The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-02
THE FIVE FAIRIES.

had careless fingers. Of course they
Hid not really mean to be careless,
but they were always losing her hair
ribbons, and forgetting to button her
frocks, and leaving the dolls out in
the garden all night.
One morning the little girls fairy
godmother came into the playroom.
There had been a party in the doll
house the day before, and the little
girl had not washed the plates and
teacups or brushed the crumbs from
the floor. The little girls pet kit
ten was playing with some tangled
hair ribbons, and the girl herself sat
by the window in a mussed up frock
and her hair was not combed.
"Now, my dear, this will never do"
said the fairy godmother. you must
go out and find five fairies to help
you keep tidy. Run along, and mind
you don't come home without them!"
"But I don't know which way to
60" said the child, beginning to cry.
"You must find your way" said the
fairy godmother, and the five fairies
will know you if you do not know
them"
So the child put on her hat and
started out to try to find fve little
fairies who would help her to keep
Eidy.
Well, the child went up and down
the streets and the highways, peeping
through the keyholes and into all the
corners but not a fairy did she see.
There were only plain, ordinary, real
folks about. So the child went far
thor still, across the meadows and
down a,hill, until she came to a path
IN q deep, dark forest. On and on
she went; until she bumped right into
q queer little red house under the
trees. 'sA&sthe door of the house sat
a fat little man in a red cap, spin
ming. Jane stopped and bowed very
politely.
"Please, sir" she said, "can you
tell me where I shall find five fair
ies?",
The little man never said a word.
he just went right on sewing so fast
that his needle, broke and his thread
knotted.
ooh, that isn't the way to sew"
said the child. '"You should be care
full and not pull the thread so hard
well, suppose you had one dozen
pinafores and two dozen pairs of
knickerbockers and three dozen
blouses to finish before sunset" said
the little man, GROSSLY.
I The child looked, and there were
the pinafores and the knickerbock-
ers and the blouses, all cut out and
piled in the doorway.
why, I'll help you finish them"
she said.
So the child and the fat little man
just sewed and sewed and sewed.
When the last blouse was done, the
little man looked up.
"You might so a bit farther on"
he said, Ito where my brother sits
on the turnstile. Perhaps he has
seer some fairies"
So the child went a little farther
through the forest. and she came to a
turnstile. There on the top sat a sec
ond little man. He was dressed in
green from head to foot, and he had
his arms spread out very wide to
show which way the roads went.
please, sir" said Jane, politely,
''can you tell me where I can find five
fairies?"
But the little man did not answer.
1--WE been out here for days and
days" he said, pointing to the roads,
land I haven't been able to get down
once. Look at my face and hair and
my dusty coat"
why, you poor little thing" said
the child. Just wait a moment and
I'll tidy you a bit"
So she took her pocket handker-
chief and busted Off the little mans
coat. She smoothed his hair, and
she brought some water from the
brook in the palm of her hand and
washed his face.
There, you look much better" she
said.
Il feel better" said the little point
ing man, but I haven't seen any
fairies. You might ask my tall broth
er at the fork Of the roads if he's
seen any. He is just a little way
ahead there, looking for his cap"
So the child went down the road,
and, just where the little pointing
man had told her. she saw ! third
little man, much taller than the 9TH
ers, but not very big at that. He was
down on his hands and knees, looking
in the grass and under the bushes.
Pins and needles! Oh, my pins
and needless" ne was saying ove and
over to himself. What will Thumb
kin say if l don't find my cap?"
us this your cap?" asked Jane, as
she picked up a little round silver
thing from under a leaf. 1t looked
like nothing so much as a thimble,
but the tall little man clapped it on
his head and scampered away through
the forest as fast as his legs could
carry him. AS he ran, he called back:
"No, l haven't seen any fairies,
but perheps my sister has. She is
mixing cake on a toadstool over there.
You will know her because she wears
a gold ring abou. her neck and the
little man hurried on.