in his dirty
and
ragged clothes.
But nothing faded away.
gentle
knock sounded on the door, instead, and,

ment, the boy in
inside.
in a
mo-
blue
with
brass
buttons
came
"You
said,
will
find
the bath-room just behind;" he
"through that open door.
Breakfast
is
al-
most ready."
Now Sammy
could not understand, since he had

before,
washed himself the night

other bath again so soon.
why he needed anBut now that, for the first
time in his
life,
everybody was treating him well, he
ii8
THE WONDER CHILDREN

made his way
into the
did not choose to begin thus early to be disagreeable;

so he
bath-room and took an-
other dip in the tub.
Returning, he was expecting to
dress himself in the clothes
which he had worn the
night before, when, thrown over the foot of the bed,
he noticed another
suit, just as
clean as the
first,
and
almost as pretty, he thought, but more
fitted for play,
which he
lost
no time
in putting on.
it
Then,
after
brushing his hair so that

last night,
was even smoother than

little
he stepped to the door and found his
friend in blue waiting for
him
outside.
He was
taken down to the same room where he had
enjoyed that wonderful dinner the night before, and
lound the
the
same company waiting

little
for
him, with
same
boy and
girl
on either side of him,
and
just as
good things This time
to eat although very diflFer-
ent ones.
Sammy
tried
did not even touch

his
his fingers to the
meat or potatoes, or once put
knife to his mouth.

like the little
He
his best to
eat
just
gentleman and lady who
sat
on either
for a
side of him,
and succeeded remarkably well
beginner.
"We
shall
have a good chance to play after break-
fast;" said the
boy on
his left.

*'
119
Yes," said the
girl
on
his right,
"we have
such
a lovely playground."
And
soon
Sammy was passing
along the grand halls
of the beautiful building, one hand held by his

girl friend
new
and the other by the boy on
their
way
ball
to
play.
Indeed
field,
little
it
was
a fine playground.
There was a
and a pond where boys were rowing or

toy
ships,
sailing
or
wading
above
their
knees;
there were great heaps of sand where smaller chil-
dren were
digging;
there
were goats hitched

little
to
wagons with regular harnesses, and

them; there were boards
for boys
boys driving
cut,
to
saw and
little
and
nails for
them
to
hammer;
fishing
there were
;
brooks
where other boys were
and, what surprised

trees,
him
the
as
much
as
anything, there were fruit
boughs of which
were
all
heavy
with
apples,
free to
pears, peaches,
and plums,
dead ripe and
pick.
Although the children were running hither
and
thither,
and playing
all
the
games which healthy
boys and
or
girls love so well,
no one used a bad word,
was rough or rude
to another.
really played
in his life.
Now Sammy
The
had never
only sort of sport he had
truly
enjoyed
was
120
THE WONDER CHILDREN

girl
tormenting some
animal.
or boy, or abusing a
dumb
So
it
was quite
a while before he learned
how
to play with these children.
Several times he
forgot himself, and pushed or struck one of his

friends,
new
and then he would stop and look about him
expecting to be seized by the collar and dragged off

to be
whipped.
But the only punishment he
re-
ceived
was the sorrowful look on the
faces of those
who
noticed his rude behavior, and that
somehow
hurt him more than a whip would have done. Every
one was kind to him, showed him the new games,

picked the nicest fruit for him, gave him the best
boats to row, the nicest poles to goat
fish
with, the nicest
wagon
to drive,
and soon
Sammy had
It
stopped
even wanting to be rude or coarse.

easiest thing in the
seemed the
world for him to be a gentle and
good boy.
Sammy had
after
always looked upon a school as the
worst place in the world, but the very second day
coming
to this
wonderful palace he was taken
to the fairies' school
and found
it
fully as pleasant to
learn under their teaching as
it it
was
to play.
And
he seemed to learn
hole were
fast too;
was almost
as if a
made
it.
in the top
of his head and knowledge
poured into

But,
after
121
beautiful
Sammy
had
lived
in
this
place for a
number of months, an
v^hile at
evil spirit
came
upon him one day
play wîth his friends,
and
all
of a sudden a stream of shocking words

his
poured out of
mouth.
His nev^ friends looked

a
much
wand
the
it
frightened,
fairies
and
it
was only
his side
moment
before
little
one of the
was by
and shaking a
over his head.
What
she meant to do with
wand Sammy had no

to stop his
idea, but if she
supposed
was going
wicked talk she was very
much
mistaken, for he only waited long enough to
take breath before he began again.
To
his astonish-
ment, every
turned
it
evil
word, as
it
passed out of his mouth
now
into a fiery dart
which burned
his lips as
passed through them, and which, striking those
to
whom
But
it
he was talking, pierced their skin and

pain.
made them scream with

was no
later
than the very next day that
Sammy
fairies,
lie
disobeyed
the
commands
of one of the
telling a
and made a bad matter worse by

it.
about
When
she shook her
wand
over him
he saw his he change into a long, wriggling snake,

with wicked bead-like eyes and a fork-Hke tongue.
Another day he
lost his
temper with a goat that
122
THE WONDER CHILDREN

to
was hitched
wagon and, breaking

began
to
bough
from one of the bushes, he

httle beast very cruelly
beat the
with
it.
What was Sammy's

which he
surprise when, instead of the plaintive cry
had expected, the animal turned his head toward
him and began

a
to talk in
Sammy's language
just as
boy might.
"Don't you know," the goat

his
said to
his
it
the boy,
who dropped
just
as
stick
and opened
mouth
hurts
in
astonishment to hear a goat talk, "that
me
much
?
as
it
would hurt you
to be
pounded with
to
a stick
it is
If I don't
I
do what you want
have
me
do,
because
I
don't understand
what
you want, or because

it.
am
not strong enough to do
It is
very unkind of you to beat an animal!"
Great tears ran down the goat's hairy cheeks and

he
sobbed
like
child.
It
was not necessary
for
any more of the animals about the

talk to
fairy palace to
Sammy
in order to teach
him
that animals
had
feelings like his
own.
a lazy
fit
Another day the boy had

school-bell rang
and,
left
when
the
and the other children
the play-
ground
for their lessons,
he crawled behind a thick
bush, having
made up
his
mind
to enjoy a
nap
in-
stead of doing anything like
work
that morning.

But,
all
123
of a sudden, there
came marching around

little
the corner of the bush a crowd of
men, each
in
with a
hands.
all
hammer and They said
handful of long spikes

never a word
but,
his
scattering
to
about him, went to work to
nail
him
the
ground, fastening him by his clothes, through the

corners and
folds of
which they drove the spikes
with
all
their
it
might and main.
At
little
first
Sammy
so
in
thought
a great joke to see the
men work
hard while such a big fellow as he lay out
the
warm
sunlight doing nothing at

It
all
but enjoying
himself.
was not
long, however, before he found
out that they were working to some purpose, since,
when he move
tried
to turn over,
he found he could not
at all.
He began
to
grow very uncomfortable

to let
and begged them very loudly

either they
him
go.
But
were too small to have ears or they did
not want to hear, for they went right on with their
work, fastening him more securely to the earth every

minute, until, after their captain had fully inspected
the job and was satisfied that
Sammy
could not get
up, they went back around the bush, and he
saw
them no more.
So
Sammy
lay there in the sun
which grew hotter
124
THE WONDER CHILDREN

no one came to
his relief.
every minute and, although he shouted at the top of

his voice for help,
How he
wished
school
!
all
that long forenoon that he had gone to

cool
He remembered how He
and fresh was
the air where the other girls and boys were studying
their lessons.
could not understand what had
made him want
to play truant
and prefer
to idle
through the forenoon rather than study.

the tears, running
earth
At
last
down
his cheeks,
washed away the

nails in place
which had held some of the
so that
Sammy was
to side,
able to
move
his
head a
little
from side
which was some
relief.
But no
îme was ever so long for him as that half day, and
no voice ever before sounded so pleasant as that

of the fairy school-teacher when, accompanied by her
band of
again.
children, she
came out
into the grounds
His friends
lost
no time
in pulling
up the
nails
which had fastened him so securely and wiping the

tears
and dust from
his little
sunburned
face.
But
nobody scolded or asked him any hard questions.

All
knew
that
Sammy had
learned another lesson
never to forget.
As
it
drew toward the end of the year which

Sammy Hawkins was
grown
to be
to pass in fairyland
125
he had
in the
one of the best-behaved boys
whole place.
No
one would have supposed that he
had ever been cruel or disobedient, had ever used

evil
words, or told
lies,
or loved to be unkind.
their
The
bad
fairies
were very proud of
work
in curing a
boy,
and were looking
for
some way
to get
him
back again into the world where he could do some

good.
Now
it
so
happened that not
far
from the
fairy
palace lived a
man and
a
his wife
who had
lost a
son
and could not be comforted, as he had been a sweet
and noble boy and

of the
fairies,
great joy to them.
So one
taking pity on the unhappy pair, went
to their bedside
one night and caused the father to
dream.
And
of
the
dream was
that a boy of just the

street
age and size of his

in
own
lost
boy came down the

at the
front
his
house
and stopped
gate,
walked up
to the front
door and knocked upon

very
it;
and
that the boy,
who he thought was
much
like his
own
son that had
died, told him, while his
wife
stood by, that he was very tired and hungry and
asked
after
if
they would not
let
him
rest a little; that,
he had rested and been given something
to
126
eat,
THE WONDER CHILDREN

they asked him about his father and mother
his
and
home, and that he
told
them he had none;
that they then looked at each other, and, both think-
ing the
same
thing, they asked
him
if
he would not
like to live
with them and be their son.
And
about
just then the
man awoke
They
their
and, wakening his

lay there talking
wife, told her his

it,
dream.
and crying over
boy that had died,
almost until morning.
So that very morning the queen of the
fairies
came
that
it
to
Sammy
as soon as he
was dressed and
said
was time
for
him
to
go out into the world again
he had come to them a bad boy, and they had made
him
good boy; he had come ignorant, and he had

intelligent.
become
She told him that there were a

living in a
man and
wanted
woman
town not
boy
far
away who
grow
for their son just such a
as he; he could to
make
up
their hearts glad
and have every help
to be a
good
man
I
himself.
**0h,
why must
go ?" whimpered the boy at the
thought of leaving
fairy
this beautiful fairyland.
But the
street
queen told him
to
walk along a wide
with maple trees on either side until he came to a
house with a brown front and iron steps running up

to
It,
127
that he
with a certain
number on
the door;
bell,
must go up
a
to the door
and ring the
and when
tell
man
should come to the door he must
him
that he
was
tired
and hungry.
Sammy
kissed
began
to cry, but as soon as the fairy
had
him on
which
his
forehead she disappeared, and the

standing disappeared, and
room
in
Sammy was
the palace in which the
room was disappeared, and

same
the grounds in which the palace stood disappeared.
Sammy
found himself once more
in the
little
field
where he had been chasing the

year before.
white dog a
as
He was
as tired
and hungry now

dirty,
he
was then, although he was no longer

really did not look at all like the
and
same boy.
He walked
until
it
along the road which was close at hand
brought him to a town and, walking down
the shaded street as he had been told, he
came
to a
house with a brown front and iron steps, and with the
certain
number on
the door.
His
little
heart in his
throat with excitement, he went up the steps and
knocked.
The door was opened by

shoulder,
a gentleman with
right
his
the kindest face he
had ever seen, and
behind
as
him, peering over his
was
wife,
kind and sweet as himself; and both of them looked
128
THE WONDER CHILDREN

and so happy that
at all, or
so surprised
Sammy
did
not
understand
it
know what
"It
is
they meant
when
was
they both cried at once:
the very
boy!"
They
did not even wait for

tired
Sammy
him
to say he
hungry or
but, taking
into the dining-
Sammy welcomed to
his
New Home.
room,
set the best in the
house before him; and no
sooner had he eaten than they both asked him,
almost at once,
how he would
little
like to live
always
with them and to be their
son.
STORY OF THE GOLDEN KEY
TOMMY
father did the
large family,
JONES
had brothers and
sisters
else.
in
plenty but very httle of anything

best he could
his
His
to feed
all
and clothe a
and
mother did
that any
woman
to
could do; but
many
a night the children
had
go
supperless to bed, and the beds were none too
warm.
Tommy
much
tried
was only ten years old and could not do

but he always did his best and he
to help,
hard not to cry when he was hungry.

afternoon he went into the woods near the
One
little
house where he lived;
he was
in
search of
chestnuts which he knew, in lack of anything else,
would serve him and

per.
his brothers
and
sisters for
sup-
He had
just filled his pockets
when he heard
a pitiful
mewing.
Being kind-hearted he looked
everywhere for the cat which he supposed must be

in trouble.
tall tree
At
last
he saw her
in the
branches of a
where her foot seemed

K
to be caught.
He
called to her
and she answered with more mewing

129
130
THE WONDER CHILDREN

and
a
struggle
as
to
if
free her foot,
showing
trouble
him
her
and asking
him
help.
to
come
to her
Now Tommy was

a pretty
er,
good climb-
but this was a
very high tree with
no branches nearthe
ground.
off
his
He threw
coat,
howto
ever,
and began
chmb, and he was

halfway up to the
cat before he looked
down
away
him
at the
ground
far
which seemed so
that
it
made
to
dizzy.
He had
go
half a
mind
back; but when he

Going to the Cat's Rescue.
stopped climbing the

cat
131
mewed
so
much
louder that, looking
down no
more, he began climbing up again as fast as possible.
He found
sore,
the cat's foot
was bleeding and very

in
having been caught fast
the fork of two
branches.
She could never have freed herself with-
out the help which the boy set promptly at work to

give.
It
was
a slow task, as he
needed one of
it
his
if
hands
to hold fast lest he fall, while
hurt the cat
he did not work very carefully.

free and,
But
at last she
was
jumping on
his
shoulder, began purring

his face as
and rubbing herself against
he made his
way down
for fear
it
the tree not daring to look at the ground
would make him dizzy again.
No
sooner had he reached the ground and drawn
a full breath than the cat sprang off his shoulder
and he saw her no more.

tree
But just
at the foot of the
he saw a
little
blue ribbon, such as pets someit
times wear about their necks, and fastened to
was
card and a yellow key; the
key was quite heavy
and appeared
cat thinking
to be of gold.
it
He began
for
;
to call the
would be wrong
him
to
keep the
key which had been on her neck

not
but when she did
come he turned
the card over in his hand, ex-
pecting to find the
name
of her owner.
Although
132
there
THE WONDER CHILDREN

was no name on the card there were some
in pencil
words written
to
and which he had

finally
to
study
make
out.
This was what he

is
read aloud
to himself:
"This Golden Key
a present for the
boy who was kind
to a suffering animal."
it
Tommy had
it
had no dinner that day, and

if
quickly
occurred to him that
the key were really of gold

to turn
it
would not take him long

So a moment
later
into bread
and
meat.
he was running into the
village, all the while
thinking
how happy
and
sisters
his father
and mother and
his brothers
would be
eat
for
when he brought back

once.
to
them plenty
to
He had come near the store where he meant to sell the Golden Key when an old woman, who had been
walking very slowly, turned around and spoke to him.
Tommy
now
on
had always been taught
to be respectful to
older persons and, in spite of his hurry, he stopped

to ask
what she might want.
She replied
in a
very feeble voice saying that she would like to lean

his
shoulder while she walked along.

little
Some
of
Tommy's
friends
happened
to be near by,
and
he
he knew they would afterward laugh at him
if
were seen walking along the
street in
such company;

besides,
133
he was in a great hurry to exchange his

for bread
Golden Key
and meat:
But he patiently
leaned
trudged along beside the old
woman who
oak-tree
very heavily on his small but faithful shoulder.
When
they
reached
large
that
stood in front of the village store the old
woman
in
his
stopped, but she

shoulder.
still
kept her hand on
Tommy's
She
asked
him what
it,
it
was
hand and where he had found
and
Tommy, who
told
to
had always been honest and straightforward,

the whole story, and also
what he was planning
do with the key.
Then
the old
woman
cat,
said:
"You were
a good
boy
to take pity
still
on a
and you have shown yourself
better
by helping an old
woman
like
me when
to
you were
in
such a hurry and when you knew you

at.
would be laughed
Now
I will tell
you what
it
do with your Golden Key.

store but keep
it
Don't take
to the
safely until to-night.
Be
at this tree
where we now stand when the clock

and,
if
strikes twelve
will
you are brave and wise, you
have a
chance to make your fortune."
The words had no

boy's
sooner gone out of the old woman's mouth than her
heavy hand was
lifted
from the
shoulder
134
and,
THE WONDER CHILDREN

when he turned
quickly around
to
question
her she was nowhere to be seen.
Tommy
as he
did not go into the store with his key,

to do, but turned
had intended
around and
not
help
walked slowly home;

thinking
indeed
it
he
could
how
pleasant
would have been
to take
with him those
good things which he had been
planning to buy.
All they
had
to eat in
Tommy's house
that night
was
a crust of dry bread, with plenty of water
and
some of the chestnuts which the boy took out of

his
like
pocket and his mother boiled.

the
It
was not much
supper which he had expected to bring

,
home.
Now
the boy kept no secrets from his mother,

stealing out of the house at night
and had no idea of and down

leave.
to the big oak-tree unless she
gave him
But he did not have any chance

all
to
speak to
that
her alone that evening, for
the
members of
family were wont to go early to bed so that they could

forget
how hungry
they were.
;
All except
Tommy
as
went quickly to sleep
he was so excited
he
thought of the wonderful things which had happened

to
him
that afternoon that he did not feel like closing

his eyes.
135
But when he was sure everybody

little
else
was
asleep he rose from the
pile of straw,
which was
the only bed he knew, and crept softly over to

his
where
mother was
sleeping.
He had no
sooner put his

as
hand upon her than she awoke quickly,

will,
mothers
and asked him what was the matter.
Then
cat
Tommy
told her in a whisper all about the
and the Golden Key, and about the old

a fortune.
woman
mother
who had promised him
At
first his
thought her boy was dreaming, and she told him to

go to sleep again; but when he showed her the
little
Golden Key with
its
blue silk ribbon she saw that was
too real to belong to a dream.
She asked her
little
son
if
he would not be afraid to go down to the tree
so late at night
and he said "yes" but
still
he would
go
if
she were willing.
His mother then told him

call
to lie
it
down and
sleep
and she would
him when
was time
It
to start.
did not seem to
Tommy
and
as
if
he had been
his
it
sleeping
more than
minute when
told
if
mother
wakened him with

to go.
a kiss
him
was time
She again asked him

to
he were not afraid,

said the old
and offered
go with him, but
Tommy
woman had
not said he might bring any one and
136
THE WONDER CHILDREN

like
it if
perhaps would not

his
he should.
So he kissed
into
mother good-bye and trudged out manfully

tell
the dark, although, to
the truth, his heart

a
was
beating very
fast.
He walked
few steps and then
ran until he had come nearly to the big oak-tree,
when he saw,
lying on the ground, a
man
with a pale
face, looking very sick indeed;
he held out a cup
and asked the boy and

fill it
to take
it
to the
brook near by
with water which he said he thought would

feel
make him
sick
better.
late,
it
Now Tommy
if
feared
that
he was already
and that
he were to do as the
man
asked
would be past twelve o'clock beand so he would But

lose
fore he could get to the oak-tree,

all
chance of the promised

he took the cup
fortune.
for all
that
and ran back toward the
brook.
In the light of the
moon Tommy saw
that
the vessel in his
hand was of pure gold and, being

Golden Key, he was quite sure
much
larger than the
could be sold for enough
money
It
to
buy bread and

for
meat for a long time.

run off with
it
would be easy
him
to
since the sick
man
certainly
would not
be able to overtake him.

that so
But the boy
felt
ashamed
mean
a thought should even enter his mind.

full
When
he came back with the golden cup
of

water the
saying he
137
man drank
felt
hastily
and then rose
to his feet
very
much
better
and walked along
with the boy.

tree,
Just as they reached the big oak-
while
Tommy
him
:
was looking
all
about for some
sign of the fortune
which he had been promised, the
man
me
said to
in a
still
"I know that you were

lying in the path, but
hurry
when you found

after the
too,
I
you went back

I
water for
me
without any complaint;
know,
that the gold cup

that
must have tempted you; but

kind
this
is
see
you are a
and honest boy, deserving

the
of a fortune, and
way
that leads
to
it."
And
and
as
to
he spoke he laid his hand upon the tree

surprise
Tommy's
where he had noticed only

a door large
ordinary bark before, he

for
now saw
enough
him
to enter;
but the door was fastened with
a padlock.
*'The
little
Golden Key
will
unlock
this
padlock,"
continued the man, "and then you can open the

door.
Go
in
and fear nothing.
It
is
only the bad
who need be afraid." The boy drew out from Golden Key and fitting it in
key turned and the
his
pocket the
little
the lock found that the
door opened.
As he looked
138
THE WONDER CHILDREN

to ask
in
around
an eager question the sick
man was
nowhere
village
It
sight.
And
just
then the bell in the

twelve o'clock.
church began to
toll for
looked very gloomy within but
Tommy
thought
if
he would at least step just inside and then,

chose,
it
he
would be easy
to
come out
again.
it
No sooner,
closed very
however, was he inside the door than

softly
behind him and, although he
felt all
about
in
the darkness, he could find no
knob.
From
the
outside the tree had not looked so very large, and

the boy
was much surprised
to see in front of
him
quite a long hallway with a light at the other end.
Not being
able to get back he
had
to
go forward.
When
he came to the end of the hallway he found
himself in a small room at one side of which was
an iron safe;
in front of the safe
door stood a
little
man
The
with a high pointed cap of red whose feet

to
seemed
grow
right out of the lower part of his body.
goblin looked very severe, and
Tommy was
to
more
afraid than ever, but there
was nothing
do but
speak to him.
He supposed
that the fortune he
had
been promised would be
in the safe.
"Will you please open that safe for me.^" he

boldly asked the goblin.

come from within
139
Just then loud voices were heard which seemed to

the safe, and the growling of fierce
dogs; and the goblin said to
Tommy: "Are you
not
afraid?"
The Goblin on Guard.
"Yes,
I
am," answered the boy, "but even

in."
so
must go
At that the severe face became
pleasant,
and without more ado the goblin touched

and
the
to
the
handle
safe
door
in,
flew
open.
As
Tommy
bent
down
look
he
saw no dogs,
evil
such as he had supposed would be inside, or

sprites or other terrible creatures to hurt
him, but
140
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Indeed, there were
it
neither did he see any bags of gold nor the precious
jewels which he had expected.
no drawers or shelves
to be just the
at all in the safe;
seemed
opening to a gloomy passage not as
high as his head at the outset, and which seemed to
grow smaller farther

to try if
along.
But he had
really
a stout heart
fortune were
waiting for him.

his
So he stepped inside the safe door and, bending
head, began to push along the narrow passageway.
Almost
his
at
in
once he found that he must drop on

order to
knees
make any headway

For a moment he
wish he had not
at
all,
and he had hardly done that when he heard the

door clang behind him.
at heart
safe
felt sick
and began
to
Still
set out to
seek his fortune.

his
he kept creeping along on
hands and knees while the passage kept growing

last
narrower and lower until at

his
he had to crawl on
It
stomach
like a
mole
in its
burrow.
was then
that he caught a
glimmer of light ahead and began to

this terrible place.
hope that he might soon get out of

But the opening
still
grew smaller and smaller
until
he was just about to give up trying to go any farther,
and making up
safe door
his
mind
to
go back and beat on the

to
let
and beseech the dwarf
him
out.

Now
the
141
suddenly he found
in
himself
at
the
end of
tight
tunnel, and
moment,
after
a last
squeeze, he burst into a large and well-lighted room.
The room was

and
if
filled
with a gay
company
of boys
as
girls in silks
and
velvets, singing
and dancing
there were nothing to do in this world but to have
good time.
Tommy
at first felt very

his
much
out of
place in such a
company;
own
clothes
were so
poor and
his feet bare.
He was much
They
and
pleased, then,
when they gathered about
as if very glad to see him,

all
not seeming to notice his rags.

ing
:
began ask-
him questions Where he had come from, where
he was going,
all,
how
old he was,
if
last
and best of
as
he thought,
he were hungry.
last
Tommy
answered the
it
question
first
with a
very loud "yes"; and
was not a minute before he

a table covered with the
found himself seated
at
whitest of cloth, while before
him were
dishes filled
with things to
eat.
The poor boy had
never had
little
much
to eat besides
bread and potatoes, and
enough of those, even butter was house, and had never smelled anything
as
a curiosity in his
so
nice
the
food which was
now
set
before him.
He
did
not wait, however, to ask any questions but,
142
THE WONDER CHILDREN

time as only a hungry boy can do.
helping himself from the nearest dish, he improved

his
When
he rose from the table
his
new
friends
proposed a game of "tag," and

great delight.
Tommy
joined in
When
they were tired of ''tag" then

frolic
"hunt the slipper" was proposed^ and the

just at
its
was
height
when
Tommy
suddenly recollected
that he
so
had come looking

for fun.
for his fortune

off in the
and not
middle of
much
So he broke
the
game and
girls
said he could not stay longer.
The
boys and
gathered thick about him and begged

little
him
that
to play just a
more, but
Tommy
his
insisted
he
must go
at
once and seek
fortune.
And
site
just at that
moment he saw
a door in the oppoto
side of the
it.
room and began
make
his
way
toward
But
ant,
his little friends,
who
before had been so pleas-
now became
very angry, calling him disagreehis rags,
able names,
feet,
mocking
pointing at his bare

feel
and altogether making But

at last
Tommy
thoroughly
all
ashamed.
he broke away from

out.
of
them and, opening the door, passed

Then,
as he looked
about him, he was glad that

for,
he had not wasted any more time in play
sure

enough, right before
in
all
143
silver
his eyes
was
a fortune,
shapes,
money, beautiful vases, and orna-
ments, enough he was sure to buy a whole village.
Tommy
of other
saw, as he looked about him, a
number
little
boys gazing longingly at the treasure

bare-legged;
as if they
Some were ragged and

pretty clothes
others wore
and looked
had never been
hungry
in their lives.
all
For a minute he wondered
why
they did not
run over to where the silver lay

it
and help themselves, there seemed so much of

sight.
in
But, as he took a few steps that way, he

that,
saw
although the treasure was
not far off
there appeared to be a million sharp thorns sticking
up
to
wound
it.
the
feet of
any one
who
should
try to reach
if
Many
wounds
of the thorns were red as of

those
from
them.
the
who had
closely,
fallen
on
As he looked more
however,
he could see, planted

stepping-stones, no
among
the thorns, very small

large
one of them
enough
to
hold the whole of even a very small boy's foot,
and not too near together

While
at that.
Tommy
stood looking, one of the boys
who
had been standing near him made

treasure but, after stepping on
a start for the
two or three of the
144
stones,
THE WONDER CHILDREN

came back
faster than he went, crying out
that the stones were hot.
Three or four
others,
who had been ready

complaints and
themselves.
to follow,
drew back when he
returned, and gathered around
him Hstening
try the
to his
now
afraid to
passage for
several
But
Tommy
could
see
boys
helping themselves to the silver treasure, and he
reminded himself that there was no way for them

to get to
it,
any more than for him, except over

they
to
the thorns and the hot stepping-stones; since
had crossed
he, too, ought to be brave
enough
try the passage.
He
thought of
sisters so
his
poor parents,
at
and of
his brothers
and
hungry
his
home,
that
and
finally set his lips
and made up
mind
he would delay no longer.
When
way
he went down to the edge of the thorny
the other boys
came near
if
either to advise
set out.
him
not to go or to watch him
he should
Some
of them told him that he would tear his flesh on the

thorns,
his feet
and others reminded him that he would burn

on the hot stones.
A few said that the thorns

hot.
were not so very sharp or the stones so very
But
Tommy
determined not to mind what any of
them
said and, drawing in a deep breath, he stepped

boldly out on the
first
145
stone,
which he found
fully as
hot as any one had reported.

the second he found
it
As he stepped over
;
to
no cooler
surely the bottoms
of his feet were blistering.

just
left
The boys whom he had

great
interest
behind watched him with

all
and kept shouting
kinds
of messages
to
him;
he would have thought more of messages from the

other side,
if
if
any had been sent; but
it
seemed
as
those
who had once
passed over to the treasure
lost all interest in their old
companions.
his foot slipped
fell flat
When Tommy was
halfway across
on one of the smaller stones, and he

thorns tearing a great
on the
new
rent in his clothes

his knees.
and
making the blood flow from
He
could
only raise himself to his feet after painful wounds

to his
hands and
wrists,
and once more he almost

left
wished that he had not

seeking for a fortune.
of the boys
his
own home
to
go
The "I
left
told
you so" shouts
whom
he had
behind did not comfort
him
and
at all
and, as he struggled to his feet again,
tried his best to get along, he noticed the boys
who were on
interest,
the other side
now watching him
with
but not with the good cheer he would have
liked.
146
THE WONDER CHILDREN

last half
The
first;
of the
way was much
easier than the
the
stones
grew gradually cooler
and
the
thorns were more scattered until at last he reached

the place where the treasure lay.
for the first time, to look
Now
he turned,
back and saw that two
other boys had started to follow him.

after getting
One
of them,
almost
halfway, had already turned
about to go back, and the other, even farther along,
had stopped and seemed
just ready to give
it
up.
So
Tommy, remembering how

would be
he had longed for encourit
agement, called back to the hesitating traveler that

easier the rest of the
way, and the

all
little
fellow took
new
heart and
came
the
way
over.
Then he and
Tommy
went up
to the stores of silver

filled
which they had so well
earned, and
their
pockets to the bursting point.
While they were
still
loading themselves with the
treasures of silver they
saw boys who had come over

But
before
them
passing, one after another, out of doors
to the right
to
and
left.
just as
Tommy
started
go
to
after
them he saw one
little
fellow
walk
up
this
door which he had not noticed before;
door led straight ahead.
Now Tommy
his
felt in
great haste to get
home
to
mother with the

treasure which he
to himself, as
147
had gained.
he
filled his
He had been picturing pockets, how astonished she

in
would look when he walked

fortune
upon her with
his
won
so easily.
But before he went home he
would
at least find out
what was beyond
that other
door leading straight ahead through which only one
boy had gone;
so, his
little
friend by his side, he

in.
turned the knob and looked
The
treasures of silver were nothing to be
com-
pared with the treasures
of
gold which
he
now
mind
saw before him.
It
was very
fresh in his
how hard
was ready
it
had been
to reach the silver,

it
and he
to believe that
must be even harder

he was seeking
to try
to get to the gold.

his fortune
it
But
as long as
would be cowardly of him not

if
to
win a great fortune

to find
he could.
The
first
thing
was
how
to get over to the gold, for,
between
the spot where he
and
his little friend
were stand-
ing and the heaps of golden treasure,
was
wide
fire
opening, out of which
black smoke
to
and red
that
kept curling, and
it
was easy
see
no one
could ever go through that.
The
place
was not any too
light,
and
it
was some
time before the boys found the only
way provided
148
to
THE WONDER CHILDREN

get over
;
that
was
narrow plank, not wide

feet together.
enough
to stand
if
upon with both

it
The
plank bridge,
railing
fire
may be
called a bridge,
had no
and was
set
not so far above the smoke and
that one could feel by any

it.
means
safe in trust-
ing himself upon

try
it
His friend said he would not
and, although
Tommy
induced him two or
three times to
come
to the edge of the plank,
when
the
little
fellow smelled the
smoke he grew very
pale and insisted that he would rather return
home
with what he had.

with
He begged Tommy
to return
him, but our hero
would not hear of such

liked a balancing-rod to
a thing.
He would have
carry across the plank, as he had seen performers
do on tight ropes or wires, but, no such thing being

at
hand, he carefully divided the

it
silver
which he had,
putting half of
in his
pockets on one side and
half in those on the other, hoping that thus arranged

the balancing weight
would help
to
keep him steady.
He
than
it
then bade his friend
good-bye
and started
across the plank which, in fact,
was even narrower

his eyes straight
had looked.
to
He tried
other
to
keep
ahead and not

almost reached
think of his danger, and

side
had
he
the
when
foolishly

glanced
149
down and was

lost
so frightened
at
what he
fell
saw that he
his footing
his
and
fell.
As he
Tommy
down
threw out
hands and managed

His
feet
to catch
hold of the
plank.
now hung
directly
into the opening,
and he
felt as if
fire,
he was being
slowly burned alive

filled his
by the
while the smoke
eyes and nose until he could hardly see or
breathe.
Tommy's was
now, so he kept
by
his
too brave a spirit to give up even

pulling
little
himself along the plank

cheer in the distance told
still
hands
then a
friend
him
that his
to
was
watching him
His
and
seemed
send him
less,
new
courage.
strength
grew
less
and
however, his hands slipped more

last
and more
off the
plank until at
he
let go.
He
last
it
could not see exactly where he had been hanging,
but supposed that when he
let
go
it
would be the
of him; so he shut his eyes as he dropped.
But
was only
for a
little
way
that he
fell,
after all; he
had
really passed almost entirely across the
opening befire;
fore he
had
lost his hold,
and quite past the
so
now he had
was
safe.
only to clamber up the brink and he

his
He waved
hand
to his friend
on the
not
other side but, remembering his
own
peril, did
150
think
it
THE WONDER CHILDREN

right
to
urge him to follow; he silently

fellow turn around
satisfied
watched the
little
and go back
through the door well

ures of silver he
with whatever treas-
had gained.
which
The
his
It
stores of gold
Tommy
empty
saw ready
for
hand were more wonderful than he had imagined.

did not take
him long
to
his pockets of
silver
and
fill
them with the more precious metal.
He knew
his father
that
now he had
fortune enough so that

his brothers
might have a better home, and
and
sisters
all
be clothed and comfortable, and that they

all
might
have as much as they wanted to eat
their lives.
satisfied
He was
little
well pleased that he had not been
with the
silver,
and could hardly be blamed
for being a
proud.
Looking about, he saw a few boys, who, Hke himself,
had passed over the narrow plank, some of

were resting after their
efforts,
left.
whom
while others
Several of
were passing out to the right and
them gathered around him and
told
him how they
came over
treasure,
the thorns and stepping-stones to the silver

difficult
and afterward made the
passage
of the narrow plank to the stores of gold.

said they
Some
had come over the plank without even

once losing their balance; others had
fallen,
151
and
been saved by companions; others had come
in pairs,
and helped each other

tried
all
the way;
still
others had
two or three times, and gone back
afraid, before
they
made
the final passage.
They
also told
him
of other boys
who had
tried to
make
the passage
and had
fallen into the fire
beneath never to be
seen again.
Then one
of
them asked him: "Are you going

you
to
satisfied
to try for the jewels or are
V
tell
Tommy
said:
"I ought
be satisfied; but
me where are the jewels.?" And th boy said " Just beyond
:
are the jewels.
Fill
your pockets with
this gold,
it
may
last a
few
years; but load
them with the jewels beyond' and

all
you
So
will
be rich
your
life."
Tommy,
instead of passing out at either of the
side doors, as
most of the boys were doing, opened the
door straight ahead.
Heaps of what he was
told
were
diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires lay sparkling and flashing in the distance.
But between him
and the precious
store of jewels ran an angry river,
boiling high, full of rocks,

ous.
and looking very danger-
He had
never learned to swim but he thought
152
THE WONDER CHILDREN

swimmers would not
Besides, poor
like to
little
that even good
venture
into such a stream.

felt
Tommy
very tired.
He had been through

home, so long ago
after all he
it
great trials
since he
it
had
left
seemed, and
was very unpleasant,
had undergone,
worse, even,
to think of attempting
new
dangers,
than those that had gone before.
The more he
to
thought of
it,
the
more
it
seemed
him
that he
would do well
he had won.
to content himself with the gold
which
As he
an
cast his
eyes about he
saw
to his
right
outlet;
perhaps
that
here
was an
easier route to
river.
the jewels than
across the
black
He
found
it
led into a delightful room.
Bright pictures
a thick carpet;
hung on the
the
walls; on the floor

softly lighted
was
room was
chairs,
from hanging lamps,

to him,
and easy
which looked very tempting
were placed conveniently about.
He
noticed on a
rack in a corner a suit of boy's clothes marked with

his
name.
There was a beautiful blue cap with

suit,
long ostrich feather, a velvet

silk,
high stockings of
and a pair of shoes.

off^
It
did not take
Tommy
long to throw
the soiled and ragged clothes he
wore and put on the new ones.

Now,
forgetting
all
153
about the jewels, he passed out

first; in
into another
room
larger than the
the centre
of this room was set a table where a dinner, smoking

hot,
was waiting
for him.
Like most boys.
Tommy
Pleasant Room to Rest.
always had an appetite, but he had endured enough

to
make him even more hungry than
usual,
and the
meal which he found awaiting him was even better

than that he had so
much enjoyed
began
to
with the romping
children earlier that long and trying night.
As he
finished eating he
hear sweet music
154
THE WONDER CHILDREN

sleep,
which made him think of
and
in the next
room
he found such a bed as he had never seen before,

so soft that
when he put
Hnen
his
weight on
it,
he sank far
down,
the
as white as
snow, and the most

lay
his
tempting pillows for
him
to
head upon.
Tommy's
that he
eyes were heavy with sleep, and he felt

all
had done
the
work which could
fairly
be
asked of any
right to rest.
little
boy, and had honestly earned, a
But
it
happened, never having seen a
real
bed
heap
curi-
before, his
own
sleeping-place at
home being
of straw in a corner of the room, that he
was
ous to examine this bed before getting into
it;
he
handled the
pressed
the
his
silk
quilt,
felt
the
fine
linen
at
sheets,
soft feather
pillows
and
last
went
down on
hands and knees
to look underneath.
What was
lain,
his
astonishment to find a keg of powder
placed directly under the spot where he would have and, running from the powder a long fuse, the
!
end of which was already burning

the fuse
Tommy saw
that
would soon burn
to the
;
powder, and the

he had indeed
powder would then explode

crept into the
so, if
bed and gone to
sleep, there
would
have been a speedy end of
his fortune.

Then
home
it
155
his
came
to
him
that he
had not
left
to sleep, or enjoy music, or eat
delicious din-
ners, but in search of his fortune;

to get out
and he rushed
of the beautiful
it.
room
But
it
far
more eagerly
than he had come into

easier to
had been much

His feet
come
in
than
it
was
to go out.
his legs
now
seemed glued
to the floor,
and
almost refused
it
to move; as he passed through doors

if
seemed as
hands which he could not see caught hold of him

tried to
and
draw him back.
But when he
finally
had
passed out and once more saw the black river and
the jewels in clear sight.
Tommy
pushed hurriedly
forward to the very water's edge, although the nearer

he came to
looked.
it,
the blacker and
more
fearful the river
While he stood there he saw three boys rush

the river and try to
either
into
swim
across;
and they were
drawn under by the black waters and were seen

else
no more, or
were driven back.
But, as
he
walked along the shore and looked carefully about,

he saw a number of boats of
large
all
kinds; some were

safe;
and pleasant, and looked

if
others
were
very slight, and looked as

pieces
they would break to
from the mere force of the waves.
Going
to
156
THE WONDER CHILDREN

it
one of the larger boats, he found

great deal of
would
cost a
money
to ride in
it;
and when he took

it
out
all
the gold in his pockets and offered

his
to the
boatman the fellow shook

finally
head.
So
Tommy
all
had
to take
up with one of the smaller boats,
and even
for that the greedy
boatman demanded
of the boy's gold as fare.
Then
shore
rose
the boat started
upon
its
passage.
If the
water had looked black and dangerous from the

it
was
far
worse
in the passage.
The waves
in bailing
very high and often broke into the boat and
the water
must be constantly dipped out
pans.
Big rocks stuck their noses out from the

feet,
water every few
and once
in a while the
boat
would
strike
one of them and seem

it
likely to
off.
break
to pieces before
could be pushed
He saw
Someto
other boats which were trying the passage capsize
and send
times his
to the
bottom everybody on board.

fast
boatman would row

at
and seem
the
make good headway;
other times
waves
were so strong and high that the boat went back-
ward instead of forward.

anxious to save his
life.
Now Tommy
He would
was only
perhaps have
turned about and gone back but the boatman told

}iim that
would be most dangerous of
all,
Across the River at Last.

At
last
157
they came almost to the shore, and the
waters began to be more quiet, while the boatman
rowed more
easily,
when suddenly another boat

driven
came
tearing
down toward them,
by the
threw
swift current, and, striking theirs
on the
side,
Tommy
down,
again;
out into the water.
He went down, down,

boy
until he
thought he should never come up
but, holding his breath, like the wise
that he was, he soon rose to the surface of the water.
Then he
struck
out
with
his
arms
and
found
that he did not sink again; his feet touched bottom,
and he climbed up on the shore.
Tommy lay down
for a
few minutes, just out of the
reach of the waves, almost forgetting there was such

a thing as a jewel within reach.
his
When
by and by
strength
came back
only
to
little
him he looked about.

fellows
There
indeed,
were
two
near.
Few,
who attempted
to
cross that
stream were
successful.
He
felt
so sad then, as he
saw the other

the terrible
boys come to grief while trying to

passage, that
make
now
the emeralds, diamonds, rubies,
and sapphires hardly seemed worth the taking.
But
Tommy
wearily
filled
his
pockets with the

his
wonderful sparkling stones and,
new
clothes
158
THE WONDER CHILDREN

to
having numerous pockets, he was able to stow about
him enough
one.
buy
whole county
if
he should want
at
Then, without even looking back again

angry
black
river,
the
he
walked slowly
to
the
nearest door in sight.
He
was
ing.
tried three times, so tired

in
was
he, before he
succeeded
opening
the
door,
and
then
it
so dark that at
first
he could make out nothdoor behind

him,
When
he had
shut the
however, he found himself not, as he had expected,

far
away from home, but again
just outside of the

left
oak-tree where the sick

bell,
man had
him, and the
which, as he recalled, was beginning to strike
for twelve o'clock
when he went
its
into the tree,

as
was
out.
now
just
finishing
strokes
he
came
Feeling behind him on the tree,

the rough
Tommy
a
found only
bark,
nothing
like
door anywhere.
He
thought surely he must have
been
dreaming,
felt
until,
putting his hands in his pockets, he
the
gems.
It
took him but a few minutes to reach his home,
the door of which was never locked, since there was
nothing worth stealing in that house; then, without

even wakening his mother, he threw himself for the

last
159
time on his
own
no
little pile
of straw in the corner
and went
to sleep.
Tommy knew
more
until
the
bright light
of day came streaming into the room, when, hearing

voices about him, he opened his eyes and
saw
his
father and mother, his two brothers and his three

sisters, all
gathered around and staring at him.

the matter.?" he
all
"What is the moment

"What
is
cried
forgetting for
to
that
had happened
him during
the last night.
the
matter.?"
if
repeated
his
father,
but in a stern voice as
he feared his son had done
something very wrong.
"Where
did you get those
clothes you are wearing?"
The boy
glanced
down
at his velvet coat
and
silk
stockings and his beautiful shoes, and at his cap with the feather in
it
that lay beside him, and then he
remembered.
"I
will tell
you;" he
said,
"but
first let
mother
tell
what she knows about the beginning of
it."
After his mother had told her part of the story.
Tommy
emptied
jewels.
told
his
his
and,
when he had
all
finished,
he
pockets
of
the
rare
and
costly
i6o
THE WONDER CHILDREN
So that family was not poor any more, but had

the best of the good things which there are in the
world;
and
all
because
Tommy
was
a good, brave
and true
little
boy.
STORY OF THE MAGIC MIRROR
THOMPSON was MR.had and

horses
a very rich
man.
He
carnages,
servants by the
dozen, and he
owned whole
acres of beautiful groves
and green meadows.

Everything had gone well with him, except that,
for
many
years, he
had had no
child.
Often he and
all
his wife
had
said they
would gladly exchange

baby.
their wealth for
one
little
And
to
at last
on a
Christmas Eve a baby
girl
was given
them.
Mr.
Thompson was
the whole world.
sitting in his library

felt
when
the good
news was brought, and he
the happiest
man
in
He pictured
little
to himself the pleasures
he would give that
girl,
the trips
all
over the
world, the love and care such as no other child had.
Already he imagined
her
climbing into his
lap,
patting his cheeks, saying what a kind, good father
he was, and asking him for everything which money

could buy.
certainly
If she cried for the
his best to get
moon he would
But just then
do
it
for her.
i6i
i62
there
his
THE WONDER CHILDREN

came
a
tap at his door, and in response to
"Come "An old woman

"What
is
in" a maid entered.
wants
off."
to see you," she said,
"and
we cannot put her

her
name?" he
give any
asked.
"She would not

"Something
name.
She said she
had brought something

for the
for the baby."

?
baby
What
kind of
woman
at
all,
does she seem to be ?"
"Oh,
sir;"
she
is
not a nice-looking
woman
answered the maid.
"Her
clothes are very old

sir,
and faded, and she wears the funniest bonnet,
you ever saw."
"What
away."
can she have for
my
little
baby, and so
soon.?" exclaimed Mr.
Thompson. "Oh, send her
Then
the father returned to his dreams about the
wonderful new baby that was given to him, and
how happy he would make

the sorrow and trouble in
her, keeping
away
all
the world.
Now
there
came another
tap at his door and the maid stood
again on the threshold.
" She won't go away,

reason to be very sorry
sir.
She says you
will
have
if
you don't
see her."

Any other
woman,
her
night than this
163
Mr. Thompson would not
have thought for a moment of letting the beggar
for such
he thought she was,
come into
let
his library,
but
now
he smiled and said: "Well,
come
in ;"
and
felt in his
pocket for loose change

after
supposing that the old
woman was coming
money.
little
Then
the door opened again and a funny
old
woman
bonnet,
entered;
she wore a queer oldfeet
fashioned
heavy shoes on her
which
made
shawl
a clacking noise as she walked,
and a faded
pinned
about
at the
her
shoulders.
The
maid
waited curiously
door until her master said:

to the old
"You may go, Mary." Then turning woman he invited her to sit down. "Now, what is it you want?"
"I
son.
just
want
to
make you
a present,
Mr. Thomp-
And
want
to
then he smiled.
"You
and
really,
are sure
you don't
have
me make you
indeed;"
one ?"
she
"Very
cackling
sure
laughed
gift
is
dry
laugh.
"But,
my
not so
much
for
you
as for the little one."
"A
"It
present for
isn't
my baby
so
soon!" he exclaimed.
much
to look at;" said the old
woman.
164
THE WONDER CHILDREN

may
her
''Indeed, you
laugh
pocket,
when you
she
see it."
And,
piece
fumbHng
in
drew
forth a
of looking-glass which she laid on the desk.

is
"This
the present."
The Gift of the Magic Mirror.
Mr. Thompson thought
his
strange caller must
surely be out of her wits, but he could not be harsh to
any one that night, so he thought

little.
to joke with her a

;
" Why, the baby would cut herself with that
''
he said, as he handled the piece of glass.
"We have

enough mirrors
up
to
in the
165
house which we could break

bits as
make such
old
Httle
this if
we
chose to
give her a chance to cut her fingers/'
The
woman
cackled again.
"But you have

said.
no mirror
is
like this in
your house;" she
"This
magic looking-glass, made many, many years ago,

all
before
the great secrets
had been forgotten;
it
is
now
said
the only piece of the kind in the whole world."

it
"Why,
"This
looks
like
any other looking-glass,"

is
Mr. Thompson, "except that it

is
more stained."
no joke,
sir,"
she answered,
"and
am
not the half-witted creature that you think.

little girl
Your
you mean
to
surround with constant care
and devotion.
But greater dangers threaten her than

this
you can imagine, and

glass
broken piece of looking-
which
bring to you will be her only safe-
guard against them."
Then Mr. Thompson grew

do you bring
it
serious.
"But why
to
Then
far
the old
to
me ?" woman said: "Can you remember
back
your boyhood,
old
.?
when
you were but

street
twelve
of this
years
Walking along on the
very village you
came upon
crowd of
at
rough boys who were throwing snowballs
an
i66
old
THE WONDER CHILDREN
woman making her way quietly along the You drove the tormentors away and said a street. kind word to her. Do I look anything like that old woman .?" Then Mr. Thompson recalled that long-distant
day,
and even the color of the shawl and the

shoes
clacking
which
the
!"
woman
he cried.
wore.
"Why,
you are the very woman
"Yes, yes!'' cackled she,

favors.
"and
girl
never forget
So,
when your
I
little
grows
to
be
twelve years old
want you
it
to give her this glass,
which
if
she uses
aright will prove a blessing to
her and to you."
"But what can

Thompson.
the glass do for her.?" asked
Mr.
"As
told
you
this
is
it
Magic Mirror;" she
answered.
"If she turns

it
so as to reflect the faces
of those near at hand

are instead of
will
show what they

to be."
really
what they seem
"How.?" he
"If she turns
reflect a face,
it
asked, with more interest.

it,"
explained the
woman, "so
as to
will
show, not the usual face of that
person as another mirror would do, but the face of the
animal which he or she most resembles.
If the
animal

is
167
bad and treacherous one, then your daughter

that the person
is
may know
from the
bad and treacherous
Hke the animal.

glass
is
If the animal
a noble
is
whose
face
is
reflected
and
faithful one, she
may
know
can
that the person

this
is
noble and faithful."
**Why,
I
very strange!" he cried.
"How
believe
you
V
answered, and he reached
it
"You
might try
it;" she
eagerly forward to take
from the
table.
is
"But
wait a moment.
You
see the mirror

It
very
much
stained and discolored.
has been used thousands
of times since the ancient days of the world, and
can be used to
reflect faces
but
six
times
more.
it
When
it
has given six more magic reflections

so stained as to be of
to
will
become
no further
service.
If
you wish
waste one of the chances,

it
call in a seris
vant and see what kind of animal

she most resembles
little
;
that he or
but
advise you to leave your
daughter
all
six
for her to
own
benefit.
That
will
be better than
waste even one of them

curiosity."
merely to satisfy your

"It
all
own
sounds
like a fairy story of
long ago;" said
Mr. Thompson.
"Yes,
I
know
it
must sound strange
to
you;" she
i68
THE WONDER CHILDREN

it
answered, "but
can do your
mirror
little
daughter no
she
is
harm
Even
had
to
give her the

to
tell
when
I
twelve
years old, and

if
her what
have told you.
the mirror fails to
show any magic power,

than
if
she will be
it."
is
no worse
off
she never had
"That
true,"
said
Mr. Thompson, "and
thank you."
Then
forget
the old
that
woman
rose to her feet.
"Do
your
not
little
serious
dangers
threaten
daughter, and be very sure to give the mirror to her
on the morning of her twelfth birthday."
Mr. Thompson stepped

button to
call a
to the
door and pushed a

old
sat
maid
to
show the
woman
out,
and
in
a few
moments he again
laid face
alone in his
in the
library, with the mirror
downward
drawer of
his desk.
Now
he was thinking of the
strange tale which had been told him, and anxiety
had taken the place of bright hopefulness

little
for his
daughter's future.
Little
Hilda
girl.
Thompson grew
Every one loved
to
be a beautiful
and noble
her.
Her
father
had
long since forgotten about the
mirror, not having

for a
even told his wife of
it
and not supposing

moment
But
that any
169
his
danger could ever threaten
carefully guarded child.

it
so happened, on the very
morning of her
twelfth birthday, that
Mr. Thompson had occasion

and thoroughly examine
all
to go to his library desk
the papers inside of

dravêrs,
it.
In the back of one of the

dust,
covered with
he found
lying face
downward
he
a broken piece of glass,
and
for a
moment
the
the
could not think
how
it
came
there.
Then
when
scene of that evening, twelve years before,

little
old
woman had come
to
him with her strange
tale,
returned to his memory, and his heart grew

as
heavy
he remembered that
it
was now,
as she
had
said, that the

child.
dangers were to begin for his precious
If the
woman was
at
not a false prophet he had
come upon
the mirror in the very nick of time.
Mr. Thompson
once sent for
his
daughter,
in a velvet
meanwhile wrapping the mirror carefully

cover.
Very soon he heard the bounding
steps of
his child
along the hall; the door burst open, and
she sprang to her favorite place upon his knee.
"What
"I have
is
.^"
it,
papa
.?
What makes you
look so
sober, dear
a little story to tell you,
my
darling;"
170
THE WONDER CHILDREN
answered her father, stroking her head and looking

sadly into her large blue eyes.
"Is
it
a sad story, papa, that you look so ?"
''You
may judge
ago,
dear,
for
yourself;"
he answered.
"Twelve years
born,
the
I
very night that you were

sitting in
this
in to
my
as
was
room, a
queer-looking
left
little
old
woman came
a
me and
She
told
what she
that
it
said
was
Magic Mirror.
me
just
it
was
to be given to old,
you when you were

if
twelve years
and that
used
aright
would protect you from danger.
It is
the thought
of possible danger for you which makes

day.
me
sad to-
The
mirror, she said, could be used but six

it
times before
to
would become
so badly stained as so
give
back no more
reflections;
you must
use
it.
be very careful,
will
my
darling,
how you
It
show the
said.
real
character of people, so the old

a person
is
woman
Whether
good and
true,
or bad and false, the reflection
in the
is
mirror will
be that of the animal which he or she

heart."
most hke
at
"Oh, where
cried.
is
it,
papa?
Where
is
it.?"
Hilda
"I want
to try it."
And
her eyes danced
with glee.

"No,
no;''
171
it
he
said.
six
"Remember
tell
you
can be used but

its
times;
you must not waste

idle curiosity,
it
magic power for mere fun or

it
but
use
only
when you
are very sure that
is
necesit
sary.
it
If the mirror
can do what was claimed for
will, indeed, protect
you from great dangers,
for
people are not always what they seem."
Then he took
ward
years,
the
Magic Mirror, wrapped
in velvet,
from the top of the desk.

in
"It has lain face down-
one of the drawers of

dear,
my
desk for twelve

it
my
and
have just wrapped

its
in velvet
so that
by no chance
virtue
may
be spoiled by
accident."
So he put her down from
his lap
and handed her

its
the broken piece of looking-glass in

ering.
It
velvet cov-
was only
a few
moments
after his
daughter had
run out of the library, and straight to her dainty
chamber
to
put away her curious treasure, that a
message came to
Mr. Thompson
in
telling
of the
death of his brother

calling
town not
far
away and
But the
him and
his wife to
come
at once.
in
message explained that a child

scarlet fever, so
it
the house
for
had
to
would not be best
them
172
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Mr. Thompson was very
astonished to receive such a message, as he
his brother
bring Hilda with them.
much
had not heard that
had been even

to
lose
if
sick.
But there was not a moment

to
he was
the
catch
the
train,
so,
hastily breaking
sad
news
to his wife,
he ordered the carriage and they

set
both prepared to
out for the station.

in leaving
There seemed no danger

the governess,
Hilda since
who
loved the child only less than did

Still,
her parents, would be with her.
Hilda had
never been separated from her father and mother,
even for a single day and, as

drive away, tears ran
now
she watched them
down her
cheeks.
The
father
whistle of the train which
was
to take her
and mother on
their sad journey
had not yet
sounded when another message came to the house

this
message was for the governess, teUing her that
her sister in the village below had been taken very

seriously sick.
"I
shall be
back soon,
my
dear child;" she said.
"Don't on any account

I
step out of the house while
am
gone."
friends
still
With many
close at hand, Hilda
was
not afraid and, going into her
own
little
room, the

windows of which opened
she took
173
to the front of the house,

tales
up her favorite book of fairy
and
began to read.
Then,
all
of a sudden, from her
window
she saw
great clouds of
stables
smoke
rising
from the roof of the
which lay
to the
north of the house, and
flames darting out of the windows.

horses and
so,
She loved the

at their
all
was very much disturbed

butler
danger;
caUing to the
told
and
to
the servants
she
them
to
make
haste
and
rush
down
a very
to the stables
and give what help they could. Thus,

it
strangely enough,
happened
time
that, within
few minutes of the
when her
her
father
and
mother had kissed her good-bye on the

step,
front doorlittle
Hilda was
sitting alone in
own
room
at the front of the great house without a friend or
even a companion to
call
upon
in case of need.
Now
she heard the rumbling of a carriage on the
driveway.
The
carriage stopped at the front door,
and a man,
alighting, rang the bell.
For a moment
in the
the child forgot that there
was no one
house
but herself and waited for some one to answer the

door-bell.
But soon the

before,
bell
rang again, louder and
longer
than
and
suddenly remembering.
174
THE WONDER CHILDREN

in the
with a quick sinking of heart, that there was no
maid
house to answer the
bell,
Hilda threw
to the
open a window, leaned out and called

below.
man
"What is it?" "Let me in and I will tell you;" he answered. "Why, there is no one in the house but me;" she said. "What do you want.?"
"I can't
her.
talk here;" said the
man, looking up
at
"Please come to the door."

can
tell
"You "The
father
is
me from
there;" she insisted,

it
train with
your father and mother on
has
run ofF the track," he called up to her, "and your

badly hurt.
Your mother
sent
me
to bring
you
to
him."
that
at
is
"Oh,
terrible!" cried Hilda.
"Come
Then
once;" said the man.
"There
is
no
time to lose."
she thought of the
Magic Mirror which
her father had given to her that very morning,

dear father who, she was told, was
hurt.
her
badly
now
so
its
This was surely the time

turn
it
to test
power;
she would
toward
this
stranger
and see
whether he were a good or a bad man.
She rushed

to her little
still
175
bureau and, taking the piece of glass

its
it
safe in
velvet case
from the drawer where

a
little
she had laid
away only
while before, she

far out of
was back
in
an instant.
Then, leaning
the window, she called to the stranger below.
*T
am
afraid to
come down."
Now
the
man
stood out farther on the porch and
turned his face plainly up to her.

afraid.?" he asked.
"Why
a
are
you
"I only came for you because
your mother sent me."
He had
carried
a
smooth
voice,
was well dressed, and

in his
handsome cane
hand.
Certainly no messenger could have

But, drawing the
been more respectable.
broken
it
piece of looking-glass from the velvet, Hilda held

so as to
show
his face
and looked carefully
for the
reflection in the glass.

at
The
the
child
was
so frightened
what she saw
in the
Magic Mirror
ground
that she almost
dropped the
glass
tall
to
below;
instead
of the face of a
and handsome man,
as he
had
looked, with the dress and manners of a gentleman,

the mirror
fierce,
showed
a shaggy wolf
on
all fours,
with
bloodshot eyes,
and open mouth exposing
long, sharp teeth.
"What
is
that in your hand.?"
he asked.
But
176
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Drawing back quickly
Hilda did not stay to answer.
she stood, fairly dancing, in her excitement, on the

floor,
while she tried to decide what she should do
next.
She knew now that

it
this
was
it
bad, false
all
man, and
occurred to her that
had been
part of his plan to call her father and mother away,

to send for her governess,
stables, so that she
and even
left
to set fire to the
should be
it
quite alone.
No
to
doubt he thought that

steal her
would now be very easy
away.
to
But what
do next
The smoke from
the stables
was
still
rising black in the air,
and she could see

direction.
no one coming toward the house from any
Then
she recollected that,
when
the house
was
built,
her father had put a bell in the tower, the bell-rope
hanging down
said the bell
in
one of the upper rooms.

to
He had
or serious
that
to
was
be rung in case of
fire
trouble help
so as to
let
the village below

It
know
the
was required.
stairs
only took her a
minute
spring up the
and
to burst
into
room
in
where the rope hung.
Then, grasping the rope

all
both hands, she pulled with
her might.
The
bell
was
a large one
and gave out

least.
sound that could be
heard for a mile at
Hilda was not content to

ring
it
177
once but pulled the rope again and agair
until she
was almost deafened by the sound.
Now
she stole softly into another
room and, peeping out
through the blinds, saw the stranger run rapidly down

the steps and leap into the carriage; then the driver
whipped
the gate.
It
his horses until they fairly galloped
toward
was only
to spare
few minutes more before help enough

at
and
was
hand.
Shortly afterward the governess
came back from
the village and said that her sister had not been sick
at
all
and could not understand how such

sent.
a story
had been
her tale
It
The
governess had hardly finished
when
Hilda's father and mother returned.
seemed that they had met the brother, who they

been
told
had
was
dead,
at
the station,
and
he was as well as ever.
Then Hilda
it
told her story,
and her father understood
all:
some wicked men

another,
to
had planned, by one

everybody
else
trick
and
get
away from
the
house so that the
child should be left alone; they
hoped then
to
be
able to steal her away,
knowing that Mr. Thompson

had
in the
would be eager
to give all he
world
if
he
could only get her safe back again.
178
THE WONDER CHILDREN

said that night of the old
Very kind words were
woman who
twelve years before had surprised Mr. her

call.
Thompson with
The Magic Mirror

need for
came.
had,
indeed, been given
into
Hilda's hand on the very

it
morning when the

After that Mr.
first real
Thompson was more

left
careful than
ever of his daughter, giving positive orders that she
should never be
alone.
But the
weeks and
the months went by and no other danger seemed to
threaten her.
Hilda, however, always kept
the
Magic Mirror
about her
in a little
bag which she wore when she

and on
all
went
to
walk and
to drive, to school,
her
journeys; every night,

placed
the
when
she went to bed, she
bag containing her precious piece of
broken looking-glass on a stand within easy reach.

It
was nearly
a year after her
twelfth birthday
that Hilda, with her father and mother,
was spend-
ing the
summer
at
the
seashore.
The time had

and
passed very delightfully with driving, bathing,

the sail-boat trips
which they took almost every pleasall
ant day.
But Hilda thought the best of

the whole
would
sail
be the afternoon when

for a picnic
family set
on a
little
island a mile from the hotel.

The picnic lunch took little way back from the
was
place under
179
some
trees, a
beach.
The
dining-table
a big flat rock, decorated with the wild flowers
which Hilda and her father had been gathering while

her mother with the maid was spreading the cloth and
laying out fruits and dainties.
But no sooner had they eaten the delicious lunch

than Mr.
Thompson began
to
rise
to look anxiously at the
sky which was rapidly clouding over.
Then
the
wind began
minute.
and
to
grow stronger every
He
hastily arose
and ran along the beach
looking for the boat which had brought them over

to the island
its
;
it
was nowhere
to
be seen.
Perhaps
to return
owner had not thought they would wish
so soon.
Two
other skippers, however, offered to
take them home, each one claiming that his boat was
safe,
and
insisting that the other's
was dangerous.
Mr. Thompson did not know
either of the
men and
trust.
could not guess which was more worthy of
But the water between the island and the mainland
which had been so smooth
a little while
ago was
now
white with tossing waves rising higher from minute

to minute.
There was no time
to
waste
if
they were to get
i8o
THE WONDER CHILDREN

and
as to spending the night
safely across,
little
on the
island without
any protection from the coming

Mrs.
rain, that
was not
to be thought of.
Thompand Mr.
son liked the skipper with the smooth face and the
pleasant
smile the
better
of
the
two,
Thompson
himself thought his boat looked neater

other.
and more trim than the

^'Better hurry, sir;"
urged the fellow,

the sky and sea.
who
be-
gan to look nervously
at
"Even
when
now it will be They were now

to
risky to cross."
all
following
him
to his boat
It
Hilda thought of her Magic Mirror.

save
all
might even
their lives their
by showing which skipper

Perhaps the
smooth-
trust
with
lives.
looking
man was
not capable; she opened her bag
to take out the mirror
and put him
to the test.
"Hurry,
my
dear;" urged her father.
"There
is
not a minute to lose."
But Hilda had now drawn
out her looking-glass, stripped back the velvet cover,
and was holding

polite skipper.
it
so as to reflect the face of the
The waves
tossed higher than ever
and the wind almost

child's
tore
the
mirror
from the
as he
hand.
Mr. Thompson turned pale
saw the
fellow reflected in the magic glass as a fool-

ish,
i8i
grinning monkey.
In a minute more they were

it
all in
the other boat and
was bravely breasting

to
the
waves which threatened
sink
it.
But the
~
--!
''^
^-^î.^
1r~-
cS'isf
Choosing the Boatman.
second boatman was skilful and soon brought them

safely to the shore.
Just as they were stepping out,
with lightened hearts, they heard a loud shout from

their friends
who had
gathered anxiously at the dock
i82
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Looking back they saw the other
have taken but for the
it
to await them.
boat,
which they would

as
Magic Mirror, capsize

wave, and throw
able to
life,
its
was struck by
into
a big
owner
the
sea;
he was
swim
it
ashore, after a hard struggle for his

to see
but
was easy
what would have hapmother, and the
pened to Hilda, her father and

faithful maid, if they
had been with him.
Hilda had one very dear friend; Jennie lived near

by,
and each
as
at
girl
was
at the other's
house almost as
much
her own; they went to school and rein
turned arm
arm, and neither was content

little
until
she had told the other the
which had time

meetings.
It
to
happen between
their
frequent
so
happened that a cousin of Hilda's came on a

and, being of a jealous disposition, she was
visit
made
unhappy by seeing how fond Hilda was of Jennie.

She began to throw out
she would try to
spiteful hints against Jennie;
make Hilda
think her friend was
talking unkindly of her or laughing at her, or that
she was getting to like another schoolmate and to

neglect Hilda, and, most shocking of
told
to
all,
that she
the
other girl the choicest

in
secrets
which
Hilda had confided
her.

The
jealous cousin usually did
all this
183
in
whis-
pers, leaning
over Hilda's shoulder to breathe the
mischief into her ears, and very often
when Jennie
was present
ways:
so
that the
poison would work two
Jennie
would think Hilda and her cousin
were talking against her, or making plans which

left
her out;
then Jennie would be

was
right in
less affectionate,
and Hilda would, of course, think

that her cousin
this
went
to
show
warning her against her

to Jennie,
old friend, and
would then be cold
which
would lead matters from bad
to worse.
girls
So the beautiful friendship between the two
seemed
likely
to
be
killed,
instead
of
ripening
with each year to give them both joy and comfort

all
their lives.
Hilda
felt
very miserable, until one
day she thought of her Magic Mirror.

this
Why
not try
whispering cousin and see whether her bitter

.?
words were honest

after the
Hilda did not wait a minute
thought came to her.
Her bag, which

side,
these years always
hung by her
wrapped
was torn open
with eager fingers, and she quickly drew out the

piece of looking-glass
in
its
velvet cover.
Several of her friends were with her that afternoon,

all
having come back from school together.
Jennie,
i84
THE WONDER CHILDREN
hurt by the cold looks of her dearest friend, was

talking listlessly with another girl at one end of the
room, and the jealous cousin was leaning over Hilda's shoulder
from behind saying,
in a
whisper, that
in
Jennie was making fun of a mistake

recitation
Hilda's
that sore
morning
at
school.
Poor Hilda's
heart
was
and she was
just darting a very un-
kind glance at Jennie
when
the thought of the Magic
Mirror came to her.
Now
its
she suddenly raised the
glass so as to reflect her cousin's face as that of an
evil-looking cat spitting

It
poison into her ear.
was
all
done so quickly that the cousin did not

;
know what was going on

you may
believe,
but she was astonished,

impatiently
when Hilda
I
stepped
away from her saying: "

say against
don't believe a
word you
my
best friend."
But Jennie knew about the magic mirror and had

seen
what Hilda was doing with
it.
So she was
ready with wide open arms to take her friend back

to her heart
when Hilda rushed
across the
room
to
her like a small whirlwind of muslin and smiles.

Hilda's next great danger
kind.
was of
a very different
There was
new
scholar in her school

girl.
who
kept saying flattering things to the
One day

she would
tell
185
Hilda she was very pretty,

thick, her eyes
her hair
was
soft,
so long
and
were so large and
The next day the child was told how graceful she was, how well she walked and much better stood, how very kind-hearted she was,
her lips so sweet.
to all her
mates than they deserved or than they
were
to her.
Another day her friend
told her
how
bright she was,
the
quickest of scholars, learning

So, as
her lessons without half trying.

natural, the child
was only
of herself,
came
to talk too
much
and was
in a fair
way of being
spoiled.
Mr. Thompson was very unhappy over the course

things seemed to be taking, being afraid that his
daughter would grow up a vain,
silly,
and
useless
woman.
best to
But
it
was
all for
nothing that he tried his

in
show her the mistake she was making
listening to all the flattering

until
words she might hear,
one lucky morning he bethought himself of the
Magic Mirror.
"You
I
always take the Magic Mirror to school,
suppose;" he said.
"Yes, papa.
"Well,
But why do you speak of

dear," he replied,
it
.f*"
my
"you do not seem
quite to believe
me when
I tell
you that people who
i86
THE WONDER CHILDREN

mean what they
say.
praise us do not always
Why
not put this admirer of yours to the test ?"
"What do you mean, papa

ready to
set
?" asked Hilda,
making
out for school.
"Why,
you
just this.
tell
mirer begins to
are, hold
it.
The next time your new adyou how lovely or bright or good
to reflect
is
up your Magic Mirror so as

So you
is
her face in
will learn
whether she
to.'*
as
honest as she
pleasing to listen
Hilda was sure that nobody could praise her with-
out being good and true and was very willing to put
her friend to the
test.
off^
"ril do
school.
it;"
she answered gayly, as she ran
to
But when she came home

bitterly.
at
noon she was crying
"What
is
the matter
.?"
asked her father tenderly,
as he took her in his arms.
So, between her sobs, Hilda told
him how she had
turned the Magic Mirror on the friend
who had done
nothing but praise her; "and, what do you think.?

(sob),
I
saw her
reflected in the mirror as a fox.
You remember
the fable
(sob),
about the fox that

in
wanted the piece of cheese which the bird had
her

mouth, (sob)
?
187
The
bird
was perched on the branch
of a tree, and the fox was on the ground below looking up hungrily.
You know
the picture?"
"Yes," answered her

closer,
father,
hugging her a
little
"and
have seen so many such foxes and
foolish birds !"
"Then you remember that the bird how sweet a voice

silly
the cunning fox told
she
really a hoarse, cracked-voiced old
she was crow, and the

had,
thing opened her
mouth
to sing
and dropped
the cheese for the sly fox.
Well
(sob),
my
friend,
whom
had thought so
nice, looked in the mirror
just like thatTox."
And
Hilda,
who had
just learned
the most painful and perhaps the most useful lesson
of her
life,
nestled her head against her father's loving

if
shoulder and cried as
her heart would break.

ice
Soon afterward colder weather came, and
formed on the pond near Hilda's home, although

in
some places
it
was
thin.
One
of her foolish play-
mates persuaded her to skate upon a dangerous place.

If Hilda
had
tried her
risk.
Magic Mirror she would not
have taken the

with
it
Perhaps she was out of patience

last
since her
painful
lesson,
last
yet
really
suppose she chose to save
her
two chances
i88
THE WONDER CHILDREN

more important and where
But the
ice
for occasions she thought
her
common
sense could not guide her.
broke beneath her weight and she came near being
drowned.
in a
As
it
was, she caught a severe cold, and

set in
few days a dreadful disease
and
it
was
feared the child would not get well.
Her mother hardly

father spent his
left
the sick-room, and her

nights
days and
waiting outside
the door, afraid to look in the faces of those
who
came out
news.
lest
he should read there the worst of
At
last
the old family doctor said he could do
nothing more for the sick child, and two famous

doctors were called from far away.
The
very
doctors
until
had heard of each other but had never met

in in
Hilda's
sick-room.
They were
tall
different
full,
appearance.
One was
and
fat,
with a
out
ruddy face; when he talked he
puffed
his
cheeks, and, as he stood or walked about, his body
bent forward in the middle like
bow;
certainly
he looked
much more important than
the small,
in his
thin doctor with the pale face
and the stoop
narrow shoulders.
The two
doctors looked carefully at the sick child

and, think
189
when
it
it
came
to talking over her case, did not
necessary to go out, since she seemed too
weak
to notice
what was
said or done.
Each had
a treatment to suggest
her,
which he thought would save
and each was sure that what was suggested by the
other would do more
harm than good.
After disput-
ing for a few minutes they called Mr.
Thompson
from
his anxious seat just outside the
door to decide
between them; he did not hesitate a moment, the

fat,
red-faced doctor looked so
much
wiser than the
small doctor with the pale cheeks and the stooping

shoulders.
"Well," said the small, pale doctor, taking up
his
hat to go, "then you have no more use for me.
When you
blame."
Just
trying
lose
your child you
will
know whom
to
then
to
Hilda opened
her eyes
and seemed
speak.
Her mother was bending over
her in an instant to catch the feeble whisper, and
then turned quickly to her husband.
"She wants
mother,
the
Magic Mirror;" explained Hilda's

taking
the glass
in
its
hurriedly
wrap-
pings from the bag which lay on the stand; then

she
stripped
back the velvet which protected
its
iQo
surface,
THE WONDER CHILDREN

and Hilda took
to
it.
The
big, red-faced doctor,
curious
know what was going
on,
had drawn
near while the thin white hands held up toward him

the stained piece of broken looking-glass.
To Mr. Thompson's
ror as a
astonishment the importantin the
appearing gentleman was reflected

stupid
Magic Mirthan a
donkey hardly any
taller
Shetland pony.
The
effort
exhausted the child's strength and she
sank back and closed her eyes again.

Mirror had done
its
But the Magic
wonderful work once more.
The
wise-looking doctor was sent away, and the other

stayed to care for the sick child soon to be restored
to perfect health.
When
Hilda had grown quite well again her par-
ents took her far
away
to a foreign land.
There
they stayed until she had grown to be a
woman.
But hardly a day passed that they did not speak of

the good the
Magic Mirror had done and think
gratefully of the old
woman who had made

to
Hilda
the
gift.
When
reached
Hilda
the
returned
her
home
to
she
had
age
when
she
began
think of
getting married.
The house was gay
with parties

near to try to win her for a bride.
for
191
and dances, and young men came from far and
Some
loved her
her beauty, others
for
it
her
sweetness; others
for the sake
girl in
pretended to love her but
was only
of the riches which would be hers.
No
at
the
land had more real or pretended lovers.
Among them all there tween whom she was to

some,
both
were two,
choose.
in
the
last,
be-
Both were hand-
were pleasing
different,
manner;
yet
they
were quite
flashing
one
while
having black hair and

the
black
eyes,
other had
brown
the
hair and blue eyes.
The
black-eyed
man was
in
handsomer, and most of her friends thought she

preferred him.
riage,
Both had asked her hand
mar-
and the time had come, on the evening when

filled
her twenty-first birthday party
the grand house
with gay guests, that she was to give her answer.
The
hours
to
were
passing
merrily
away, and she
seemed
be no nearer making up her mind,
when
suddenly a new idea came to her.
Hastily leading
her parents to one side, into the very library where her father had
sat
the night she
was born, she
exclaimed
forgotten
all
"Have you
about the Magic Mirror V'
192
THE WONDER CHILDREN

no!"
answered
her
father.
"Indeed,
could
"How
darhng
we
ever forget the dangers from which that
broken
child?"
piece
of looking-glass
saved
our
"Then you must remember

five times,
it
has been used but
and
is
good
for
once more.
Perhaps
it
me from an even greater danger now. Why not try my two lovers with it and see which is the truer and better man ?"
may
save
"Why
them
not, indeed ?"
echoed her mother eagerly.
"Run and
get the mirror
and your father
will call
into this
room
for the test."

little
When
Hilda returned with the mirror in the

it,
bag where she had always kept

two young men waiting
all
she found
the
in
wonder
as to
what
it
could
is
mean.
Mr. Thompson merely

It is a
said:
"Here
curiosity.
strange sort of mirror which
my
daughter would like you to look into."

Still
wondering, the two
men
took their places on
either side of her; then, as she held
up the stained
it.
piece of looking-glass,
all
three looked into
The
as to
Magic Mirror was

fail in its last
still
not so badly
stained
task
Hilda was reflected as a lamb,
the blue-eyed lover as a magnificent lion, the king

of
all
193
animals, and the other young
man
as a skulk-
ing and cowardly jackal watching the
lamb with
hungry look but trembling with fear of her protector,
the noble lion.

it.
This decided
Mr. Thompson, with
tears of
happiness in his eyes, placed the hand of his daughter
One Way of choosing a Husband.
in that of the
well.
in
young man who had stood the
test so
Then they
returned to the drawing-room, and,
the presence of the great
company,
for her
it
was an-
nounced that Hilda had chosen
husband the
194
THE WONDER CHILDREN

her parents were content to intrust with
man whom
her Hfe's happiness.
Her wedding was
the grandest ever
known
in that
country, and she lived happily ever after.
STORY OF THE BOY WHO TEASED

TJ
ALPH LOGAN was a very bright boy, interested

in
everything that he saw and heard.
When
cellar
at a
his father hired old

in
Mr. Wilkins
to
saw some wood

on the
the cellar,
Ralph took
his position
stairs
and tormented the old man

be permitted
to
for an
hour
time, teasing to
try whether he
could not saw just as well himself.
Indeed, the boy
only ceased teasing to saw
when Mr. Wilkins stopped

proceeded to
split
sawing and, taking up

the lengths of
forgot
all
his axe,
wood
into small pieces.
Then Ralph
one chance to
about his anxiety to saw while he pleaded

let
with Mr. Wilkins to

use the axe.
him have
just
Another day the coal men came, and, the wagon

being halted in the
street, a
big grimy-faced
in
man
pro-
ceeded to bring the coal,
great baskets on his
shoulder, to the cellar window, where he emptied
them
with a great
rattle
and
roar.
Ralph kept begging
the grimy-faced
man
to let
195
him carry one of the
196
THE WONDER CHILDREN
Ralph would like to
split
Wood.
baskets on his shoulder, and, after being refused
twenty times
other man,
in
twenty minutes, began to tease the

stood on the cart with a shovel, to
who
STORY OF THE BOY

let
WHO TEASED
197
him shovel the
coal into the baskets.

at the boy.
eller
merely laughed
The shovBut when Hannah,

the
the cook, told Ralph's father, on his return from business,
how Ralph had behaved about

Mr. Logan looked quite
sober.
wood and
called his
it
coal
He
boy
to
him
just before
bedtime and told him
was
do
very wrong to keep asking to be allowed

things which he did not
to
know how to
if
do,
and which
he was too young to do even

"
he
knew how.
do was to put
forth
Why,"
said Ralph, "
it
looked so easy when Mr.
Wilkins was sawing.

his foot
All he
had
his
to
on the log and push
saw back and
through the wood a few times; then a length of the

log
fell
off
showing the beautiful smooth place
where the saw had been running.''
"You
is
are
much mistaken;"
But
if
said his father.
"It
very hard work even for a grown man,
who knows
show
how, to saw wood.
Mr. Wilkins had trusted

his best to
you with
his
saw and had even done

it,
you how to use
you would have found that the

in
saw would keep going

the one you wanted
it
every direction
except
in,
to take,
bending out and
and
finally getting stuck so fast in the
wood
that he
himself could not easily have worked
it
loose,"
198
THE WONDER CHILDREN

I
"Well/' said Ralph, "anyhow

split
think
could have
all
the wood.
The
axe was so sharp that

it
Mr.
Wilkins had to do was swing
over his head, and
when he brought
wood
it
its
edge down against the piece of
cut as a knife
would
slice a piece
of cake."
"More
Hkely," said his father, "it would have cut

feet off.
one of your
An
axe
is
a very dangerous
thing for any one to handle unless he has been very

carefully taught.
split
it.
But the axe Mr. Wilkins uses
to
wood
is
so heavy that
you could not have swung
Hannah
says
you
also
wanted
to
have the coal-
man
I
put that big basket loaded with coal on your

let
back and
you carry
lifted
it
it
to
the
cellar
if
window.
could not have
myself, and even

it
you had
been able to carry the basket,

well for your clothes.
would not have been
Perhaps you did not notice
the grimy face of the
man whose
you are
have
let
business
it
is
to
carry coal baskets."
"Yes, father,
the other
see
right.
But
think
man might
the
baskets
me
get in the
fine
wagon
shovel
and
fill
with
that
big
of his."
"That was
pretty dirty work, too;" said his father.

it
"It was a good deal harder, too, than
looked.

You
could not have
lifted that
199
it
shovel of his
son,
when
vâs even one-quarter full.
Now, my
you are
I
ten years old to-day, and your mother and
have
given you
all
the things which a boy of your age
can enjoy.
hope you
will give
up
this foolish habit
of yours of asking to be allowed to do things which
you
are too
little
and too young
for."
Then
his
father and mother kissed
him good night and Ralph
promised that he would try not to trouble them
any more.
But
it
seemed
as if sleep
must have made him

on
his
forget; for the very next morning,
way
to
school with the boy
who
lived next door, he told his
friend that he wished he could be

street car that
motorman on
the
went dashing
by.
"It
is
is
easy enough;" said Ralph; "all he has to do
pull a handle around,
and the farther he
pulls
it,
the faster the car goes."
Ralph rode home from school that afternoon on

the
his
same
street car,
and
lost
no time before he made
way
to the front platform to let
and began
to tease the
little
motorman
him run the car
just a
at
way.
Of
course the
motorman only laughed
him, and
Ralph was quite out of temperwhen he reached home.
200
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"Where
James, the coachman, was just riding ofFon one

of the horses as Ralph entered the gate.
are
you going, James ?" asked the boy.

giving the horses
"lam
some exercise "
said James.
"They have been

are too full of
life
shut up for two or three days and

to drive."
"Oh, James," shouted Ralph, "come back and put

the saddle and bridle on Nellie and
let
me
ride her."
"Nellie would throw you

laughing,
stronger
off,
my
boy," said James
"you need longer
legs
than yours and a
hand before you can

Ralph quite
ride anything but a

lost
Shetland pony."
this
his
temper
at
and ran crying
into the house.
At bedtime he
told all his troubles to his mother.

as she
She shook her head quite sadly
bade him
good night and said:
"You
to
promised, Ralph, that
you would do your best

of teasing to do
overcome your bad habit
everything which you see grown

are
people doing.
You
to
making us
all
very unhappy
I
and growing up
wish
I
be an ill-tempered maUo
only
knew how
to cure
you of your bad habit."
Now there was
a certain fairy
who had
loved Ralph
ever since he was born.
She had often saved him

in
from accident, or whispered some warning
his

ears in time to prevent his doing
thing.
201
some very
foolish
ill
She, too,
was very sad over Ralph's

felt
behavior,
and
ashamed because she

fault.
that
it
might be partly her
She was
sitting right
by
Mrs. Logan's elbow while Ralph's mother was bidding him good night, but, of course, grown people
cannot see
see
fairies,
and usually even children cannot
them except
in the night time.
But when
his
mother went out of the room, leaving Ralph to go to

sleep, the
fairy stayed
behind.
Mrs. Logan was in
the habit of locking Ralph's door
when
she went out,
because, once or twice, the boy had risen from bed
and walked
in
his
sleep,
and she was afraid

in his sleep,
left
he
might come out some night,

ing
not know-
what he was doing,
if
the door was
unlocked,
and tumble down-stairs.

It did
not worry the fairy at
all
that the door
was
locked and she inside, because fairies
can go right
through closed doors, or stone walls for that matter,
and take any
little
boys or
girls
with them, too, just

fairy
by holding their hands.

sitting
Ralph's
was
still
on the window-seat
in the little boy's
room
as troubled as
any
fairy
can be.
Her
pretty red
mouth was pursed up, and her eyebrows were drawn
202
THE WONDER CHILDREN

in a stern little frown, as she tried to
down
study out
off
Ralph's case.
sleep he could
If the
boy had not dropped
to
have seen her growing plainer to view
every minute as the
room grew darker and
darker.
fairy's
At
last a bright
thought seemed to cross the

as if
mind; she smiled
now
everything had become
clear and, sliding off the window-seat, she alighted
on Ralph's pillow and pinched one of

put up
then,
his
his ears.
He
to
hand and rubbed the ear quickly and

over
turning
on
the
other
side,
went
sleep again.
ling noise
The
fairy
laughed with a sweet, tinkhis other ear;
and pinched
then spoke his
name.
his eyes.
Ralph quickly turned on

She then spoke
his
his
back and opened

again,
name
and the
boy
sat
up
in bed, turning sidewise to see
who
it
was that spoke

and yet so
It
to
him
in
such a queer
little
voice
distinctly.
first
was the
time Ralph had ever seen a fairy,

is
but no boy of his age
really surprised
when he
is
sees a fairy for the first time,

afraid.
and no good boy

:
He
a
just smiled
and said
and
there
his eyes
began to dance.
"You are a fairy;" He was quite sure

"
I
was
good time
in store for him.
had no
idea fairies were so pretty;" he added.

You
see, the fairy
203
had a face hke
a dainty child,
with a small mouth, large soft eyes and arched eye-
brows; she
wore
a wise, gentle
expression which
young
sweet
faces do not always keep.

as
Her voice was
as
happy
in
it
it,
child's,
with something of the
mother ring
love to hear
too, so that not only did the

it
boy
but
made him
trust her.
He was
too eager to hear
what she would propose
to think very
much
then as to
how
to
she
was dressed
and w^hat jewellery she wore.

picture her afterward,
it
But, as he tried to
seemed
him
that she had
about her neck a string of great pearls which hung

almost to her waist, each of the pearls seeming to
have a
light of
its
own
so
that
it
almost shone.
She wore a
belt or girdle of glistening stones
which
he thought perhaps might be diamonds, and her

fluffy
white
dress
was caught up
in
hundred
loops with golden buckles.
She smiled gayly when

best of fairies
Ralph spoke of her beauty; even the

have a
just
little
vanity
and
am not sure
she
but she blushed
little.
Perhaps
was ashamed of her
vanity.
"I suppose," exclaimed Ralph jumping out of bed

without delay, "that you are going to take
me
off
204
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Wait
a
with you for some great fun to-night.

until I get
minute
on
are
my
clothes."
little
"What
are
you talking about,
boy.?"
see
she
said laughing out mockingly.
"Don't you
you
as
quite
dressed now.?"
at
And, sure
enough,
Ralph glanced
had on
little
his feet,
he saw that he already

trousers
his
shoes and
stockings, his
and
jacket and even his collar and necktie; while

his very eyes
under
in his
he could see the air taking shape
hand, and a
moment
later there
was
his
cap
clutched tightly between his
thumb and two
fingers.
"I
fairy.
am going to scold you a little, first;" said the "You are displeasing your father and mother
all
and making
your friends uncomfortable by teas-
ing to be allowed to do things which only grown-up
people can properly do.
You
will
not believe
to
it
when you
are told that you do not

it
know how
do
the things, and that

to try."
would not be well
for
you
"If they would only give
me
chance!"
said
Ralph complainingly,
his
face falling,
and
all
the
brightness going out of his eyes, at the thought of the
many
"I
thrilling pleasures
which he had been denied.
am now
going to give you a chance;" said the

fairy.
205
"Try
to think
what of
all
things you would

it
rather try to do, and

to-night/'
you
shall
go and try to do
"Really!''
" Anything
!
almost screamed the boy with delight.

I
would rather, most of all," he shouted,
"run an engine."
The words had

hers,
hardly gone out of his mouth before
the fairy leaned forward, took one of his hands in
and put her other hand,

over his eyes.
soft
and warm
as a
baby's,
Then
there
broke on his
ears the deafening roar of iron wheels running on

iron tracks,
and he found himself
sitting
on the en-
gineer's seat in the cab of a locomotive engine,
and
dressed in overalls and jumper instead of the clothes
he had worn an instant before.

It
was
a bright moonlight night, so
Ralph could
see quite a distance
on either side of the track and
back where the long train of passenger cars came

rushing after his engine.
in front, too,
He
could see a long
way
long
by aid of the moonlight, even without

headlight,
the
locomotive
which threw
its
white rays far out ahead on the track.
Of
course there was also a fireman in the cab;
he wâs, at that very moment, shovelling coal into the
2o6
THE WONDER CHILDREN

At
first
fire-box of the engine.
Ralph feh very unpreferred

to
comfortable
be
and would much have

his
back
in
ov^n
bed;
the
shaking
of
the
great engine noise
made
his teeth fairly chatter,
and the
was louder than anything he had ever heard.

swift
But soon the

of houses,
ravines,
motion and the flying glimpses
fields,
forests,
and
hillsides,
brooks and
ponds and waterfalls began
to delight him.
Then he became aware
that the fireman
had closed
the door of the fire-box almost at his feet, and
was
he
standing looking at him in surprise.
No wonder
little
was
surprised, thought Ralph, to see a
boy only
ten years old sitting in the seat of the engineer of the
Limited Express.
so loud
The man's
lips
were moving, but

it
was the
little
din of the machinery that
was
quite a
time before Ralph could understand
what he was saying.

It
seemed that the fireman was not expressing

at finding
his
in
astonishment
such a youthful engineer
such an important position, but only reminding him

that he
ings.
had not whistled or rung
his bell at the cross-
"What
is
the matter with
you
to-night,
Jim
as
.?
You
passed three crossings without so

I
much
never
whistle or a jerk of your bell-cord.
knew

you
to
207
do such a thing before."

it
You
see the fireman
thought
was the regular engineer.
*T was only thinking;" piped up a childish voice

entirely unlike Jim's although the fireman strangely
enough did not appear
to notice
it.
Ralph had often

handle for the
seen engineers pull forward a

whistle, but
little
somehow he could
not decide,
now
that
he was actually in the cab, which one of the numerous rods, handles, and knobs he should pull or push;
it
might be a very serious
affair,
you
see, if
he touched
the
wrong
one.
The
his
fireman quickly leaned fora rod in front of the

it
ward and, laying
hand on
boy, but almost out of his reach, pulled
out four
times in succession without another word.

ringing the bell that
As
for
was simple enough with the
cord hanging right over Ralph's head.
"Til do
it
all
right after this;"
Ralph said
to the
astonished fireman.
So whenever the boy saw anything

that looked at
all like
in the distance
a crossing he stood
up
in his
seat and, stretching out, pulled the whistle throttle
four times, two long and two short pulls, as the
fire-
man had
bell
done. Then, sitting down, he would pull the
cord to his heart's content.
This was
real fun.
2o8
THE WONDER CHILDREN

let
"Better
her out a
bit,
hadn't you?" said the

a
little
fireman again.
"Guess we're
behind time."
old
Then
the
man grumbled
to himself:
"The
man
must be
on him."
sick to-night.
I shall
have to keep an eye
Ralph had seen engineers

creasing their speed,
starting trains, or inlife,
many now
times in his
that he
but
it
seemed very
cab.
different
was
really in the
in
His puzzled eyes wandered
all
about the cab
search of the throttle, and at last by good luck he

laid his
hand on the proper handle,

it,
but, as he tried
to
push
standing on his step and putting out

:
all his
strength, the fireman shouted
" Pull
it
toward
you, man.
Don't push
it."
So the boy stepped

all
down and
pulled the throttle with
his
might.
the
"Not
too
much;" shouted
whip
the fireman.
Then
its
engine sprang forward like a horse

lays the
to his
still
when
rider
steaming flanks.
The
to
fireman
wondered why Ralph had started

it.
push the throttle instead of pulling
"You
Jim
?
didn't think
we were going
too fast, did you,

.?"
You don't want to Of course Ralph
slow down, eh
should have
known
that
when an
engineer wants to increase the speed of his engine

steam, and only pushes
209
he pulls the throttle toward him, letting on more

it
back when he wants
to
reduce speed.
"The water
in
your boiler
is all
right, I
suppose ?"
hinted the fireman.
"Tried your gauges lately?"

to
Ralph did not know what he was expected

to do with the
have
water
in the boiler,
what
his
gauges
were, where to look for them, or what they would

look like
when he found them.
But the good-nalittle
tured fireman put his hand on three

in a row,
valve wheels
it,
and each one, when he turned
gave out
a sizzling stream of water
and steam.
" Plenty of
water;" he reported.
Every
little
while they went rushing by a small
village station
where accommodation
trains
would
stop,
but to which the "Limited" paid no more

if it
attention than
was
barn or
cattle shed.
Usu-
ally these small stations
were deserted, except, occa-
sionally, for a telegraph operator
whose duty
as
it
was
to
keep account of
night.
all
the trains
they passed,
day and
"It
see
is
easy enough;" thought Ralph.
"I don't
why
people told
me
couldn't do
it."
:
Now the
fireman was shouting to him again
"We
210
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Rowley;" he was saying; "we
bit
are getting pretty near
have to slow down a

city,
as
we
pass through this
you know, or we
slid
will get into trouble."
So Ralph
down from
his high seat in order to

lever.
get his feet on the step,
and pushed the
"Not
then
too
much;"
said the fireman as the engine almost

to reduce
his seat
bell
its
instantly
began
speed.
The boy
His
climbed up on
again and blew his whistle

little
and rang
his
for another crossing.
cheeks fairly puffed out with self-satisfaction.

there never
Surely
was any fun
like this
As they approached the more thickly

tion of the. city of
settled por-
Rowley, lanterns of different colors

in the
began
to
appear scattered among the tracks

style.
all
most confusing
different
These
different lights in their
positions
meant something which the

have
understood;
engineer,
the
all
real
Jim, would
but
it
was
a mystery to Ralph,
and he was troubled
for fear there
was something he did not know about

to do.
which he ought
He
took comfort, however,
out of the fact that the fireman seemed to have
made
open
like
up
his
mind he would have
to
keep
his eyes
to help out
"Jim," the engineer, who was not
himself to-night.

As they passed the
station a
211
number
of travellers
stood on the platform, waiting, as Ralph supposed,

for
some other
in
train
which would come behind, or
which, going
the
the opposite direction, might pass

at
"Limited" and afterward stop
Rowley.
One
might have expected that the people would look

astonished
seat;
I
to
see
little
boy on the engineer's
but nobody seemed to notice any change.

it
suppose the fairy had arranged

like
so that
Ralph
looked
fireman.
Jim
to
them, just as he did to the
As
the
train
was
leaving
the
last
lights
of
Rowley behind Ralph saw

staring light as
if
in the distance
round
ris-
the brightest of
moons were
track,
ing straight ahead of
him out of the
and be-
hind
it
a great
is
moving shadow.
.?"
"What
that ahead of us
it.
he cried.
"We
are
.^"
running right into
Shall
try to stop the engine

his seat
And Ralph jumped down from

to
and began
push
his throttle over.
"No! no!"
down
what
train
cried the fireman;

it
"that
is
only the
on the other track;
stops at Rowley,
you know."
The
as
fireman laughed, although some-
uneasily,
he turned
away grumbling
to
212
himself:
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"The
old
man must
be crazy;
or perhaps
he
is
just joking."
train swept past
At that instant the down
them
it
with a screech and a roar, and Ralph thought
must be
again;
all
right
now
to let his
own engine go
little
faster
so he pulled the throttle a

it
farther for-
ward than
was
before.
"Have you
the
forgotten your reverse lever ?" growled
now much
I
disturbed fireman.
"But
don't
want
to
go backward, do I.^" de-
manded Ralph.
up from the
The
fireman put his hand on the

like a big
handle of what looked
bar of iron standing
floor right beside Ralph's seat.
The bar
"That's
stood tilted forward, but the fireman pulled the handle
back so that the bar stood about upright.

the
way
to
keep
it
when you
full
are going at full speed
or else you don't get the
value out of
if it
my
fire."
The
fireman laughed as
tell
was
a joke that he
should have to
his
engineer so simple a thing.
He might have added

wanted
the
to
that
when
the engineer really
make
his
engine go backward he pulled

it
reverse
lever
over until
tilted
backward.
it
But Ralph was learning pretty

Quite a distance
in
fast as
was.
front,
now, he could see a

winding path
so
213
of light
like
moonlight
on water;
he supposed they wôuld soon be coming to a

It
bridge.
would be great fun
to
cross
a bridge
Very
it;
likely he
ought to "slow down" before he reached
but he was ashamed to ask the fireman,
who must
behaving
already
be
thinking
his
engineer
was
curiously enough.
rupt
him
just
Anyhow Ralph could not interthen, because the much worried man
in coal.
was shovelling
Now
the engine
was passing between two high

off
banks which shut
some of the moonlight, and

clambered down
throttle
Ralph began
from
his seat
to feel nervous; so he
and began pushing the

the engine go slower.
back
so as to
make
Then he pushed
the brake handle halfway to the right.
And
at last,
it
remembering about the reverse

so
it
lever,
he pushed
tilted
forward instead of standing upright.
He
did not like the idea of rushing upon the bridge at

full
speed; even to think of
it
made him
feel dizzy.
What was
the track
?
that red thing dancing to and fro

It
down
this
fire-
was too
large for a firefly.
At
moment
the fireman
slammed
the door of the
box again and, straightening himself up, gave a

quick glance ahead.
He suddenly
shouted
"Throw
214
your
Hght
!
THE WONDER CHILDREN

throttle
'way over, man.
That's the danger

!
Throw your emergency brake 'way around

all his
Are you crazy ?"
Ralph threw
then pushed
right as
it
weight against the throttle, and
the
air-brake
handle as
far
to
the
would go, while the fireman himself pulled

its
the reverse lever back to

full
stop,
and then
let
on
steam again so as to make the big wheels

a noise
if
slide.
Now
was given out by the groaning
train
behind as
the car-wheels, instead of turning, were

rails,
grinding along the

slower every second.
but
moving slower and
"The
bridge
is
gone!"
cried the fireman.
"Get
ready to jump."
As the engine drew near
to the brink of the river
the frightened boy could see the black figures of
hundreds of men gathered near the bank, on either

side of the track, all of
them with
faces, white in the
moonlight, turned
now toward
the approaching train.
There was nothing more

train
full
to do,
but the engine and
moved slower and
slower,
and
finally
came
to a
stop just on the edge of the
bank where one end
of the bridge had once rested.
At that
instant
Ralph
felt
a soft
hand
in his
hand,
The "Limited"
in
Danger.

and another
laid lightly over his eyes;
215
the shouts
of the crowd and the panting of the engine died

in
away
bed,
his ears;
he was once more lying in his
own
in his
own home, even
with his night-gown on.
By the
he
dim
light
which the moon threw into the room
could see his clothes, neatly folded over the chair
by the bedside as usual, and

floor beneath.
It
his shoes lying
on the
was small wonder that Ralph was
late to
break-
fast the
next morning, or that his face was quite
pale and his eyes had rather a feverish look.
"Why! what
mother
as he
is
the matter,
into the room.
Ralph?"
cried his
came
"You
look sick."
His father glanced at his son over the top of his
morning paper.
Then
the boy told of his wonderful experience of
the night, a story which

telling that
was
so exciting to
him
in
he paid no attention to the breakfast

to
which was cooling before him, or

glances which
his
the
uneasy
father
and mother exchanged
while he talked.
said:
When
he had finished, his mother

to
"Poor
little
boy;" and, crossing
him, she
a pretty
put her hand on his forehead.

trying dream, didn't
"You had
you
.?"
2i6
THE WONDER CHILDREN

it
"Oh,
was not
a dream;'' he said.
"I think we
his
will
send for the doctor;" broke
in
father.
"You need
if
not go to school to-day,

in a
Ralph."
"
I
Then he spoke
lower tone to his wife:
wonder
the boy has been studying too
hard
lately."
When
Ralph's mother came back from the

his
tele-
phone her husband was again reading

Suddenly he
exclaimed:
newspaper.
is
"Why,
this
strange!
a terrible
The Limited Express narrowly escaped
accident last night a few miles beyond Rowley.
The
bridge over Black River, weakened by recent floods,
had given way.

just
The Limited was

*
'
only stopped
like
on the edge of the
river.
That was
our
Ralph's dream."
''But
it
was not
dream, father;" insisted

as his
Ralph turning half around

ing
mother was lead-
him
to his
bedroom.
a
Ralph stayed out of school
week before the doctor
thought him well enough to go back to his studies.
But
it
was
several
weeks
later before he
made any
do.
more complaints
at not
being permitted to do things

to
which only grown people understand how
His parents really began to hope that his " dream,"

as they called
it,
217
habit.
had quite cured him of
his
bad
But with the passage of weeks the memory of that

wonderful night's experience faded somewhat from
Ralph's mind, and he began again to cast frequent
envious glances on his elders
their
when he saw them
at
more
interesting callings.
One
as ever.
afternoon his mother remarked to her husis
band: "Ralph
becoming almost
as
troublesome
He
has been teasing
me
One
to
for the last three
or four days,
to
almost
continually
when
at
home,
do quite impossible things.
time he wanted to
tune the piano, another to help the

the stable.
man
shingling
To-day he wanted
in
take a handsaw
and climb up
dener
It
the
maple-tree to help the garoff
who was sawing

was
that
a call
some of the branches."

was again
very night that Ralph
wakened by
ment he
sat
from
his fairy friend.
The moupon
his
call
up
in bed,
and
his eyes rested
beautiful visitor, he quite understood
what her
meant, and, even before she spoke, he was trying to
make up
his
mind which of
to
all
the
silly
things he
to
had desired
try
he would this time ask
be
allowed to do.
"You seem
to
have forgotten your lesson, Ralph;"
2i8
THE WONDER CHILDREN

look very stern;
a difficult
I
said the fairy trying to
task for her,
can
tell
you.
"I thought that your
night in the locomotive cab would have taught you

a lesson
which you would never
forget.
But
am
it
now
going to give you another lesson.

.?"
What
shall
be to-night
This particular
fairy did not believe
in long scoldings.
"I think
said
a balloon ride
would
suit
me
pretty well;"
Ralph
slowly.
"I have read about balloons

in
and have seen two or three people go up
them.
am
sure
should
know when
and
let
to
throw out the sand,
when
to pull the cord to drop the
some of the gas escape,
and when
anchor so as to catch into the

I
ground and stop the balloon when
want
to land."
The
fairy looked fairly frightened.

said.
"Is that really
what you want most?" she

*yes' without thinking, for
to stop
it
"Now
don't say
late
would be too
then
and think."
cried
"Yes! yes! yes!"
Ralph, the
last
"yes"
the loudest of the three, and without another

his
word
and was
wonderful
visitor laid her
hand on one of
eyes.
his,
all
put her other hand over

very
still,
his
Then
but as he looked about him he saw that
he was in a balloon.
Above
his
head was a great

ball of shining silk enclosed
like
219
with netting something

but
the
cords of a
hammock
and
much
larger.
Other ropes connected the
ball of shining silk with a

it
sort of basket or car beneath,
was
in this car
that
Ralph now found
himself.
First of all he looked all about the inside of his air
carriage to find
what
it
might contain.
There were
the sand-bags scattered
about in the corners; he
knew what
was
for
they were for; they held sand which

to
him
pour out when the balloon came too

it
near the earth and he should want to make
fly
up higher.
There, too, was the anchor to throw out

to stop
when he should want

and
its
and make a landing,
rope, one end fastened to the anchor and the
other to the bottom of the car.

a lunch basket;
Then
lid
there
was
he
lifted
the
and saw some
tempting-looking
ham
sandwiches, a delicious layer
cake, a jar of olives, and a bottle of

like cold coffee; yes,
what looked
and there was a pound box of
chocolate
bonbons.
On
in
the seat
where he was
it
sitting lay a
wrap of some
no time
sort which, as
was quite
cool, he lost
throwing over
his shoulders.
But he could not understand why the balloon seemed

to
keep so
still,
and why he did not
feel the
220
THE WONDER CHILDREN

since here he
wind
was
far
up
in the
clouds where he
It
had always supposed the wind blew very strong.
was
a moonlight night, with the
same
full
moon
that
had made everything bright on that wonderful locomotive ride of his just four weeks before.
noticed that the
But he from
moon seemed
just as far off
him
as
it
did
when he was down on
the
earth,
although
now
he was so far away from the earth that
he could see nothing whatever below him;

there were
his
perhaps
off
some clouds below him which shut
view of the earth.
There was nothing very

had
exciting about riding in a balloon as far as he
gone,
if,
indeed, he was riding.

it
Perhaps
if
the bal-
loon would but move,
might be more interesting.

if this
Then he
fell
to
wondering
was
runaway
it.
bal-
loon, or if
somebody had been
spilled out of
After a few minutes he could see the earth below
him,
trees, fields,
and houses growing clearer every

!
minute.
not be;
it
How
they were racing by
No, that could

really
must be then that the balloon was

fast,
moving very
not
feel
although so smoothly that he could
the motion.
You
see the only
way Ralph
in
could
know
his balloon
moved was by noting how
fast the objects
on the earth seemed to be going

another direction.
It
221
was
a rare sight.
The moontwih'ght.
hght
now
flat
lighted
up everything ahnost Hke
At
this
moment he was
passing over a town, but

!
how
and toyhke the buildings were
Even the
church looked from where he was
like a bird house.

it
train of cars
came
it
into sight; really
was
a very
long
one, but
seemed no longer or larger than

is
a miniature train such as
exhibited at Christmas
season
in
the shop windows.
Then he
noticed a
bright light in one of the streets of the town; perhaps

it
was
bonfire
it
no,
it
was
a building in flames,
but to him
looked no larger than a torch.
Every-
thing grew plainer and plainer.
He
passed the town
and was now

a
sailing over
some
large
body of water,
it.
pond or
It
a lake.
He
could even see a boat on
must be that
his balloon
was going down too
fast.
So Ralph suddenly thought of the sand-bags

for,
and what they were
and, lifting one of them to
the railing of his car, which
was
just about all he

let
could do, and opening the end of the bag, he
the
sand slowly run out.

he began
As he
did so, he noticed that

less clearly; so
to see the earth

rising.
below him
still
he
must be
He emptied
another
bag and
below
must have gone up very high
for everything
222
THE WONDER CHILDREN

sight.
It
him had disappeared from
suddenly became
very wet and black around him, and the water fairly
dripped from his wrap, and from his
little
cap, the
in
rim of which might have been the eaves of a house

a rain storm.
rain cloud.
It It
seemed that he had driven

at all.
into a
was not pleasant
Perhaps he was going too high.
He probably
!
had poured out too much sand.
Oh, yes
There
was
way
to prevent going
up
all
he had to do was
to let out a little of the gas in the balloon
bag over
his
head;
balloon
it
is
the
It
gas,
you know, which

so dark
makes
rise.
was
still
and foggy that he

But he
felt
could hardly see his hand before his face.
climbed carefully up on the side of the car and

about, holding tight to the ropes that ran
down from
the gas bag, until he touched the handle on the end
of a cord.
This must be the cord to pull when

let
one wanted to
pull
let
it
some of the gas
out.
He would
only a
little,
he said to himself, and then
go;
so there
would be no danger of the balloon
dropping down too quickly;
that
would be even
more
fearful than rising too high.

in
Almost
an instant the balloon had dropped out

it
of the wet cloud and into the moonlight, and

hills,
223
seemed only an instant more when the earth and the

the mountains and the brooks, began to beplain to sight again.
come
He was now approachrapidly, too.
ing a town and
was going down very
He must
look out that he did not go

it
down
too fast
or run any risk of landing where
was dangerous.
cord
;
Ralph now
let
go the
handle
of the
this
would, he supposed, close up the pipe through which

the gas had been escaping, and at the sam.e time stop
the balloon from dropping at such a fearful speed.
But he kept hearing the gas

after he
still
running out even
had
let
go of the cord.
Looking up, he could

in the
see that the cord
had become tangled
meshes
of the network so that the opening into the gas bag
was not
entirely closed.
If he
had been
taller
he
might have climbed up and straightened out the cord
now
he could do nothing but tremble and wait for
the end which must be near at hand.
The
earth
became
clearer
and clearer; he could

at
even see a few people walking on the streets;

the rate the balloon
strike
was now going down,

few seconds.
it
would
something
in a very
His eyes fixed on the spire of a church toward
which
hi^ balloon
seemed aiming
as straight as a
224
THE WONDER CHILDREN
The End of the Balloon Voyage.

Stone thrown by a boy's hand.
He
could
now
see
more people on the
streets,
and observed that they

were standing
pointing
help
it
225
in
groups watching his balloon and
out to each other. they could.
They would Hke
to
him
if
How
foolish he
had been ever

little
to
have chosen to
to
take such a voyage,
boy that he was, unable
do the things which a

escape from danger
the church spire.
!
man
could to help himself

to
Nearer and nearer he came
He had
it;
even closed his eyes rather

felt
than look upon
when suddenly he
hand of his
in
again over
his grateful eyes the soft

in
fairy friend, and,
an instant, he was back

safe
his
little
own
bed.
little
room
and
and snug
in his
own
Ralph was again

and so
table.
late to breakfast the
next morning
tired that he could hardly
drag himself to the
One
look from his mother's eyes was enough.
"You
have been having another of your wild dreams,

.?"
haven't you, Ralph
she said.
all,
"It was not a dream at

wearily.
mother;" he said
I
"It
really
happened.
must
tell
you
before
can eat anything.''
Before he was half through his story his mother had
gone over to where her boy
sat
and had put her arms
around him as
if to
protect
him from the danger:
Neither of them had noticed that his father had
226
THE WONDER CHILDREN

call the doctor.
stepped quietly to the telephone to

So, just as
Ralph
finished his story, the doctor,
who
was
a near neighbor of theirs
and,
it
seemed, had
call,
just returned
from an early morning
entered
the
room.
Ralph's father and mother were just
about to explain
why
they had
sent for him, but
the doctor had something else on his mind.

is
"There
quite an excitement in
town
latter
this
morning;" he
said.
"Sometime
in
the
part of the night

the clouds and
a balloon
came
driving
down from
struck
the spire
of the
all
old church,
bursting the
balloon and
car.
dumping
is
the contents
is
out of the
What
left
of the balloon
tangled around
is
the peak
of the spire, and half the town

it."
out
looking at
Instead of asking questions, as the doctor had
apparently expected
them
to
do,
Ralph's parents
simply stared at each other and at Ralph in amaze-
ment; so the doctor went on with
his story.
"There were some people

balloon hove in sight.
in the street
when
the
If there ever
lost control
had been any

of his airship.
one aboard, he must have
Some
of the people were quite sure they had seen

before
it
a small figure in the balloon
struck the

church spire
in
it
;
227
yet
it is
very certain there was nobody
when
it
struck.
Two
or three sand-bags, an
a lunch basket,
anchor and
its
rope, a
wrap and
were scattered about on the roof and on the pave-
ment below, with here and there a ham sandwich,

a
bonbon and
piece of layer cake, which latter
items apparently had been the contents of the lunch
basket; but there

alive or
is
no sign of any human being,
dead."
The
to
It
doctor was indeed surprised that Ralph did
not show any interest in this strange event; anything
do with balloons
is
usually so fascinating to a boy.

so
to
it
must be he was
really sick;
was nearly
week before he was permitted

again, a wiser
if
go back to school
not a sadder boy.

talked to his
You may wonder whether Ralph
friends about the remarkable adventures he
had had,
or thought he had had, on the locomotive or in the

balloon.
I
may
tell
you that he said nothing about

and only very rarely spoke
the
them except
to his mother,
of them to her.
He knew
boys would only

tales.
laugh at him
if
he should repeat such strange
But, as occasion arose from time to time, he showed

a knowledge as to the workings of a locomotive
and
228
THE WONDER CHILDREN

him great
certainly
credit
his
incidents of ballooning which gave
among
"let
acquaintances, and
it
seemed
for a while as if
Ralph had been
entirely cured of the
me"
habit.
real interest of
The
of his
first
Ralph's childhood, outside

the
fire
own home, had been

as
it
department.
his
There was,
street,
happened, an engine-house on
only a few doors from his

his
own home, and
one of
never tiring pleasures was to be there at
six o'clock
each night when the horses came dancing

stalls,
out of their
on signal, taking their positions

about to rush to a
fire.
at the engines as if
Every time the fire-alarm rang he dearly loved,
when
at
home,
to listen
for the feet of the eager
horses as they struck the pavement in front of the
engine-house, the sound growing fainter and fainter

if
the call
was
for another section of the town, or

if
growing louder and louder

house.
the route led past his
Unless very tired when he went to bed, he

to
to
was
likely
be
take
wakened
up
the
by night fire-alarms
count as soon as the
and ready
bell
began
to ring for the second time.
There was
little
card behind the clock in the dining room
giving the
numbers of
all
the boxes, and where thev

were placed
that
it
;
229
and Ralph had studied

not
tell,
this so
much
was.
was
rarely he could
as he listened
to the alarm, in
It finally
what part of the
city the fire
came about, when he would

visits,
get to thinkto himself,
ing of the fairy's
that he
would say
were he ever to have another chance he would ask

to
be a fireman.
Surely there was nothing grander
in the
world than to clamber on the running board
of the hose
as
it
wagon or of
the hook-and-ladder truck

unless to rush
rolled out of the engine-house,

fire,
bravely through smoke and
clad in the helmet
and rubber coat of the fireman.
The
manage
was
lessons of that exciting ride in the Limited
Express, and of his narrow escape

a balloon, did not
when
trying to
seem
to count.
He now
just as eager to help to put out a fire as he ever

to
had been
run a locomotive or a balloon.

his
He
haunted the engine-house nearest

all
home, examined
the apparatus, and pursued the
men
with quesor
tions:
How
this
or
that crank, pipe,
button
worked; how the men dressed so quickly; what

opened the
the
fire
stalls
of the horses;
how
as
it
was that
started in the steamer just
it
was
roll-
ing out of the house, and so on.
230
THE WONDER CHILDREN

respectful,
Ralph was always

for questions
and chose
his
time
when
the
men were
usually willing to
talk with him.
So he
really learned a great deal
more
about the apparatus and fire-fighting than most boys

of his age know.
He was
having
its
quite at
home
in
the large second-story

slept,
chambers where the firemen
each company
own room.
when
At the
foot of each of the neat
iron cots a pair of long rubber boots stood ready to be
jumped
to the
into
the alarm should ring; fastened

All the
boot legs was a pair of trousers.
half-asleep fireman
had
to do,
when
off his
the big
gong
sounded, was to
slide
down and
Then,
bed and into
the trousers and boots.
as he straightened
slip-
himself up, he was really almost dressed, and,
ping his suspenders over his shoulder, he would run

not to the stairs but to a brass pole in a corner of the
room down which he

floor to the
slid
through a hole
in
the
room below.
His big fireman's helmet
and rubber coat always hung on the wagon or truck

on which he rode to the
fire.
But Ralph was even more interested
in the horses
and the part of

trained for.
fighting fire
which they had been

for the hose
There were two horses
wagon,

and each had
his box-stall in the
231
back part of the

loose
room where the wagon

in his stall,
stood.
Each horse was

bit
but always wore his
and
bridle,
even
at
when
asleep or
when
eating his oats;

to
you see he
must always be ready
answer to the fire-alarm.
The
the
front of his stall
was a door which opened out
first
stroke of the big gong on the wall of the hose
house, and the horse would

to
come
trotting out as eager
do
his
duty as was the captain of the hose company
himself.
Each horse took
his
own proper
place,
without waiting for word or touch, beside the pole of

the hose
wagon; then the

ceiling,
collar of the harness,
which
hung from the

snapped
dropped, and an attendant
a catch in front,
left.
and connected the
reins with
the bit at right and
By
this
time the driver was
on
his seat,
and the
six other
members of the company

on the hind step or on
had leaped
to their stations
the running boards on either side, and were buttoning

their
rubber coats about them.
Now
the rope in
front of the usually

pulls
It
open door dropped, the driver
his
reins taut,
and the horses plunge ahead.
was
it.
a noble sight.
No wonder
the
Ralph loved
to
see
There were three
stalls in
room where the
great
232
THE WONDER CHILDREN

this "heavy
steamer stood, three horses abreast being required

to
draw
machine with the driver and engi-
neer.
The
fire-box
was
oil
filled
with kindlings
and
shavings soaked with
which blazed up
as the rear
wheels of the great engine struck the threshold of the

engine-house,
and smoke
in
clouds was
pouring
from the funnel before the monster had travelled

the length of the street.
But yet
interested
sight
it
was the hook-and-ladder truck which

all.
Ralph most of
There was no other

as that of the long
which charmed him
as
much
truck loaded with hooks, axes, ladders and various

tools
of fire-fighters, as
it
its
three galloping
horses
whirled
along.
The
driver with his feet braced,

reins,
and
his
hands
in the
"grips" of the
bends
for-
ward and back keeping time with the

of the three excited horses.
great leaps
sits
Over
the rear axle
the tillerman grasping his steering-wheel with hands
of iron.
No turn for the
street corners could be
made
of this long vehicle except for his skilful work.
When
tiller-
the driver turned a corner with his horses he always
kept as close to the curbing as possible, but the
man
steered the hind wheels straight ahead until
the rear of the truck passed the corner, then he

already taken.
233
turned them into the same direction the horses had
How many
The
times Ralph teased the captain of the

let
hook-and-ladder truck to
captain, for a joke,
him
ride to
fire.
would send him
to the chief;
the chief
would
refer
if
him
to the tillerman
who would
absurd
say he was willing
the driver
would consent, and

sort of
all
the driver would always offer

excuse.
at
some
Finally
Ralph saw they were

his
laughing
him and made up
mind
to
keep away from the
engine-house at least for a whole week.
The week
was not half gone before hewas alreadyfindingit very

hard to keep to
his
ill
his resolution,
while at the same time
temper
at his
former best-loved friends, the

little.
firemen,
had not cooled even a
But on the
night of the third day he awoke, just after one o'clock,

to find the pretty fairy sitting
on the edge of
his
bed
and shaking her
finger at him.
.^"
"Oh,
see you.
is
that you
he called out, "I

I
am
glad to
Please mayn't
have another chance.^"
"I
am
surprised;"
she said very seriously.

this
"I
supposed that before
you would have learned
better than to tease to do old folks' business.

it
What
is
now
.?"
She tried her best
to
keep a grave
face, but
234
her
THE WONDER CHILDREN

own
half-roguish
like
smile at last broke brightly
through
sunshine through a cloud.
Just
as
she asked her question the fire-alarm bell began to

ring
:
One,
two, three
then came a short pause
One,
two.
"That's the corner of Main and River
mill.
"Thirty-two!" exclaimed Ralph, jumping out of

bed.
It
streets.
fire-
must be the waste
Oh,
wish
were a
man now." The fairy's

and her
left
hand was over

his
his eyes in
in
its
an instant,
right
hand took
thrilling clasp.
The
familiar walls of his
own bedroom faded away,

knew
so well vanished;
the chairs and bureau he
he was in one of the chambers of the engine-house, just
pushing out of
his cot;
already his feet were in a

in a
pair of fireman's boots;
moment more he was
upon
his feet
and pulling up the waterproof trousers
while he slipped their suspenders over his shoulders.

Six other firemen,
the
he
knew them
as belonging to
hook-and-ladder company,
all
of
whom
moment
before had been soundly sleeping in the six
other cots, were already in their boots and trousers,
and, one after the other, running to the brass pole in

the corner to slide to the
room below.
As Ralph
STORY OF THE BOY

crossed the
WHO TEASED
at
235
room
to follow he
It
caught a glimpse of
all,
himself in a mirror.
was not " Ralph"
in
appearance, but a hook-and-ladder fireman
whom
his
he
had always heard

face
called
"Tom"
that he saw.
His
was rough with unshaved beard, and
arm,
It
bare to the elbow, was as big as any man's.
seemed that
in the boy's
this
time the fairy had
made
a
a real
change
body, giving him
now
man's strength
and
size.
At
last,
thought Ralph, as he sprang
gayly toward the sliding pole, he would be a real
grown-up fireman, and go

really help to put out.
to a fire
which he could
He
could swing an axe as
he rushed ahead of the hosemen, and smash down

doors, or break open partitions like
Tom
himself,
whose place and
in
whose boots and trousers he was
to play the hero to-night.
He had made the

noise
practised on the sliding pole before and
now
descent very smoothly.

stir
What
a glorious
and
there
was below
The
three horses, one

side, wêre
between the poles and another on either
already in place; the tillerman was settling himself

in his seat
and firmly grasping the steering-wheel; the
driver, without hat or coat,
was
just
drawing up
his
reins for the glorious start.
236
THE WONDER CHILDREN

firemen were climbing on the running board
Two
still
on the side next the wall where the big alarm gong was
repeating the impatient story
:
Ding, ding,
at
ding,
(stop), ding,
ding; and the others were

the
taking their
opposite side,
places
all
on the running board
struggling into their rubber coats
and
that
hastily
donning the awkward-looking helmets

truck.
had been hanging on the
Ralph rather
clumsily pulled himself up, getting but one

his
arm
into
rubber coat before the long vehicle rolled out of
the engine-house and the driver turned his half-crazy

horses up the street on which
Ralph
lived.
The
all
tillerman kept the rear truck straight ahead until
was
clear,
then quickly swung his steering-wheel and

line.
brought the axle beneath into

nothing in the world could be
hose wagon, with
rolled
its
Ralph thought
finer.
Ahead was
the
two horses, and,

like
just behind,
the
smoking steamer,
a
it
volcano on
wheels, shedding burning cinders as

three powerful
moved,
its
horses
struggling bravely with the
great weight as they tried to

in the
make good
on
their place
whirlwind procession.
so
Ralph was
awkward
at
full
in getting
his
rubber
coat and helmet
speed that his comrades

laughed
at
237
effort
him, but he was repaid for his

as the
when, just
his
hook-and-ladder truck swept past
own
house, he saw an upper
window
hastily raised
let
and
his father thrust out his head.
The boy
go
with one hand of the iron frame, to which he had been

clinging, so as to
tried to shout,
wave
a salute to his father,
and
but he was silenced by the hoarse

voice,
sound of
his
new
it
was
really
Tom's, you
know.
Although
his father
was somewhat surprised

hand,
if
to see the fireman
wave
his
how much more

known
that
astonished he would have been

the big fellow
he had
was
in fact his little
ten-year-old boy.
Do
not ask
me where
the real
Tom was.
Perhaps,
made over by
place, he
the wonderful fairy to look like the

to
boy who was going
the waste mill

little
fire
in
his
was
in
Ralph's
bed.
Certainly,
when
Ralph's father unlocked the boy's bedroom door and

glanced in he thought he saw a childish head on the
pillow.
But Ralph had no thought now but

mill fire; for all the hook-and-ladder
for the waste
men had agreed

mill
by
this
time that
it
was indeed the waste
which
copper
was burning.
The overhead sky

fire,
reflected the
color of a night
the color patch being encircled
238
THE WONDER CHILDREN

Windows
of the houses on
raised,
by purple black clouds.

the route
were now more frequently
and
here and there an open front door showed an excited
group of half-dressed people.
Farther along there
were men and

the firelight;
women and
children running toward
but few indeed of them that did not

fire-
stop to look at the hose wagon, truck, and steam

engine, as they
went roaring, crashing, clanking by,

and
the drivers alert and fearless, with calm faces
steady eyes, the horses thrilling with spirit,yet almost

as
self-controlled, while
the
fire
of battle and the
desire for glory
made
the bold,
brown
eyes shine
from
afar.
Not
until
Ralph's
company drew very near
the
burning waste mill was he reminded that there was
any other apparatus

he called "his"; but
in the city besides that
which
now he saw
smoke of
as
in
half a dozen
different directions the
many
steamers,
while the pavements of as
many
streets
gave out their
clanging complaints at the iron blows of galloping

horses.
Even now the crowds about the burning building

were so great that the police stretched their
lines to
fire
keep back
all
but the firemen.
How
grand

to be
239
one of the firemen
thought Ralph, with high-
beating heart.
Only one of the steamers was
to be used, the direct
streams from the hydrants carrying far enough for

all lines
of hose except that which was to be taken to
the top rounds of the aerial ladder.
Ralph noticed
with pleasure that
it
was the steamer from "his"

Already two
engine-house which was the chosen one.
men were
line of
piping to
it
from the nearest hydrant,
while two others were connecting an end of a long
hose to another coupling on the same side of
the steamer.
As soon
as the aerial ladder
had been
its
raised the nozzle
men would
be running up
rounds
dragging the hose after them.
Ralph had managed
to get
down from
the running
board of the hook-and-ladder truck without spraining

his ankle,
and was now watching some of
his
com-
rades turn the crank which raised the aerial ladder.

It
was
all
very interesting;
at the very first turn

lift
of the crank the ladder began to
from the back
end of the truck.
"Take
hold there,
Tom!"
shouted the captain.
"What's the matter with you.^"

So Ralph, luckily remembering that he was not a
240
THE WONDER CHILDREN

looker-on,
his
fair
mere
but
was expected
to
do Tom's
work, did
share in raising the long ladder

sections.
which was made up of several short

the
Next,
men sprang
to the cranks
which wound up the
cable and pulled out the different sliding sections
of the ladder, called
"flies,'' like a
telescope until the
whole length was

ing.
as great as the height of the build-
Then two rubber-covered

its
nozzle
men climbed
up
dizzy rounds until almost concealed by the

the mill, and the
fire
smoke from the upper windows of
funnel of the steamer began to spout
and smoke
with a rasping, snarling roar, like the breathing of
some
to
suffering beast of monster lungs, as

a
it
labored
pump
It
stream of water to the top of the ladder.

after
was growing hot where Ralph stood, even

the
he
put
truck
between him and the burning

beginning to think that outside
after all the
building.
He was
was
fire.
of the
fire line
better place
from
which
chief:
to see the
But then came the voice of the
axe,
"Take an
Tom, and
help Bill break in the
basement door.
Step lively there."
The
chief
was
now
men
thinking of helping the other hose and nozzle

get streams into service.
STORY OF THE BOY

The basement door
out
in
fell
WHO TEASED
in
241
with a crash before
the blows of Ralph's great axe,
and smoke poured

fire
choking clouds.
"There's
in
there;"
shouted the chief again.
"It must be behind that

it
board partition: In with you, boys, and cut
down
!"
VERY Hot Place.
Then,
bravest
as
even
in
Bill hesitated
an instant,
Bill,
the
man
is
the
a
company, the
chief added:
"We'll give you

partition
stream of water as soon as the
down."
fire
Sure enough the
was
there.
"More
water.
242
THE WONDER CHILDREN

The
fire
boys!"
partition,
was blazing
fiercely
beyond the
and already the hot forks of flame were
darting out where Ralph stood.
"Put your
coat sleeve before your face,
Tofn;"
said his companion,
and
just then a cool stream of
water poured past them and through the hole which

the
axemen had made, and

filled
great clouds of
smoke and
steam
the whole basement.

Bill, in
"Let's get out of this;" said
husky
voice.
Ralph did
his
best
to
follow, but
so thick
were
the steam and

to go.
smoke
the
that he could not see which
way
Then
his
smoke choked him, and he dropped

to crawl.
upon
hands and knees and began
He
could hear the sound of falling timbers about him
and the roar of the flames above him, and had given
himself up for
lost
when
a strong
hand suddenly
gripped his shoulder and he was fairly dragged up

the basement stairs.
"That was
a close shave for you,
Tom;"
if
said Bill,
peering into Ralph's face to judge

for
he was good
more work.
"Pull yourself together and hurry
now.
of the
The
captain has just ordered us up to the top

to
mill
break
in
door:
The hosemen
from above.
are ordered to get water on the
fire

I
243
don't like our job myself, but those are the orders.
on.
Come
too
Here are our

time,
stairs,
now."
By this
you may be
sure,
life,
Ralph had had
far
much
of the fireman's
but the boy had a
brave heart, and the dread of being afterward ashamed

of himself was ever before his eyes.
urging, but
So he needed no
made
haste to follow Bill who, under the

led the
captain's orders,
now
way, axe
in
hand, into
the burning building and up the
smoking stairway
sent up a hoarse
while the crowd back of the

cheer.
It
fire lines
was high time the
fairy interfered,
and
it
was
with thankful heart that Ralph again

over his eyes, while another rested in
Bill call to
felt a soft
hand
his.
He heard
and that
his
him:
"Tom, where
safe
are you.?"
was
all.
He was
again.
back
in his
own room and
own bed
Perhaps the
real
Tom
went on
duty at that very instant:
The waste
filled
fire
mill
burned
to the
ground that night,
and the newspapers of the following morning were

with interesting descriptions of the most famous
the city of
Rowley ever had.
There were
pic-
tures of Ralph's
own
rescue from the suffocating base-
ment, and brave return to duty and danger, shoulder
244
to
THE WONDER CHILDREN

shoulder with
Bill.
You may
it
believe the
boy
was very much
interested in
real
all.
And
he always
meant
to
ask the
Tom,
in
whose boots and

earlier part of the
trousers he
lire,
had stood during the
where that veteran fireman had been mean-
time,
and what
his recollections of that night really
were.
Once
or twice Ralph thought that
Tom, when
Ralph was
in-
they passed each other on the street, was about to

talk the strange affair over with
him.
half
ashamed
to
speak to his old friend on the
teresting matter,
and kept putting
it
off;
and
as for
Tom
he began to avoid the boy as
if
afraid of some-
thing which might be said betwêen them.
But
the* only really
important outcome of
for
it
all
was that Ralph was cured

habit.
good of
his teasing
STORY OF THE UNDERWORLD
JOHN HOLMAN
old, yet
was
only
just
eleven years
he was a great help to his mother,
who
was
widow.
He was
always planning
how he
could save her from hard work and anxiety, just as

his father
had done
as long as he
had hved.
John was
a fast runner
and a high jumper; indeed

the boys of his age in the
he was the best

village in
all
among
outdoor games.
work.
But he found time

Being bright and
also for a great deal of
willing as well as strong, he earned something almost
every day to take
home
to his mother.
When
there
was no other work
to do, there
skilful
was the
fishing,
and
few boys were more
with line and rod than
was John; he knew,

fattest
too, just the places
where the
crabs
clams could be dug and the
finest
netted.
I
tell
know you
you
will not think the less of
him when
that, since the time
when
his
mother began
to read aloud to him, he
had always been very much

245
246
THE WONDER CHILDREN

and
fair
interested in the old tales of brave knights

ladies, of princesses in distress
and bold champions

his
that
came
to their relief.
Whenever
work was
cutting
his axe,
down
a tree, he used to **play," as he wielded

fight-
he was attacking some giant of old, or
ing desperately with a wicked magician for the rescue
of some fair lady held under enchantment.

digging in the
field,
When
hill-
or in the clam beds, or even
ing potatoes, he liked to imagine that he

after
was seeking
some mysterious treasure or exploring some
passage leading to fame and fortune.

If
in
anyone had asked him whether he
really
beheved
fairies, I
suppose he would have said "Pooh";

night about three o'clock a
little
yet,
when one
lady
with
shining wings
wakened him by
all
a light tap
with her ivory wand, John was not at
frightened.
"I have work
for
you
to
do;" she began without
delaying for any polite inquiries as to his health or
remarks about the weather.
"I
sat
am
I
pretty busy;" answered
John
is
coolly as he
up
in bed.
"You
see fishing
pretty good just
now.
rise.
was going out

"
to sea in
my
is
boat before sun-
The
fairy smiled
My
work
under the sea

Are you brave enough to undertake
it ?
247
If
you suc-
ceed you will never have to go fishing again, or hoe
anybody's garden, or run errands for money; you

will
have more than enough of the good things of this

live."
world as long as you
"Enough
eagerly.
smile.
for
my
mother, too?"
asked
John
The
fairy
nodded with an even sweeter

shook her head. "Then
I
"And
she won't ever again have to sew until
her back aches ?"

I will
The
fairy
do your work.
But you say

I
am
will
to go
under
the sea.
How
can
do that.^"
"Dress quickly and come.
You
find
me
at
the door;" and she faded from his view as a reflection of a face in a pool of water fades
is
when
the water
ruffled
by the breeze.
a
But when John,
few minutes
later,
came out on
a troubled
the sidewalk his usually

look.
early.
happy
face
wore
"My
Here
mother expected me
is
to go fishing very
left
the lunch
which she
for
me on
she
the kitchen table;" and John showed
a tin lunch
box.
"But
if I
shouldn't get
home by noon
would surely be worried."
The
this
fairy smiled again.
She was well pleased with

his
boy who was always thinking for
mother.
248
THE WONDER CHILDREN

will
"I
change
myself
into
fisherman,"
that
she
said,
"and take your mother word

to
you have
late
work
do which
I
will
keep you away until

doesn't worry.
to-night.
will see that she
Now
bring your spade, please."
John shouldered the spade, which he found by

the
doorstep,
and walked
along
beside the fairy
who
walk
just touched her twinkling

as she
little feet
on the side-
guided him away from the village and

sea.
toward some rocks which faced the
The tide was

tide
running out; you know the tide of the sea runs in
and out twice each day.
It
was nearly low
now,
and one could see the whole face of these rocks clear
down
the
to the sand, although,
when
the tide
was high
same rocks would be half covered with the water
of the returning tide.
"Here
must leave you;" said the
fairy.
"But
are
first I will tell
you where you are
to go,
how you
to get there,
and what you are
to
do after you get
there."
They had reached
the rocks which,
when
the tide
was high, were partly covered with the water but
now showed their moss-covered faces clear down to the sand. You see the fairy had planned to bring

John
to the spot
249
when
the water about these rocks

find
was
lowest, so that
he would
them
entirely
uncovered.
"I want you to go around that

side
tallest
rock to the
fairy
which faces out toward the sea," said the
The Door to the Underworld. pointing with her ivory wand,
"and
dig
away the
it.
sand you
will
find
tell
banked up against
Then
come back and

John took
his
me what you
see."
spade around the rock on the side
facing the sea and began to dig
away
the sand.
It
was
bright moonlight so he could see well to do his
250
THE WONDER CHILDREN

quickly, and very soon he rushed back to the
work
fairy,
who
if
all
the while had kept well up on the dry
sand as
she were afraid to wet her dainty gown.

is
"There
little
iron door right in the face of
the rock;" he cried.
"I tried the knob on the door

like
and
I to
it
turned
it
in
my hand
any door knob.
Am
is
open
and go down
V
"That
"Yes;"
just
said she, clapping her hands.

to do.
what you are

I
Now
listen carefully to
what
say."
his
So John leaned on
spade while the

if
fairy,
whose
beautiful wings were trembling as

invisible flight,
eager for their
gave him her commands.

will be looking into
lies
"When you
sea.
open that door you
the vestibule of the Underworld which
under the
There are people
in that
Underworld, as there
are in
your world; but they do not talk as you do;

their
you can't understand

understand
people have
water, where
yours.
is
words; and they can't

sunlight
All
the
which those
the
what
little
gets
down through
the tide
is
it is
not deep or
when
lowest,
and then strains through the floor of the ocean in

those few places where
glass.
it is
of some clear stone, like
But they have
electric light, all they
want of

It.
251
You
will find a great
many
things which will
surprise you, but
you
are to stay only until to-night,

for
:
and not
to bring
to forget
what you are going

This
is
that
is
back
little girl.
little girl
belongs in
the sunlight world
and
very unhappy in being
kept away from her
own
world.''
it
John's eyes had dropped while she talked, and
was
several seconds after she
had
finished before he
directions.
looked
fairy
up to ask some further

Glancing
The
was gone.
in every direction
he saw
not so
much
as the flutter of a
wing, although he
was
certain he heard a gentle
"Good-bye."
For a moment he stood undecided, afraid of the

task laid upon him, and yet
ashamed
to fail at the call
of duty.
Then he
when
carefully hid his
spade
in
the
coarse sand-grass, well up above the reach of the
high tide
iron door.
tide
it
should
rise,
and went back
to the
He was none
a
too soon.
The
returning
was already within
few inches of the bottom

haste
if
it.
of the door; he must
make
he were to get
through before the water reached
He
it
turned the
all
knob again and

strength; the
height,
this
time pulled on
with
his
door, which
was only half

for
his
own
opened barely enough
him
to
squeeze
252
THE WONDER CHILDREN

where water stood up
to
into a dark, uninviting pit

his ankles,
not a very cheerful vestibule, he thought,

all
for the
Underworld.
moonlight at
entered here, but his foot
No
touched what seemed

as if at the top
like a step, and,
not far
off,
of a long
staircase,
he could
see
a faint light.
hesitation,
Now, without an
little
instant of further
John closed the

to
door behind him
and began
toward the
grope his way along and upward
faint light.
The water on
the floor of the
rocky passage grew more and more shallow, and he
was pleased
to find the
bottom quite dry as he reached

at
a higher level,
where the water, which
high tide
leaked in around at the edges of the door, did not

rise.
Then he saw
a wall of rock in front of him,

it
but, glancing
down, he found
was broken away
below to leave a passage leading forward, but down-
ward
again, something Hke very rude steps.

first
It
was
here that he had
seen the faint rim of light which
came up from
this
strange Underworld where his
errand must take him.
The steps, which were made several half turns
very narrow as well as rude,

as he picked his
way,
until
he made up his mind that he was
at last
going in
253
the opposite direction to that in which he had started
that
the sea.
is,
that
now
he was, indeed, going under

at first sent Httle tingling chills
if
The thought
his
up and down
back;
he was not afraid he was
certainly very nearly so.
But now there were no more steps he was follow;
ing a steep, narrow path, which
wound
It
twistingly
downward
like
slanting letter S.
was quite
light but, since
he
knew
it
was too
early for sunrise,
he concluded this must be the electric light of which

the fairy had spoken; but he could see no lamps
because they were cunningly concealed so as not to

dazzle the eyes.
The path ended

with a silvery
in a plain, the further
bounds of
which John could not
see
but, instead of a blue sky,
moon and
glistening stars, there
was
sort of ceiling like that of a great
room.
The
ceiling
was much higher,

and seemed
shaped
to
to be sure, than that of
any room,
of rock
be supported by
tall piles
like pillars.
The
electric
lamps, he
now
dis-
covered, were concealed in recesses cut in these pillars.
John thought he heard a sound

water.
like the
rush of
Could
it
be there were rivers in this under?
ground world, too
He made
his
way toward
the
254
THE WONDER CHILDREN

in a
sound and,
at
its
few minutes, he came to a

a
river,
It
and
bank he found
most remarkable boat.
was
certainly different
in.
from anything he had ever
sailed
His heart gave a great bound of joy, and he

to
began
of
all
examine with great curiosity

It
this strangest
craft.
was of metal hammered out very

than a sheet of paper.
its
thin, hardly thicker
single
screw was hung at
stern,
and what looked

in the
to
him
like
an
electric
motor stood
bow. Whoever
skilful in
lived in this
under-ground world was very
boat-making, he thought; and you

a
know John was
boatman, himself,
in a
small way, and his opinion
was of some account.
He
could hardly wait to seat
himself in the boat and experiment with the machinery; then he quickly found the starting switch
and turning
it
saw with
delight the screw slowly
begin to revolve, and the boat

water.
moved through
the
John drove the boat up-stream a

it,
little
way, turned
by means of the steering-wheel, as

its flight,
easily as a bird
turns itself in
twice crossed the river and

life.
indeed was having the best time of his
He
boy
was
so interested in his
new
pleasure that he did not
notice a
movement
in the little cabin or see a

just
until
255
wakened from
his
nap creep out from within,
suddenly the owner of the craft pulled himself

seat.
up on the
You may
well believe
John was
startled.
He
let
go of the wheel that guided the course of the boat,
which would have run against the rocky bank
at full
speed and been badly injuredîf the newcomer had

not quickly reached over and stopped
it.
"How
"Where
you
do you do ?" said the Underworld boatman

if
as coolly as
they had really been just introduced.
did you
come from
You
don't look as
if
lived in our world/'
"No;" answered John trying to take things as coolly as did his new acquaintance. "I have come down from the sunlight world on a short visit, or
really a sort of business trip.
little girl
am
looking for a
who,
as a fairy told
me, wants to get away.
am
to take her
back with me, you see."

little
"Is the
name
of the
girl
Anna
?" asked the

to
owner of the boat

get away.
in excitement.
"Anna wants
ill.
The
air
all
down
here makes her
She
has headaches
before he died.
the time just as her father did
He came down
here with
Anna
long time ago."
256
THE WONDER CHILDREN

name;" answered John "It must be Anna, though. But why
girl's
"I don't know the

in surprise.
didn't
you help her
to get
away yourself?"
"I
"I didn't know how:" said the other boy.
was going
I
to drive
my
I
boat up this river as far as

could find a
could in hopes that

are here
it
way
out.
But
now you
hand.
will
be easy;" and he took John's

is
"
My name is Crito, what

How
different
!
yours
John ?"
are
dif-
he repeated after him pleasantly.

friends.
your clothes
voice
is
"Now we How are

!
ferent
It
it
you look
Your
not like mine."
was very
true.
The
and
texture of the skin, where

legs of the
showed bare on the arms and

fine
Under-
world boy, was
delicate like a baby's; his
eyes were bright, to be sure, but soft and

in their expression
more gentle
than John's, while his voice was

in its tones.
.?"
more musical and gentle
"What
is
that
you wear on your head
continued
it.
Crito, eagerly.
"I never saw anything

will
fall
like
Are
he
you afraid something

laughed merrily.
on you ?" and
Crito wore sandals protecting the soles of his feet,
but leaving the insteps exposed, and his
clothing
consisted simply of one garment folded ingeniously

legs, leaving the
257
so as to cover his body and the upper part of his
arms and the lower portions of the

bright
belt,
legs
free.
wide,
which glistened
and a strap
like fine
spun gold, encircled
his waist,
of the same shining material extended from the belt,

crosswise, over
his his
chest
and one shoulder.

indeed
it
He
wore nothing on
head
would have been

under-ground
as unnecessary to
wear a hat
in this
it
world, with
house.
its
roof of stone, as
would be
in
John was curious

Underworld
into
to hear
about
this
remarkable
which he had so
his
easily
found
his
way, but he controlled
impatience and did his
best to answer the questions of his host.
"I came down here," he

the rock.
said,
"through a door
roof, in
in
My home
reason
I
is
up above your
great world up there which
you don't know anything

is
about.
The
wear a hat
because
it
rains
up
there,
and
fierce
winds blow, and the sun's

course you never get rain
it
rays are very hot.
Of
through your roof; and
seems to be just
warm
enough here
all
is
the time, although where the heat
comes from
more than
can understand.
is
My
cheeks are red and
my
skin
rough because of the
258
THE WONDER CHILDREN

we have
little
trying sunlight which
in the outside world.
You
here;
less
see
it
you
get only a
bit
of strained sunlight
has to
make
its
way
first
through more or
water, and then through your quartz roof; our

is
sunlight
dazzling.
Then
the rough weather up
there, the
winds and sometimes the cold, make the

It
skin tougher and harsher.
seems to be very
still
down
raise
here,
and when you speak, you don't have

;
to
your voice
in the big outside
world
it is
differ-
ent; perhaps that explains the
difference
between
your voice and mine.

I
But
am
awfully hungry, and

in
suppose you eat down here the same as we do
the world outside, though what you find to eat in
such a place
can only guess.''

said his host.
"You must pardon me;"

remember
as I
"I didn't
But,
that
you probably came a long way.

to be
had expected
away
until night,
have
lunch,
brought a lunch with me.

as I
shall
Now you can

and then we
eat
my
not need
it,
will start
back
down
the river."
little
it
Crito drew a
bundle from a cupboard
in his
cabin and laid

there
out on the rocks near the shore;

sat
John and he
shall be
down
together like old friends.

just
"We
going
home
as soon as
you

finish," said
259
Crito,
"and,
first
of
all,
you
shall see
Anna.
It will
make
her very happy to meet some
one from her
own
sunlight world.
Here are eggs,"

his
fish
continued the
Underworld boy spreading out

rock,
lunch on a
flat
"and here
is
some broiled
and some potato bread."

"Tell me, while
I
am
eating," said John,

here.
"where
you get your food down

won't grow in
dining table."
this rock,
Certainly things
are using for our
such as
we
"Oh, no;" answered

hard rock down here.
Crito.
"But
it
is
not
all
You
good
see the river grinds the
rock and mixes different kinds together and so gives

us, in
some
places, a
soil.
Our
air is different
it
from yours, so Anna says;

vegetables
perhaps
is
better for
although
not
as
healthy for
is
men and
women.
stone,
it,
So, wherever the ceiling

is
of that glass-like
and the water
not
if
all
the time too deep over
vegetables will
grow
we water them and
help
them with the

south,
here,
electric wires at their roots.

is
Down
than
where the sunlight
much
to us."
brighter
many more good

down
there send
things to eat grow, and the
people
them
"Of
course you have no butter;" said John.
26o
THE WONDER CHILDREN

yes.
"Oh,
I
We make
butter from our goats' milk.
don't
know what we
eat
could do without our goats.
They
are useful in so
many ways."
.?"
"Do you
fuls.
them
asked John between mouth-
"Oh, nobody would

"It
eat goats;" exclaimed Crito.

to
kill kill
would seem too cruel
them.
Many
of our people dislike even to
and eat fowls."
Having
John
sat
finished the
last
mouthful of the lunch

at
his
looking
curiously
new
friend's
!
clothes.
I
"What
a beautiful belt
and strap you wear
wonder what they
are
made
of."
"Of
gold;" his friend answered quietly.
"Most
money,
of the boys wear the same."
"They must have

"I
don't don't
cost a great deal of
should think;" exclaimed John admiringly.
know what you mean;"

have
said
Crito.
is
"We
get
it
money
down
here.
There
plenty of gold in the rocks:

out,
Some
of our people
and others know how and

girdles
to beat
and shape
it
into belts
and
all sorts
of pretty things.
When we want
it.
a belt or strap
The
things are of no use

to
we go and ask for to those who make

to give away.
them except
wear themselves or
"

Now
down
it
261
if
you
will
get into the boat
we
will
run
it
to
my home.
long would
The motor
take to
is
a fast one,
and
won't take very long to get there."
"How
"Oh,
I
it
walk?" asked John
as he stepped into the boat.
don't
know;" answered
Crito.
little
"Nobody
motor
cars.
walks down here.
We
all
have our
Even the children by the time they

old learn to run them.
tricity
are five years
The
to
cars
all
go by eleccoal, so,
drawn from the

it
air or
from a lump of
drive
you
see,
is
no trouble
about wherever
we want
to go."
"You
are cleverer than
we
are, then, in this at
least;" said
John
as the boat
dashed through the
water at a high speed.

of
"It costs us a great deal
money and
labor to get electricity for driving our
boats or power wagons.
Before
to
go back you must

electricity so
fire;
show me how you manage

easily
draw the
from the
air or
from coal without a

But,
first
.?
I
all,
must report
to the people outside.
of
how
"I
is
it
that
you
talk English just as I do
"I learned English from Anna;" explained Crito.
am
the only one
who
did.
The
others
you could
not understand at all."
262
It
THE WONDER CHILDREN

was
a wonderful ride
river in the
which John had on that

fast
Underworld
motor boat running as

upper world.
in
as does a railroad train in the

electric light
The
was everywhere, but

glass,
many
spots the
ceiling
was almost Uke

to
and the sunlight now

through a stained glass
began
come through
in a
it
as if
window
church; beneath these sunlit spots were
gardens where certain kinds of vegetables and flowers
were growing.
"What
is
keeps
it
so
warm
here
.^"
said John.
"It
like a
comfortable room
is
all
the time.'*
"That
replied
not a very hard question to answer;"
his
new
friend.
"There
I
are openings or
clefts in the
rock which go down,
don't
many know
miles,
it is
toward the centre of the
know how You earth.

enough
very
much
hotter
down
there; so
heat comes up through those openings to keep our

air just
it
an even heat.
Without
this
heat,
you
see,
would be very
chilly here,
with so
much water
above us and no
real
sun heat coming to us."
The river now grew much narrower as it approached

a
its
passage
or
tunnel in the rock
through which
very rough
just
course lay.
The water was
outside the tunnel entrance, where the river dashed
The Passage of the Strange Tunnel.

Crito ran his boat slowly and carefully.
263
up against the rock on either side of the opening, and
"How
tunnel.
if
it
loose those big boulders look!" exclaimed

to the rock
John pointing
above the mouth of the
"It wouldn't take

fell
much
to start
them, and
tunnel,
one or two of them
into the
mouth of the
would stop your boats

good while,
I
sailing in this direction for
think."
"I never thought of that;" said Crito as the boat

glided into the passage.
" But
don't see
what could
.?"
ever happen to start the boulders, do you
John was too much interested

reply.
in
what he saw
to
But
he
it
was not very many hours afterward

have answered
Crito's
before
could
question.
The
that
tunnel was wide enough, perhaps, for several
boats like Crito's to go abreast, but John noticed

the
steersman
if
kept
pretty
near
to
the
middle, as
there might be dangerous rocks in the
river-bed at either side.
The
lights,
tunnel was very bright
from hidden
electric in
and the water shone
and glistened
rock hung
dancing ripples.
so
Above him
was an
the
down
it
low
in
some places that he could

It
have touched
with a long pole.
exciting
as well as a delightful ride,
and John drew
a breath,
264
THE WONDER CHILDREN

rehef,
which was partly one of

out into the open.
when
the boat
came
John now began
to see other boats;
some were
moving
in
the
same
direction
as Crito's, but at a
his
slower rate of speed;
some passed
boat as
if
going up through the tunnel;
some were coming
down
other streams which ran into this main river of
the Underworld.
Many
of the craft on the river

in
were much larger than the boat
which John and

;
Crito were riding, and contained family parties
some
carried freight, appearing to be loaded with different
kinds of food or clothing, and coming perhaps from
hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Crito
now
made
the boat go slower, and John could see more

little
clearly the
gardens by the side of the river where

brightest,
the sunlight
was
or
rather
was
;
least
dim,
for
it
was not
really bright
anywhere
John
recognized potato vines, and what looked like pea-
nut stalks and onions, except that they

of purple shade.
all
had a
sort
Then
a question occurred to him.

if it
"How do
your
gardens get their water
does not rain here ?"

Little
all
Then he saw
the answer to his question.
canals or ditches had been dug from the river in

spread
265
directions through these gardens so that the water
among
is
the
roots
of the
growing things.
"That
that
in
better than rain;" he exclaimed.
"We
do
it
many
parts
of the upper world where
seldom or never
rains.''
He
could
now
see
motor cars of
all
sizes
dashing
over the smooth, rocky roads, some only just large
enough
to carry
to carry
one person each, others large enough
twenty people.
his direction,
Many
curious glances were
cast in
and most of the motor cars
soon appeared to be taking one course, and that
toward the point where Crito's boat was headed.
John observed,
too, that
most of the motor boats were

craft so that,
drawing into the wake of Crito's
when
the steersman stopped at the landing, as
many
as fifty
other boats, big and

the
little,
began
to
draw up toward
a person of
same landing.
John had become

visitor
no small consequence, a
from an unknown
world, a stranger from a strange land

reveal curious things to
all
who
could
who might
inquire.
"You must
said
Crito.
not think nobody works
down here;"
" Indeed, everybody works, the
women
as well as the
men.
But
it
is
early in the morning,
you
see,
and before working hours."
266
THE WONDER CHILDREN

led
As Crito
John up from the dock where he had
fastened his power boat, the occupants of the other
boats landed in turn and, fastening their boats,
fol-
lowed along
at
respectful
distance,
soon being
joined by the curious along the streets, as well as by

all
the motor cars in sight.

it
In fact, as the boys drew

really quite a procession
near Crito's home,
was
which they found themselves leading.
"I hope you don't mind the people;" said
Crito.
"They
are very
much
interested in you.
If
my
it
father
all
were here he would give out that they should

have a chance to hear your story later; but
hardly sound well for a boy like
would
me
to say it."
"I don't mind;" said John.

liked being the object of so
Indeed, he rather
interest.
much
But he
was half tempted

more
to
walk backward
so that he could
fully as
closely observe these people
who were
interesting to
him
as he
was
to them.
There was
the
quite a
number of women
in the
throng now;
only difference in their costume appeared to be that

their drapery reached
somewhat lower than the knee,

sort of half-sleeves for the
and that there were some

arms.
Most of
the
women had
strings of jewels
about their necks and bracelets of gold
on their

wrists,
267
and many of the
prettier ones
had
Httle circlets
of gold, set with precious stones, about their foreheads.

All of the
men and women were much

in
smaller than
John had ever seen

delicate-looking.
the upper world, and
more
"I
will ring the bell;" said Crito as they
stopped
at last at the
door of
his house,
"so as to give
my
mother and
I call
sister notice that I
have a guest with me.
Anna my
sister."
While they waited on the piazza
for an
answer
to
the bell John had time to notice the outer appearance

of his friend's home, which
was almost
entirely sur-
rounded by
try
wide piazza.
rain,
You
see, in
coun-
where there was no
and where the "out of
doors" was heated, the piazza would naturally be the
most pleasant of
all
places to
sit.
On
the piazzas of
sitting,
most of the houses John could see people
men,
or
women, and
was going
one story
on.
children,
many
sewing,
reading,
playing games, and others simply watching whatever

All of the houses appeared to be but
in height.
The door opened and

in
little
girl
stood looking
surprise at John,
her surprise changing to joy
before she spoke.
268
THE WONDER CHILDREN

are just like the boys
I
"Oh, you
from here
used to
the upper world.

?
Did you come
to take
know in me away
Say ^yes/ oh, say *yes*;" she cried tak-
ing John's hand.
"Will the people be willing to
let
you go ?" asked
John doubtfully.
Anna looked
the reply
:
distressed,
and
it
was Crito who made

them.
"
am
afraid
it
will not be safe to ask
They would never let

plan
it
her father go back.
But we must
help
all
all I
by ourselves, we three.
love
I will
I can.
Anna
too
much
are
to
want her kept here

father
against her will.

I
Where
my
and mother,
wonder."
"They
"but
will
are taking a ride in their car," said
Anna,
house.
be back soon.
Come
and
I
into
the
Everybody can watch us

being stared
at.
get
so tired
of
It
worried father, too.

a
little
Did you
and
I
get shipwrecked on
did,
island, as
father
and did these people come up out of a hole

.?"
in a
rock and catch you

sadly.
Then Anna shook
her head
"That must have been
a long distance
from
there.
here.
It
You and
could never find our
way back
was very hot on
that island, but beautiful flowers
and
delicious fruits
grew there
it
was one of the

She was leading John from one room
the house, but her
269
daylight gardens of these staring Underworld people."

to another of
mind was on her trouble

.?"
only.
"Did they
catch you on an island, too
"No;" answered
you."
John.
"I came down not so
very far away from here; a fairy sent
me
to
find
"Really!" cried Anna, and her pretty, pale face

flushed with excitement.
get
"And
it,
do you think we can

is
away
.?
Just think of
It is
the sea
I
right over
our heads.
hard to believe that

I
can ever get
back
will
to the sunlit world.
am
afraid, rather,
you
?"
have to stay here yourself, too."

these people
"But why should

anxious
fairy told
want
to
keep
me
asked John uneasily.

if
I
"My
mother
will
be very
don't get back

I
home
John.
they
to-night.
The
our
the
me, too,
must come back to-night."
Crito tried to explain to
"You
can
see
people
want
to
learn
all
about
upper world.
learned
There are many things which we have
from those who, by some accident or out
of curiosity, have
satisfied,
come
here.
But we are never
and nobody has ever yet been allowed to
go back."
270
It
THE WONDER CHILDREN

was
a strange kind of house.
The wide
hall,
running from the front door straight through the

house, was without ceiling; so was the outer reception
room, on the
right,
which they now entered.
John then bethought himself that there was, of course,

no occasion
In the
for ceilings to rooms, or roofs to houses,

it
Underworld, since
could never rain here,

as
and there could be no such thing
bad weather.
The
walls were stone, and around them, in the

;
reception room, ran ledges for seats
goatskins were
floor.
strewn on the wall seats and on the
There
lamp,
was
metal
table
supporting
an
electric
while even the chairs seemed to be

thin metal like that of
made
of the
same
which the boat was made.

convenient and
graceful
The
metal was bent in
curves
and beautifully engraved and colored.

see the
"You
enough
Let
rooms are open

air,
at
the top so
we
always have fresh
while the side walls are high

the
to give us all
privacy
we could
wish.
me show you one of our bedrooms.'' The bedrooms were all on the left of
the hall,
opposite the reception and sitting rooms, and were
small
and quite sparely furnished, although each

its
room had
running water
pumped up from
the

river.
271
There was
little
closet space
the family did

it
not have
many
clothes to take care of,

in
seemed.
"You
"No;"
have no windows
your bedrooms;" ex-
claimed John in surprise.

explained Crito.
"There being no roof
to
our house, the bedrooms are wide open toward the

sky of our country; our really private rooms, you
see,
like
our bedrooms, our
sitting
room, kitchen,
pantry and store room, need no windows to insure

fresh air."
Only the reception room had windows, but they

gave
full
view of the
street
and
river;
it
was here
that the
members of
the family probably sat
when
these
they wanted to see others and were quite willing to
be seen.
But there was no
glass
even
in
windows, and no way of closing them; they were

merely open places hung with bead network which
might easily be drawn aside or caught back out of

the way.
Now
they had come to the kitchen.
"Our
at these
cooklittle
ing," explained
electric ranges;
Anna, "is
all
done
they also heat our water.
All the
smells of cooking are carefully caught and taken care
of so as to prevent spreading through the tovm.
The
272
THE WONDER CHILDREN

is
waste water
carried
away from
the houses by pipes
which run
a long distance to a
deep fissure in the

of feet below/'
rock, emptying
many thousands
"Who does your cooking?" asked John. "We are our own cooks;" answered Anna
laugh.
this
with a
in
"Each
you
family does
its
own housework
is
under-ground country.
see,
There
is
so
little
work
to do,
and everything
so convenient here,
that
it
doesn't take
much time
much
out of any day.

;
We
don't have so very
to eat
nobody works very
hard down here, and we have nothing to worry or

disturb ourselves about; so
I
suppose we don't need

as
anything like as
people do."
much
food
you upper world
"Do
as they
the
women
in this
country have any work

to
besides their
own house-keeping
do
.?"
asked John,
came
at last into the family sitting
room.
"Oh,
have
yes ;" said Anna.
"That
is,
those that don't
little
children to take care of;
mother^ for ingirl's
stance, goes to a shop
and helps make
clothes
is
such as
wear.
But not one of the women
kept
away from home more than

But Anna had no time
front door opened,
three or four hours a day."

;
for further explanations

little
the
and a
man and an
even

smaller
273
woman came
along the hall into the sitting
room.
Neither of them had any wrinkles, such as

life,
people of the upper world show so early in

their faces; indeed, their foreheads
on
and cheeks, while
lacking in color, were as smooth as those of their
son
John
little
saw
at
once they were Crito's father
and mother.
The
man
rushed eagerly up to John and shook

tell
hands very heartily while trying to

in a strange language.
him something
Crito touched his father on
the
arm and
said something in the
same language,
probably reminding him that John could not understand the Underworld language.
Then, turning
to
John, Crito spoke in English
"
My father says all
our
people are very eager to see you; there are so

things they
many
want
to learn about the
upper world."
No
sooner,
indeed, were the words out of his

little
mouth than
them
a dozen
men and women pushed

Behind
in a sort
into the room, followed

a great
by as many more.
their
many were working
way,
of procession reaching quite a distance on the street,
up the piazza
reception
steps, along the hall leading past the

sitting
room, up to the
room where the

stood
children
had been
talking.
Crito
on one
274
THE WONDER CHILDREN

and Anna, looking very much frightened,
all
side of John,
stood on the other,
three behind a table so that
the people could not crowd against them.

rest of the strange little
But the
room, without windows but
wide open above where John had always supposed a

ceiling
ought to be, was crowded to the door with
eager
men and women,
all
of
whom
were talkgestures.
their
ing at the
same time and
making odd
Finally they seemed to agree
upon four of
number,
the
two men and two women, who should ask

which poor John was expected
to
questions
answer.
If this story
were to be twice as long,
should not
have space to repeat half the questions that these

curious Underworld people asked about the world
above,
all
of which Crito attempted to turn into
English so that John could understand.

First a
woman would
ask what medicine the upper
world people used for headache; then a

ask
how
they learned each other's
man would One languages.

used
man would ask what to make boats and

light
electricity.
else besides electricity they
cars run
Another, what other
and heat they had besides that which came from
Then
woman wanted
to
know about

sewing machines, and a
another
cloth
275
man
asked about
air ships;
man
a
expected John to explain just

in the
how
was made by machinery
upper world,
and then
art
woman
be
expected a
full
explanation of the
of the dentist, and another insisted that John

to
ought
able
to
tell
them
how
to
take
photographs.
You
from
father,
see the people of the
Underworld had learned

visitors,
occasional
accidental
like
Anna's
something about the remarkable upper world

So,
people and the marvels they performed.
when
they
another accident brought them a
new
arrival
had hundreds of hard

poor John
felt
questions ready for him.
But
he was making a very bad showing.
About many of the matters he knew nothing whatever,
and even about the matters with which he had

his
supposed he was well acquainted he found

edge to be so
little
knowl-
that
it
was of no help now.
Anna,
who knew
the language of these people,
was becom-
ing quite anxious at what she heard
them say
to
each other.
She whispered to John: "They think

Can't you
you are keeping things back.

their questions better.?"
answer
"I
am
doing
my
very best;"
he whispered in
"
276
return.
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"I
didn't
suppose
will
was
so
ignorant.
in
Do you
jail
.?
suppose they
shut
me up
their
Anna shook
her head doubtfully, and Crito,
who
But
had overheard them, said: "I
am
afraid so.
you can count on me

Just at this
to get
you out again."
moment
Crito's father
made
quite a
long speech which Crito turned into a very few English
words
for John.
"Yes,
it is
as
feared.
in
You
your
are to be shut up in one of the
rooms
our house,
and
guard placed outside.
Never mind,
Fm
friend.''
Then
turning to Anna,
who was
way
beginning
to cry, he
took her hand gently and said: "Don't be

We'll think of some of getting
discouraged.
John out when we want him."
John was not allowed

that afternoon
receive a visit
to
become
at all
lonesome
and evening.
Every hour he would
from some of the Underworld people;

able to give answers which
satisfaction, but
now and then he was made them smile with

he
more often
knew
so
little
on the matter inquired of that

Either
his replies
were of no value.
all
Anna
or Crito
was with him
the time so as to be ready to turn
the questions into EngHsh, and then to change his

language.
277
answers, such as they were, into the Underworld
Anna and John became

after he
quite
like
old
friends
had
told her about his mother,

to
and about
to take her.
their
little
home
which he hoped soon
She then told him of the voyage her father and

she were taking
when
their ship
was wrecked on an
unknown
island,
and how the Underworld people
found them there.
Anna
then tried to explain to

fresh air through clefts
John how the Underworld got

in
it
rocks and openings into
unknown
islands;
how
was
that vegetables
grew even
in the little sunlight
of the garden plots because the air was somewhat

different
from the ordinary upper world
air,
and bethe roots
cause the people ran electric wires

in the soil.
among
She told him that their motor cars ran

all
very fast and
about
in the
Underworld, so that
in the rock,
whatever grew
in
in the soil, or
was found
any part was quickly taken wherever
else
it
might
be needed.
But she preferred
to talk about the
upper world,
she should be
repeating over and over

to get
how happy
back
there.
She would go to school Hke the
other children, she insisted, although she supposed
278
THE WONDER CHILDREN

knew
so very
little
they would laugh because she
for
her age.
It
was well
into the evening sad, told
when
Crito, finding
John alone and quite
him
to be
on the look-
out for the end of a rope which would soon be dropped
over one of the walls into the room; the other end
would be caught
fast
above so that the rope would
bear John's weight.
When
the
end of the rope
dropped over the wall that would be the signal that

it
was time
for
John
to climb up.
to
Once on
the wall
to
he would find
it
wide enough
walk on; he was
loosen the upper end of the rope and
make
his
way
along to the wall at the rear of the house, which was

nearest the river, then
fast as
let
himself
down and run
as
he could to the river bank. At the river bank
he would find a motor boat waiting for him; he was

to
jump
into
it
and push
at full
speed back over the

It
route they had
come
that morning.
would be the
same boat
in
which he and Crito had come down,

faster at the dock.
and there was none
"But where
"She
shall I find
Anna
.?"
asked John, his
heart beginning to beat hard with excitement.

will
be waiting for you in the boat;" an"I, too, shall be near by;
swered Crito smihng.

but you will not see me.
boats together so that,
if I shall
279
be tying the other

is
your escape
at
discovered,
a
little
the people cannot follow without

delay.
least
You
see I
can't keep
them long but even
three minutes might save you.
Now
good-bye."
Tears came into the eyes of both the boys as they

shook hands.
urged John.
"Why
won't you come with us
.?"
"Oh," answered
Crito
all.
moving toward the door,

I
"that wouldn't do at
there,
should be as unhappy
and as out of place,
as
Anna
is
here.
Good-
bye."
It
was only half an hour was

attracted
later that John's atten-
tion
ing,
by a sound behind him; turn-
he saw a stout rope dangling
down from
the wall.
The
in
other end seemed to have been caught above,
the top of the wall, by a sort of crowbar driven
into a crack
between the stones. The rope was knotted

it
so as to
make
easier to climb,
and John was

it
half-
way up
to tell
the side of the wall in almost the time

it.
takes
about
When
he reached the top he drew

the crevice where
it
the long iron bar from
had
been driven
picked his
and, coiling the
rope over his arm,
way
carefully along the
narrow path on
28o
THE WONDER CHILDREN

him
to do.
the wall which separated the rooms of the house, as
Crito had told
If Crito's father
had been
on the lookout he would certainly have seen the boy

as he
made
his
way, as noiselessly as possible, along
the top of the wall which ran between the

arid the sitting
main
hall
room.
John supposed, of course,

in
his
head
jailer
would be
his
bedroom
and sound
the boy's
asleep by this time of night.

terror, then, to
What was
a table
his
in
see
him
at
the sitting
in
room below,
thought
!
his
head resting on
hand
deep
At the very moment that
his prisoner
was
trying to escape, he
was planning some new hard

Fortunately
questions to put the coming morning.
the
man was
so seated that his face
was turned away
from the wall along the top of which the boy was now
tremblingly stepping.
When John
reached the rear wall of the house, he

feet,
saw, almost at his

cabin of which he
for his coming.
the motor boat, in the
little
knew Anna
at
lay carefully hiding
There being
hand no convenient
which the
crevice in the wall to hold the crowbar about
loop in the rope could be caught, John at last found

in the wall
one of the stone blocks somewhat higher
than
its
neighbors; around this he caught the rope

and then
crowbar
let
281
himself carefully down.
He
still
kept the
in his
hand;
it
had helped him once, and he

with him either for a tool
thought best to take
it
John getting ready to Drop.
or a
weapon
as the
need might
arise.
Once on
the
ground, he ran toward the boat as
fast as
he could.
"Is that you, John V' called a girHsh voice from

the cabin.
"Yes,
Anna. Hush.
Keep out of
sight for a
282
THE WONDER CHILDREN

He was
in the
minute more;" said John.
boat in a
second, touched the switch and the beautiful Httle
boat was driving up-stream, turned the switch more
and more
until the boat
was going
sit
at full speed.
"Now
come out and

happy
beside
girl.
me;" he
said at
if
length to the
little
"It seems as
we
were really going to get away without pursuit."

" How kind Crito was " she said.
!
"
A real
brother
could not have been more so;

us.
I
wish he were with
asked him to come."

did
I,
"So
It
but he shook his head;" said John.

little
was
quite a
time that the children sat in
silence while their boat fairly flew
through the water.
Then Anna looked

"I
at
John
in
sudden anxiety.
;
am sure those lights
are
moving " she
said point-
ing far back to the village.
"The
people must have
already
found out that you have escaped and be
getting ready to follow us in their boats."
"That
seriously,
is
true,"
answered
will
John
go no
slowly
faster.
and
Crito
"but our boat
tied all the other boats together,
you know; but that

If
would only delay them

think of no
caught.
few minutes.
we can
way
to stop
them we
shall surely be
We
are almost at the tunnel
now."

"But our boat
is
283
as
fast as
any;" urged Anna
trying to keep up heart.
"They would
overtake us after
I
we
left
;
our boat to
said
climb up the steps which
told
you about "

think.
I
John
shaking his head.

crowbar, you see."
"Let me
brought
my
"Boats have
to
run in the middle of the tunnel,
one behind the other, for fear of striking the rocks."
Anna hoped something

John an
idea.
in
she might say would give
"If we only could
dump
a big rock
.
behind us
the middle of the channel."

joy.
John laughed with

exclaimed, and at this
the lower
"Just the thing!"
he
moment
lucky
their boat shot into
mouth of
the tunnel.
I
"I
shall
have use
for this crowbar.
How
brought
it!
See!"
and he pointed
far
back toward the
village.
"The
boats are moving our
way
at last
but they have to
come one
after another just as

lights of ten
you said."
boats;" cried Anna.
I
"I can count the
"Yes, and there are more behind;

village
think the whole
must be coming.
!
Poor Crito, how worried

are going to go to
he will be
But
tell
me how you
work
"I
to stop
up the
river channel."
will explain so that
you can carry out your part
284
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"When
Crito and I
I
of the plan;" answered John.
were coming down
noticed some big rocks loose in
the wall at the upper
mouth of
this tunnel,
it
and
right
over the channel.
spoke to Crito about
and told
him
that sometime those rocks
would
smile
fall
and stop
the passage."
Anna began
to
and, leaning
forward, rested her hand on the boy's

excitement.
arm
in
her
"You
see," laughed John, "the time
for that rock to fall will be
when
get to
it
with this
dear old crowbar.
Your
part will
be to take the
little
boat to the bank of the river a

tunnel.
I will
above the
then climb along the ledge of rock

in
and get
where a
to
work with my crowbar
just the place
little
work
will
do wonders."
;
Everything went as the boy had planned
he easily
loosened a big rock over the mouth of the tunnel
by digging away some

the rock thundered
soft
stone beneath
it.
Then
a great
down
right in front of the lead-
ing boat of the Underworld people,
making
his
splashing of water.
John threw away
useful
crowbar, clambered
to the boat
back along the ledge of rock
which Anna held waiting by the bank,

left
and soon they had
the low tunnel
mouth out
of sight in the distance.

"Here
is
285
where we land;'' said John
at last,
drawrocky
ing the boat to shore.
"The winding path and
stairway I have told you about are over there;" and
John pointed
off to the right.
" We must run, too," cried Anna, "or they will catch
us yet.
You
see,
they will follow in their motor cars."
"So they
will;" and John looked about anxiously
as they stepped ashore.
"Now
am
going to
let
our
boat
drift so
they won't
know just where we landed."

hill
The
children had reached the bottom of the

first
and mounted the steep path before the

motor cars
in pursuit
of the
appeared
in sight.
I
first
is
"Wait here
a minute," said John, "until

if
go ahead and see

full
the pit behind the iron door

!"
of water.
Keep hidden
to
It
seemed very long

are
Anna
before John returned.
"They
coming up the
to
hill;" she
whispered and,
drawing him
one
side,
pointed
down where they

its
could see one motor car after another stop and
passengers alight and start up the steep path.
"They will be just too
late ;" said
John with a happy
laugh and, taking Anna's eager hand, he led her up

the winding stairway, then
into
down
the rough steps
the
dark,
unpleasant pit
by the iron door.
286
THE WONDER CHILDREN

ankle deep but the brave
little girl
The water was
did not hesitate to follow her guide.
He found
the
The Escape from the Underworld.
knob
in the
door, turned
it,
and helped Anna out
into the bright silver light of the
moon
of the good
old upper world.

With clasped hands and
foamy beach, and
big,
287
wondering eyes, she
looked at the starry sky far above, then at the billowy

sea, the
finally in the distance at
the roofs of the village where her

after to be.
home was
girl just
here-
She was a very happy
then.
In a few minutes John had carefully piled sand

against the iron door so
to
it
should not serve as a trap

in
tempt the curious.
Then, hand
hand, the
children
made
their
way
into the village
and
to the
door of John's home.
The
quick ear of the boy's mother, anxious at his
long absence, caught the sound of the steps at the

door, and
you may
this pale
believe she
was surprised
girl
to find
with him
but beautiful
with belt and
bracelets of spun gold
and a necklace of uncut jewels.
Lighting a lamp, she drew both children to her,
one on either
been trying to
side,
tell.
and heard the story which

Sometimes
it
have
was John who was

;
talking and sometimes

*^But
Anna.
rich
you
will be
woman
" said John's
mother.
"These jewels
are worth a fortune.'*
"But
these are not all;" the child cried, and she

a little bag, and,
drew from the bosom of her garment

as she shook
it,
the
precious stones within rattled
288
THE WONDER CHILDREN

"My
father saved
like pebbles.
them
for
me and
until
made me promise not

I
to take off this
little I
bag
was
safe in the
all
upper world.
so that
But here
am, and
they are
for
you
you can take good care
of John and me.
For
shall never leave you.''
So Anna and John and John's mother soon went to

live in a beautiful
house
and when the two children
grew up
after.
they were married and Hved happily ever
STORY OF THE THREE WISHES
FRANK was not

spectful to
his
bad boy
at all.
He was
little
re-
parents, polite
to others, not
friends.
fond of mischief or of pestering his
But he was discontented; that
is,
he had a habit
of thinking that others had better things than he and
making himself unhappy by thinking of
it.
The
boy.
truth
was that Frank was
a very fortunate
all
His father was able to give to him

to be
that any
boy needed
night,
ful for
happy.
He had
a nice soft
is
bed
at
good things
any boy,
all,
to eat, all the
candy that
healthfor
all
the playthings he
had any use
and, best of
a pleasant
home.
She did
gave
Frank's mother was loving and kind.

not
let
all
him run any
risk of being hurt, yet she
him
the liberty which
was well
for him.
He had
kind brothers and
sisters
who were always

amuse him.
heart
willing to give
up
their
own
pleasure to
Yet Frank was discontented.

filled
His
little
was
with envy of other boys of his

u
289
own
age who, he
290
THE WONDER CHILDREN

His discontenthis hfe,
thought, had a better time than he.
ment spoiled
could say
and
all
that his father and mother
made no change
to his
in
him.
When
his careful
mother said "no"
begging for permission to go

used to wish he
let
swimming with
had
a careless
his little friends he
mother.
When
she would not
him play
in the dirt
let
he used to cry bitterly.
When
she would not
him
stay out-of-doors in the even-
ing he would be sullen for a long time afterward.
At other times Frank used
to
envy boys
whom
he
knew
than
that had ponies of their own, or or
who
much
could
finer
ride in carriages,
his.
who wore
clothes
tell
Some
table.
of these boys would
him of the
nice things they had to eat, such as were not seen on

his
own
He would sometimes
its
see the inside
of the house of such a boy, with

furnishings than those of his
much grander
own home.
He
often
trees,
envied
its
large grounds with
ponds and shade
orchards and playgrounds.
Then he would come
home
miserable, and nothing his mother could say
would comfort him.
Frank was
in a fair
in
way
to
grow up
to be a very
unhappy man
spite of all that he
had
to
make
him
cheerful.
His loving father and mother often

no plan
to
291
had long talks together about him, but could think of

change him which had not been already
tried in vain.
But
fairies
it
happened, fortunately for Frank, that the

for a a
had been watching him

that he
long time.
They saw
were very
was
in the
main
he
good boy and
much
from
afraid
his
that
might grow up
wrong
just
one great
fault.
Good
boys,
they thought, are worth saving.
But how
to save
him
That was
the question.
So a great meeting
fairy
of the fairies
was held one day, and each
was
asked to say what she believed the best thing to do

for this boy.
One
by
fairy
said
her advice was to punish him

suffer,
making
him
so
then
he
would be
more
likely to
be thankful for whatever blessings
he might afterward have.

that
Another
fairy suggested
since,
they give
him everything he wanted,
except for his discontent, he was a very good boy.
Other
finally
fairies
made
different suggestions, but the plan

:
decided upon was as follows

best thing
It
was agreed
to
that
the
of
all
would be
give the
boy, for a while,
what he thought he wanted.

just fallen asleep in
That very night Frank had
292
his
THE WONDER CHILDREN

own
little
room when he was wakened by
rustling of wings, and, opening his eyes, he
saw half
a dozen beautiful fairies about his bed.
they were fairies because his story-books

fairies
He knew told how
should look.
Visit
from Fairyland.
He was
interested
not at
in
all
frightened but only very

callers.
much
little
his
unusual
Like the
do you do
.?"
gentleman he was, he said:
"How
it
and
the fairies, like the true ladies they are, answered
him sweetly and remarked
was
a pleasant night.
The boy had
a delightful talk with his surprising

visitors
293
about
all
sorts of things.
He
asked them
many
able to
questions which his father and mother had

if
never been able to answer, and
he had only been
remember
be
their replies this story
would have
had
to
much
longer to
make
space for them.

fairies
But
at last
one of the prettiest of the

:
spoke to
him
as follows
in all
"Now, Frank, you are a very good boy but one. You are discontented."
At
this
ways
Frank blushed, and he covered

it
his face
with
the sheet, although
was
so dark, except for the
brightness of their faces, that his visitors could not
have seen whether
his
:
cheeks were red or white.
Then
the fairy went on
are not
"Although you have a kind father and mother and enough pleasures
satisfied.
to
make any boy happy, you

better than
You
keep thinking that another boy has

is
something which
that so,
what you have.
Isn't
Frank ?" And he

said the fairy,
replied, "yes," in
alowtone.
"Now,"
"we
are going to give
you
whatever you ask
in three wishes,
something which
no boy has been given
for
thousands of years.
if
Do
you think you would be perfectly happy

three wishes granted
.^"
you had
294
THE WONDER CHILDREN

cried
"Why, yes;"
The kind
Frank
in delight,
"I wouldn't
even ask but one wish."

fairy
smiled.
"So you think now;"

a mistake in
it,
she answered.
"But you might make
one wish and afterward be sorry for

going to give you three wishes.
so
we
are
We
will give
you
whatever you ask
in
your three wishes."

instant.
Frank did not wait an
"I know what

replied.
would make me perfectly happy," he would

like to
"I
be in Charley's place.
He
Hves just
over the street in the great house."
And
all
of a sudden the fairies were gone and

It
Frank concluded he had been dreaming.

quite dark in his
was
in
room now, and he turned over

again.
bed and went
to sleep
But,
when he was
had
wakened next morning by the

at his
sunlight streaming in
window, nothing
in the
room looked
as
it
the night before.
The windows were
covered with
the richest lace curtains, instead of the simple shades

that he
was
sure he
saw when he went

his
to
bed the
night before.
Over
bed he discovered, when he

silk; the
looked up, a canopy of
counterpane was
delicately fragrant
like the
like a rose leaf, while the linen
was
and welcome
to his childish flesh
nothing

bed where he went to sleep the night before.
glanced at the floor and found
it
295
He
finely polished.
Why,
room
the furniture of the
room had
all
been changed.
In place of the simple chairs which had been in his

before, he now^
saw
silken couches
sit
and velvet
ottomans which seemed too nice to
upon.
for his
Frank bounded out of bed and shouted

mother
at the top of his voice.
He wanted
to
thank
to
her for the wonderful changes in his
room and
promise never again
to find fault
with his bedroom.
But, instead of his mother, a
never seen
entered
father
the
woman whom he had " You will room to say

:
wake your
work
ways
and mother."
"My father," replied Frank,

for
"has been gone
to his
al-
an hour,
am
sure.
I
And my mother
gets
up long before
do."
"Nonsense, Charley;" said the
woman
crossly,
"you know
better.
If
you want
to be dressed get
up
quickly, but do not disturb the house."
"But
w^ho
are you,"
call
demanded
Frank, "and
me Charley ^ I am sure I never saw you before, and my name is Frank, not Charley." "Tush, tush;" said the woman, "what nonsense is this Surely I ought to know your name; I have
why do you
.^
296
taken
old."
THE WONDER CHILDREN

care
of you
since
you were seven
years
"I want
please go
my mother;"
the
cried the boy.
"Will you
away r*
But
as
woman
stood arranging his clothes,
while she waited for him to get out of bed, Frank

noticed that the clothes were very
much
finer
than
all
those he had taken ofFthe night before.

a sudden, he
Then,
of
remembered the
visit
of the fairies which
he had afterward concluded was only a dream.
He
had used
his first
wish and was now, as he had asked
to be, in the place of the rich
boy
in the
grand house
over the way.

for a
its
He
felt a
pang of homesickness and,
moment, he longed
for his dear old
bedroom with
to
simpler furniture, and for his
own dear mother
smile on
him and say some sweet word.

thousands of boys
So,
in
But he
tried to think of the
town who
had no such beautiful room.
when he opened
saw the
whole of
the door to go down-stairs to breakfast and

great hall, which
was almost
as large as the
the house he used to live in, he told himself that he
ought to be glad he had spoken

to the fairies.
It
his
wish as he had
does not take a hungry boy long to find the

dining
297
room
in ever so strange a house, this
and what a
for dining
grand room
was
It
was big enough
room, kitchen and parlor together, he thought, and

the floor
self,
was of poHshed oak, while the

its
table
it-
with
rare
and glistening china, almost took

away.
his childish breath
A waitress
showed him
to
Charley's seat, seeming surprised that he did not
know which
fruit
it
was, and set before him a dish of
such as he had never seen before.
With the
natural appetite of a boy he lost no time in helping

himself,
and had eaten
so
much
as to frighten the
maid before she spoke unpleasantly of the convenience

to a
it
was
to have a doctor for next door neighbor

It
greedy boy.
was
just then that he thought
of his mother and father and asked for them.
"Why,"
replied the
maid, "what
^
is
the matter
with you this morning, Charley
You know your
father and mother never eat breakfast at this time in
the morning."
Now
at
Frank remembered that the breakfast hour

to
what used
be his
home was
the pleasantest in
the day, and
felt
very homesick for a moment.
The
breakfast was such a one as Frank had never
eaten before, and that he will
remember
as long as
298
THE WONDER CHILDREN

lives.
he
The
father
waitress
did
not
know what
to
make
like
of his appetite, since the real Charley,
much
just
his
and mother, had usually only
tasted of his breakfast.
After breakfast Frank called for his hat.

in great haste to
He was
own.
play with Charley's trained goats

for
his
which he had so often desired
He
wanted
to see Charley's pony, too,
and make plans

the
about a gallop.
But
at just this
moment
woman
who had wakened him in the morning appeared and said " You know you must not go out to play in
:
those clothes."
"Where
are
my
other ones then
.^"
demanded
Frank impatiently.
"Your mother
said
you were
to go to drive with
her this morning;" answered the governess.

are to stay indoors until she
is
"You
wait.
ready."
Frank decided that the goats and pony could
Now would
a
be a good time to explore the house.

in
In
minute more he was

the
the grand
library
and
rummaging among
books
shelves
for picture
books.
Charley had once told him that he had picture

in
bright
colors
with
gilt
edges.
But the
cried.
governess was at his heels.
"No, no;" she

"You know
perfectly well
299
you
are not allowed to
disturb these books/'
Just beyond and opening out of the library

the music room.
was
Frank could
see
through the half
open door the black and white glistening keys of the

piano
;
if
there
was nothing
better, he could at least
drum on
the
piano as he often had done on his

rather
It
own mother's "at home," although he would

have played
but a
at
something altogether new.
took
moment
to skip across the
music room; then,
seating himself before the piano, he began striking

the keys loudly.
"Stop,
Charley,
stop;"
it is
cried
the
governess.
"Don't you remember

on the piano
.?"
forbidden for you to play
"What can
I do,
then?" asked the boy.
"Is
it
time to go to drive
.^"
"Why, no;" answered

mother
will not be
the
governess.
"Your
ready for an hour yet.

yourself, if
Go
up to
to,
the play
room and amuse

soil
you want
but don't
your clothes."
Frank followed the woman out of the music room,

and up the broad oaken
anything but happy.
staircase.
He was
it
feeling
What good was
to be in
300
THE WONDER CHILDREN

if
Charley's house
things
?
he could not enjoy any of the fine
The
play
room was not very
attractive with
its
old
furniture and bare floor.
shelf or
two contained
a few torn books, while in an open box he found

a jumble of toys, none of
them
in perfect condition.
Frank thought he would not care
to
exchange
all.
his
own
playthings for Charley's
if
these were
The boy began

he thought
it
to feel very miserable
now. At
first
was because he was
so disappointed in
the pleasures of the

his
new
life.
But soon he made up
mind he had stomach
ache.
He threw
himself
down on one
governess
of the chairs and began to cry.

lie
His
made him
on the couch and brought

to
him
some
peppermint
drink.
But
he
felt
worse rather than better and

mother.
kept calling for his
So the
woman
it
at length
went out
to find
Charley's mother, but
seemed
a long time to the
unhappy
little
fellow before she
came
in,
hand-
some woman dressed fashionably

drive.
for her
morning
"Why,
Charley," she said hurriedly kissing

is
him, " the carriage

the matter with you
waiting at the door.
What
is
.?"
"Oh,
I feel sick,"
he said, "awfully sick."

"It
is
301
;
only that he ate too
much
breakfast
" ex-
plained the governess.
"He
will be all right in a
few minutes.'*
"Well, send for the doctor,
if
you think
best,
Sarah;"
door.
said Charley's
mother moving toward the
"I must go now."

cried the boy.
"Don't leave me;"
But the door

later he
closed after her, and a few
moments
it
heard
the
the rumbling of the carriage as
rolled
down
driveway.
After a while the boy cried himself to sleep.
But
when he awoke he
felt
better and, getting off the
couch, he began to try to amuse himself with Charley's playthings.
piece of toast
was brought up
for his lunch.
But the doctor had said he must not
go outdoors that day, so he passed a very tedious

afternoon.
At
five
o'clock he
was permitted
to
go
downstairs to his tea.
Charley's mother sat with
him
at the table,
but she did not eat anything.

.?"
"Aren't you hungry
he asked.
"Not yet;"
"Can't
she said.
"I
shall
have dinner, you

later."
know, with your father and our guests

I
come, too.?" cried Frank.

not;"
she
"Why,
of course
answered.
"Little
302
boys
THE WONDER CHILDREN

don't
have
dinner so
is
late.
I
Come, Sarah,"
can do nothing
she called, "Charley
so cross
to
with him.
Better put
him
bed early."
first
And
place.
this
ended Frank's
did not
day
in
Charley's
He
hke
his beautiful
bedroom, or
care anything about the lace curtains on the win-
dows, and when he

that he
fell
asleep at last
it
was
to
dream
was the
old
Frank again, and that
his
own
dear mother was putting him to bed and kissing him
good night.
Suddenly he heard
room, and one of the
a rustling
fairies
of wings in
the
stood at his bedside.
*'What makes you cry.?"

tones
she asked in her silvery
I'm sorry
ever wished to be in Charley's place;"

to
whimpered the boy. "He doesn't seem

as
have even
good times as
did."
"Oh,
is
yes, he
does;" said the fairy laughing.
"It
only that you don't have the same kind of good
times in Charley's place that he did

here."
when he was
"Where
is
he now.?"
asked Frank, his curiosity
getting the better of his grief for a
moment.
"Per-
"Oh, you mustn't
ask
me
that;" she said.

haps he needed a lesson, as well as you, but a
ferent sort of one.
303
dif-
He may be at the other end the world for all you may know." *'But what does my dear mother do without me
demanded Frank, beginning
to
of
?"
cry
again
at
the
thought of his
own mother, whose
loving care had
not been enough to
make him contented when he

boy.
had
it.
Then
the kind fairy kissed the
little
"Don't
have
is
worry about your mother;" she

put another boy
in
I
said.
"We
your place.
She thinks he
her
own Frank, and

as well as her
am
not sure but he behaves fully
own
httle
boy did."
to
But now Frank wanted

Charley
know why
it
was that
"His
mother
had seemed
to
have good times.
mother doesn't love him as much as

loved me."
my
fairy.
"Oh,
yes, she
does;" answered the

ways, that
"She
shows her love
in different
is all,
and you
are not used to her ways.

self in his
Charley, too, enjoyed himin yours."
way
just as
you enjoyed yourself
But before the boy could ask any more questions

the fairy
was gone, and,

Frank
after trying his best to under-
stand
it all,
finally fell asleep again.
304
THE WONDER CHILDREN

next day Frank saw Charley's father for a
at lunch,
The
few minutes
and heard him talk with

to attend
his
mother about the tea she was
that afterin the
noon and the party
to
which they were bid
evening, and his heart
came up
in his throat in a
lump
so that he could eat hardly anything.
Frank had
a ride
on Charley's pony, but the stable-
man who
trouble.
rode with him could not spare time to go

go, so
where the boy wanted to
there
was more
Frank
tried to hitch
up the team of goats to
the beautiful
little
wagon, but the harness was broken

to fix
it
and the stableman was too busy
for
it
him and
himself.
to
would not
let
the boy have the tools to do

it
Frank then thought

get a board
would be great sport

in the
and play "ship"

all
pond, which was
shallow and not at

board, launched
to
it
dangerous.
He found
his
on the pond, and was just ready

trip,
make
his
first
using a
long pole for
an
oar,
when
his governess
discovered
him and gave
him
a sound scolding.
He
then thought of climbing some of the trees in
the apple orchard. the gardener said

it
But no, he must not do that;
would injure the
trees,
and the
all
governess said
it
would
soil his clothes.
So
that
305
He
thinks there
is
More Fun
Outside.
was
left for
him was
it
to
go to the
tall
iron fence
and
look through
to be
at
some youngsters who seemed

street.
having
X
fine
times in the
3o6
THE WONDER CHILDREN

at
Frank watched the boys

a long time.
careless
play in the street for
They played
fell
ball,
chased each other,

in the dirt or not,
whether they
to be
down
and seemed
had
in his
having more fun than he had ever

life.
whole
He
particularly noticed
little
Sammy
Smith who was the most ragged of the

for a long time
lot.
He had known about Sammy

envied his freedom.
in the
and often
If
Sammy wanted
in.
to stay out
evening no one called him

to go skating he went,
If
Sammy
ice
wanted
whether the
was
safe or not.
Sammy went
in
swimming when he
He climbed trees when he chose, went to school or stayed at home according to his own whim. Nobody that Frank knew had as much reason to be perfectly happy as had Sammy, although his father was poor and his mother had so many children she
chose.
did not
know what
to do,
and even
if
they
all
lived
in a miserable little house, slept four in a bed,
and
never had their hands and faces washed.
There
must be fun
for
Sammy
in
Smith.
So thought Frank
as he looked out into the street.
Then he spoke
tall
aloud: "I wish
was
Sammy
first
Smith's place."
fence
In an instant Frank was outside of the

instead of inside.
The
thing he noticed was

that the boy
307
who took
his place inside the fence, the
real Charley, looked a great deal happier
than he
himself had
felt
it
when he was
there.
Next he
to
discovered that
was not nearly

it
as
good fun
be playing in the street as
had looked.
Then
fell
he was knocked over by a bigger boy and
into
the gutter, his ragged clothes worse torn and dirtier
than ever.
His nose bled and his knees ached but,

to cry, the other boys set
when he began
sleeve
up such a
shout that he dried his dirty face on his dirtier coat
and
tried to laugh.
Then
he went into the

real
rough play again and saw how the

the fence enjoyed looking at him.
Charley inside
Perhaps the real
Charley was
now wishing
he was a poor boy.
But
just at that time a passing teamster,

at the
becoming angry
boys for being in his way, struck at them with
his
whip.
policeman soon came along and told

to jail if they did not stop
them he would take them

playing in the street.
The
fun was
all
gone, and
Frank made
lived.
his
way
tired
to the little
house where
Sammy
He was
as he
and hungry.
But
walked up toward Sammy's miserable
house Frank's heart sank.

to
He
did not at
all
want
go
inside.
It
was
just
that
minute Sammy's
3o8
THE WONDER CHILDREN

in
if
mother spied him and screamed that he must come

quickly
calico
he wanted any supper.

a
still
She wore
a soiled
wrapper with
more
soiled apron;
her
hair
was
carelessly tied
skirts
up and did not look any too
clean.
At her
hung two of Sammy's many

She gave Frank another look
brothers and
sisters.
and
cried:
"You
to
have been fighting again, you

clothes.
I
naughty boy, and have torn your
have a
good mind
whip you.
Wait
until father
it."
comes
home and
sees
you; then you'll catch

it
But what a supper
was
Frank's appetite
left
him very suddenly when he saw the bread and molasses,
cold potatoes and crackers set before the hungry
family.
The
many
table-cloth
was spotted with the
spillings of
meals, and there were only knives and spoons
at the plates.
The bread and
molasses did not taste
any better than they looked, and the boy's appetite
was not helped by noticing how Sammy's brothers

and
sisters
smeared
their faces with every mouthful.

all
What
in
with trying to keep an eye on

filling
the
little
ones at once, as well as
the
mouth of the baby

him from
crying,
eat.
arms with sweet morsels
to keep
the tired mother could
have
little
chance to

Frank thought how
different
309
in his
were the meals
own home,
others,
as
the table spread neatly and covered with

first
tempting food, each one thinking
of serving
instincts
and making the display of the animal

possible.
modest as
The boy
dining room.
cast
his
eyes
about the strange
little
There was no carpet on the
floor; the
walls were without pictures, except for the clippings
from Sunday newspapers which were tacked up here
and
there.
No
two chairs looked
alike,
all.
and there
was not was
a perfect one
among them
of rubbish,
The
floor
cluttered with
all sorts
broken playa dust-
things, scraps of newspapers, a
book or two,
pan
half full of floor sweepings, a torn child's hat, a

a broken bat, a ball with the
dirty pair of shoes,
cover half torn every
off.
Frank's heart swelled bigger
moment
as he
compared
this
home with
the
one he had known and with which he had not been

satisfied.
Just then one of
Sammy's brothers
sisters as to the
fell
into a dis-
pute with one of his

slice
ownership of a
of bread.
The
dispute changed into a squabble,
and the squabble
into a battle.
five
Three saucers of
children and their
molasses were spilled over
310
THE WONDER CHILDREN

lay
chairs, to say nothing of the table spread, before the
mother could
of action.
down
the baby and reach the scene
In a
moment more
four pairs of lungs

a heavy tread father returning
all
were sending forth wailings.
Then
sounded on the doorstep

from
his
it
was the
hard day's work, and the children
knew
that he
was not always very
gentle on these
stilled
home
as if
comings, so their voices were suddenly

at a signal.
As
he
for
Frank,
his
blood froze in his
veins
as as
recalled
Sammy's
happen
mother's
re-
mark
to
what would
when
him
kill
"father
comes home."
ished in his
life,
He had
and
it
never been harshly pun-
seemed
to
that to be
whipped by
this
rough
man would
him.
He
cap
sprang from the table and, catching
his torn at the
from a peg, rushed out of the back door
same
moment
that
Sammy's
father entered at the front.
The boy
ran quite a distance before stopping to
catch his breath.
He
did not care where he went
if
only he escaped his beating.

eight o'clock
over.
father,
The town
clock struck
it all
and then Frank stopped
to think
There was no further danger from Sammy's

and here he was
in the
open
air at eight o'clock
at night.
His own mother had never permitted him

to be out after
311
dark alone.
How
often he had stared
out of the cheerful rooms in the
home which had once

he saw running
been
his
and envied the boys
whom
in the street.
His time had come
at last.
it
He, too,
could run in the street.
Somehow
did not look
nearly so cheerful from this side of the window.
But there were many other boys who had the run
of the streets.
He
to
did not
know
all
of them, but
for
they
all
seemed
know Sammy Smith

to those
whom
they took him.
As
he knew, he remem-
bered that his mother had forbidden him to play with
them.
The
bolder ones
among them
number of
to
said
it
would
be good fun to ring bells and run away; so a plan
was arranged
to ring a
front-door bells,
and Frank was the one selected
do the ringing,
and was
to join the others in the
running after he had

it
done the mischief.

at the
first
He
thought
was great sport
house when he heard the waiting maid
scold at "those boys."
At the second house
man
came
But
to
the door and chased
them came
for a block;
Frank only escaped him by dodging under

at the third
a fence.
house a lame
girl
to the door;
she had
Hmped down two
flights
of stairs to answer
she heard the boys'
the false call at the bell.
When
312
laughter,
THE WONDER CHILDREN

she
stood
a
moment
in
the
doorway.
"They wouldn't
how
it
laugh," she said, "if they
knew
hurts
me
to
go up and down those stairs."
At the next house Frank had bad
was answered almost
instantly by a
The bell young man who

luck.
had been on the lookout and who, when he saw
Frank
running up the
a
street,
chased him.
too,
The
young man was
good runner,
could
slide
and overhauled
the boy before he

Seizing
under any fences.
Frank by the
collar the
bell
young man
had
last
led
him
back
to the
all
house where the
been rung.
And
the
way back
the other boys kept shouting at

trees or fences:
Frank from behind

it:" "Sorry for you,
"You'll catch
for
Sammy:" "Good enough

led
you, Slowlegs."
The young man

room,
girl
Frank
into the house

in
and
brought him before the whole family
the sitting
gentleman and
his wife,
and a boy and
of about Frank's age.
"What have you there .?" laughed the gentleman. The boy laughed too, but the lady only smiled sadly,
while the
little girl
looked shyly and not
unkindly
at the unwilling visitor.
"I caught him;" breathlessly answered the young
313
The Runaway
Ring.
314
THE WONDER CHILDREN

held
man who
" But
Frank
tightly
by the arm.
"He
ran
pretty well too."
what are you going
to
do with him
now you
have caught him

ing his
?" asked the other gentleman takhis lap.
own boy on
isn't as
"I
that
am
it
going to use him to show our
own
little
boy
good fun
to
run the streets as he has

to
been thinking."
Then, turning
:
Frank who was
trying to hide his face, he said
Nobody
is
"Look up
hurt you
if
here,
young
fellow.
going to
it
you
tell
the truth.
streets
.?"
Tell us now: Is
good fun running the

" No,
;
sir
" whimpered Frank.
" It's no fun at
all."
"Hear
still
that,
Donald?"
said the
young man who
held
Frank by the arm.

question.
as
Then he asked Frank another

you rather stay indoors and
a
"Would
a mother
do
your mother
wanted you
like
to do, if
you had
home and
Donald's here.?"
this
At
Frank burst
into
tears,
and Donald's
little
mother promptly
she
said.
interfered.
"Poor
boy;"
didn^'t
.?"
"You
make
shall not
torment him.
little
You
boy
mean
added
to
us trouble, did you,
she
to the small prisoner.
She took charge of him

herself, then,
315
and only
let
him go when
his pockets
were
filled
with cookies and two beautiful big oranges.
Frank wandered
miserable, for an
about
the
streets,
tired
and
hour or more
asleep.
still
until
he was sure
he went
Sammy's
father
must be
Then
home
Then,
and found Sammy's mother
up, waiting for him.
"How
late
you
are,
Sammy;"
she said.
seeing that the boy had been crying, she added
"What's the matter, Sammy.?"

"I was afraid
I
should be whipped;" he answered,
the tears starting again.
"Is he asleep ?" he whis-
pered.
"Long ago;" laughed

usually scared so easily.
the mother.
I
"You
aren't
wouldn't have
let
him
whip you."
Then Frank took

;âve
out the good things from his

all to
pocket and handed them
her.
"A
kind lady
them
to
me;" he
said.
Pleased at his generosity, the poor

of the
woman
so.
ate
one
then
oranges with great

a
little
satisfaction,
but
seemed
ashamed
to
have done
"Eat the
other yourself,
Sammy."
a mouthful.
"I don't want anything;" replied Frank mournfully.
"I couldn't eat
It
would choke
3i6
THE WONDER CHILDREN

in her lap
me/' Then she took him up

to her tired
and hugged him
bosom hke
him
the true mother she was,
and sang
a song to
as sweetly as if he
were
baby
in the softest
of linens, and she the finest of fine ladies.

asleep,
When
him
he
fell
she undressed him and
put
in the little
bed with two of
his sleeping brothers,
took up the lamp and went to her

rest.
own much-needed
a kiss,
A
He
light touch, or
perhaps
it
was
wakened
away
Frank, and the fairy was once more by his bedside.

hastily
caught her hand
lest
she should
all
slip
again
before she had

of.
answered
the questions
he could think
"I
am
not having a good time in
Sammy
it
Smith's
place;" he said.
"I don't see how
was that he
always seemed to be so jolly."
The
fairy stroked the boy's
hand
for comfort as
she said:
"Why, Sammy had
as
good times as you

different
used to think he had.
But they were
good
times from those you have been used to." " But
how can
he like what he has to eat, or en-
dure the dirt in his
home
is
.?"
"That
is
what he
used
to.
Perhaps he wouldn't
enjoy your
home
as
much
as
you did."

"And
me, and
then he
is
317
ragged, and hasn't a nice bed like
mine, and his mother doesn't love him as mine does

it
isn't
any fun running wild as he does;"
ran on the boy.
"You
as
are
mistaken, Frank,"
replied
the fairy,
"if you think that
Sammy's mother
doesn't love
him
much
as
your mother did you."

as
Frank swallowed a sob
the
fairy used
the
word "did."
"But
you."
she has so
much work
to
do that she can't
spend the time with him that your mother did with
There was that
terrible
"did"
again.
"You must remember

as
that he has always been

it
used to being dirty and ragged, and doesn't mind
you
do.
It
doesn't
make him unhappy.

him unhappy
too,
is
The
what
only thing which really makes
makes
that
is
all
boys, and
grown people,
unhappy,
doing wrong.
You might try to
be a better boy
than
Sammy
was."
Then
the fairy
was gone.
tried
Frank did not cry any more, but

over what the fairy had said, and to
to think
remember
did,
that
it
was not what he had, but what he
which made
3i8
THE WONDER CHILDREN

happy and unhappy.
asleep again,
little
the difference between being
Soon the
pilgrim
fell
and he
could not have slept better

of the richest
if
he had been the son

brass
man
in
the
town, lying on a
bedstead, beneath a silk quilt and a lace canopy.
Sammy's
had
father
had gone
to his
work long before
Frank awoke
sisters
in the
morning, and his brothers and

their
his
all
eaten
breakfast;
Sammy's
mother was standing by

ing orange in her hand.
bedside with the remainthis,*'
"Eat
she said,
"and
to
hurry with your breakfast or you will

school."
be
late
In a few minutes more he was in the street and on

the
way
to school with the other
neighborhood boys.
"Let's play ^hookey';" said one of them.

river
is
"The
use
just
right for
swimming."
"Yes;" agreed
Frank thought
poor
sides,
another.
"What's
all
the
of
.?"
being cooped up in that schoolroom

if
the forenoon
left in
it
there
was any fun

like to
being
Sammy
his
he would
have
now.
Be-
he had always wanted to go in swimming,
and
own mother would not permit him, saying he was too little. He knew it was wrong to run
away from
school, but as long as
Sammy was
in the

habit of doing things that were wrong,
his conscience as well as
his
319
Frank excused
he could and ran off with

of
ragged companions,
all
whom
certainly looked
as if they
needed a bath.
was, indeed, tempting enough;
The
river
the
his
its
water so clear that one could see the pebbles on the
bottom where the depth was several times over

head,
and yet
as
he
looked
sidewise
along
surface he
saw the most charming
reflection of the
blue sky and fleecy white clouds, or near the banks,
of the leaves and branches

It
of overhanging trees.
off"
did not take these boys long to throw
the few
clothes they wore.
There were no shoes

off*,
to unbutton,
no stockings to pull
delay them.
no
collars or neckties to
last
In
less
than two minutes the
of
them was
in the water.
They
all
knew how
in
to swim.
Even Frank, who
had never been
any water deeper than a bath-tub,

nicely.
found he could swim very
Of
course
it
was
only natural that he should be able to

as
swim
as long
he was
now
in
Sammy
Smith's
place.
But,
instead of coming out of the water
when they should
have done, the boys were having such a good time

that they stayed
in
until they
grew blue about the
320
THE WONDER CHILDREN

finger-tips.
mouth and
was
his
All of a sudden Frank,
who
farthest out in the river, felt a terrible pain in

legs
and found he could not move them.
He
screamed loudly, twice, and then sank down, down

out of sight.
He came up
life
again, but only to swallow
a quantity of water
and sink a second time.
He now
had
recalled all his
before, the unkindnesses he
been guilty
of,
the times he had been envious and
sullen, selfish or greedy, every little falsehood
he had
told; he thought last of his
own dear mother; and

found himself on
then he
the
knew no more
until he
bank being rubbed by two men
whom
he had
never seen before.
"He
really
is all
right
now;"
said one of the
men.
"I
thought he would never open his eyes again."

along in a boat just as Frank
They had happened

went down
him.
It
for the last time,
and one of them dived
for
was
narrow escape
for the boy, indeed.
In a few minutes more he was trudging wearily
back toward
Sammy*s house, going over

come
been
in
his
own mind
home and
had done
the unhappiness which had
to
him
because he had
all
not
satisfied
with his
own
that his
own
loving father and mother
for him.

" Oh,
I
321
wish
were
my own
self at
my own home
in the old
again;" he moaned.
And on
and
just
the instant he
was dressed
steps
last
way,
cKmbing the
used his
his
of his
own beloved
way,
home.
and,
He had
wish
in the wisest
when he opened
own door and found
his
own
dear mother waiting for him with her

smile on her face,
own
sweet
he rushed into her arms and

if
kissed and hugged her as
he would never stop.
THE STANDARD SCHOOL LIBRARY.

(Each Volume,
cloth, 50 cents.
Sold singly or in sets.)
BAILEY.
LESSONS WITH PLANTS. Suggestions for Seeing and By Interpreting Some of the Common Forms of Vegetation. 12mo. Illustrated, xxxi + 491 pages. L. H. Bailey.
book
This volume is the outgrowth of "observation lessons." The is based upon the idea that the proper way to begin the study of plants is by means of plants instead of formal ideals or definiInstead of a definition as a model telling what is to be tions. seen, the plant shows what there is to be seen, and the definition
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1812. pages.
YANKEE SHIPS AND YANKEE

By James
Barnes.
SAILORS.
Tales of
xiii
12mo.
Illustrated,
+ 281
peake, the
Fourteen spirited tales of the gallant defenders of the ChesaWasp, the Vixen, Old Ironsides, and other heroes of
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War
of 1812.
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Bellamy.
THE
12mo.
WONDER
CHILDREN.
modern
By
Charles
J.
Illustrated.
stories in a
Nine old-fashioned fairy
setting.
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THE PRACTICE OF SELF-CULTURE. Black. 12mo. vii + 262 pages.
By Hugh
title is justified
Nine essays on culture considered in its broadest sense. The not so much from the point of view of giving many details for self-culture, as of giving an impulse to practice.
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THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE.
Extracts from the
let-
ters of Captain H. L. Herndon of the 21st U. S. Infantry, on duty in the Philippine Islands, and Lieutenant Lawrence With Gill, A.D.C. to the Military Governor of Puerto Rico.
a postscript by J. Sherman, Private, Co. D, 21st Infantry. Edited by Stephen Bonsai. 12mo. xi + 316 pages.
These
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our
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which are
throw much light on our recent history. The ''Expansion" is well told, and the problems outgrowth are treated with clearness and insight.
1
BUCK.
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Lewis Carroll.
ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. 12mo. Illustrated, xiv + 192 pages.
By
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AND WHAT
12mo.
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The authorized
the original
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recently been reprinted from
new type and new
cuts
They have made from
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CHURCH.
vii
-I-
THE STORY OF THE
ILIAD.
By Rev.
A.
J.
Church,
314 pages.
CHURCH.
THE STORY OF THE ODYSSEY. By

vii
-I-
Rev. A.
J.
Church,
306 pages.
story-tellers.
The two great epics are retold in prose by one of the best of The Greek atmosphere is remarkably well preserved.
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Charles Egbert Craddock.
THE STORY OF OLD FORT LOUDON. By 12mo. Illustrated, v + 409 pages.

life
story of pioneer
uprising in 1760.
ships.
The
frontier fort serves as a
picture of Indian craft
Cherokee background to this and guile and pioneer pleasures and hardin Tennessee at the time of the
CROCKETT.
RED CAP
xii-|-
TALES.
By
S.
R.
Crockett.
8vo.
Illustrated.
413 pages.
The volume consists of a number of tales told in succession "Waverley," "Guy Mannering," from four of Scott's novels ''Rob Roy," and "The Antiquary"; with a break here and there
while the children to

told from their
whom
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No
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Half a dozen or
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3
DIX.
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A LITTLE CAPTIVE LAD. By Beulah Marie vii + 286 pages.
Dix.
12mo.
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is
The
times.
EGGLESTON.
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12mo.
Illustrated.
STORIES.
xi
By George
pages.
Gary Eggleston.
+ 251
Forty-seven stories illustrating the heroism of those brave Americans who fought on the losing side in the Civil War. Humor and pathos are found side by side in these pages which bear evidence of absolute truth.
ELSON.
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This volume takes a contemporary view of the leading events in the history of the country from the period of the Declaration of Independence to the close of the Spanish-American War. The result is a very valuable series of studies in many respects more interesting and informing than consecutive history.
GAYE.
Nature's Crops and
THE GREAT WORLD'S FARM. Some How they are Sown. By

Illustrated,
xii
-\-
Account of Selina Gaye.

It
12mo.
365 pages.
A
is
readable account of plants and

as possible
how they
as free
from
technicalities
live and grow. and well adapted
to
young people.
GREENE.
trated,
PICKETT'S GAP.
vii
-I-
By Homer
Greene.
12mo.
Illus-
288 pages.
A story of American life and character illustrated in the personal heroism and manliness of an American boy. It is well told, and the lessons in morals and character are such as will appeal to
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HAPGOOD.
12mo.
This
is
ABRAHAM
Illustrated,
LINCOLN.
xiii
By
Norman
Hapgood.
433 pages.
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also as a
faithful picture of the strong character of the great President, not
only when he was at the head of the nation, but a young man, making his way in the world.
boy and
4
HAPGOOD.
12mo.
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Illustrated,
By Norman Hapgood.
some biographers, but a
as he really appeared in
xi
419 pages.
of
Not the semi-mythical Washington

clear,
comprehensive account of the

field, in
man
camp, in the
society.
the councils of his country, at home, and in
HOLDEN.
REAL THINGS
IN NATURE.
Reading Book
of
Science for American Boys and Girls. By Edward S. Holden. 12mo. xxxviii + 443 pages. Illustrated.
The
topics are grouped under nine general heads
Astronomy,
Physics, Meteorology, Chemistry, Geology, Zoology, Botany,
The
Body, and The Early History of Mankind. The various parts of the volume give the answers to the thousand and one questions continually arising in the minds of youths at an age when habits of thought for life are being formed.
Human
HUFFORD.
SHAKESPEARE
of the author
Grosvenor Hufford.
IN TALE AND VERSE. 12mo. ix + 445 pages.

is
By
Lois
The purpose
to introduce Shakespeare to such
dramas somewhat difficult to manage. The stories which constitute the main plots are given, and are interspersed with the dramatic dialogue in such a manner as to make tale and verse interpret each
of his readers as find the intricacies of the plots of the
other.
HUGHES.
12mo.
TOM BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS. By Thomas Hughes.

Illustrated,
xxi
376 pages.
attractive and convenient edition of this great story of life Rugby. It is a book that appeals to boys everywhere and which makes for manliness and high ideals.
An
at
HUTCHINSON.
THE STORY OF THE HILLS. A Book about Mountains for General Readers. By Rev. H. W. Hutchinson. 12mo. Illustrated, xv + 357 pages.
clear account of the geological formation of
"A
their various
nical that
it
methods
will
of origin in language so clear
mountains and and untech-
not confuse even the most unscientific."
Boston Evening Transcript,
ILLINOIS GIRL. A PRAIRIE WINTER. 16mo. 164 pages.

ber to
By an
Illinois
Girl.
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INGERSOLL.
WILD NEIGHBORS. UNITED STATES. By xii + 301 pages. Illustrated,
OUTDOOR STUDIES
Ernest
Ingersoll.
THE
IN 12mo.
Studies and stories of the gray squirrel, the puma, the coyote, the badger, and other burrowers, the porcupine, the skunk, the woodchuck, and the raccoon.
INMAN.
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By Henry Inman.
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JOHNSON.
CERVANTES' DON QUIXOTE.

12mo.
Illustrated,
xxiii
Edited by Clifton
pages.
effort
Johnson.
+ 398
has been to bring the book to readable proportions without excluding any really essential incident or detail, and at the same time to make the text
well-edited edition of this classic.
The one
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JUDSON.
Harry
xi
THE GROWTH OF THE AMERICAN NATION.

Pratt Judson. 359 pages.
By
12mo.
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The
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as to
cardinal facts of American History are grasped in such a show clearly the orderly development of national life.
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323 pages.
chapters, called "The ^sir," " Frey," "The Wanderings of
The book is divided into nine *'How Thor went to Jotunheim,"
Freyja," " Iduna's Apples," "Baldur,"
"The Binding
of Fenrir,"
"The Punishment
of Loki,''
"Ragnarok."
KING.
DE SOTO AND HIS MEN

Grace King.
IN
THE LAND OF FLORIDA.

xiv-f326 pages.
By
12mo.
Illustrated.
upon the Spanish and Portuguese accounts of the attempted conquest by the armada which sailed under De Soto in 1538 to subdue this country. Miss King gives a most entertaining history of the invaders' struggles and of their final demoralized rout; while her account of the native tribes is a most attractive
story based
feature of the narrative.
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MADAM HOW AND LADY WHY:

By
FIRST LESSONS
Charles Kingsley.
are two fairies who teach the how There are chapters on Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Coral Reefs, Glaciers, etc., told in an interesting manner. The book is intended to lead children to use their eyes and
Madam How and Lady Why

of things in nature.
and why
ears.
KINGSLEY.
THE WATER BABIES: A FAIRY TALE FOR A LAND BABY. By Charles Kingsley. 12mo. Illustrated.
stories ever written;
it
330 pages.
One of the best children's become a classic.
has deservedly
LANGE.
OUR NATIVE BIRDS: HOW TO PROTECT THEM AND ATTRACT THEM TO OUR HOMES. By D. Lange. 12mo. Illustrated, x + 162 pages.
Methods and devices encouragement are given, also a bibliography of helpful literature, and material for Bird Day.
strong plea for the protection of birds.
for their
LOVELL.
STORIES IN STONE FROM THE

12mo.
Illustrated,
ROMAN FORUM.
+ 258
pages.
By
The
Isabel Lovell.
viii
volume give many facts that travelers wish to know, that historical readers seek, and that young students enjoy. The book puts the reader in close touch with Roman life.
eight stories in this
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scientific
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MAJOR.
12mo.
THE BEARS OF BLUE RIVER. By

Illustrated.
Charles Major.
277 pages.
stories
collection of
is
good bear
The scene
12mo.
laid in the early
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By Emma
Some
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353 pages.
of the characters
A story of the time of Charles the First. are historical personages.

MEANS.
Illustrated,
PALMETTO STORIES. x + 244 pages.
By
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12mo.
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MORRIS.
TION.
pages.
MAN AND
By
HIS ANCESTOR: A STUDY IN EVOLUMorris.
Charles
16mo.
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vii
238
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STORIES
FROM FROISSART. By Henry

xxxi
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SONG.
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Selected
viii
and arranged by Francis Turner Palgrave. 302 pages.
songs, narratives^ This collection contains 168 selections descriptive or reflective pieces of a lyrical quality, all suited to th*. taste and understanding of children.
PALMER. STORIES FROM THE CLASSICAL LITERATURE OF MANY NATIONS. Edited by Bertha Palmer. 12mo. XV + 297 pages.
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SANDYS.
TRAPPER
ix
trated,
JIM. By 441 pages.
Edwyn
Sandys.
12mo.
Illus-
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who
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By
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SHARP.
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12mo.
Illustrated,
IN
ix
THE SCHOOL.
+
326 pages.
By Evelyn
Sharp.
brothers.
Bab, the " youngest girl," was only eleven and the pet of five Her ups and downs in a strange boarding school make
story.
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;
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THACHER.
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THE LISTENING CHILD. A

made
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By Lucy W. Thacher.
is
youngest readers and 12mo. xxx + 408 pages.
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most
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two hundred and fifty selections. shown in the proportions authors and periods. Much prominence is
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"A
WALLACE.
BOY.
By Henry
UNCLE HENRY'S LETTERS TO THE FARM 16mo. ix + 180 pages. Wallace.
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WEED.
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HISTORIES
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INSECTS.
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By
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by Oliver Herford do
By Carolyn
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12mo.
collection of fifty delightful jingles
and nonsense
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The
illustrations
justice to the text.
WILSON.
Reader.
DOMESTIC SCIENCE IN GRAMMAR GRADES. A By Lucy L. W. Wilson. 12mo. ix + 193 pages.
Descriptions of
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of
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studies of materials
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Stories grouped about the greatest men and the most striking events in our country's history. The readings run by months, beginning with September.
WILSON.
Lucy
PICTURE STUDY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

L.
By
W. Wilson.
12mo.
Illustrated.
10
Ninety half-tone reproductions from celebrated paintings both old and modern, accompanied by appropriate readings from the poets. All schools of art are represented.
WRIGHT.
12mo.
HEART OF NATURE.
Illustrated.
By Mabel Osgood
Wright.
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and
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The scene
fitted as
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An animal book in story form. woods, and back to an old room,
shifts
from farm to
WRIGHT.
DOGTOWN.
xiii
-I-
By
Mabel
Osgood
Wright.
12mo.
Illustrated,
405 pages.
"Dogtown" was a neighborhood so named because so many people loved and kept dogs. For it is a story of people as well as of dogs, and several of the people as well as the dogs are old friends^ having been met in Mrs. Wright's other books.
YONGE.
lotte
LITTLE LUCY'S
M. Yonge.
12mo.
WONDERFUL GLOBE.
Illustrated, xi
-I-
By
Char-
140 pages.
An interesting and ingenious introduction to geography. In her dreams Lucy visits the children of various lands and thus learns much of the habits and customs of these countries.
YONGE.
12mo.
UNKNOWN TO HISTORY.
Illustrated,
xi
By
Charlotte M. Yonge.
589 pages.
story of the captivity of
Mary Queen
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author's best vein.

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THE WONDER CHILDREN

THE WONDER CHILDREN

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

the MACMILLAN COMPANY,

Set up and electrotyped.

Story of the Three Fishes

Story of the Enchanted Cav Story of the Bad

Story of the Golden

Story of the Magic Mirror

Boy who Teased

Story of the Underworld

THE WONDER CHILDREN

afternoon of the day before Christmas.

mother had given her a party, and

small and big, had been set in the drawing-room carefully

were indeed night.

agreed that they had never before

seen so beautiful a Christmas-tree.

beads and chains of polished metal

glistened like rain-drops in the

parents and friends of each of the guests had sent

hung upon the

THE WONDER CHILDREN

flower-bed, yet space

left for all

the kinds of dainties which are best

and when the guests went away they

hostess in saying that they had

never before enjoyed so charming a Christmas Eve.

But Helen's choicest

had been saved

her guests were gone.

doll as large as a child

of fashion, a pair of silver skates, a beauti-

desk with chair just

of furs, and a loving note from her father saying

new Shetland pony

for her in the stable.

not stop to attempt so

half-past six o'clock

finishing her tea in the nursery.

Her parents have both gone out

for the evening;

keeping her Christmas Eve down-stairs.

STORY OF A CHRISTMAS EVE

her presents Helen had brought

one into the nursery with her;

which her uncle had found

Now, having finished her

very light meal, the

up the knife and looked

was many thousand years

old, the story

once belonged to a famous magician.

She noticed some words engraved on the handle,

and drew the knife

close to her face while she tried

But no sooner had her breath

on the engraved words than the room suddenly

raised her eyes she

dressed in long flowing garments, like