Part 27

“‘I don’t expect to stay here very long,’ said Dinah. ‘I do not care about living to a great old age, as some creatures do, and I do not like captivity. I am different from the ourang-utan and the chimpanzee, who are so friendly with the keeper.

“‘I do not object to the keeper, but life bores me. There are some creatures who are always happy, and if they aren’t always happy, they are happy most of the time. So look at me while you can. Now is your chance to see the gloomy gorilla.’”

NOVEMBER 18: Winter Sleepers

Billie Brownie had still many of his calls to make in order to say good-winter to his friends who were going to sleep for the winter.

“Goog-a-room, goog-a-room, goog-a-room,” said Grandpa Frog from the near-by pond; “come, little frogs, come all, and sleep in the beautiful mud. The cold weather is coming.

“It was bitterly cold last night, little frogs.”

Then he saw Billie Brownie.

“Good-winter,” croaked Grandpa Frog.

And the toads and the frogs all squealed and croaked,

“Good-winter, Billie Brownie, good-winter!”

Then Billie Brownie went to call on the Jumping Mice.

“That frost last night was a hard one,” said little Miss Julia Jumping Mouse. “I’m going to bed to take care of my mouse beauty sleep.”

“Ha, ha,” laughed Miss Jenny Jumping Mouse, “who ever heard of a mouse going to bed early to get her beauty sleep?”

“I can’t stop to talk it over with you. I’m too sleepy,” said Miss Julia Jumping Mouse.

“Good-winter to all of you,” said Billie Brownie. But as he walked away from all his friends who were going to sleep for the winter, he said to himself:

“To sleep for a night Is quite all right. But to sleep half a year Is really quite queer. But of course we’re all different, As different can be, And what is natural to you Might seem very queer to me!”

NOVEMBER 19: Toody Ruggles’ Luck

“A number of rich ladies,” began daddy, “at the seashore one day last summer had been throwing pennies from a bridge into the water for a lot of poor boys who were diving for them. The water was quite a good deal over their heads, but the little boys were marvelous divers and swimmers, having always lived by the water. The ladies kept on throwing pennies time and time again to see the wonderful dives the little boys were able to make. They would dive straight down into the water and stay down ever so long and then come up, each one holding a glittering bright penny.

“But, alas, a dreadful thing happened. One of the ladies in throwing pennies dropped a most beautiful diamond ring off from her finger and into the deep water.

“‘Oh, dear,’ she cried in dismay, ‘that was the ring I valued most and cared more for than any piece of jewelry I had. I shouldn’t have worn it, though, for it was much too loose for that finger. Whatever shall I do without it? I was so fond, so fond of it!’

“At once the little boys offered to dive for it, for it had been by the throwing of pennies to them that the lady had lost her much prized ring, and they wanted, of course, to get it back for her.

“So again and again they dived, but as none of them had seen her drop it they couldn’t judge where it had been dropped.

“Now, Toody Ruggles was perhaps the best little diver of all, and yet even he had been so far unsuccessful, but at last he thought he saw it shining down among some weeds. The lady, however, had just about given up hopes of ever seeing her ring again when, lo and behold, up came Toody, his wet little face wreathed in smiles, carrying the beautiful ring. The lady was overpowered with joy and gave Toody a most wonderful reward.

“Oh, how happy Toody Ruggles was! At home he had one little sister who was very fragile and delicate. As their parents had both died, Toody was trying his best to look after his sister and himself by selling newspapers and carrying suitcases from the station. Lately, though, the doctor had told him that his sister must have plenty of fruit to build her up and to make her regain her strength, and this poor Toody was unable to afford.

“But now he had the wonderful reward from the lady, and all the other boys were delighted that Toody had been the lucky one.

“Toody at once began to give his little sister delicious fruits. Soon the color came back to her cheeks, and she grew well and strong. So Toody’s worry that he might lose his beloved little sister was over, and through his good luck their little home once more became very, very happy.”

NOVEMBER 20: The Limpets

“A limpet,” said daddy, “is a little shellfish. They’re very, very small, perhaps a shade smaller than a snail, and they cling to the rocks which are their homes. There are always hundreds of them fastened on the big rocks on the coast by the sea. They live on seaweed and the salt water.

“When I was a boy we spent some time in a town by the sea. We used to play off a bank called ‘Greenbank’ because in the summer time this bank was always so very green. Below this bank there were countless big rocks. We could hide behind these rocks, and no one could see us. We loved that because it seemed so mysterious to hide like that. We could see the bank above us, and then, miles and miles, as far as we could see, was the ocean. The rocks were covered with seaweed, and they used to be very slippery. Sometimes we would play hide-and-seek back of these rocks.

“The rocks that were half in the water would be covered with the limpets. One big rock had great numbers of them on it, and we always called the rock ‘Limpet Rock.’

“One Saturday about six of us had taken a big basketful of lunch and had gone down to Greenbank to spend the day. There had been a terrific storm the night before. We looked for our Limpet Rock the first thing, but we saw not a sign of a limpet. How funny, we thought; that surely is the rock! What could have become of the limpets? They were quite used to storms, and surely they couldn’t have been hurt by the storm of the night before! Suddenly we spied them.

“There they all were, looking very unhappy and clinging to little pebbles and rocks in the low water. Before the day was over, though, the limpets had attached themselves to another big rock. So we called this rock the ‘New Limpet Rock.’ Once the limpets had fastened themselves to the new rock, they were just as happy as before, for they can change homes more easily than any other creatures and be happy.

“So I think we should admire the limpets because they are so brave and cheerful when they are driven from one home and with practically no fuss they set about and get a new home right away.”

NOVEMBER 21: The Rescue

“A little girl named Fannie,” began daddy, “was walking across a city street carrying a very small black poodle dog in her arms.

“Suddenly the poodle dog, whose name was Gyp, saw another dog on the other side of the street. Evidently Gyp thought the other little dog would be nice to talk to, so he jumped with one bound out of Fannie’s arms.

“Fannie gave a scream of horror, at which the policeman, standing near, flew to the rescue. Had he been a minute later the little dog would have been struck by a street car.

“‘Oh, you’ve rescued my little dog!’ Fannie cried. ‘You are so brave and wonderful!’

“Gyp, who had been very much frightened at his narrow escape, was breathing little short, quick breaths from the fear of a moment before.

“But at the same time his little tail was wagging for all it was worth, as he wanted to show the big policeman how much he thanked him, for he knew the policeman had saved his little dog life.”

NOVEMBER 22: The Old Man in the Woods

“A little boy named Bobbie had a sister named Agnes,” said daddy. “They had few neighbors, as they lived in a very small place where there were only a few houses. Near their house were long stretches of woods. They had never been to the other side of the woods nor had they ever really walked very far into the forest, for it was said in the little hamlet where they lived that a queer old man had a hut about a mile and a half through the long lonely road. But one day the children decided they’d venture forth to see this old man.

“Off they started, and after walking quite a distance they came to a funny little hut with smoke coming out of the chimney. When the old man saw Bobbie and Agnes he called out in a happy, excited voice: ‘I’m having visitors! Hurrah!’

“He took the children in his hut and showed them some wonderful picture books. He told them how delighted he was to have visitors, as he knew he was thought queer, but really he wasn’t at all, except that he loved to live in the heart of the woods. So the children promised to see him often, and he promised to show them more picture books, and before they left he gave them each a big piece of delicious apple pie.”

NOVEMBER 23: The Queen’s Pin

“Once when I was a little boy,” began daddy, “I heard an interesting story that a pin told. Now, you may think that a pin could not tell such a very good story, but this was an exceptional pin, belonging to a very grand person.

“‘Having been made into a beautiful crown shaped pin of superb pearls,’ said the pin, ‘I was put into a show case in a very beautiful jewelry shop. People would notice me above all other pins in the case and pick me out as being by far the most beautifully set pin. All the pearls which belonged to me were very, very lovely ones. But I was so expensive that people could just look at me and could not afford to buy me.

“‘The jeweler was so proud of me that he really did not care whether I was sold or not, for my beauty attracted so much attention that it was a help to his business. You see, people would ask one another if they had seen me, and if they hadn’t they would come right to the shop to look at me. Then, though they didn’t buy me, they would be sure to buy something else in the shop.

“‘But at last a marvelous carriage drove up before the door. It was drawn by four horses, and there were two fine coachmen and two very pompous looking footmen sitting up on top of the fine carriage.

“‘The jeweler was all in a flutter. Never before had he seen such a wonderful carriage. And out of it stepped a very handsomely dressed lady with a lady on either side of her, who both guarded her very carefully.

“‘“The queen—the queen has come to my little shop!” cried the excited jeweler, and all the other shoppers stood by and made low bows.

“‘But I didn’t bow. I didn’t think a crown need bow.

“‘The queen had heard of me, and she had come to buy me. The jeweler, with trembling fingers, fastened me in my little blue velvet box, and off I went, carried by the queen.

“‘When we reached the palace I felt very much at home, for everything was so beautiful there. I must confess, though, that I did feel a little nervous that first evening when I was worn by the queen with so many other exquisite jewels.

“‘Oh, but such times as I did have! The court dinners and balls and receptions were so dazzling, and I adored them. But, best of all, I loved the parades and seeing all the crowds of people cheer and wave their handkerchiefs to the queen. And the bands were so exciting!

“‘But the proudest moment of my life was really when the queen gave me to a young lady as a token of her appreciation of the lady’s brave soldier daddy.’”

NOVEMBER 24: Eagle’s Thanksgiving

“Of course,” said Daddy Bald Eagle, “Thanksgiving Day is a day when the turkey is shown a great honor. But I would like to have something to say for Thanksgiving Day, too. Thanksgiving Day is a day when people are thankful. They are thankful for their homes, thankful for their country, thankful they belong to their country and that they have so many blessings.

“And the Eagle would like to say he is thankful, too.

“Yes, I would like to say how thankful I am that I am chosen as the national emblem of the United States. I would like to say that I shall never cease to be thankful that this honor has been shown to my family.”

NOVEMBER 25: Thanksgiving Day

It was a holiday and it was Thanksgiving Day. From the moment Melly got up she felt in a “holiday” spirit, she said. And everything and every one seemed to feel the same way too.

First she went in quite early in the morning to see her mother who was sitting up in bed, waiting for her little visitor.

Her mother was wearing a dear little blue jacket and a blue cap and was looking so pretty.

She had a nice little chat with her mother and then she went back into her own room to get dressed.

Yes, every one in the house seemed to act and feel as though the day was a holiday as it most certainly was.

And oh, such a Thanksgiving dinner as they had.

First they had corn soup and then they had turkey and many vegetables and then they had apple and celery salad. Next they had two pies to choose from, or to take a piece from each, and they had ice-cream too, and every kind of a nut and piece of fruit was in the fruit dish.

In the center of the table was a little bit of a pumpkin. It was a real pumpkin but it was very, very small.

On top of the pumpkin Melly’s mother had put some tiny carrots and baby potatoes and some little snowberries from the snowberry bush.

They did make the table look so gay and pretty. After dinner Melly and her family played the good old game of “stagecoach.” You know the game?

The different people in the room who are playing the game take the names of the people supposed to be in the stagecoach, such as the driver, the little boy traveler and his mother and so on.

Every time the word stage-coach is mentioned each person playing the game must get up and turn around and the last person who sits down when doing this goes on with the story-telling.

Of course the one who is telling the story must tell all of the trip this imaginary stage-coach took.

And of course the names of all the characters must be mentioned often, for every time a character is mentioned that one who is taking the part of the character must get up and turn around.

So Melly and her family played this in the afternoon.

And when it became dark they lighted the lights and the fire was poked up so that it blazed most beautifully.

They had supper in front of the fire and though each one had said he couldn’t possibly eat another thing after such a dinner, they all managed to eat something.

And when Melly went to bed that night she said: “I believe in Thanksgiving Day! And I have so much to be so thankful for! More, I’m sure, than anybody else has.”

NOVEMBER 26: Thanksgiving Day

“In 1620 as we all well know,” said daddy, “a ‘little band of Pilgrims’ came to this country, brave, fearless souls who had already met with difficulties and were not afraid to face more. They had already tried to cross the Atlantic but their ships had leaked and they had had to go back.

“But they would have nothing to do with such a word as failure—and this is I think in itself an inspiration to all of us when we feel discouraged and as though we were failing in what we were trying to do—and so at last the Mayflower left Plymouth in Devonshire, England, and anchored on the American coast on November twenty-first.

“Here they were going to have freedom, and though the trip had been a terrible one and though there were only a hundred of them all told to keep up each other’s spirits, they did not lose heart.

“They had planned to land on the New Jersey coast, but driven as they had been by gales and storms they found themselves on the Northern shore of Cape Cod, New England. Finally they chose Plymouth for their colony. Then came a terrible winter when over half of their number died, but in the spring those who had lived through the winter still would not use the word failure—and decided to stay on.

“And then, at last, came harvest time, and hope and great thankfulness was in the hearts of these people. So that in the autumn in 1621 they set aside a day in which they gave ‘solemn Thanksgiving to the glorious Hearer of Prayers!’

“The first national celebration of Thanksgiving was in 1789 when George Washington named Thursday, November 26th of that year, as a day to be observed in which to give thanks for the blessings of the year.

“It was Abraham Lincoln who recommended that the last Thursday in November should be observed as a day of Thanksgiving.

“And ever since then it has been observed each year all over the country, and not from time to time in the different states according to whether their governors proclaimed it as such. Formerly that had been the custom.

“So it was Lincoln who gave us this day as a National holiday and day of Thanksgiving for every year. But it was because of that little group of people so many years ago that we have so much for which to be thankful.

“Sometimes it is hard to think that such terrible days followed one after the other, for the country is so big and prosperous and cultivated now. But everything has to be begun. And it seems to me that our present-day joyous Thanksgivings are just what those people, so full of pluck, would have wanted us to have. For people who could be so brave and who could endure so much for what they believed was right, could not help but have hearts full of love and capable of great happiness.”

NOVEMBER 27: Good News

“I’ve been here in the zoo for some time,” said Daddy Buffalo, “and of course I do not keep up very well with the news outside of the zoo.

“But to-day I heard of some news and it was very good news. I will tell all the buffaloes about it. I heard that they were protecting the buffaloes more and more all the time, now.

“I was told that they didn’t go after buffaloes to kill them but that they brought some of them to a zoo and people learned of their ways and of their habits and became interested in them, and others they left quite free. Surely that is good news for buffaloes.”

NOVEMBER 28: The Newsboy’s Dog

The town authorities came to a poor little newsboy who owned a dog and told him they would have to take his dog unless he paid for a dog license. But the little boy hadn’t enough money and he did not know what to do, when some kind people overheard the conversation. They told the men that they had plenty of money and quickly paid for the license of the little brown dog. The boy then almost cried for joy.

So the little dog wagged his tail when his master told him to thank the kind people, for he saw quickly that his master once more was happy.

NOVEMBER 29: The Gun-Metal Watch

“A very rich and spoiled little girl,” said daddy, “owned a gun-metal wrist watch. It kept very bad time, and she had it mended again and again.

“One day she went and had it fixed for the very last time, she said, and several days afterward the watch would not go for more than a half hour at a time. She took it back to the watch mender and was told that the only thing that could be done would be to have new works put in it. She said the watch wasn’t worth that and she was so annoyed that she threw the watch into the first ash can she saw.

“Well, there passed by a very poor little girl. On top of the ash can she spied a paper with funny pictures, and she grabbed the paper out of the ash can, and then, to her amazement, she saw the little watch.

“She ran all the way home to show it to her daddy, for her daddy had often mended watches for people just as favors, as his real business was that of a fruit dealer.

“When her daddy saw it he said:

“‘This watch has been fussed with so much that it is no wonder it refuses to go. I will see that it goes.’ And sure enough he did.

“The watch went beautifully, and the little poor girl wore her gun-metal watch with the greatest pride.

“Every one had to ask her the time, of course, every few minutes so she could look at her watch, and if they didn’t ask her the time often enough she would tell them of her own accord.

“Now, the little rich girl was given a gold watch as a present from her daddy, but it didn’t give half the pleasure that the little gun-metal watch gave the little girl whose very own daddy mended the watch for her.”

NOVEMBER 30: Barnyard Thoughts

“I can celebrate Thanksgiving time,” said the pig, “for I am so thankful I do not live in the city.” And then the pig squealed this song:

“Grunt, grunt,” he said, “I’d think it a pity. If I were forced to live in the city. There would be no nice mud in which to dig, A poor place indeed for a sensible pig!”

“Quack, quack,” said the ducks, “and what is more there’d be no place to swim, In the city we’d lose our life I’m sure, and certainly our vim.”

“And,” said the cow, “I agree with you too! In the city I’d not have the spirit to moo. There’d be no green meadows and nothing to chew, Oh, what in the world would a poor cow do?”

And all the animals began singing, and talking, grunting, squealing and quack-quacking.

And all of them said, in their different kinds of ways:

“We’ll never, never leave the farm, we’ll stay here all our days! We’d hate it in the city where they say it’s crowded so, We’ll never add to the crowds, we say; to the city we’ll never go!”

“That is a fine chorus, grunt, grunt,” said the pig, “and a fine song of Thanksgiving.”

DECEMBER 1: The Toy-Shop

“Why, here we are again,” said the first toy to the second toy as they looked at each other on a counter in the shop, for they had met before in Santa’s workshop.

“Oh!” continued the first toy. “A child is coming to look at us! Oh, there are ever so many children coming into the shop, and there are grown-ups too, and their voices—oh, aren’t their voices nice! They sound so merry and so happy and as if they loved each other and the whole world.

“I’m being bought, I do believe,” the first toy added.

“Oh, so am I,” said the second toy. “I’m going to be wrapped up.”

“We must be going to be presents from the mothers and daddies of the children as Santa will come to get most of these toys just before Christmas.”

“Good-by,” said the second toy; “merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” said the first toy. “Oh see! How the children are standing outside that window looking at the tree with all our friends upon it!

“Wouldn’t you think the window would break? See their faces right against the window pane.”

And as Santa Claus heard the reports of the pleasure of the children over this year’s toys, he smiled to himself and said:

“That is all I want as a reward for my work!”

DECEMBER 2: A Story of the Fireplace

Jack and Evelyn and daddy were watching the dance which was taking place in the Fireplace. They saw the beautiful costumes the Fire Fairies wore and they saw them blaze and flame and then become quiet. “They’re eating their supper now,” said daddy. “The Fire Fairy cooks have finished everything and now they are all enjoying the goodies.”

But soon the flames began to die down and only a few little flashes of light and fire were seen from time to time.

“Those flashes and flames,” said daddy, “are some of the Fire Fairies who are still wide awake enough to ask the Fire Witches questions. For the Fire Witches tell bedtime tales. Soon the Fairies will be sound, sound asleep. They love to be put to sleep by the Fire Witches.”

The flames died down entirely and only a little smoldering went on in the Fireplace.

“The witches are saying good-night,” said daddy. “Then they too will go to bed. But the ashes that will be left—nice warm ashes—they will be the pleasant dreams that are left behind for the Fire Fairies.”

The fire had gone out! Only some ashes could be seen, but in one corner a few red coals had appeared.

“What are they?” asked the children.