Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-19
The Absent Minded Fairy Godnaother.

, seen any horses before. but he had seen
pictures Of them In his natural history
book and so, OF course, he knew what
they were at once. He got In the coach
and drove the horses all the way to his
fathers palace. The horses were Just as
angry as they could be, and they told
the prince he was no gentleman to make
ladies draw him along the road IN
coach like that. The prince said they
must not dare to talk that way to real
prince and that they were not ladies.
anyway, but only horses. and that II they
didn't behave themselves and trot along
nicely, he would hit them with his whip.
''Oh, Just you wait till we cross run
ming brook, and II don't change you into
last years mince pie. you may have my
gold spectacles!" said the fair godmother.
! The prince thought that perhaps there
might be something in that, so he drove
! them over roads that did not cross run
ming brooks.
When they came to the palace the king.
the princes father. was as pleased as ne
could be, and said that the prince was
| Just the dearest boy that ever lived. You
can have the COACH he said. but send
the horses to my stable and give them
"Oats- indeed!' said Mary Emma "Ill
have YOU understand never ate an oat in
my life, and, what is more, am not going
to any old stable. either"
Then as soon as they were embarrassed
from the coach she and her fairy god
mother started to run, but just as they
had gone a few steps they crossed a wat
er pipe full of running water that led 10
| the palace. and they Immediately turned
| into their proper shapes again. Then the
king was furious.
What do you mean, he shouted, py
| changing yourselves into something else
he OrIv hOrGpG I naVeY i
never heard Of such conduct Change
yourselves back into horses again at
once!''
IT viii do no such thing" said the fairy
godmother. IF you think am going TO
ave in a stable and eat oats, you are very
much mistaken.
.sSeize them and cast them into the deep
/ est dungeon!' cried the king to lis army.
The army got ready to seize them, and
| then Mary Emma and her fairy godmoth-
| er were frightened almost to death.
"I guess may1e we had better change
back to horses after all" said the fairy
| godmother.
II guess maybe we had" said Mary EN-
ma. So, just as the army was about TO
seize them, the fairy godmother waved
her wand but she did 1t so absent-mlnd-
edlv that instead OF changing herself and
Mary Emma she changed the whole army
| into horses, and they Immediately began
| to eat grass. Inc king WIS Ocn6ASC0 -
| this. because now. he had enough horses
to stock his whole kingdom, ana, besides,
he owed the army two years wages. ana
now he would never have TO pay them
All this time the Prince had been star
ing at Mary Emma just as hard as he could
stare, and now he dropped on one knee
and told her that he thought she was the
very sweetest girl he had ever seen and
that he would like her TO be his princess
at once and for evermore. Mary Emma
said that she didn't mind, for she had
always wanted to be princess. and the
king said they had better hurry up about
1t for dinner was almost ready and he
was hungry. So they were married at
once, and then they all decided that they
had better send the fairy godmother home
as fast as she could go, for fear she
would absent-mindedly change them all
into something else. The fairy godmoth-
er was getting homesick. so she new on
in a hurry, and all the rest lived happily
ever after.
When the fairy godmother got home she
called a convention of all the fairy god
mothers In the world and told lnem all
about the way she had been treated. They
all said II was perfectly shameful and
that they were very much abused class
Of people Most of them went out Of busi-
ness right there and then; that is why
there are so very few Hairy godmothers
about today.