THE FAIRY BABIESCHAPTER ITHE MAGIC PITCHERSaid the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What do you think?We all came out of a bottle of ink!We are very little to mind each rule,But still we are going to start to school;And if we remember, it starts in September!This old-fashioned thing called school!”Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What fun!See, school has already begun!”
Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What do you think?We all came out of a bottle of ink!We are very little to mind each rule,But still we are going to start to school;And if we remember, it starts in September!This old-fashioned thing called school!”Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What fun!See, school has already begun!”
Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What do you think?We all came out of a bottle of ink!We are very little to mind each rule,But still we are going to start to school;And if we remember, it starts in September!This old-fashioned thing called school!”Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What fun!See, school has already begun!”
Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What do you think?We all came out of a bottle of ink!We are very little to mind each rule,But still we are going to start to school;And if we remember, it starts in September!This old-fashioned thing called school!”Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What fun!See, school has already begun!”
Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What do you think?
We all came out of a bottle of ink!
We are very little to mind each rule,
But still we are going to start to school;
And if we remember, it starts in September!
This old-fashioned thing called school!”
Said the Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies, “What fun!
See, school has already begun!”
The Fairy Ink-Bottle Babies sat in a row. They looked as though they would roll off the top of the desks at any minute.
“You are almost as bad about rolling over as the Roly-Poly children,” said the teacher.
“Oh! oh! oh!” cried one of the Ink-Bottle Babies. “I am rolling over!”
Sure enough, thump! bump! thump! she went. She fell off the desk to the floor, leaving the marks of her little black feet behind her.
“Oh! oh! oh!” cried all the Ink-Bottle Babies together, “somebody pick her up! Somebody pick her up!”
The teacher was so scared that she went out of the room.
Pretty soon all the children went home. What do you suppose happened next?
The Fairy Ink-Bottle Mamma came down from the window sill and picked up her baby!
“Picked up her baby”
“Picked up her baby”
She said, “You are too little to go to school; you had better come with me.”
Then the other Ink-Bottle Babies set up a cry, “May we come, too, Ma? May we come, too?”
The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Creep down quietly from the desks and you may all come.”
Then all the Ink-Bottle Babies crept down and followed their Mamma out of the door. They walked a little way until they came to their home in the woods.
“I am so sleepy,” said the first Ink-Bottle Baby.
“I am so sleepy,” said the second Ink-Bottle Baby.
Then all but one of the twenty-five Ink-Bottle Babies said, “I am so sleepy!”
One Ink-Bottle Baby said, “I am not sleepy at all. I rolled off the desk and I feel wide-awake!”
This little Baby’s name was Molly. The Ink-Bottle Mamma put all of her babies to bed except Molly, and Molly said,
“I am wide-awake as if it were day,I’ll sit on the parlor rug and play.”
“I am wide-awake as if it were day,I’ll sit on the parlor rug and play.”
“I am wide-awake as if it were day,I’ll sit on the parlor rug and play.”
“I am wide-awake as if it were day,
I’ll sit on the parlor rug and play.”
The Ink-Bottle Mamma was so sleepy herself that she did not know what to do. Pretty soon she said, “Listen, Molly, and I will tell you a fairy tale.”
Then Molly cried, “I must wake Polly up to hear the fairy tale.” Polly was Molly’s twin sister.
Will you believe it? Before the Ink-Bottle Mamma could say “No!” Molly had gone upstairs and had waked all the Babies up before she found Polly!
The Ink-Bottle Babies looked so much alike it was hard to tell them apart!
All the Ink-Bottle Babies woke up and cried,“We want to hear the fairy tale, Ma! Please tell us all a fairy tale!”
Then the Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “Get back into bed, every one of you, and I will tell you a story.”
Then the Babies all crept back into bed and their Mamma told them the story of the Magic Pitcher.
Here is the story she told:
Once there was a little dwarf who lived alone in the woods. He lived in a little blue house with a red chimney. He was very proud of his red chimney. He painted the chimney every spring.
The little dwarf was very good-natured except when he started to cook. He could not cook a decent meal to save his life. He went about all day humming a little song:
“I can live without clothing and live without books,But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
“I can live without clothing and live without books,But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
“I can live without clothing and live without books,But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
“I can live without clothing and live without books,
But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
One day as he passed by a little brook he sang this song, and the brook said,
“If you take the pebbles from out this brook,I will try to help you find a cook!”
“If you take the pebbles from out this brook,I will try to help you find a cook!”
“If you take the pebbles from out this brook,I will try to help you find a cook!”
“If you take the pebbles from out this brook,
I will try to help you find a cook!”
Then the little dwarf stooped down and began to pick the pebbles out of the brook.
At last, only one large stone remained. He pulled and tugged with all his might, and at last the brook ran merrily along, for he got the big stone up on the bank.
The brook sang,
“Look again, now I am free,The magic pitcher you will see!”
“Look again, now I am free,The magic pitcher you will see!”
“Look again, now I am free,The magic pitcher you will see!”
“Look again, now I am free,
The magic pitcher you will see!”
The little dwarf looked down into the brook, and sure enough, there was a magic pitcher all blue and gold. The water ran deeper now, in the little brook, so the little dwarf had to dive down after the pitcher.
He came out choking and sputtering, but he had the magic pitcher in his hand. Then he ran homeward singing and whistling all the way. He sang:
“I can live without clothing and live without books,But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
“I can live without clothing and live without books,But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
“I can live without clothing and live without books,But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
“I can live without clothing and live without books,
But how is a fellow to live without cooks?”
“He poured once more”
“He poured once more”
He got some bread and cheese out of a cupboard and drew the pitcher full of water, and sat down to his lonely meal.
He started to pour out a glass of water, and as he poured it from the magic pitcher, it turned into fine, rich milk. He poured once more, and this time it was honey that came out of the magic pitcher.
He tried again and out came tea! So it went on. Every time he poured from the magic pitcher, out came something delicious to drink.
The little dwarf grew so happy and healthy that when he went into the woods to chop down trees he could chop six trees while the other little dwarfs could only chop down one.
He never sang any more about wanting a cook, and he seemed so happy that the other little dwarfs were jealous of him, and they said, “We will find out his secret.”
So, one evening when it was late, they all crept to the house where the little dwarf lived, and they all peeped in at the window.
There sat the little dwarf by the table pouring from his magic pitcher. He poured out coffee, and cream, and molasses!
My! the other little dwarfs turned green with envy. They said, “We will have that pitcher.”
They opened the door, ran into the house, seizedthe pitcher, and ran away, away, away, into the deep woods.
The little dwarf was so sad, he went to the brook again and said,
“The dwarfs have carried my pitcher away,Alas! alas! alackaday!”
“The dwarfs have carried my pitcher away,Alas! alas! alackaday!”
“The dwarfs have carried my pitcher away,Alas! alas! alackaday!”
“The dwarfs have carried my pitcher away,
Alas! alas! alackaday!”
“I will fix them,” said the little brook. “You were so good to take all my stones away, you shall soon have the pitcher back again; never fear.”
Then the little dwarf went back home singing a merry song.
Now the dwarfs had carried the pitcher away with them, and when they had run for a long time, they saw a little brook, winding in and out among the trees, and they said, “We will fill the pitcher with water.”
So the first little dwarf ran and filled the pitcher with water. Then he ran back to his companions who sat in a circle, and began to fill their glasses. They all set up a shout, for out of the pitcher came only thick mud!
“You have played a trick on us,” they cried.
Then the second little dwarf went and filled the pitcher.
“It is pure water,” he said, but when he wentto pour from the pitcher, lo! and behold! out came vinegar!
Then the third little dwarf said, “Let me try,” and the next said, “Let me try,” but each time there came out of the pitcher something quite unfit to drink.
Then the dwarfs said, “This pitcher is of no account after all; we will throw it into the brook.”
They said, “If the little dwarf finds it again, he is welcome to drink all the mud and vinegar he wants.”
Then they threw the pitcher back into the brook, and the brook carried it safely back to the place in the woods where the little dwarf passed every day. Pretty soon the little dwarf came along. He sang,
“Ha! ha! Ho! ho! What do I see?A beautiful pitcher floats in to me!”
“Ha! ha! Ho! ho! What do I see?A beautiful pitcher floats in to me!”
“Ha! ha! Ho! ho! What do I see?A beautiful pitcher floats in to me!”
“Ha! ha! Ho! ho! What do I see?
A beautiful pitcher floats in to me!”
He filled the pitcher with water and soon poured out a fine drink of buttermilk.
He ran home as fast as his legs could carry him, and he hid his pitcher safely away.
He worked at home very busily all that day. He made shades for his window, so no one couldlook in. He put a lock on his door, and he made a little key to fit the lock.
“Now, no one can see what I pour from my pitcher,” he said, “and no one can come in, unless I invite him.”
He went to bed and slept well. Late that night a most remarkable thing happened. Five and twenty little men came to his door and they rapped and they tapped, and he would not let them in!
Then they laid down five and twenty little parcels on his doorstep and they crept away. Next morning the little dwarf went to his door and saw the five and twenty little parcels. They were all from the grocery store.
On each parcel was written, “Compliments from the little dwarfs, with thanks for the borrowed pitcher.”
On one package was written, “Don’t drink too much mud and vinegar!”
The little dwarf went to the brook and asked what all this meant. When the brook told him he laughed until he cried.
The little dwarf may still live in the woods, for all I know, and he may still be drinking out of his magic pitcher.
As soon as the Ink-Bottle Mamma stopped talking all her Babies went to sleep.