Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-09-28
PDf-Puff, Smoke
airy

happened to be her thinking day,
when she did not care to rise high in
air, nor fall to the ground heavily. 1t
was her thinking day, when she SIM
ply poised on the Edge of Things, or
else moved slowly along the ground
here and there. Why, just by watch
ing Piff-Puff for few minutes you
could tell it was her thinking day!
'Poff!" said she. softly, which
meant that she had almost thought
cut what she wanted to think out
Then "Poff, poff!" said she, little
louder. which meant that she had
more nearly thought it out Then all
at once, quite loud for her.. she said,
"Poff, poff. poff!" and that showed
she had thought out the very thing
she wanted to think out.
The thing she was thinking out
was what she should do next. Every
tody often has to think out the same
thing, as you know yourself And the
thing she decided to do next was to
see how many different kinds of good
things she could do in the world; and,
whether You believe it or not, just sit
ting there on the Edge OF Things was
good deed. for an artist had risen
carly that morning to look for sub
ject to paint, and when he saw the
Smoke Fairy sitting on the Edge of
Things, he said:
"Oh, what a picture this will make!
Look at the mist lying low on the
meadows! Why, it will make Japa-
nese picture, if l can paint the mist.
l shall become famous if l can do it,"
So he ran for his brushes and ma
terials and painted Pjff-Puff, who
while she was thinking hard and fast
had taken the form OF mist. This
story is not about the artist, but I
know you will like to know that he
did paint Piff-ruff, and she made him
famous. so you see even while YOU
are but thinking hard and fast you
may be doing some one some good.
Away went Piff-Puff when the sun
was up, and, as she could divide her.
self into as many clouds as she liked
she went into all the little cottages
of the working people, and came up|
through their chimneys into the blue
air
'Paff!" said she. softly. which
meant the breakfast fires were burn
ing all right. "Paff, paff!' said she.
and went higher. Then, "Paff, tmff.
paii!' said she, and went out of sight
still higher. and man watching her
said:
I'VE shall have fine day. The
smoke goes straight up
So there were two good things at
once which PiffPaff did. She started
the breakfast fires, for OF course YOU
have to have smoke before you can
have bit OF fire from the wood; and
she acted as weather man. for she
told what the day would be-
Then away she went to a factory
with tall chimney, and climbed out
at the top of this chimney. "Pofe!p
said she, and grew black, and that
meant that the work was beginning.
"Pofe, pofe!" said she, and grew still
blacker, which showed that work was
well along. Then, "Pofe, pofe pofe."
said she, and grew so black that
every one said never had so much
work been done in that factory be-
fore
] After this she dropped suddenly in
to the engine on the tracks near the
factory. and came up through the
smoke stack "Pife!" said she, which
meant, Away we go!" The engine
began to move "Pife. pife!" said
she, which meant. Faster we go!"
And then, "Pife. pfc. pife!" said she
more quickly. and the engine was
fairly flying along the tracks.
in busy ,harbor Piff-Puff boarded
a large steamboat. where she said
"Peff!' and rose into the air in two
kinds of clouds. smoke and steam
'Peff, peff!" said she. and the steam
boat sailed tight ont into the harbor
"Peff, peff, peff!" said she, and
across the ocean it went. TO carry
grain to the other side
'Piff!" said she in the Black For
est, and there she was, coming up
from Il pit of burning wood covered
so it would not burn too fast "Piff,
piff!" said She, and rose slowly and
carefully from the pit. ''Pi.f, piff,
piff!" said she, and when the pit was
ready to be sent out into the world to
start fires for everybody.
Once house was on fire Puff"
said she, which meant. your house is !
burning!" Puff puff" said she. /
Its burning fastert" Then, Puff, +.
puff. puff" said she. and swirled
about the house so fast that by that !
time she had warned everyone the
house was burning, and they were
able to get buckets of water and put
the fire out. Without Piff-Puff, you |
see, there would have been no way to ,
tell there was a fire until it would |
have been too late to save the house. |
One the Smoke Fairy played Joke !
on some children. They found a !
round ball on the green mead
ow. and broke it open to see what was
;hside. Out rushed Piff-Puff. "Poof!' !;
said she, and became brown, fine .
Dust. "Poof. poof!" said she. and !
made them sneeze. "Foof, poof. i
poof!" said she. as they laughed and ,
stamped upon the round thing which
they then knew was a puff ball. Piff-
Puff laughed too
Another time Fiff-Puff was lazy.
She climbed down into Nesuvius to
sleep and came floating lazily out like
an umbrella-shaped cloud. and hung