The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-20
o be no school. Come on. Let's go

But Willies wish was law so far as
Woo Wang was concerned, and before
the lad knew what was happening he
was off the ground and slowly rising
in the air. He had to dodge his head
to escape being bumped against the
limbs of the trees. What was his as
constituent when he had passed
through the leaves and was higher than
the tops, to see Woo Wang sitting on
a limb calmly filing his pockets with
the biggest of the apples?
Willie continued to rise in the same
way as does toy balloon, and he went
on until he was as high as the arrow on
the steeple of the church.
Then the fairy rose to the same hight.
To say that Willie was not frightened
at all this remarkable experience would
be to tell a story, for he was very
much afraid and seemed all the time to
think he might fall off and be wounded.
For little while he sprawled around
wildly and he even tried to grab Woo
Wang, but couldn't do it. Soon this
feeling of fear slowly left him, and
he began to really enjoy the novel
trip.
So far as Willie could tell nothing
pushed him up. nothing pulled HIM up
he simply floated around like bal
loon.
l1OOhlilS uONl COulO sec, ldI DC
low him, the whole village of Treetown
spread out as he had once seen it on
map. The houses and barns appeared
like toy blocks scattered here and
there. The trees and grass alike had
a greenish cast while the people were
to him only so many small specks,
slowly moving this way and
that. The creek, which ran through his
fathers orchard, and away down to
the big river, appeared like a huge
snake winding in and out. Not a sound
could he hear.
Happening to look down he thought
he was growing dizzy, and as he
scrambled about in the air for some
thing on which to cling he spoke thus:
"Oh, dear, l wish l could get down
again"
Instantly his lightness left him and
he began to fall. When he felt himself
going at a most frightful rate of speed
through the atmosphere. not knowing
just what he did. he stretched out his
arms, and in a loud voice yelled
Stop"
Just as suddenly as he had begun to
fall he stopped falling. He became
light so quickly he could not tell when
it happened. 1t was simply this. that
he was falling, and after stopping sud
denly begun to rise again. AS he rose
he heard laughing, and turning in the
air he saw Woo Wang turning somer-
saults by the score and acting in every
way as though he were very well
pleased with something.
"You must be careful how and when
you wish for things" said Woo as he
stopped his acrobatic performance.
"You might fall some of these days
when 1 am not around, and as we are
now nine hundred and eighty-seven
feet from the surface of the earth you
would surely get a humping big
bump" and again Woo laughed at his
supposed joke.
Willie was too much frightened to
make any reply, so the two floated up
wards until the first thing Willie
knew he was in a mist, which Woo
told him was cloud. While they were
passing through this mist Woo ex-
planned how all clouds are simply wa
ter in very small drops, how they float
about until the tiny bits mix with
each other and larger drops are form
ed how at length they fall to the earth
because too heavy to float and how the
people on the earth call such things
rain.
Willie had been told all this at school,
but like most boys he had never PAID
any attention to it, so all the infor-
some time they f1oated among the
clouds, but at the suggestion of Woo
they dropped down below the mist in
order that they might see the earth
as they went along, for they could see
very little through the clouds.
Once underneath they found them
selves to be a little south of Treetown,
A good wind was blowing, and after
a little studying and scratching of his
Wy no IL
they went with it, would carry them to
Towntree in about two hours, in plen-
ty of time for the afternoon perform
ance at the circus. He was willing to
raise a hurricane to get them there
much quicker, but Willie announced
that he was satisfied with the speed
at which they were travelling.
So on they floated, enjoying every
moment of the journey. AS they were
passing along and were about half way
between Treetown and Towntree they
saw smoke coming from what looked
to them like big church.
Hello" said Woo. There's big
fire, and If they don't stop it soon it
will burn down the whole town. Let's
go and put it out"
I'm willing" said Willie. How
can we stop it. There are hundreds OF
men there now, and working away
with fire engines, and they uon I seem
able to stop the flames"
But they are not fairies" Woo re-
piled. 1--WE shall be right over there
in a minute and you keep still and see
a new way of putting out fires"
Along they sailed, and as they pass
ed over the church building Woo press
ed the third button on his coat. A sec
ond later II began to rain so hard Will
lie could not see. 1t almost rained cats
and dogs. In less than minute the
two travellers dropped down to see
what had happened. and, to Willie's as
constituent, he saw that the fire was
practically out. 1t made him feel good
TO think he had, In even so small
way, assisted in saving a church, but
he said nothing. for the rain came
down so fast he felt as though he
might be drowned.
For a time they sailed along towards
Towntree, when suddenly Woo Wang
became very much excited, and as
quickly as possible pressed the third
button on his coat three times.
Whats the matter. Woo? Do you
see another fire?' and Willie looked
expectantly in every direction, rather
hoping to see an entire town in flames.
"Gracious. no. Woo replied, as
though considerably relieved. II see
no fire, but l made a bad blunder.
forgot to stop the rain. When l start
a storm of that kind it does not stop
until 1 press the rain button three
times, and they must be having a big
flood at that place where the church
was burning. for 1 forgot to press the
button until just now. II we had for
gotten II much longer the whole town
would surely have been flooded away.