Well, that's the way it was at Grandma Lightfoot's house one day after they had had company. Mr. and Mrs. Bushytail, that is, Johnnie and Billie and Sister Sallie Bushytail's papa and mamma, had been on a visit, and also Mr. and Mrs. Littletail, and Sammie, and Susie, and Uncle Wiggily, and Lulu and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble, and so many others I can't tell you. Of course there were lots of dishes for Jennie Chipmunk to wash, and she started to do them, singing, as she always did, and smiling so as to show her teeth.
Billie and Johnnie Bushytail and the other children were out playing, but Jennie couldn't go, because she had to do the dishes. She was splashing away in the water and in the suds, wishing she could some day see a fairy, when Johnnie Bushytail came in.
“Oh, come on out and play, Jennie,” he said. “Let the dishes go until morning.”
“No,” she answered, “I must do them to- night, for that's what grandma expects.”
“But if you do them all now it will be dark when you get through, and you can't play.”
“I can't help it,” answered Jennie, with a sigh, for she did not want to go and play. Then Johnnie coaxed her some more, and so did Billie, and Sammie and Susie Littletail, but Jennie would not leave the dishes. I suppose if Grandma Lightfoot had been there, she would have let the little orphan chipmunk go, but you see grandma wasn't, having gone to take a walk in the woods with Mr. and Mrs. Bushytail, and Mr. and Mrs. Littletail.
Well, all the children ran out again to play--that is, all but Jennie, and she remained in to finish the dishes. And she kept on singing, for that made her feel happier.
Then, all at once, when she reached over to get a saucer that had contained cornstarch pudding, if out of it didn't pop a little creature all made of soap bubbles. Oh, it was the oddest little creature you ever saw, with pretty colors going and coming, prettier even than the sky-blue-pink fairy.
“Why!” exclaimed Jennie, “I--I didn't know you were there. I didn't see you a minute ago.”
“Of course not,” answered the little soap- bubble lady, for she was a perfect lady, “I wasn't there a minute ago. I just arrived.”
“And who are you?” asked the little orphan chipmunk, but she didn't stop doing the dishes, for she wanted to finish, and go out to play.
“Why,” replied the soap-bubble lady, “don't you know? I am the magical dish- washing fairy. I thought everyone knew that.”
“No,” said Jennie. “I didn't,” and she looked at the big pile of dishes she had yet to do, before she could go out. “Are you wonderful?” she asked.
“Yes,” went on the magical dish-washing fairy, “I am wonderful. Now will you kindly go sit down in that chair, and watch me carefully.”
“Oh,” objected Jennie. “I can't sit down. I have to wash these dishes.”
“You leave them to me!” exclaimed the soap-bubble lady, stepping out of the saucer, and she puffed out her cheeks, and believe me if a whole lot of the most beautifully colored bubbles didn't float right up to the ceiling! Well, of course Jennie Chipmunk didn't want to sit down in a chair, but when a fairy tells you to do anything, why you just have to do it, that's all, or something is bound to happen--oh my, yes, and a waste-paper basket, too.
Then if that soap-bubble fairy lady didn't begin to do things. “You just watch me,” she called to Jennie. “See, I roll up my sleeves to show you that I have nothing hidden in them.”
Then she waved her magic wand three times and, dear me, if hundreds and hundreds of soap-bubbles didn't appear in that dishpan, and the dishes began jumping up from the table, and into the soapy water, where they sozzled themselves around, getting all clean and shiny, and then they leaped right out of the suds into the rinsing water, all piping hot, and then they jumped out of that into the draining pan, white and glistening, and goodness gracious me, sakes alive, if the dish towel didn't hop off the rack and begin to dry those dishes as quick as a piece of sand-paper! right before Jennie Chipmunk's eyes!
And more than that, if the dishes, as soon as they were dry, didn't float off through the air--the plates, the cups, the saucers, the platters and the butter plates, all of them floated right to the pantry and hopped up on the shelves, each one in the proper place. And all the while that soap-bubble fairy just stood there, smiling and waving her wand and not doing a thing else.
Then, believe me again, if you please, if the dish rag didn't wring itself out, and hang itself up to dry, and the dish towel hopped back on the rack, and the dispans were all wiped out, and put over the stove to dry, and then, presto chango, lack-scaddedo! the dishes were all done!
“What do you think of that?” asked the fairy, throwing a red and blue and a yellow bubble up in the air, and catching it on the end of her wand. “What do you think of that, my dear?”
“Wonderful! Wonderful!” cried Jennie, as happy as could be.
“Ah, a mere trifle, my dear. Such things are nothing to me. I always love to help children!” cried the fairy, putting a red bubble in her left ear and a purple one in her right ear, just like earrings. Then she waved Jennie good-bye and disappeared. And Jennie went out to play, and the others couldn't believe she had the dishes done so quickly. But she didn't tell them about the fairy, for it was a secret. Now to-morrow night, let me see, Oh, the story will be about Billie and the yellow fairy.
XXVIII.
BILLIE AND THE YELLOW FAIRY.
BILLIE BUSHYTAIL was feeling pretty badly and the reason for it was this. He had been kept in at the owl school, because he missed in spelling, and when the teacher let him out it was too late to go off with the other boys playing ball. Billie had his ball and his bat and his catching glove with him, but that didn't matter. Johnny Bushytail and Sammie Littletail and Bully the frog had gone a long way off, to Farmer Tooker's meadow to play, and by the time Billie got there it would be dark. So he felt quite badly.
He walked on through the woods thinking all sorts of things, and then he threw his ball up in the air. He thought he would catch it, but the ball went in an empty bird's nest in a tall tree, and didn't come down. Then Billie threw his bat up after the ball, and if that didn't stay up in the tree too. Then he got real excited, and tossed up his catching glove, and, well, of course you may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not a bit, if the glove didn't stay up there, too. Well, poor Billie! Not a thing to play ball with! He felt worse than ever.
So he kept on through the woods wondering how he was ever going to get his things down, for the tree was a very tall one, and, even though he was a squirrel, his papa and his mama had told him never to climb tall trees when they were not around.
“Oh, dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!” cried Billie.
Just then if he didn't hear a bird singing. Oh, such a beautiful song it was! I couldn't begin to sing as nicely as that bird did. The words went something like this: “Oh fie lum did-a-laddie ah! Oh tra la did-a-lay! Rum dum dum diddle-ideum, Tu rum-lum skiddle-day!”
“Oh, what a pretty song!” cried Billie.
“Think so? Glad you like it,” spoke a voice, and the little boy squirrel looked up, and saw a beautiful yellow bird sitting on a tree not far away. And as soon as he heard that song Billie felt better, even though he had lost his ball, his bat and his catching glove.
Well, just a moment later if some bad boy didn't throw a stone at that bird, that dear, little yellow bird, and break its leg. The poor bird stopped singing at once, and the bad boy came up, thinking he could catch it. But the bird didn't fall from the tree and then the bad boy went away, and pretty soon Billie came out from where he had hid behind a bush. Then the yellow bird got so weak from pain that it fell down on the ground.
“Oh dear!” cried Billie. “What can I do to help you?”
“I would like some water,” said the yellow bird, faintly.
So Billie found an acorn cup, and scampered off to the brook, filled it with water, and brought it to the wounded bird. Then he got some more, as quick as you can eat a jam tart, and the bird felt much better.
“What els
e can I do for you?” asked Billie. “Maybe I could fix your leg for you. Or shall I go for Dr. Possum?”
“Thank you,” answered the bird, “but if you could find the little green fairy man, he would make my leg well in a minute.”
“I will!” cried Billie, and he scampered off.
He found the little green fairy man leaning against a tree, and watching some butterflies get honey from flowers.
“Please come with me,” said Billie. “The yellow bird has a broken leg.”
“Of course I will!” exclaimed the green fairy. “The yellow bird is a friend of mine. How did it happen?” Then Billie told, and the little green fairy man said the little boy squirrel was very kind.
Well, when they got back to where the poor bird was the green fairy did a magical trick. He took two pieces of wood, and three little stones, tossed them up in the air, and pronounced this word: “Ish-ka-loo-la-osh-ka- loo-la-bosh-ka-loo-la-lum!” and in an instant that bird's leg was all well again, and it sang its song some more, just like this, only, of course, I can't sing it very well: “Oh fie lum did-e-laddie ah! Oh tra la did-e-lay! Hum dum dum diddle-ideum, Tu rum lum skiddle-day!”
“Now do you feel better?” asked Billie.
“To be sure I do,” was the yellow bird's reply, “and to pay you for what you did, you may have three wishes.”
“What!” cried Billie, “are you a fairy, too?”
“I am a yellow fairy,” was the answer.
“Then why didn't you cure your own broken leg?” asked the boy squirrel, thinking maybe the bird was fooling.
“Because,” said the yellow fairy, “just because. It's against the fairy rules. But to show you I AM a fairy I will turn into an elephant,” which it did, then and there, and turned back into a yellow bird again in an instant. “Now wish three times,” the yellow fairy said to Billie, who of course could not help believing, after he had seen the elephant.
“I wish I had my ball back!” exclaimed Billie quickly.
“Very good!” cried the yellow fairy, “here it is,” and she waved her bill in the air, and in an instant Billie's ball came bounding right to his feet. “Wish again,” said the fairy.
“I wish for my bat,” spoke Billie.
“Very good,” went on the fairy, and once more she waved her bill, and if the bat didn't come sailing right from the tall tree to Billie's feet.
“One more wish!” cried the yellow fairy, and Billie wished for his catching glove, and got it quicker than a wink.
“I think I'll give you one more wish myself for good luck,” spoke the green fairy, and Billie said:
“I wish I was with the boys playing ball,” and, land sakes, goodness, gracious me, suz- dud! if he wasn't on the ball field in an instant, just in time to catch a ball that Sammie Littletail knocked, and he caught him out! Now, what do you think about that? To-morrow night, if the postman brings me a letter, I will tell you about Johnnie and Possum Pinktoes and the fairy prince.
XXIX
POSSUM PINKTOES WAKES UP
JOHNNIE BUSHYTAIL was scrambling up and down a big oak tree in the woods. He jumped from one branch to another, peeked in holes to see if there were any nuts there, and then sat up and chattered like mamma's sewing machine when she's sewing an apron or maybe even a bib for baby.
“Well,” said Johnnie Bushytail after a while, when he had sat up and chattered three times, “Billie said he was coming here, after he went to the store for some peanut butter and a loaf of bread, but I don't see anything of him.” Then Johnnie almost stood up on the end of his tail, so he could see farther, and he looked and he looked off through the woods for his brother, but he couldn't notice even his nose. “I guess he must have met Bully, the frog, and Sammie Littletail, and gone off to play with them.” Johnnie went on after a while: “I wish I had some one to play with. Guess I'll go home and get Sister Sallie.”
So he skipped down the tree, and was running along the ground, when suddenly he saw a little bundle of fur. At first the fur was moving along quite swiftly, but when Johnnie made a little rustling noise in the leaves, the fur stopped, rolled itself up into a little round ball, and lay still. Johnnie was quite surprised, until he happened to see some little pink toes sticking out. Then he cried: “Oh, you can't fool me! I know who you are. Come on, Possum Pinktoes, let's have a game of tag!”
And if that bundle of fur wasn't the little possum boy; really, I'm not fooling a bit.
Possum Pinktoes, who was called that because all possum boys have pink toes, you know, unrolled himself like that cake you buy in the bakery; you know the kind, it's all rolled up and has jelly curled around inside, and you have it for supper--sometimes. Well, Possum Pinktoes unrolled himself, stood up, and said:
“I didn't know it was you, Johnnie, or I wouldn't have gone to sleep so quick. You know, whenever I hear a funny noise, I curl up quickly, and pretend to go to sleep; then bad animals like foxes and savage dogs won't touch me.”
“Doesn't it bother you to have to sleep so much?” asked Johnnie.
“Yes,” said Possum Pinktoes, “it does. You see, there are not very many bad animals in these woods, but every time I hear a funny noise I have to go to sleep, whether I want to or not. All our family does,” he added.
“Well, let's have a game of tag, anyhow,” suggested Johnnie. “Maybe by that time Billie will come along.”
So they started to play tag, but my good gracious me, sakes alive, every once in a while Possum Pinktoes would suddenly curl up and go to sleep. Yes, that's what he did; sometimes when he was “it” and again when he was being chased by Johnnie. Now, you know as well as I do that you can't play tag when one of you is always falling asleep. How would you like it if you were trying to tag a little girl or boy, and they stretched out on the sidewalk, and took a nap, just because they heard a funny noise? You couldn't play much tag, I guess. Well, after Possum Pinktoes had fallen asleep about a dozen times, and there hadn't been much tag played, Johnnie said: “Say, this has got to stop. Can't you keep awake?”
“No,” replied Possum Pinktoes, “I'm sorry, but I can't.”
“Well, then,” said Johnnie, “I guess we'll have to stop playing tag. Let's take a walk. Maybe you can keep awake then.”
So they walked in the woods, but they hadn't gone very far before Possum heard a queer noise, and he called out:
“Oh, Johnnie, I'm going to sleep again,” and bless me, if he didn't right then and there.
“Oh, fiddlesticks!” cried Johnnie, which was what he always said when he didn't know what else to say. “Wake up!”
Then, as the queer noise didn't sound any more, Possum Pinktoes awakened. Then they went on a little farther, and in about a minute, or maybe two minutes, what should they see but a boy sitting on the edge of a little brook, fishing.
“I think I'm going to sleep again,” said Possum, who was afraid of boys.
“No, don't,” begged Johnnie. “He won't hurt you. Let's watch him.” So, by hard work, Possum kept awake, and they watched that boy. All at once the boy pulled up his line, and believe me, there wasn't even a hook on it, to say nothing of a fish.
“Why, that's no way to catch fish,” spoke Johnnie, before he thought.
“I know it,” replied the boy, “but you see I don't want to catch fish. I'm only pretending. It's just as much fun for me and doesn't hurt the fish. I don't eat fish anyhow, but I love to sit here, and dangle my line in the water, and think of the time when I was a mud turtle and lived there.”
“What?” cried Johnnie. “Are you the fairy prince who was once a mud turtle?”
“I am,” replied the boy, throwing his hookless line in the water again. “I am that very person. What can I do for you to-day, my young friend?” and he spoke just like the grocery man.
“I don't want anything, thank you,” answered Johnnie, “but perhaps you could make Possum Pinktoes stay awake. He is always sleepy.”
“Yes, and I'm going to sleep now!” cried Possum. “I just heard a funny n
oise, Johnnie.”
“Oh, stop it, Possum!” cried Johnnie. “Can't you stop him, fairy prince?”
“Of course I can fix him!” said the fairy prince. “Wait a minute.” So he stood up on one foot, and swung his fish pole around his head three times, so that the line whistled in the wind, and then he pronounced the magical word, “Sneezumsnackum!” Then he cried: “You will not be sleepy any more, Possum Pinktoes, except when it's time to go to bed,” and the funny part of it was that Possum Pinktoes wasn't. Now, of course, I'm not saying that if you pronounced the word “Sneezumsnackum” it would make you so you wouldn't be sleepy, but it will do no harm to try it, anyhow. Then Possum Pinktoes and Johnny Bushytail ran on, after thanking the fairy prince, who started to fish again, and they soon found Billie and Bully, the frog, and told them all that had happened. Now if a dog doesn't bark at me, I'll tell you to-morrow night about Grandpa Lightfoot and the purple fairy.
XXX
GRANDPA AND THE PURPLE FAIRY
ONE day Johnnie and Billie Bushytail were out walking with Grandpa Lightfoot, with whom they lived, when their papa and mamma were in a cage. They had come over to bring him some pieces of hickory- nut cake, which their mamma had made, and the old gentleman squirrel liked it very much, let me tell you. In fact, I'm very fond of that kind myself, and I s'pose you are too.
Well, as they walked along Grandpa Lightfoot kept going slower and slower, and sometimes he would have to use his cane to help him climb a tree and get down again.
“Grandpa, what makes you walk so slowly?” asked Billie.
“I guess it's because he's tired,” suggested Johnnie.
“No, boys, it isn't that,” answered grandpa. “I'm getting old, that's the trouble. Getting old,” and then he put his paw to his back, which, at that moment, had a pain in it. “I'm not a young and frisky squirrel like you boys,” he went on. “I'm afraid your grandfather will never be able to jump from one tall tree to another any more,” and he spoke quite sadly.
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