Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-19

III COURSE you I'll hlon NA0N - 49,
great many years ago all good children
had fairy godmothers. Even II you don't
know IT, II 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 fairy goa
mother who was very absent-minded. IN
deed, she was so absent-minded at times
that she forgot she was fairy godmotheI
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 Ike any one
else. In fact, If 1t had not been for mary
Emma herself, the fairy godmother might
have forgotten that she had a goddaugh-
ter, but every once and a while Mary EN-
ma would wink her left foot three, times
which would Immediately summon the
fairy godmother to her side.
Mary Emma did not want anything at
all, but she was a very far-seeing httle
girl and she knew that some time she
might want something, and If her fairy
godmother did not have some practice,
she might forget what it meant when
! Mary Emma winked her left foot three
times, and never come at all! But the
way you can tell whether or not you
have a fairy godmother by just trying
that. II a fairy godmother with sugar
| loaf hat and a long wand does not ap-
pear as soon as you have Wfnked your
| left foot three times, then you haven
any.
Well, one day Mary Emma decided THAT
she was old enough to go out ana seek
her fortune, so OF she went. She had on
! her very best frock. nice lunch in her
basket, and she felt sure she was going
It'd f1a
left her mother stoning cherries on the
back porch and walked on and on and
on, until she had gone farther than she
had ever gone before. After while sne
entered a deep forest. She had been quite
hot and cross in the sun, but 1t was de-
| Iightfully cool in the forest under the
| great trees, and she thought that seek
| ing 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 ana
there were three robbers lying in wait
for her Ny! But she was frightened! She
winked her left foot three times just as
hard as ever she could. and her fairy god
mother 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 or her
lunch basket when her fairy godmother
appeared, but as soon as they saw her
| they all stepped back few PAGES, clench-
ed their teeth and said. Fooled!
"Oh, please change those dreadful rob-
| bers into something quicki" 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.
cot hfrvc1a tfTWhqf-
| ever shall I do now? ! must have used
| the wrong magic formula, and now those
| horrid robbers will steal me-" The rob
| bers all unclenched their teeth and said.
"At lastT' They were just about to steal
| the bicycle, when Mary Emma Jumped
| on 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 bicy-
Gle, but you know this was a fairy god
/ mother bicycle and so. Of course, IL could
keep itself right side up.
| Mary Emma soon rode the bicycle out
| of the forest and then 1t wanted to stop
| ana rest a while. for it said 1t was not
used to being a bicycle and was complete
| ly tired out.
''Nonsense?' said Mary Emma. THE
idea of a bicycle getting tired! I never
| heard Of such thingI" and she rode on
| faster than ever. Just as the bicycle was
| getting so very tired that 1t did not know
| what to do. they crossed a little bridge
over running brook. You all know
that when anything that has been en-
chanted 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 back again, and Mary
Emma found herself on the back Of her
fairy godmother's neck. Get of the back
of my neck at oncei" cried the fairy god
-T.- eo,- .-1zo fr1d
from being a bicycle. You ought to be
ashamed Of yourself-a great. big girl like
you sitting on the back OF an old lady like
me! Sit on the back Of your own neck.
If you want to-" Mary Emma got down
at once. Then they found that they were
hungry. They sat down by the side Of
Ine road and began to eat the lunch that
Mary Emma had in her basket.
They ate and rested and rested and ate
until the lunch was all gone. Then Mary
Emma said: why don't you change this
lunch basket into coach. so we can get
in and ride? I don't like this walking
about while I am making my fortune.
The fairy godmother said that she would
do that before Mary Emma could spell
Jack Robinson backward in German.
and then she laughed So hard at Mary
Emma while she was trying to spell Jack
Robinson that way that she very absent
mindedly forgot what she was about. and
at the same time that she turned the
lunch basket into coach she turned her
self and Mary Emma into two splendid
coach horses. Mary Emma was very an
cry when she found herself harnessed to
the coach and helping her fairy godmoth-
er draw II along the road. Now, just
see what you've done" she cried. Il do
declare you ought to keep your wits about
you more. How are we ever going to get
out Of this?" Just then the prince Of that
country and lot Of courtiers came along
riding on oxen. for there were no horses
in that country.
When the prince saw the two splendid
horses drawing this superb coach along
the road he was delighted. He had never