The King of Gee-Whiz

by Emerson Hough

  "Look! Look!" cried the King, pointing before him.

  The Court Physician and the Private Secretary both looked but could seenothing.

  "There is nothing there, your Majesty," said the Court Physician.

  "Nothing there!" exclaimed the King. "Of course there is nothingthere--why, my soul and body! can't you see my royal shadow is gone?"

  They looked again, and, to their great surprise, saw it was quite as theKing had said. They looked all around, back of the throne, in front ofit, and under it, and behind the door, but, seek as they might, couldfind no trace of the royal shadow.

  "This," said the King, "is very terrible. I have been attached to thatshadow for so long that I am sure I do not know what I shall do withoutit. Why, I feel so lonesome! Tell me what I shall do, tell me at once!Why do I employ an expensive Court Physician and a Private Secretary, ifthey are not able to tell me what to do in a case like this?"

  "If your Majesty will pardon me," said the Court Physician, "I wouldsuggest that this is rather the work of the Court Detective."

  "Nonsense!" said the King. "Jiji, do you go at once to the Court Tailorand Royal Robe Maker and have him take my measure for a new shadow. Andnow bring me my Waffles immediately, my good woman, for I am very muchexhausted by all these trying circumstances."

  CHAPTER XX

  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE ROYAL TWINS

  In the meantime, it hardly need be said, the Wicked Fairy had fled faraway with the King's shadow, so that there was not the slightest use inlooking for it about the palace. In the meantime, also, the advice ofthe Wicked Fairy to the Twins had been productive of further trouble.Hardly had the two well arisen from their beds before they began towhisper together about certain plans.

  First, they got possession of the Enchanted Banjo; for it hardly need besaid that they now proposed a journey to the Valley of the Fairies, andwithout the Banjo they could not put the Dragon Jankow to sleep. ThePrivate Secretary, excited over the condition of the King, did not missthe Banjo, so Lulu and Zuzu had no difficulty in taking it away.

  "Pray, where are you going with me?" asked the Enchanted Banjo of theTwins.

  "Where should we be going," replied Zuzu, "if not to the Valley of theFairies? Will you not go with us?"

  "With all my heart," said the Enchanted Banjo, "for it was in thatValley that I was born. You may depend upon me; but we shall need to bevery careful indeed."

  By this time, as the Twins walked on their way through the forest, theybegan to hear the voice of the Dragon--"Arrnghgh! Arrnghgh!"--but theywent on as bravely as they could, and presently were directly before theDragon, which again reared and rattled its long body covered with heavyscales. This was a fearful sight, but Zuzu and Lulu tightly grasped theEnchanted Banjo, and it began to play:

  THE LULLABY OF ENCHANTMENT

  Ho, Little Wind, come out of the west And whisper the song that is laden with rest. The world is a-weary, The day has been long So sing for my dearie A lullaby-song.

  Lullaby, lullaby, soft and low, For that is the way that the Fairy-horns blow; And thither and hither and thither and here The Fairies bring dreams for the sleep of my dear. Lullaby, lullaby, low.

  Ho, Little Wind, you may creep, if you will Where the willows bend low at the foot of the hill; The flowers are closing, They drowse in the dew-- And dozing, and dozing, They wait now for you.

  Lullaby, lullaby, soft and deep; The stars far away now are climbing the steep, And out of the silence is wafted a croon That murmurs in mellowness under the moon. Sleep-i-ly, sleep-i-ly, sleep.

  At the first verse of this song, the Dragon began to beat time with hisgood foreleg; then it began to nod a little, and then it yawned verywide and deep, until one could see very far down into its hollow throat."Dear me!" said the Dragon, "I feel very drowsy this morning. I think Imust have a bit of spring fever."

  "Play again," whispered Zuzu to the Enchanted Banjo. So the Banjo playedagain:

  Ho, Little Wind, sing it gently and sweet; Come, hum through the vines till the echoes repeat The words you are singing, And on through the night Go swinging and swinging Away to the light.

  Lullaby, lullaby, low and low-- That is the way that the Fairy-songs go, And that is the way that the sleepy-song sighs Till the magical spell sets its seal on our eyes. Lullaby, lullaby, low.

  By this time, the Dragon was openly nodding at its post of duty. Itshead would fall down, and then it would waken and jerk its head uprightagain and frown at them as though they had accused it of being asleepwhen nothing of the sort was true. At last, it laid its head down upon arock for a pillow and went fast asleep, snoring so loudly that it mighthave been heard at least the distance of a mile.

  "Quick! Quick!" cried Zuzu, when they saw the great Dragon was indeedasleep. "Give me the screw-driver from the lunch basket, quick!"

  Lulu felt in the basket which she carried and found the screw-driver,and at once Zuzu sprang to the side of the Dragon and with a few strokesunscrewed the wooden leg of the Dragon close up to the shoulder.

  "Now," cried Zuzu, "hurry, and soon we shall be at the Valley."

  So now they stepped close to the side of the sleeping Dragon and edgedpast through the long, narrow passageway where the great tail lay curledup. They jumped close against the wall whenever the Dragon stirred inhis sleep, and for the last few paces of the passage they almost ran.But the Dragon did not waken and they got through in safety. Then, totheir great surprise, they found themselves directly at the top of along, narrow, golden ladder, which fell straight down, down from theedge of a break in the rocky floor. It extended down farther than theycould see, until finally its two sides seemed to unite in a shiningthread of gold far below.

  "This," said Zuzu, "must be the Fairy Ladder. Quick, before the Dragonwakens!"

  CHAPTER XXI

  THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND

  Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder beforethey dared to stop. It may have been an hour or two hours before theybegan to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matterwhat might happen. They looked up at the Ladder down which they hadcome, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top ofit; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them,just as they still did below them. It seemed to them that they were inthe middle of the world. They did not dare to try to climb back again,for they were too tired. They also feared to go any further down,because that took them further away from their mother and from the onlysort of world which they had ever known. As they realized the situationinto which their eagerness had brought them, they both began to cry.

  This was a very sad situation for the Twins, but it shows how very hardit always is to get into the secret places where the Fairies live. If itis not hard in one way, it always is in another. Just at this time,however, help came to Zuzu and Lulu in a way which they did not expect.The Enchanted Banjo began to play a tune of a very cheerful sort, whichran something like the following words, as nearly as can be told:

  THE JEALOUS JUMPING JACK

  There was a Jealous Jumping Jack That told the other Toys: "None of you has my clever knack-- You're only good for noise." The Humming Top, the Horn, the Drum, The Bell, and Talking Doll, He told: "You screech and clang and hum-- You can not jump at all!"

  They looked at him in great surprise And did not answer back, And then great rage began to rise Within the Jumping Jack. "Now, look at me!" he cried, and humped, And pulled his legs 'way down, Then gave a spring and madly jumped Away, out of Toytown.

  The Horn blew loud, the Red Top hummed, The Talking Doll called: "Stop!" The Bell rang, and the gay Drum drummed, But still he would not drop. The Jumping Jack jumped on and on Although for him they yearned; They know not where 'tis h
e has gone-- He never has returned.

  They say--but I don't think it's true-- That little girls and boys Sometimes grow rudely jealous, too, As do some foolish Toys.

  Zuzu and Lulu were very much encouraged at hearing the Banjo once more,and so they dried their tears.

  "Cheer up, my young friends," said the Banjo, "and look about you. To meit seems very strange that Twins with Royal Hereditary Hair should notbe able to see the resting-place cut here in the rock."

  Zuzu and Lulu both looked about them, and there, in the face of therocky wall along which the Golden Ladder hung suspended, they saw alittle room or cave, and to this there led from the Ladder a sort ofplatform made up of rungs or rounds. Very quickly they stepped over thisshort horizontal ladder and sat down in the shade of the chamber intowhich they stepped.

  "Dear me," said Lulu, "my arms are tired. I don't believe I could havecarried this basket another minute."

  "And my feet," said Zuzu, "are nearly cut in two by the rounds of theLadder. This Dragon's leg is very heavy, and, now that I think of it, Idon't see why I carried it at all, for when one stops to reason it out,there seems very little use in the wooden leg of a Dragon for any onebut the Dragon itself. Let us leave it here and take it up when we goback."

  "That would be a sensible thing," said Lulu. "I think it also would bevery sensible if we ate our lunch now, for then the basket would be muchlighter."

  They ate their lunch, which tasted very good, as they were hungry aftertheir long climb.

  "Now," said Zuzu, "let us ask the Enchanted Banjo to play for us again,and perhaps that will make our hearts lighter also, and then we shallcertainly climb very easily."

  So now they placed the two pieces of the Banjo together again and itbegan to play for them a lively air, which had in it some strange thingswhich they had not hitherto heard.

  He drank a deep draft of the rubber juice _Page 93_]

  HOW THE BIRDS LEARN TO SING

  Once on a time, long, long ago I went to singing-school Where all the wee birds in a row Learned to obey each rule; The teacher was a Parrot wise For he alone could talk-- He flapped his wings and blinked his eyes And scolded at the Hawk.

  And the Crow and the Wren And the little Fat Hen And the Sparrow and Thrush and Jay Were taught how the notes Should come from their throats In quite the particular way.

  The Parrot taught the Dove to coo, The little Chicks to cheep, The Owl to screech and sing "Too whoo!" The Whippoorwill to weep; He taught the Lark to run the scales And trill with great delight; He had a class of Baby Quails That whistled at "bob-white!"

  And the Hen learned to "cluck;" "Quack-quack" sang the Duck; Till the Parrot at last called "Hush!" And the echoes all rang, When the Bobolink sang, A duet with the little Brown Thrush.

  Now when I hear the Robin's song, Or Humming Bird's soft note, Or hear a carol sweet and strong From the Canary's throat, I smile, and sometimes beat the time For very well I know How each one learned his music's chime While standing in a row

  When the Crow and the Wren And the little Fat Hen And the Sparrow and Thrush and Jay Were taught how the notes Must come from their throats In quite the particular way.

  CHAPTER XXII

  THE BUMBLEBEE EXPRESS

  The three now sat in a row and were not unhappy, for their hearts feltvery light. At last the Banjo said: "My young friends, it is not truethat I am a Fairy, although I have told you that I was born inFairy-land and that my parents were good Fairies as well. Now, I did notlike to say much to you before this time, although the truth is that hadyou not taken me with you to the Fairy Valley, I could not have gonethere at all."

  "How, then, did you come to leave the Valley of the Fairies?" askedLulu.

  "Once, long ago," replied the Enchanted Banjo, "I was taken up to earthby a Black Fairy and left hanging upon a tree, where I was found by theKing of Gee-Whiz, and later given to his Private Secretary, who alwayshad to make music every day for his Majesty. There was no way in which Icould escape, and, indeed, I was always treated kindly, as you know.Now, I will try to see whether I have forgotten all the speech of theFairy Valley. I need not say that it is fortunate that you brought mealong, because, certainly, if you came through the act of a bad Fairy,you would not be welcome in the Valley, and there is no telling whatmight happen were I not there. But now, if you will put me together oncemore and press very lightly upon the strings, I will try to talk in whatis known as the Diamond language, very small and bright and clear andprecious; because that is the way the voice of a Fairy sounds, as nearlyas any one can describe it."

  So now they put the two pieces of the Banjo together again very gentlyand pressed very lightly upon the strings, and very softly the Banjobegan to play as they had never heard it play before; and, indeed, itsvoice did sound like a diamond or some other precious stone, as nearlyas they could describe it.

  THE BUMBLEBEE EXPRESS

  Ho! The Bumblebee Express! How it buzzes through the air Till before you even guess Where you are, why, you are there!

  Stopping at the hollyhocks For a load of honey freight; At the sweet pea and the phlox Where the other shipments wait.

  Then away, away it goes! With a zip and zum and zoom With a halt beside the rose And a stop at Clover Bloom.

  Hurry, Fred and Tom and Bess Don't you want to take a ride On the Bumblebee Express To the orchard's other side?

  Will it hold you? Goodness, yes But you can not have a seat In the Bumblebee Express If you are not good and sweet.

  Hardly had the last note of this Fairy summons died away, when therecame a soft, whirring sound below them.

  "Look!" cried Lulu. They peered over the edge of the room in the rockfar down along the Golden Ladder; and there, approaching them rapidly,they saw a bright light. A faint click came along the Ladder, as onemay sometimes hear the rails click when a railway train is far away.Rapidly this light grew more distinct, and almost at once, with a whizzand a whir about as loud as ordinarily may be heard across a room, butwhich in that place sounded very much louder, there drew up at the edgeof the chamber a strange and wonderful little coach, such as perhaps noTwins in the world ever saw before.

  It was made of a walnut shell for a body, although the shell was tracedwith lines of silver and gold. It had a canopy over the top, made ofsuch gossamer as blows upon the air of evenings. Within it were twoseats, each as large as a silver dime, and there was another seat orhigh box for the coachman. The coachman was a small blue grasshopper,who sat very erect and straight upon his seat and drove with wonderfulskill, holding tight to the lines, which were made of single strands ofsilk. The most wonderful of all was the team which drew this littleFairy coach, for such at once they saw it was. Its horses were nothingin the world but great golden bumblebees, with black and yellow bodies,with fuzzy legs and large, bright, dark eyes, which shone so clearlythat no other lamps were needed for the coach. Indeed, it had beentheir eyes which the Twins saw as they leaned over the edge; and it wastheir strange, steady buzzing which had made the noise they heard--avery busy and pleasant sound when bumblebees are going as fast as thesehad been. They panted a little as the coachman pulled them up and droveslowly into the little room in the rocky wall where the Twins weresitting. The latter looked at the Fairy coach with delight, for it wasthe most beautiful thing they had ever seen in all their lives. At firstthey did not know whether there was any one about the coach but thedriver, but now there stepped down a footman, about as large as a greenhouse-fly and much resembling one. With a deep bow, he swung open thedoor in the side of the coach as though inviting the Twins to enter. Ashe did this, the driver tightened up his reins and the golden harness ofthe bumblebee horses jingled and jangled and tinkled as they began totoss their heads and champ at their bits, eager to start.

  "
Dear me," said Lulu, "isn't this the sweetest little coach in all theworld? How fine it must be to be a Fairy and ride in such a coach asthis!"

  "What is this, Banjo," asked Zuzu, "and where has it come from?"

  "You must be an extraordinarily ignorant person," said the EnchantedBanjo, "not to recognize Queen Zulena's own private coach, the BumblebeeExpress. But why do you wait? Why don't you get into the coach? You seethe footman is waiting for you."

  "Get in?" said Zuzu. "Why, how could we?"

  "Yes, indeed," said Lulu. "It is not big enough for a kitten, let aloneTwins of our age."

  "You are quite mistaken," said the Enchanted Banjo. "Her Majesty, thegood Queen Zulena, has sent for you. Do not try to understand everythingin the world, for you are still young and there are many things whichyou do not know. So do as I say and step in at once."

  To their great surprise, they stepped through the door with perfect easeand found there was plenty of room and to spare upon the seats.

  While they were settling themselves for the ride the Enchanted Banjosang:

  HOW THE FAIRIES SING

  You can hear the Fairies sing Just as plain as anything, If you wait Till the breeze at twilight blows Breaths of perfume from the rose At the gate.

  Then it is you may hear words Sweeter than the songs of birds, Fair and fine, Soft and sweet and low and clear-- No such words as yours, my dear, Nor as mine.

  But the speech they use is quaint, Whispery, and very faint, Yet it swells As it drifts, now high, now low, Borne in echoes to and fro Like to bells.