by David Cory
The Magic Seeds
Little Mary Louise placed the ring upon her finger and then bidding thePrince good-by turned her steps as she thought, towards home. But shehad gone but a short way when she came to a funny little dwarf tuggingat a great sunflower, and every once in a while he'd shake the stalkuntil down would come a shower of black seeds, which he put in a smallbasket.
"Hello," cried Mary Louise, "don't you want me to help you?"
When the little dwarf heard her voice, he started to run away, but MaryLouise caught him by the tail of his coat.
"Don't be afraid of me, little dwarf, I won't harm you."
So the dwarf set down his basket of seeds, and after he hadstraightened his coat, for it was half off his back, he said:
"I'll give you some of the seeds. They are very wonderful seeds."
Then little Mary Louise said good-by and by and by she came to a poorwoodcutter's hut. In answer to her knock an old woman opened the door.
"How do you do!" she said with a bow, and then she told Mary Louisethat her husband had just gone to the village for sunflower seeds.Wasn't that strange? It made Mary Louise laugh and taking from herpocket a handful she showed them to the old lady.
"My husband may not find any," she said. "Will you give me two that Imay plant them on each side of our front door?" Then digging a hole inthe ground on each side of the step she planted the seeds. And, wouldyou believe it? all of a sudden a yellow stalk sprung up, and prettysoon it was as high as the door and then it was higher than the roofand before long it reached way up into the sky, so far and so high thatyou couldn't see the top.
"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed the old woman. "What kind of seedsare these?"
"I'll climb up and see," and up the stalk went little Mary Louise.Bigger and bigger it grew until finally it spread out altogether into agreat big meadow covered with sunflowers.
Everywhere the birds were singing and little rabbits hopping about, andnearby a flock of lambs nibbling the fresh green grass.
"Oh my!" exclaimed little Mary Louise, "this is strange, very strange!"
When, all of a sudden, one of the sunflowers began to sing:
"I love the sun in the big blue sky, As he rolls along his pathway high, Through the clouds and over the blue While he brightly shines on me and you. There's no one else that I love so much As the golden sun with his soft warm touch."
And then all the sunflowers joined in the chorus:
"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful sun, We turn and follow you as you run Over the soft and azure sky; Beautiful sun with your golden eye."
When the song was finished, little Mary Louise went on her way, and itwas very lucky for her that the grass was soft, for she wore no boots,which I forgot to mention she had left a the foot of the big giantsunflower by the side of the poor woodman's hut.
Well, by and by, she came to a little shoemaker's shop, where theshoemaker sat just outside the door.
"Have you a pair of red top boots?" she asked. And would you believeit? That shoemaker got up and walked inside his shop and took down abox from the top shelf, and there inside was a beautiful pair of redtop boots, which fitted as if they had been made for her. Well wasn'tthat the luckiest thing that could have happened?
But perhaps it was just as lucky that she found money enough in herpocket to pay for them.
Pretty soon, not so very far, she came to a fountain where all day longthe water played a soft little song:
"Over the pebbles and over the sand I run till I reach the sea-shore land, Where the pink shells sing and the big waves roar, And the mermaids comb their hair on the shore."
"I think I'll follow this pretty book," said Mary Louise, "and maybe itwill take me home."
She ran along its mossy banks until she came to the seashore. Rightthere on the soft warm sand sat a mermaid combing her long hair.
With a glad cry Mary Louise ran towards her. But it wasn't her friendthe Mermaid Princess. No, she was a strange little mermaid, who gave afrightful scream and with a flop of her graceful tail, glided into thewater. Just as she was about to dive down out of sight, she saw herpretty pearl comb on the beach.
"Don't be afraid of me," said Mary Louise, picking it up and leaningover the water. "I know your Princess Mermaid--daughter of KingSeaphus," and she handed the little mermaid the pearly comb, who thenswam away to her island of coral and pearl.
"Heigh ho," sighed little Mary Louise, "here I am by the sad sea waveswith nobody to talk to," and as she had nothing to do, she dug a holein the sand and thrusting in both her feet, covered them up. All of asudden a tremendous crab crawled up and before she could run away,fastened his great claw in her sleeve.
"Oh I am king of the blue sea crabs, And king of the sandy shore, And I can fight as well as bite With my big tre-men-dous claw. Oh, I can pinch as well as a clam, I'm king of all pinchers, you bet I am."
Now little Mary Louise was a brave girl, and unclasping her breastpin,she stuck the point right in the wrist of the Crab King's claw, afterwhich he began to sing a different kind of song, and the tears came outof his eyes, and pretty soon he begged to be let alone.
"I'll give you the most beautiful pearl in all the world," he said, butMary Louise only laughed and pointed to her torn sleeve:
"That won't mend my sleeve, King Crab. What right had you to tear it?"
"Oh, please take the pin out of my elbow," begged the tearful CrabKing, so frightened that he couldn't tell whether it was his wrist orhis elbow that Mary Louise was pricking. "I'll give you two pearls.Oh, please pull out your pin."
As soon as she had put away her breastpin, the Crab King started to digin the sand and pretty soon he brought up two lovely pearls.
"But what am I to do with my torn sleeve?" asked Mary Louise, for shewas still angry with that disagreeable old crab.
Without answering, the King of the Crabs crawled off into the tall seagrass and in a few minutes came back with a little package done up insea weed, and after he had unwrapped it, what do you suppose MaryLouise saw? Why, a beautiful pale sea green coat made of sea silk. Itwas very beautiful and looked just like the shimmery green of the waves.
"Here is a coat of the great Crab King, It's finer than silk or anything, For none but a merman has ever worn A coat so beautifully shimmery shorn,"
cried the King Crab, handing it to Mary Louise. Then he crawled away,for he wised to have the doctor see his wounded elbow, I imagine.