Chapter VIIISewing Bird Fairy Lady

Illustrated Chapter HeadingChapter VIIISewing Bird Fairy LadyMARY FRANCES worked very hard whenever she could find a minute; and the next lesson day she proudly showed Sewing Bird a sampler like this picture:“Oh, de-de-dum-dee!de-de-dee!”“Oh, de-de-dum-dee! de-de-dee!That sampler certainly pleases me.You did it alone? Well, I declare!What perfect stitches you have there!”sang the little bird, hopping, fluttering, gurgling, and spreading her wings joyously over Mary Frances’ work, very much the way a spring robin careens over an early worm.Mary Frances was very happy.“Now, Sewing Bird, my dear teacher, please tell me what I am to learn next?” asked Mary Frances, finishing the row of cross stitching.A sampler like this picture“Indeed I will! Indeed I will!Just watch a while my little bill;And I to you will quickly tell,And you will quickly do, and well,This lesson coming next.”“Won’tit bebeautiful!”With these words, the little bird leaned over the edge of the table and stuck her bill into the drawer beneath. Then she pulled out a long sheet of paper.“Oh,” gasped Mary Frances, “what is that, dear teacher?”“That,” said Sewing Bird, shaking her wings, “is a model for you to follow in making,16.—Grand Sampler on CanvasCut a piece of canvas twelve inches by nine inches, and follow as exactly as you can the picture on the next page.“Won’t it be beautiful!” exclaimed Mary Frances, “I’ll do it in all the pretty colors—I have almost every shade of mercerized working-cotton here.”“Yes,” said Sewing Bird,She pulled out a long sheet of paperIllustration of Sampler“Your Grandma took a prizeAt Persimmon County Fair,With a pretty samplerLike the picture lying there;If you work yours aright,’Twill be a prettier thing,That well may win a prize,From our merry Thimble King.”WhenMaryFrancesopenedher eyes“All right!” laughed Mary Frances. “I’ll work from time to time on the Grand Sampler. But, Sewing Bird, will you tell me, please—are you—aren’t you, a real fairy? You seem so like a fairy ‘come true!’”“Dear little Miss, I’ll give youA secret to keep.Put your hand over your eyes,And don’t dare to peep!Now, you may take away your hand—Behold, a Lady from Thimble Land!”The loveliest, sweetest fairy lady“Now,dear,ready forthe lesson”When Mary Frances opened her eyes, there sat the loveliest, sweetest little fairy lady on the edge of the table in place of Sewing Bird;—only Mary Frances noticed her lips looked very much like the bill of a bird.“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!” gasped Mary Frances in surprise. “Oh, really, truly, oh, me! Oh, dear! How perfectly lovely! You lovely—”“Now, Mary Frances, dear, ready for the lesson,” smiled the little lady, in the same flute-like voice as Sewing Bird’s.“Miss Fairy,” said Mary Frances, trembling with joy, “I will do my very best,—but, please, what may I call you?”“Just shut your eyes,And not a word;My name you haveSo often heard;It’s known toBut a very few,But I will showMy name to you—”When Mary Frances opened her eyes, there sat her grandmother’s sewing bird.There sat her Grandmother’s sewing bird“PenCil,”the fairycalled“You dear little bird,” she exclaimed. “I know now! You are the Fairy!—and I know!—the Fairy’s name is Sewing Bird!”“Just so! Just so! Just so! Just so!” sang Sewing Bird,—“Now quickly shut your eyes—and thenThe Fairy Lady will come again!”And again came Fairy Lady.“Oh,” laughed Mary Frances, “dear Sewing Bird Fairy Lady, please wait a minute,” and running out of the room, she brought back her doll’s rocking chair and put it on the table.“Please be more comfortable!” she said.“Thank you very much, dear child!” said Fairy Lady.“Now, for work! Cut a piece of unbleached muslin, nine inches long and five and one-half inches wide.”“Good!” she exclaimed, as Mary Frances held up the muslin properly cut.“Pen Cil,” the fairy called.“Thank you very much, dear child”Markedoff themuslinlikethisWith a bound, a yellow lead pencil which lay onthe machine, sprang over to the table and made a funny little stiff bow to Sewing Bird Fairy Lady, who picked up a big bodkin and, using it as a sceptre, touched him, saying—“Mark off the muslin as I told you.”To Mary Frances’ amazement, Pen Cil marked off the muslin like this:“You may retire,” said Fairy Lady, “Thank you,—and Mary Frances, child, you may sew the muslin very much as you did the Canvas Sampler, with that finer red D. M. C. cotton, No. 12.”“Am I to be forgotten?” came a tinkling sound from Mary Frances’ basket, as she started to sew.“Who is that?” asked Mary Frances peeping over the edge.“I’m Thimble!” exclaimed a wee little voice, “and the reason I always wear my helmet, is that I want to wield my sword,” as Mary Frances lifted him out.“I beg your Majesty’s pardon,” said the little fellow turning to Sewing Bird Fairy Lady—“but perhaps Miss Mary Frances doesn’t understand that all needles are my swords!”“Am I to be forgotten?”“He thinks himself so brave a soldier,” laughed Sewing Bird Fairy Lady—“when all the time he is perfectly useless by himself.”“But he is a great help,” said Mary Frances. “I don’t see how I could sew without him.”“Good!” said Fairy Lady. “But he’ll be prouder than ever! That’s all for to-day—next lesson we will make something for your dolly to use.”“Oh, how lovely!” exclaimed Mary Frances, finishing her last stitches. “What is it?”“Oh, well! oh, well, O!I best not tell, O!But something she can use real well, O!Now for to-day, farewell,Farewell, O!”And as Mary Frances looked up from her work, there was the empty rocking chair and her grandmothers’ sewing bird was sitting on its perch on the table.As Mary Frances looked up from herwork, there was the empty chair

Illustrated Chapter Heading

MARY FRANCES worked very hard whenever she could find a minute; and the next lesson day she proudly showed Sewing Bird a sampler like this picture:

“Oh, de-de-dum-dee!de-de-dee!”

“Oh, de-de-dum-dee! de-de-dee!That sampler certainly pleases me.You did it alone? Well, I declare!What perfect stitches you have there!”

“Oh, de-de-dum-dee! de-de-dee!

That sampler certainly pleases me.

You did it alone? Well, I declare!

What perfect stitches you have there!”

sang the little bird, hopping, fluttering, gurgling, and spreading her wings joyously over Mary Frances’ work, very much the way a spring robin careens over an early worm.

Mary Frances was very happy.

“Now, Sewing Bird, my dear teacher, please tell me what I am to learn next?” asked Mary Frances, finishing the row of cross stitching.

A sampler like this picture

“Indeed I will! Indeed I will!Just watch a while my little bill;And I to you will quickly tell,And you will quickly do, and well,This lesson coming next.”

“Indeed I will! Indeed I will!

Just watch a while my little bill;

And I to you will quickly tell,

And you will quickly do, and well,

This lesson coming next.”

“Won’tit bebeautiful!”

With these words, the little bird leaned over the edge of the table and stuck her bill into the drawer beneath. Then she pulled out a long sheet of paper.

“Oh,” gasped Mary Frances, “what is that, dear teacher?”

“That,” said Sewing Bird, shaking her wings, “is a model for you to follow in making,

16.—Grand Sampler on Canvas

Cut a piece of canvas twelve inches by nine inches, and follow as exactly as you can the picture on the next page.

“Won’t it be beautiful!” exclaimed Mary Frances, “I’ll do it in all the pretty colors—I have almost every shade of mercerized working-cotton here.”

“Yes,” said Sewing Bird,

She pulled out a long sheet of paper

Illustration of Sampler

“Your Grandma took a prizeAt Persimmon County Fair,With a pretty samplerLike the picture lying there;If you work yours aright,’Twill be a prettier thing,That well may win a prize,From our merry Thimble King.”

“Your Grandma took a prize

At Persimmon County Fair,

With a pretty sampler

Like the picture lying there;

If you work yours aright,

’Twill be a prettier thing,

That well may win a prize,

From our merry Thimble King.”

WhenMaryFrancesopenedher eyes

“All right!” laughed Mary Frances. “I’ll work from time to time on the Grand Sampler. But, Sewing Bird, will you tell me, please—are you—aren’t you, a real fairy? You seem so like a fairy ‘come true!’”

“Dear little Miss, I’ll give youA secret to keep.Put your hand over your eyes,And don’t dare to peep!Now, you may take away your hand—Behold, a Lady from Thimble Land!”

“Dear little Miss, I’ll give you

A secret to keep.

Put your hand over your eyes,

And don’t dare to peep!

Now, you may take away your hand—

Behold, a Lady from Thimble Land!”

The loveliest, sweetest fairy lady

“Now,dear,ready forthe lesson”

When Mary Frances opened her eyes, there sat the loveliest, sweetest little fairy lady on the edge of the table in place of Sewing Bird;—only Mary Frances noticed her lips looked very much like the bill of a bird.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!” gasped Mary Frances in surprise. “Oh, really, truly, oh, me! Oh, dear! How perfectly lovely! You lovely—”

“Now, Mary Frances, dear, ready for the lesson,” smiled the little lady, in the same flute-like voice as Sewing Bird’s.

“Miss Fairy,” said Mary Frances, trembling with joy, “I will do my very best,—but, please, what may I call you?”

“Just shut your eyes,And not a word;My name you haveSo often heard;It’s known toBut a very few,But I will showMy name to you—”

“Just shut your eyes,

And not a word;

My name you have

So often heard;

It’s known to

But a very few,

But I will show

My name to you—”

When Mary Frances opened her eyes, there sat her grandmother’s sewing bird.

There sat her Grandmother’s sewing bird

“PenCil,”the fairycalled

“You dear little bird,” she exclaimed. “I know now! You are the Fairy!—and I know!—the Fairy’s name is Sewing Bird!”

“Just so! Just so! Just so! Just so!” sang Sewing Bird,—

“Now quickly shut your eyes—and thenThe Fairy Lady will come again!”

“Now quickly shut your eyes—and then

The Fairy Lady will come again!”

And again came Fairy Lady.

“Oh,” laughed Mary Frances, “dear Sewing Bird Fairy Lady, please wait a minute,” and running out of the room, she brought back her doll’s rocking chair and put it on the table.

“Please be more comfortable!” she said.

“Thank you very much, dear child!” said Fairy Lady.

“Now, for work! Cut a piece of unbleached muslin, nine inches long and five and one-half inches wide.”

“Good!” she exclaimed, as Mary Frances held up the muslin properly cut.

“Pen Cil,” the fairy called.

“Thank you very much, dear child”

Markedoff themuslinlikethis

With a bound, a yellow lead pencil which lay onthe machine, sprang over to the table and made a funny little stiff bow to Sewing Bird Fairy Lady, who picked up a big bodkin and, using it as a sceptre, touched him, saying—

“Mark off the muslin as I told you.”

To Mary Frances’ amazement, Pen Cil marked off the muslin like this:

“You may retire,” said Fairy Lady, “Thank you,—and Mary Frances, child, you may sew the muslin very much as you did the Canvas Sampler, with that finer red D. M. C. cotton, No. 12.”

“Am I to be forgotten?” came a tinkling sound from Mary Frances’ basket, as she started to sew.

“Who is that?” asked Mary Frances peeping over the edge.

“I’m Thimble!” exclaimed a wee little voice, “and the reason I always wear my helmet, is that I want to wield my sword,” as Mary Frances lifted him out.

“I beg your Majesty’s pardon,” said the little fellow turning to Sewing Bird Fairy Lady—“but perhaps Miss Mary Frances doesn’t understand that all needles are my swords!”

“Am I to be forgotten?”

“He thinks himself so brave a soldier,” laughed Sewing Bird Fairy Lady—“when all the time he is perfectly useless by himself.”

“But he is a great help,” said Mary Frances. “I don’t see how I could sew without him.”

“Good!” said Fairy Lady. “But he’ll be prouder than ever! That’s all for to-day—next lesson we will make something for your dolly to use.”

“Oh, how lovely!” exclaimed Mary Frances, finishing her last stitches. “What is it?”

“Oh, well! oh, well, O!I best not tell, O!But something she can use real well, O!Now for to-day, farewell,Farewell, O!”

“Oh, well! oh, well, O!

I best not tell, O!

But something she can use real well, O!

Now for to-day, farewell,

Farewell, O!”

And as Mary Frances looked up from her work, there was the empty rocking chair and her grandmothers’ sewing bird was sitting on its perch on the table.

As Mary Frances looked up from herwork, there was the empty chair

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