The Counterpane Fairy [32]
she said.
"Oh! will you show me one?" cried Teddy. "I wish you would, for I don't know when mamma will be home."
"Very well," said the fairy. "Perhaps I can show you one before she comes back. Which square shall it be this time?"
"I've had the red, and the yellow, and the green, and ever so many: I wonder if that brown one has a good story to it."
"You might choose it and see," said the fairy. So Teddy chose that one, and then the fairy began to count. "One, two, three, four, five," she counted, and so on and on until she reached "FORTY-NINE!"
* * * * * * * *
"Why, how funny!" cried Teddy.
He was nowhere at all but on the back door-step, and he sat there just as naturally as though he were not in a story at all. Then the back gate opened, and in through it came a little withered old woman, wearing a brown cloak, and a brown hood drawn over her head. "Why, Counterpane Fairy!" cried Teddy, but when she raised her head and looked at him he saw that it was not the Counterpane Fairy after all, but an old Italian woman carrying a basket on her arm.
"You buy something, leetle boy?" she said.
"I can't," said Teddy. "I haven't any money except what's in my bank, but I'll ask Hannah and maybe she will."
So saying he ran into the kitchen. The clock was ticking on the wall, and the room smelled of fresh-baked bread, but it was empty. Opening the door of the stairway, Teddy called, "Hannah! Hannah!" There was no answer; it all seemed strangely still upstairs. "She must have gone out," Teddy said to himself.
When he went back to the outside door the old Italian had put down her basket and was sitting on the step beside it. She did not seem at all surprised when he told her he could not find anyone. "You not find anyone, and you not have money," she said. "Then I tell you what I do; you put your hand in dis baskit, and I give you what you take; I make what you call 'present.'"
"Will you really?" cried Teddy.
"Yis," said the little old woman, smiling, and her smile was just like the smile of the Counterpane Fairy.
"And you'll give me whatever I take?"
"Yis," said the little old woman again.
Teddy put his hand in under the cover and caught hold of something hard and cold. He pulled and pulled at it, and out it came; it was a little iron shovel.
"You take something more," said the little old woman. Teddy hesitated, but when he looked at her again he saw that she really meant it, so he put his hand in and this time he pulled out a large iron key.
"Now try once more," said the little old woman, and this third time it was a rat-trap baited with cheese, that Teddy drew from the basket.
"But what shall I do with them?" he asked.
"You keep dem," said the old Italian, "and you find you need dem by and by." Then she rose, and pulling her cloak over the basket she took her staff in her other hand and hobbled down the pathway.
Teddy slipped the key into his pocket, and holding the shovel and the trap he ran down to the gate to open it for her. He stood looking after her as she went on down the street, her staff striking the bricks sharply, tap! tap! tap! Her back was certainly exactly like the Counterpane Fairy's.
As he walked slowly up the path swinging his shovel by the handle, he noticed that there was a rat-hole just back of the rain-butt, and he thought what fun it would be to dig it out, so he put the cage down on the ground and set to work with his shovel.
The earth broke away from the rat-hole in great clods, and he found it so easy to dig that very soon he had made quite a big hole.
Then he saw that down in this hole there was a flight of stone steps leading into the earth. "Why, isn't that funny!" said Teddy. "Right in the back yard, too. I wonder where they go!"
Tucking the shovel under his arm and taking the trap in his hand, Teddy stepped into the rat-hole and began to go down the stairs.
He went on down and down and down, and at last he came to an iron door, and it was locked. Teddy tried it and knocked, but there was no answer. He listened
"Oh! will you show me one?" cried Teddy. "I wish you would, for I don't know when mamma will be home."
"Very well," said the fairy. "Perhaps I can show you one before she comes back. Which square shall it be this time?"
"I've had the red, and the yellow, and the green, and ever so many: I wonder if that brown one has a good story to it."
"You might choose it and see," said the fairy. So Teddy chose that one, and then the fairy began to count. "One, two, three, four, five," she counted, and so on and on until she reached "FORTY-NINE!"
* * * * * * * *
"Why, how funny!" cried Teddy.
He was nowhere at all but on the back door-step, and he sat there just as naturally as though he were not in a story at all. Then the back gate opened, and in through it came a little withered old woman, wearing a brown cloak, and a brown hood drawn over her head. "Why, Counterpane Fairy!" cried Teddy, but when she raised her head and looked at him he saw that it was not the Counterpane Fairy after all, but an old Italian woman carrying a basket on her arm.
"You buy something, leetle boy?" she said.
"I can't," said Teddy. "I haven't any money except what's in my bank, but I'll ask Hannah and maybe she will."
So saying he ran into the kitchen. The clock was ticking on the wall, and the room smelled of fresh-baked bread, but it was empty. Opening the door of the stairway, Teddy called, "Hannah! Hannah!" There was no answer; it all seemed strangely still upstairs. "She must have gone out," Teddy said to himself.
When he went back to the outside door the old Italian had put down her basket and was sitting on the step beside it. She did not seem at all surprised when he told her he could not find anyone. "You not find anyone, and you not have money," she said. "Then I tell you what I do; you put your hand in dis baskit, and I give you what you take; I make what you call 'present.'"
"Will you really?" cried Teddy.
"Yis," said the little old woman, smiling, and her smile was just like the smile of the Counterpane Fairy.
"And you'll give me whatever I take?"
"Yis," said the little old woman again.
Teddy put his hand in under the cover and caught hold of something hard and cold. He pulled and pulled at it, and out it came; it was a little iron shovel.
"You take something more," said the little old woman. Teddy hesitated, but when he looked at her again he saw that she really meant it, so he put his hand in and this time he pulled out a large iron key.
"Now try once more," said the little old woman, and this third time it was a rat-trap baited with cheese, that Teddy drew from the basket.
"But what shall I do with them?" he asked.
"You keep dem," said the old Italian, "and you find you need dem by and by." Then she rose, and pulling her cloak over the basket she took her staff in her other hand and hobbled down the pathway.
Teddy slipped the key into his pocket, and holding the shovel and the trap he ran down to the gate to open it for her. He stood looking after her as she went on down the street, her staff striking the bricks sharply, tap! tap! tap! Her back was certainly exactly like the Counterpane Fairy's.
As he walked slowly up the path swinging his shovel by the handle, he noticed that there was a rat-hole just back of the rain-butt, and he thought what fun it would be to dig it out, so he put the cage down on the ground and set to work with his shovel.
The earth broke away from the rat-hole in great clods, and he found it so easy to dig that very soon he had made quite a big hole.
Then he saw that down in this hole there was a flight of stone steps leading into the earth. "Why, isn't that funny!" said Teddy. "Right in the back yard, too. I wonder where they go!"
Tucking the shovel under his arm and taking the trap in his hand, Teddy stepped into the rat-hole and began to go down the stairs.
He went on down and down and down, and at last he came to an iron door, and it was locked. Teddy tried it and knocked, but there was no answer. He listened