The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-13
Absent-Minded Fairy Godmother.

Absent-EIinded Fairy GodmOtlier.
Of course you all know that very
great many years ago all good children
had fairy godmothers. Even if you don't
know it it must be SO, for so very many
people who write about things say SO,
and people who write about things know
every single thing there is to know, espe-
cially me.
In those days of which I write one little
girl named Mary Emma had a fairy god
mother who was very absent-minded. In
deed, she was so absent minded at times
that she forgot she was a fairy god
mother at all, and so instead of helping
Mary Emma make her fortune, as, of
course, she should have done, she just
stayed at home and kept house just like
any one else. In fact, If it had not been
for Mary Emma herself, the fairy god
mother might have forgotten that she
had a goddaughter, but every once in
while Mary Emma would wink her left
foot three times, which would immediats'
ly summon the fairy godmother to her
side.
Mary Emma did MT want anything at
ALL but she was a very far seeing Little
g.rl, and she knew that some time sna.
might want something, and if her fairy
godmother did not have some practice she
might forget what it meant when Mary
Emma winked her LETT foot three times,
and never come at all! By the way, yod
can always tell whether or not you have
a fairy godmother by just trying that.
If fairy godmother with sugar loaf
hat and a long wand does not appear as
soon as you have winked your left foot
three times, then you haven't any.
Well one day Mary Emma decided that
she was old enough to go out and seek
her fortune, so off she went. She had
on her very best frock, nice lunch in
her basket, and she felt sure she was
going to find a very nice fortune IN
deed. She left her mother stoning cher
reS Oh the back porch, and walked on
and on and on until she had gone further
than she had ever gone before. After
a while she entered a deep forest. she
had been quite hot and cross in the sun,
but it was delightfully."- cool in the -orest
under the great trees, and she thought
that seeking ones fortune was just heaps
of fun.
Mary Emma was going along singing
at the top of her voice when all at once
she turned a corner of the forest and
there were three robbers lying in wait for
her. My! But she was frightened! She
winked her left foot three times just 1s
hard as ever she could, and her fairy
godmother appeared rubbing her eyes and
looking very cross for she had just been
taking a nice nap when she had been
so suddenly awakened. The robbers were
Just about to rob Mary Emma OF her
lunch basket when her fairy godmother
appeared, but as soon as they saw her
they all stepped back a few PAGES,
clenched their teeth and said, 'Foiled!
'Oh, please change those dreadful rob-
bers into something, quick cried Mary
Emma Her fairy godmother looked very
severely at the robbers and waved her
wand. why don't they changer" asked
Mary Emma, and then she looked around
and saw that her fairy godmother had
changed herself into bicycle by mistake.
''Oh. dear mel said the bicycle, what
ever shall l do now? l must have used
the wrong magic formula, and now those
horrid robbers will steal me- The rob-
bers all uncIenched their teeth aud said,
''At last" They were just about to steal
the bicycle when Mary Emma jumped
en- it and rode off as fast as she could
ride. The robbers ran after her, called
to her to stop, but she kept on. Mary
Emma did not know how to ride BIZ
cycle, but you know this was a fairy
godmother bicycle, and so, of course, it
could keep itself right side up
Mary Emma soon rode the bicycle out
of the forest, and then it wanted to stop
and rest for a while, for it said it was
not used to being a bicycle and was com
pletely tired out. NONSENSE said Mary
Emma. 1.-THE idea of bicycles getting
tired. 1 never heard of such thing
and she rode on faster than ever. Just
as the bicycle was getting SO very tired
that it did not know what to do, they
crossed a little bridge over running
brook. You all know that when any
thing that has been enchanted crosses a
running brook it turns back to its former
shape at once Well, as soon as they had
crossed this brook the bicycle changed