The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-01-28
Strange Story Of /
a Green Car

made him blue, and being blue M
him poor company, and being h
company made him often alona
being often alone made him
thinker. But what chance has
thinker who is green? Jus
whatever. so no wonder tn,
humpy old thing felt discouraged
Even his nanny was ashaI
him and tried to pretend he
poor relation of her husbands, al
rest of the herd moved off wheI
he approached. You see, every
was used to dust-covered camels
they didn't believe in any other h
so when they actually saw
camel it made them mad. The!
some way or other he was to
for it, too, and pretty soon the
camel got into the habit of hidiny
the daytime and only venturingf out
night-for at night he looked just likl.
another camel
Now, in the wide desert there are}
so many little sand hills, so small that
no one but a green camel would have
noticed them, and he always stepped
very carefully on his lonely walks fo
on more than one occasion he ha|
seen funny little men pop out of .thd
tops of the hills and go dancing waJ
in the moonlight. There are fair
folk in the desert as well as in thu
forest, queer little gray elves SO like
the sand in color that they skip along
right under the caravans and areS
never noticed. But they do a heapl
of noticing themselves, and had been
watching the green camel taking his
lonely walks many night.
See how careful he is not to tread
on our houses" said the little elf chief,
mot at all like the rest of the clumsy
brutes. Should we not do something
for him."
Yes! Yes! By all means!" cried
the little desert elves, clapping their
hands, Let us give him wish" And
away after the green camel they pat
tered and in no time at all had caught
up with him.
stop, Sir Humpus!" shrilled lit
tie elf in his ear while the rest formed
ring around the great beast, who to
his establishment found he could not
move.
Good evening, little mer," said the
green camel nervously, thinking the
elves, too, would poke fun at his color.
Good evening, beautiful creature!''
said the king, bowling politely from a
sand dune that brought him on a level
with the camels nose. How is it you
are so often alone and why do you
look so sorrowful?"
mo one believes in mel" walled the
green camel, two tears trickling down
his nose
ooh, that's nothing!" piped up the
king cheerfully. No one believes in
us either, but we don't care at ALT"
Eyes, but there are more of YOU"
sobbed the camel, "and there's only
one of mel"
That's so,' said the king thought
fully, "but cheer up, we have come
to give you a wish; perhaps you
would like five or six camels of green
to associate WITH"
st would be fine for me, but they
might not like being green" said the
kind-hearted camel. mo, wish moth
ing that will make any one unhappy"
why don't you wish yourself a tan
coat like all the rest of your family,
then?" asked another of the elves.
NO." said the camel, shaking his
head slowly, 1--WE got used to myself
this way and if cannot make people
believe in me or be my friends it must
be because Pm not nice enough-per-
haps I'd better wish to be"
'Wait-wait!" warned the little
king. "The only place for a green
camel is in a story. Don't waste your
wish that way. You're very nice as
you are, only people are too stupid to
appreciate you. What ounces most
folks are. They will stand for moth
ing new Why isn't green camel as
good as a tan should like to know"
ut Isl" cried all the little elves
positively.
why do you think so?" said the
green camel in surprise. "Then
know what l wish-I wish l were a
little green camel, small enough to
carry your packs for you and take
you rides on moonlight nights"
The camePs voice kept getting faintr
and fainter, and by the time he had
reached the end of his wish he was
no larger than a mouse But how the