The Wonderful Window
Cho-Cho, a tiny Elf, built his house upon the roof of a tall office building in a great city. He chose a sunny corner of the chimney, and there with sticks and strings, brought to him by his friends, the Sparrows, he erected a cozy little Home.
On the outside, it was quite pretty, but after you entered the door and saw the fire on the hearth, and Cho-Cho’s armchair and books beside it, you decided that it was the most charming little house in all that noisy city.
Now within this house was a Magic Window, and from this window Cho-Cho could look into all the homes where Children lived.
Sitting beside the Magic Window one day, Cho-Cho beheld a sight that filled his heart with pity. In a dingy room he saw a thin, pale little Boy, sitting beside a rough table, on which the only food was some cheap buns and coffee. As Cho-Cho looked, he saw the Child try to raise the heavy cup to his lips, but his little hands were far too weak, and it fell with a crash upon the floor, breaking into many pieces, and spilling the coffee. Now this Child loved coffee, because all his life he had been used to drinking it. As he saw the coffee wasted on the floor, he laid his head upon the table and cried and cried and cried. Presently he fell asleep.
As he slept, Cho-Cho stood beside him, and taking hishand, led him far, far away from the great city and all its noise and danger. When the little Boy woke, he was walking down a quiet country road and Cho-Cho was with him. Wild grass and violets grew along this road, and far away on either side stretched fields of lovely clover, whose pink blossoms swayed in the wind.
Passing through a gateway, they entered the field. And now they saw an old farm house surrounded by trees. In the door stood a Sweet-faced Woman, who looked at them with kindly interest.
“Lady,” said Cho-Cho, “this little Boy has no Mother. Will you give him a glass of your good milk? He is very faint.”
Then a strange thing happened. Cho-Cho vanished. He had been standing right beside the little Boy and then suddenly he was gone.
The little Boy began to cry, and the Farmer’s Wife, whose heart was full of love for children, and who had none of her own, gathered him up in her strong arms, and carried him into the large kitchen.
Here she gave him fresh Brown Bread to eat and Milk that was sweet and cool, and he ate and ate, until he could eat no more.
As the days went by, the good Woman learned to love the little Boy as if he were her own, and he grew so strong and healthy that no one would have imagined him the samelonely Child that Cho-Cho had brought to the Farm House. All day long he played in the sweet clover-scented air, sometimes with the little calves in the field, but more often beside the Dairy, where the Sweet-faced Woman spent so much of her time.
The Dairy was built of stone, and the walls were thick and deep. A little stream ran through it, and in a stone trough stood great crocks of Milk, Milk to make Children strong and healthy, for nothing in all the world is so good for Children as Milk. The stream sang among the Milk crocks, and the little Boy played beside the Dairy, and the good Woman smiled and was happy.
Then, one day while the little Boy was playing in the clover field, down the road came an old Witch. She smiled at the Child, and spoke pleasantly to him, but in her heart was hate and ugliness.
“Come walk with me, my dear,” she said, “and I will give you coffee to drink.”
The Farmer’s Wife had often told the little Boy never to drink coffee for it was very bad for Children, but he liked coffee, so he took the old Witch’s hand and followed her far, far away.
As the sunlight faded from the fields, and night came on, the Sweet-faced Woman missed the little Boy, and anxiously looked for him, but nowhere could he be found.
Now Cho-Cho from his Magic Window in the great cityhad never ceased to look each day toward the country and the Farm where the Boy lived, and as he saw the Child grow strong and healthy, he smiled with pleasure, for Cho-Cho was the Friend of Children.
But today as he looked, to his great surprise, he saw the Sweet-faced Woman sobbing on her doorstep, and he knew that something must be wrong. After putting out the living-room fire and locking the door of his house, Cho-Cho started at once for the Farm. The Woman still sat on her doorstep, sad with weeping.
“Lady,” said Cho-Cho, “tell me your trouble.”
Then she told him that the little Boy was lost.
“I will find him,” said Cho-Cho, “for I have in my pocket a Magic Magnet, and when I hold it in my right hand, it will draw me toward anyone whom I wish to seek. Have courage, I will bring back your little Boy.”
As he spoke, Cho-Cho drew out the Magic Magnet and held it in his right hand. Slowly the Magnet turned toward the sunny road, and Cho-Cho walked on.
The path was very rough and full of sharp stones, and ended at last in front of an enormous rock. In this rock was an iron door, so stout and heavy that it could not be opened, unless one had the key, and Cho-Cho had no key.
As Cho-Cho rested for a bit, feeling rather discouraged, he heard a voice, and there sat a Red Brown Squirrel.
“What is wrong, Friend?” said the Squirrel.
“A little Boy is lost,” said Cho-Cho, “and I know that he is behind this wall, but I cannot open the door.”
“I can help you,” said the Squirrel. Stooping, he picked up a small stone, and began to rub it between his paws. As he rubbed, the stone turned to iron, and quickly into a key that fitted the lock on the huge door.
“I thank you,” said Cho-Cho. “What is your name?”
“I am Friendship,” said the Squirrel, “and I will go with you on your journey.”
Through the great door they went, and on again up the mountain, coming at last to the top, and there on the ground lay the little Boy. His clothes were soiled, and torn in many places, for the Witch had dragged him up the mountainside by one small arm, and the rough stones and briars had caught his garments as she hurried him onward. He was asleep where the Witch had thrown him. Cho-Cho’s heart filled with pity when he saw the little figure lying there. Bending over, Cho-Cho gently touched the tear-stained face and the little Boy awoke.
“Where is the Witch?” Cho-Cho asked. The little Boy caught his hand in a frightened grasp. He was so afraid that he could scarcely speak.
“Cho-Cho, take me home,” he sobbed, “take me home, before the Witch comes back.”
“She shall not hurt you,” Cho-Cho answered. “But where did she go?”
Before the Child could speak, a harsh laugh sounded in their ears, a heavy stone whistled through the air, and fell beside Cho-Cho, barely missing his head, then all was very still.
“Stay with the Boy,” Cho-Cho told the friendly Squirrel, “this Witch shall be punished.”
The Magnet in his hand pointed directly toward a large rock. Its steep sides were very sharp and rough, and looking up Cho-Cho saw the ugly Witch standing on the top.
“So I am to be punished, am I?” she screamed, her face distorted by rage, “I will show you who has power here,” and she hurled a sharp stone at Cho-Cho. Springing aside, Cho-Cho drew an arrow from its quiver and a stout bow from his back, and carefully aiming, he pulled the bow string. The arrow sped through the air, and struck the Witch with such force that she fell forward, and losing her balance, rolled over and over down the side of the great rock. When Cho-Cho reached the place where she lay unconscious, one arm hung limp at her side, broken by the fall. Her feet were scarred by heavy chains that had once bound her, and looking on her cruel face Cho-Cho said, “She has been punished enough.”
Then taking the little Boy’s hand, Cho-Cho started back to the Farm House. The Sweet-faced Woman met them onthe road and when she saw the little Boy, her face lit up with happiness and love.
“What can I do for you, Cho-Cho?” she asked.
“Help little Children,” Cho-Cho answered, and looking at his wrist watch, he saw it was quite late, and remembering a business engagement in the city, he hurried away.
[Clown]
Will you take me on your back?