The Wonderful Fan.
The Wonderful Fan.
The Wonderful Fan.
The Wonderful Fan.
THE SOLAR WAVE.
What a warm day it was! The sun beat down till everything was baking hot out of doors, and indoors it was nearly as bad.
Tina wandered about, up-stairs and down, and finally opened the parlor door.
“This is the coolest place yet,” she said. The shutters were closed, so the hot sun did not find its way in there. There was an odor of new matting and fresh flowers.
Tina picked up a fan that was lying on the table, threw herself down on the sofa, and began fanning herself.
“My, how warm I am!” she said. “I believe it’s just the hottest day that ever was. Maria said you could bake bread on the roof.”
She kept on fanning herself, once in a while opening and shutting the fan, which was quite a pretty one, and Tina found herself counting the slats and looking at the decorations on them, till suddenly a little face appeared, peeping at her from the center slat of the fan, and as the fan waved back and forth, the little white face seemed to be bowing and bowing.
“I wonder where that little girl came from?” thought Tina; “she wasn’t here a minute ago.”
“Yes, I was,” said a voice, “only you didn’t see me. I was folded up in the fan, and when you waved the fan, I came out with the breeze.”
“That’s queer,” said Tina.
By this time the little face had grown larger and larger, and presently a whole little girl stood beside her.
“Isn’t it warm?” said Tina.
“Not so very, in here,” said the little girl; “but I will take you to a warm place;” and before Tina could say a word, she was seized by the hand,and found herself running swiftly along. She looked up at the little girl, who grew taller and taller, and by the time they had stopped running, she was a tall young maiden.
“Come,” said she, as she opened a door.
Tina went in. There was a smell of bread-baking, and just as they entered Tina saw a baker taking loaves of bread out of an oven.
“I never was in a bake-shop before like this,” thought Tina. “I am glad I can see how they make bread, and bake it;” and she stood still to watch the baker.
He had a long shovel with which he was drawing the bread out of the oven; and just at that moment Tina saw him start back, and there, stepping on the shovel, was a little black imp. It grinned at the baker, and the baker stood still and stared back at it.
“Who are you?” said he. “Where did you come from?”
“I came from the oven,” said the imp. “I’ve been in there for a week.”
“No wonder he is so black,” thought Tina.
“Well, where are you going?” said the baker.
[Baker]
“I am going to the king’s palace,” said the imp.
“Oho! I’d like to see you,” said the baker.
“Well, see me, then,” said the imp, as he jumped down and ran to the door, shouting, “Hurrah for King Caloric!”
“Come, come quickly! it is the king’s son,” said the maiden, seizing Tina by the hand.
Then they ran out of the door, and as they went, Tina saw the figure of the imp ahead of them grow larger and larger, until they came to an open field where the sun was shining brightly.
As soon as the first sunbeam struck the imp, he changed into a tall prince, with a golden crown on his head; but he looked thin and pale.
Presently a flock of twelve geese appeared, and one of them followed the prince, gently pulling his coat, till he turned round to look at it.
Then it ran on ahead until it came to a little brook, near to which a tree was growing.
The prince followed it, and taking off his crown, he hung it on the tree; then he lay down by the brook and went to sleep, while the goose croucheddown beside him, and the eleven other geese stayed a little distance off, none of them allowing a soul to pass them.
Tina looked around, and saw in the distance what at first she thought was a pile of very bright clouds, but, as she looked, she saw that it was a palace, that glittered as if made of sunlight.
“That is where King Caloric lives,” said her companion.
Just then two men passed, going different ways. One was carrying a lamp that twinkled like a star, and the other had two or three vessels from which smoke seemed to come, as if there were fire inside.
They both looked in the direction of the sleeping prince, and one of them said to the other:
“What is heat?”
“The sensation of warmth,” was the reply.
“What is caloric?”
“A subtle, invisible fluid,” and his voice died away.
“What on earth do they say ‘Familiar Science’ for?” said Tina.
[Boy]
“Hush!” said the maiden.
“The Solar Wave,” said the men, looking over at the prince; and they passed on.
“This is the oddest place I ever saw,” said Tina; but as she looked up at her companion, she saw that the tears were running down her cheeks, and she stooped down and kissed Tina on the forehead.
Then she said, “Keep fifty yards behind me, and you will be safe.” And leaving Tina, she went toward the sleeping prince.
The geese stood aside and let her pass on.
She knelt down by the brook, and taking some water up in the hollow of her hand, she dropped a drop on each of the prince’s eyelids.
He awoke with a start, and looked at her.
“It is time,” she said.
He took her by the hand, and they walked off together. The geese all marched to the brink of the brook, and stood there till they were out of sight.
Tina followed them till they came to a city.
She was careful to keep fifty yards behind them.
[Couple]
As they went on, the streets became very narrow, the houses nearer together and crowded withpeople who looked from the windows and doors, and sat in the streets outside.
As the prince and the maiden came up to them, they seemed very much afraid and distressed, and once the pair stopped, and the maiden said:
“Do not be afraid, my good people; the prince is on his way to his father’s house, and he must come this way. It will only be for a little while.” But as she looked at a woman holding a little sick child, she began to sob, and hurried on.
Tina could not imagine what was the matter, until she noticed that it grew warmer and warmer, and the people could hardly breathe for the heat.
After a while they came to the gates of the palace, and, for the first time, Tina saw that the prince did not have on his crown. He must have left it hanging on the tree, she thought.
As they went through the gates there was a great noise of trumpets. Everything seemed to be blazing with light and heat.
They went on from hall to hall. Just beforethey were to go into the last one, some one handed the prince a harp.
He carried this with him into a large room. At the end of this room sat a king on a throne.
“Is that King Caloric?” asked Tina of the maiden, who had left the prince and was standing by her side.
“Yes,” she replied. “Listen!”
The prince went up to the foot of the throne, where a seat was ready for him.
Everything was as still as could be. There were a great many persons standing about, but it was as silent as noonday, and there was the same feeling in the air.
Presently in came the twelve geese, the first one with the prince’s crown on its head. They stopped some distance from the throne, and the prince began to play.
As he played, Tina saw the oven and the baker, the field and the brook, the narrow streets, and everything.
Everyone looked very grave, and the king listened. It seemed as if the prince were telling all that had happened, and yet he was only playing on his harp.
“It will do. It is not so bad,” said the king, when he had finished.
“It is all my good Breeze,” said the prince; “but for her, there would have been a sad tale to tell.”
“Where is she?” asked the king.
There was a little rustle, and Tina saw the maiden glide forward and stand by the prince.
“Go, my children,” said the king; “the world will be glad to see you together, and I hope your dear Breeze will grow stronger, for the world’s sake,” he said to the prince. “I see now that it would not do to part you.”
Then there was a sound of rushing wings. Tina felt a cool air blowing on her face; the palace, the prince, and all seemed to melt away, and she was looking around the parlor to find that a shutter on the shady side of the room had blown open, andquite a breeze was blowing. She picked up the fan, but the little girl’s face was gone, and it looked just as it did before.
[Couple]