SHE WAS SMILING DOWN AT HIMSHE WAS SMILING DOWN AT HIM
He was remembering his trip through the cities whose pictures he now looked at in a book. He was in Dublin again. He had jumped right into the book and was believing that he could hear the dull sounds of thecity. He was believing that he could see the many people and cars and curious sights.
Marjorie watched him for a few moments. She knew John O'Day, though he wore a girl's petticoat. She had come to bid him good-bye, for she was leaving for her own country.
But she could not disturb him as he sat there. She could not disturb John O'Daywhile at his books. Nor could she disturb his dreams.
She knew well that if she spoke to him now, he would know that she was not a fairy. He had told her that "fairies do not be speaking to girls," and Marjorie could not disturb the little boy's beautiful dream of her.
So she scribbled a note and left it on a flat rock. The note told John that she had come and gone. It said that Marjorie was sorry she had not seen her Shauneen again. But she left him with his dream of her.
When John lifted his head and heart out of the pages of that grand book, he stood up and looked about. He saw the letter and opened it.
Of course he could not read it, but he found something else with the letter which he kissed. It was the picture of his girl fairy. She had left it there.
And now John O'Day knew that she had come and gone.
IT WAS THE PICTURE OF HIS GIRL FAIRYIT WAS THE PICTURE OF HIS GIRL FAIRY
Thought he, "She did not know the little figure in the red petticoat was her friend Shauneen! No; she did not notice this little girl at all, at all. Fairies do not be speaking to little girls."
She had gone. But she had left behind her the picture of a girl fairy. She had left that picture on a flat rock.
And she had left it, too, in the Irish heart of John O'Day, who had the dreams of his country.
Marjorie will always remember thelittle boy. She will go back to America and always remember the boy who called her a good fairy. She will try really to be a good fairy because of that.
She will not think so much about herself any more. But she will try to give pleasure to others because of the pleasure she finds in doing it.
And as John O'Day grows older, perhaps he will find out the truth about Marjorie. But he will always be wanting to believe that she was a girl fairy, even if he finds that she was not.
He will always want to keep his dreams, because he is Irish.
HE WILL ALWAYS KEEP HIS DREAMSHE WILL ALWAYS KEEP HIS DREAMS
Endpaper
Transcriber's Notes:Obvious punctuation errors are corrected. All corrections are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections. Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text willappear.Illustrations have been rearranged to better match the story.Here is a listing of changes made in the text:On p. 152, a printing error was corrected. In the quote from Shakespeare, the book reads "Though flood, through fire,". This has been corrected to "Through flood".
Obvious punctuation errors are corrected. All corrections are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections. Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text willappear.
Illustrations have been rearranged to better match the story.
Here is a listing of changes made in the text:
On p. 152, a printing error was corrected. In the quote from Shakespeare, the book reads "Though flood, through fire,". This has been corrected to "Through flood".