THE SUNSET LAND.
“How stupid of me to roll off the sofa,” said Tina.
“Anyhow, I am glad I am not a frog. I do think this is the strangest fan I ever saw. I wouldn’t be surprised to see anything come out of it.”
The fan wafted a soft breeze back and forth, and Tina forgot to look for the little faces on it, she was so comfortable, till she heard a voice say:
“Come, go into the woods with me.”
“Who’s that?” said Tina, looking at the fan.
“It is I,” said the voice. “Don’t you see me? I won’t come out, unless you say you will go to the woods with me.”
“All right, I will go,” said Tina; “if we don’t have to go through the sun—it is so hot.”
[Couple]
“It will be pleasant, where we are going,” said the voice; and then Tina saw a little boy’s face appear on the fan.
He was a very pretty little boy, and as he said “Come,” Tina put down the fan, and there was the boy standing by her side.
He took her by the hand, and suddenly she found herself with him on a broad terrace, in front of a beautiful house.
“How did we get here?” said Tina. “This isn’t my home.”
“No, but it is one of mine,” said the little boy.
Tina looked about her, as they walked down the steps of the marble terrace, and saw a lovely scene spread out before her.
All about were vases of flowers, and clumps of shrubbery. At the foot of the steps there was a garden with sparkling fountains, shady walks, statues peeping out here and there, and beyond a dense forest.
The air was mild, and everything looked well-caredfor, but not a creature was to be seen; and it was as still as could be.
They went on toward the forest, and as they entered it, Tina saw flowers everywhere.
“Do let us get some,” she said.
“Very well,” said the boy. “I will get you a basket;” and, turning a little out of the path, he went to a tree, and Tina saw that from every limb baskets were hanging, as if they grew there.
He came back with one for Tina, and as she thanked him, she said: “You haven’t told me your name.”
“My name,” said he, “is Sunny Summer.”
“What a queer name!” said Tina, “but I rather like it.”
They went on, and Tina filled her basket with blossoms. They were the most beautiful she had ever seen.
Sunny climbed trees for her, and helped her find the finest colors.
Soon they came to a bridge.
“Take off your hat, and throw it in,” said Sunny.
“In the water?” said Tina. “What for?”
“You cannot go over, unless you do,” said he.
So Tina took off her hat, and threw it in the water. Sunny did the same with his, and they went bareheaded over the bridge.
“Now we can go to the Sunset Land,” said he; “but we couldn’t have gone in our old hats, for we never would have reached there alive. We will get new ones directly.”
As they reached the other side of the bridge, Sunny went to a big hollow tree, and tapped on the bark, saying:
“Sun, Sun, Sun,The day is not done,What have you for me,A bonnet or none?”
“Sun, Sun, Sun,The day is not done,What have you for me,A bonnet or none?”
“Sun, Sun, Sun,The day is not done,What have you for me,A bonnet or none?”
“Sun, Sun, Sun,
The day is not done,
What have you for me,
A bonnet or none?”
And at once a hand appeared, holding out a pink sunbonnet.
[Couple]
Sunny took it, and gave it to Tina. She put it on, and theywent along a little further till they came to another hollow tree. Sunny tapped again on that, saying:
“Sun, Sun, Sun,The day is not done;What have you for two,A hat old or new?”
“Sun, Sun, Sun,The day is not done;What have you for two,A hat old or new?”
“Sun, Sun, Sun,The day is not done;What have you for two,A hat old or new?”
“Sun, Sun, Sun,
The day is not done;
What have you for two,
A hat old or new?”
And a hand appeared with a hat in it.
Sunny put it on, and they went on till they came to the foot of a hill.
Here they sat down and arranged the flowers.
“Must we go up that steep hill?” said Tina.
“Yes,” said Sunny; “we shall see the Sunset Land from the top of it. We had better start now, or we will not get there.”
So he put his arm around Tina, and they trudged up the hill. When they reached the top, he pointed to the sky, where the sun was going down.
“There is the Sunset Land!” said he—“the beautiful Sunset Land! See the rivers, and temples and the people in their rose-colored robes.”
[Chase]
“I never knew it was really a place,” said Tina; “but now I see that it is. How beautiful the gold is, and the purple. Let us hurry; I want to see it nearer.”
So they started down hill, and the Sunset Land faded from their sight as they went on.
It grew chilly, and they came to another forest. This seemed full of life. There were whiskings to and fro, chatterings up in the trees, rustlings among the branches, and now and then Tina heard a laugh.
Tina clung close to Sunny, and said, “I am afraid.”
“Oh, you needn’t be,” he said. “You mustn’t be afraid of anything you see, for you are perfectly safe now that you have your sunbonnet on; as soon as they see that, they will know who you are.”
Just then two beasts came dashing along. The first was a deer, and after it came a wolf, while another started up from among some bushes. Theyall rushed along, but the deer was ahead; and in a moment all three were out of sight.
“What is the matter?” asked Tina.
“They are in a hurry to get to Sunset Land before the sun goes down. The deer has despatches for China, and the wolf wants to get them away from him, so they won’t go off,” said Sunny.
“Politics, I suppose,” said Tina.
“Yes,” said he.
“I haven’t the least idea what politics are,” said Tina, “but it sounds something like that, when papa talks to Mr. Wright, and mamma says it is politics.”
Presently they saw, not far off, what at first looked like the stump of a tree; but, on coming up to it, Tina saw it was an old woman, all huddled up. She had a quantity of leaves spread out before her, and she was saying, over and over:
“Turn to red and turn to gold,Though we’re young, we must be old.”
“Turn to red and turn to gold,Though we’re young, we must be old.”
“Turn to red and turn to gold,Though we’re young, we must be old.”
“Turn to red and turn to gold,
Though we’re young, we must be old.”
“What is she doing?” whispered Tina.
“Getting the leaves ready to turn,” said Sunny.
“I know what that means. It means I must be going.”
Tina couldn’t imagine what he meant, but she followed him.
“I am getting very tired,” she said. “When will we get to Sunset Land?”
“It will not be long, now,” said Sunny. “We will see the sentinel soon.”
“I don’t believe I can go any further,” said Tina, “unless I rest.”
“Just a few moments,” said Sunny, kindly. “When we come in sight of the sentinel, we will be all right, and can rest as long as we want to.”
They walked a few yards, and in among the bushes Tina spied a man standing.
“There he is,” said Sunny, and he sat down under a large tree.
Tina threw herself down beside him, and hedrew her head down on his lap; she took hold of his hand, and in a few moments was fast asleep.
[Couple]