The Counterpane Fairy [26]
The Venetian shutters were drawn, so that all the room was dimly green, and then mamma and papa went out and left him alone.
Teddy lay there for what seemed to him a long time. The house was very still, and the afternoon sun shone in through the slats of the shutters in golden chinks and lines.
Teddy wondered where mamma was, and why she didn't come back, for it seemed to him that he had been alone almost all the afternoon, though really it had not been for long.
Presently he heard someone humming cheerfully back of the counterpane hill, and as soon as he heard it he felt sure that the Counterpane Fairy must be coming.
Sure enough in a few minutes she appeared at the top and stood looking down at him with a pleasant smile. "Oh, Mrs. Fairy, I knew that was you!" cried Teddy.
"Did you?" said the fairy, sitting down on top of his knees. "And then did you think, 'Now I shall see another story'?"
"Oh, yes!" cried Teddy, eagerly. 'I hoped you would show me one."
"Then I suppose I'll have to," said the fairy. "And what square shall it be this time?"
"There's one close by you," said Teddy, "and it's most every color, like a rainbow. Will you show me that story?"
"Yes," said the fairy, "I'll show you that. Now fix your eyes on it." Then she began to count.
"FORTY-NINE!" she cried.
* * * * * * * *
Teddy and little Ellen McFinney were running along, hand in hand, over a rainbow that stretched across the shining sky like a bridge. The clouds above them shone like opals, and far, far below was the green world, with shining rivers, and houses that looked no larger than walnuts.
"Can't we run fast?" said Teddy. "I think we go as fast as an express train; don't you, Ellen?"
"I know a faster way to go than this," said the little girl.
"Do you?"
"Yes, I do. Let go of my hand, and I'll show you." She drew her hand away from Teddy, and very slowly she leaned back against the air as though it were a pillow, then she gave herself a little push with her feet, and away she floated so lightly and easily that Teddy could hardly keep up with her.
"Oh, Ellen!" cried Teddy, "will you teach me to do that?"
"Yes, I will," said Ellen. So she stood up and showed Teddy how to take a long breath, and how to push himself, and then he found he could do it quite well, and when Ellen began to float too, they could go along together hand in hand just as they had before.
Suddenly a thought crossed Teddy's mind, and he cried, "Why, Ellen, I thought you were lame!"
"So I am," said the little girl.
"But you can run and float."
"Yes, I know, but that's because I'm dreaming."
"Why, no, Ellen, you can't be dreaming," said Teddy, "for I'm here too."
"Well, I don't know," said Ellen, "but I think I'm dreaming, because I've often dreamed this way before."
Teddy thought of this for a little while, but it was not pleasant to think that he was in a dream. After a while he said: "Ellen, don't you know, if you're lame you ought to go to a hospital? My mamma says so, and my papa says so too."
An ugly expression came into Ellen's face. "That's all you know about it," she cried. "You don't catch me going to a hospital. Why, I heard of a girl that went to a hospital and--"
She was interrupted by a soft burst of laughter, and looking about Teddy saw that he and she had floated right into midst of a group of little children, who were running along the rainbow bridge. They were all such pretty little children, with soft shining faces and bare feet, but they did not quite look like any children that Teddy had ever seen before.
Each little child carried in its hand a bunch of flowers, and they were such flowers as the little boy had never dreamed of. Some of them moved on their stalks, opening and closing their petals softly like the wings of butterflies, some shone like jewels, and some seemed to change and throb as if with a hidden pulse of life.
Ellen, who had stopped floating, caught Teddy by the coat and hung back timidly when she saw the children, but Teddy spoke
Teddy lay there for what seemed to him a long time. The house was very still, and the afternoon sun shone in through the slats of the shutters in golden chinks and lines.
Teddy wondered where mamma was, and why she didn't come back, for it seemed to him that he had been alone almost all the afternoon, though really it had not been for long.
Presently he heard someone humming cheerfully back of the counterpane hill, and as soon as he heard it he felt sure that the Counterpane Fairy must be coming.
Sure enough in a few minutes she appeared at the top and stood looking down at him with a pleasant smile. "Oh, Mrs. Fairy, I knew that was you!" cried Teddy.
"Did you?" said the fairy, sitting down on top of his knees. "And then did you think, 'Now I shall see another story'?"
"Oh, yes!" cried Teddy, eagerly. 'I hoped you would show me one."
"Then I suppose I'll have to," said the fairy. "And what square shall it be this time?"
"There's one close by you," said Teddy, "and it's most every color, like a rainbow. Will you show me that story?"
"Yes," said the fairy, "I'll show you that. Now fix your eyes on it." Then she began to count.
"FORTY-NINE!" she cried.
* * * * * * * *
Teddy and little Ellen McFinney were running along, hand in hand, over a rainbow that stretched across the shining sky like a bridge. The clouds above them shone like opals, and far, far below was the green world, with shining rivers, and houses that looked no larger than walnuts.
"Can't we run fast?" said Teddy. "I think we go as fast as an express train; don't you, Ellen?"
"I know a faster way to go than this," said the little girl.
"Do you?"
"Yes, I do. Let go of my hand, and I'll show you." She drew her hand away from Teddy, and very slowly she leaned back against the air as though it were a pillow, then she gave herself a little push with her feet, and away she floated so lightly and easily that Teddy could hardly keep up with her.
"Oh, Ellen!" cried Teddy, "will you teach me to do that?"
"Yes, I will," said Ellen. So she stood up and showed Teddy how to take a long breath, and how to push himself, and then he found he could do it quite well, and when Ellen began to float too, they could go along together hand in hand just as they had before.
Suddenly a thought crossed Teddy's mind, and he cried, "Why, Ellen, I thought you were lame!"
"So I am," said the little girl.
"But you can run and float."
"Yes, I know, but that's because I'm dreaming."
"Why, no, Ellen, you can't be dreaming," said Teddy, "for I'm here too."
"Well, I don't know," said Ellen, "but I think I'm dreaming, because I've often dreamed this way before."
Teddy thought of this for a little while, but it was not pleasant to think that he was in a dream. After a while he said: "Ellen, don't you know, if you're lame you ought to go to a hospital? My mamma says so, and my papa says so too."
An ugly expression came into Ellen's face. "That's all you know about it," she cried. "You don't catch me going to a hospital. Why, I heard of a girl that went to a hospital and--"
She was interrupted by a soft burst of laughter, and looking about Teddy saw that he and she had floated right into midst of a group of little children, who were running along the rainbow bridge. They were all such pretty little children, with soft shining faces and bare feet, but they did not quite look like any children that Teddy had ever seen before.
Each little child carried in its hand a bunch of flowers, and they were such flowers as the little boy had never dreamed of. Some of them moved on their stalks, opening and closing their petals softly like the wings of butterflies, some shone like jewels, and some seemed to change and throb as if with a hidden pulse of life.
Ellen, who had stopped floating, caught Teddy by the coat and hung back timidly when she saw the children, but Teddy spoke