by David Cory
THE MAGIC BASKET
The Little Old Woman made a low bow to the Jackdaw.
THE MAGIC BASKET
ON and on they went, the jackdaw hopping over the rough fields, and nowand then turning his head and winking his fiery eyes at Ned, until theyfound themselves at the foot of a high, round hill.
At one side of the great mound the stream which they had been followingsuddenly stopped short, making a deep well, over which hung an old oaktree, leafless now, but still strewing the ground with dry acorns.
Right at the foot of this tree was an upright gray stone, apparentlypart of a rock deeply sunk in the hillside. Beside this stone thejackdaw paused, and, turning to nod reassuringly at Ned, picked up apebble about the size of an acorn and dropped it into the well, at thesame time knocking gently on the flat stone with his bill.
In a moment the rock opened in the middle, and there stood a little oldwoman, as withered as a spring apple and as bright as a butterfly,dressed in a scarlet bodice covered with spangles and a black petticoatworked in square characters with all the colors of the rainbow.
Ned thought she was not nearly as attractive as the fairies whom he hadbut lately left, although she had on more colors than even the QueenFairy.
On seeing the jackdaw she made a low bow, and in a shrill eager voiceinvited them in. Ned hesitated, but the little old woman snatched hishand and pulled him in, asking in a whisper, "Dost thou fear for thyselfwhen visiting the King of the Gnomes?"
Then, opening a low door in the side of the cavern, she beckoned them tofollow. In the middle of a still larger vault stood an arm chairfashioned from beryl and jasper, with knobs of amethyst and topaz, inwhich sat Ned's friend, the Gnome.
He was dressed in a robe of velvet, green and soft as forest moss, and aring of gold lay on his grizzled hair. His little eyes shone keen andfiery, and his hands, withered and brown, were now covered withglittering jewels.
About the cave a hundred little men, smaller than he, were busy in ahundred ways. Some stirred kettles of smoking broth; others sliced freshvegetables for crisp salads. Some spread a table, with golden platesand crystal goblets; three turned huge pieces of meat on a spit before afire at the end of the cavern, while a dozen more watched the simmeringpots.
The jackdaw hopped gravely past all this toward the chair of the GnomeKing, who stretched out his sceptre, a tall bulrush of gold, and touchedthe jackdaw, who at once turned into a dwarf.
Making a low bow to the Gnome King, he turned to Ned and said:
"I was forced to take the form of a jackdaw for twenty years because Ionce said that gold was not as yellow as buttercups nor so bright assunshine. This made the Gnomes angry, because their belief is that goldis the most beautiful thing in the world. My punishment is now over andI need never return to the earth again. But I would do a favor to thepoor peasant children who were so good to me."
"What favor would you ask for the poor peasant children?" asked theGnome King.
"I would send them a Magic Basket filled with food," answered the dwarf.
No sooner had he spoken, than the Gnome ordered his subjects to fill aMagic Basket with all kinds of good things to eat. There was a goldenbowl of smoking stew, a crystal goblet of wine, a golden dish of mashedpotatoes and another of rice pudding.
And when the Magic Basket was covered with a damask napkin, it washanded to a dwarf messenger to take to the poor woodcutter's children,while all the little dwarfs stood around him and sang:
"In this basket they will find Food and drink of magic kind. Never will it empty grow And no hunger they shall know."
"Hereafter," said the Gnome King, looking kindly at Ned, "a bluebirdshall be your companion and will show you many and curious things. I canspare no more time, for my people must be governed, and while I havegiven you more attention than any other mortal because of your greatfondness for fairy tales, I must now leave you in the care of thisbluebird, unless, perchance, you wish to return to earth at once."
To which Ned answered eagerly that he would much rather see more ofGnomeland before again returning to the everyday routine of grammarschool and lessons.
"Good luck to you, then!" cried his friend, as he shook Ned warmly bythe hand.
The door opened and Ned once more found himself by the side of the greatflat stone in the hillside, where rippling waters of the little streamflowed into the pool at the foot of the great oak tree, on which sat alovely bluebird.
Following the bluebird, Ned turned to one side to avoid climbing thehill, and continued his journey for some time, keeping ever in sight thebluebird's beautiful form.
It was almost dark when they were confronted by a dense forest. This wasnot particularly reassuring to Ned, especially as the bluebird flew backand settled herself on his shoulder, evidently not wishing to enter thewoods at so late an hour. For in a deep, black forest, with all sorts ofstrange shadows and ghostly trees, one never knows what may be lurkingabout, and the same Ned who, with his two stout fists, in broad daylightwould have undertaken to keep any living boy or man from doing seriousmischief, felt his teeth set hard and his heart stand still as he cameinto the shadow of the great trees.
The little bird nestled close to his cheek and refused to leave hisshoulder.
Ned, indeed, felt that he must now look out for himself, and though hisheart beat high, he bravely trudged forward.
It was very unlike the woods to which he had been accustomed to go withhis schoolmates at home, where bright green maples, beeches and birchesmade a leafy bower overhead. Instead, there were solemn pines andhemlocks, and as he entered deeper, great caverns appeared in the rocksand narrow gulleys, into which one might easily fall and break one'sneck.
Through this dismal place he trudged along, with his knees shaking, butwith a brave heart, until he came to a great pine, which evidently hadbeen struck by lightning, for it stood up white and tall, lifting itsbare arms to the sky, like some specter giant crying for vengeance.
Luckily he had placed the bluebird in his pocket, fearing that the lowhanging branches would sweep it from his shoulders. Had he not done sobefore arriving at this spot the opportunity would not have presenteditself again.
Right at the foot of the pine, on a decaying log, sat a little old man,who was altogether the ugliest looking object that Ned had ever seen. Hewas about half the size of ordinary men, though the whiteness of hishair and beard showed plainly that he would never be any taller, andthough his body was short and crooked to the last degree, his face waslong and pale, but was lighted up by wonderfully brilliant eyes.
These were fixed on Ned from the moment he came in sight, and, piercingthrough the darkness, it is no wonder that they chilled the poor boy'sblood and failed to quicken his pace. Indeed, it is not quite certainthat he would have gone forward at all if the greater part of the foresthad not been behind him, though there seemed to be a spell in thestrange eyes that drew the boy on in spite of himself.
"Come along! What are you afraid of?" cried the dwarf in a little, dryvoice, that sounded like the cracking of a dry twig beneath one's foot.
Ned hesitated, and, as if seeking the comfort of something alive andfriendly, thrust his hand into his pocket alongside of the littlebluebird.
"Come on! Come on, little master," repeated the dwarf. "Here I have beenwaiting more than an hour to tell you some good news, and now that youare here you would hinder me because you are such a coward."
"I don't know you," said Ned, as an excuse.
"Well, well, no matter for that. I know you well enough. Would you readabout gnomes and then be so cowardly that you would fear to associatewith them?"
As he finished speaking, he arose, disclosing a doorway in the trunk ofthe pine tree behind him.
At that moment, a beautiful dwarf maiden emerged therefrom, and, as ifhaving heard the conversation, said: "He is no coward, father. See, hewill shake hands with me!"
Ned put out his hand, but drew it back just in time to escape havin
g thegold ring which the Fairy Queen had given him, slipped off his finger bythe dwarf maiden.
"Selfish mortal," she cried, "'tis nothing but a little gold band. Giveit to me. See, I will exchange this beautiful diamond for it," and sheheld out a sparkling stone set in a gold ring.
Ned drew back in alarm, more especially as the dwarf himself advancedwith a threatening attitude.
Continuing to step back, Ned kept his eyes upon the dwarf, who advancednow with upraised fist. Seeing this, Ned quickly threw off his coat andpicking up a stout stick, prepared to defend himself.
It would have gone ill with him, for the dwarf was surprisingly strongand agile, had not relief come from an unexpected quarter.
NED THREW OFF HIS COAT.]
The little bluebird had quietly slipped out of Ned's pocket, and flyingup to him, received the gold ring about her neck in accordance with thecommand of the Fairy Queen, which Ned remembered suddenly and luckilyin time.
Off flew the bird to the great tall pine and touched it with the magicring. In an instant it changed into a giant, who stretched forth one ofhis great hands, and catching up the dwarf, hurled him headlong down theside of the ravine close by.
The dwarf maiden, with a cry, rushed after him, climbing down the sideswith wonderful agility.
The giant now turned to Ned, saying: "Little Master, I owe it to youthat I am once more my natural self. An evil spirit transformed me intoyonder tree, but the magic of your ring has restored me once more to mynatural shape. I will henceforth serve you while the occasion lasts,"and with these words he knelt before Ned most humbly.
At the same time the bluebird handed Ned his magic ring, and with thisfaithful little friend, his gold ring, and the giant for a servant, Nedfelt that he had nothing further to fear while traveling in Gnomeland.
"Thank you, my good friend," said Ned, placing his hand upon the bowedhead of the giant. "You are certainly grateful for what I have done foryou, which is more than can be said of many mortals. But had I not hadthe magic ring and the assistance of my little companion, the bluebird,you would still be the tree you were. Let us, therefore, the three ofus, pledge allegiance to one another and set out upon our journey ofadventure."
As he finished speaking the giant arose and carefully placing Ned uponhis shoulder, started off at a rapid stride.
The little bluebird flew ahead, and in a short time the three comradesemerged from the forest.
In the distance could be seen the turrets of a stately castle, whichlooked down from a high point of land upon a beautiful river that woundin and out like a silver ribbon through the meadow.
"Who lives in yonder castle?" asked Ned, unconsciously adopting thestyle of language of Gnomeland.
"I know not," answered the giant, "but with a few more steps we will beable to inquire at the postern gates."
It was indeed a stately castle, and upon reaching the drawbridge Ned wassurprised to find that it was not lowered for them to cross over,although they waited for some time.
"I think I'll blow upon my policeman's whistle," said Ned, huntingthrough his pockets. "I certainly had it when I left home."
"Blow hard," advised the giant as Ned brought it forth, "blow hard, thatthose within may think us worthy of admittance."
Upon which Ned let out a blast that would do justice to any Knight ofthe Round Table. He was himself surprised at the volume of sound, butwas too much interested in what was about to happen to realize that thetouch of his magic ring had made it possible for the small nickel-platedwhistle to create such a sound.
Presently the drawbridge began slowly to descend, and when the creakingchains ceased their noise, our three comrades crossed over to the castlegates. These were thrown wide open, and just as the giant placed Nedupon his feet in front of the castle doors, they opened, disclosing abeautiful princess on the threshold.
"Welcome, Ned, to you and your two friends."
Whereupon the giant bowed very low, and the little bluebird flew overand nestled on her shoulder.
Ned was too delighted to speak for a moment, for up to this time hisexperiences had been most trying, but here at last it seemed thatfortune smiled upon him.
So he and the giant followed her into the stately hall, the latterfinding it necessary to stoop each time he entered a doorway, foralthough the castle was built on magnificent lines it had not occurredto the architect that a giant would ever be a guest.
When they were all seated, except the giant, who sprawled on the floor,as there was no chair large enough to accommodate him, the beautifulprincess said:
"I would ask you to spend the night here, but my wicked stepfatherreturns tonight, and I fear he will do you some injury."
"I fear nothing," answered Ned courageously, standing up to appear moredignified, "and if I can be of any service to you, say but a word, for Ihave a trusty friend in the giant, and also a clever one in my littlebluebird, to say nothing of the magic of this ring," and he touched thegold band about his finger and bowed again to the beautiful princess.
"My stepfather is very crafty," said the princess, looking at Nedintently, as if weighing the possibilities of his assistance. "He oncechanged a giant into a pine tree!" At these words, the giant began toshake and tremble so that the cut glass chandeliers rattled all over thecastle.
"Remember, I have the magic ring," Ned whispered, leaning over to wherethe giant lay upon the floor; "nothing can harm us with that in ourpossession."
"What would you have me do?" asked Ned, turning again to the beautifulprincess, for he felt that she was unwilling to ask him the favor,fearing it might prove of harm to him.
Still the beautiful princess remained silent until the bluebird began tosing a sweet song, perching meanwhile upon her shoulder, as if intendingthe song for her ears especially.
Then tears fell from her eyes.
"'Tis the song my brother was wont to sing," she said, "but now"--andhiding her face in her hands, she wept more bitterly than before--"hehas been sent away and hidden by my cruel stepfather I know not where."
"We will find him for you, princess," cried Ned. "Fear not, for I haveconfidence in my two comrades and in myself. Give us all something toeat that we may have strength to undertake this adventure."
The princess immediately ordered a great feast to be set before them,and when our three comrades had eaten their fill they once more set outupon their journey, with the prayers of the beautiful princess for theirsafety and successful return.
As they wound their way through the pleasant valley, every so often thelittle bluebird would sing her song, loud and sweet, and then wouldpause, with folded wing, to listen, as if expecting an answer.
So they went on for many miles, until, as they approached a cottage bythe roadside, Ned thought he heard a familiar air. Indeed, he was surethat something important was about to happen, for the bluebird waswhirring around in circles and singing as if her life depended upon theway she trilled and warbled.
"Why, there is a bluebird in that wicker cage!" exclaimed Ned, pointingtoward the cottage porch, from which swung a bird cage.
It was, indeed, true, and in another moment Ned's bluebird was perchedon the railing close by.
Scrambling down from the giant's friendly shoulder, Ned touched thecage, and, to his amazement, the little door flew open and out walked ahandsome young prince, about his own age.
"Who are you?" cried Ned, but before he could reply the giant exclaimed:"He must be the brother of the princess! We have, indeed, completed ouradventure, or nearly so," he added, remembering they had yet to dealwith the crafty stepfather.
"How can I ever repay you?" cried the little prince, who was at firstunable to speak from the joy of it all. "I am free! I am free!" And healmost cried with delight, flinging his arms about Ned's sturdy formand patting the leg of the giant.
"Come, little bluebird, and let me thank you, too," he added, as thepretty bird circled in the air and alighted on Ned's shoulder. Indeed,it was a happy moment for all.
"And no
w," said Ned, "let us think of the best way to return to thecastle, so that the princess may receive her long-lost brother."
"The easiest way is the best way," said the giant. "Both you boys climbup on my back, and in 500 short seconds we'll be back at the castle, orI have forgotten my early training on the cinder path."
All of which goes to show that even in Gnomeland there are sports,although few fairy tales tell us anything about them.
When Ned and the prince had seated themselves comfortably on the greatshoulders of the obliging giant, he set off at a tremendous rate, andsoon they were ascending the hill on which stood the castle of thebeautiful princess.