CHAPTER II
A LITTLE HERO
"Tell us a story," said Lena Lindsey, and her brother echoed her words. "Oh, Rob, what shall I tell? Lena wants a fairy tale, and you wouldn't like that; boys never do," said Polly.
"Oh, yes he would," Lena said quickly, "if it's about knights, and princes, like the one you told the other day."
"That's it," agreed Rob, "tell us one about somebody who goes out to seek his fortune."
Princess Polly dearly loved fairy tales, and on stormy days, with Sir Mortimer purring in her lap, would sit for hours reading stories of elves, and dwarfs, of splendor and enchantment.
Then, on sunny days she would tell them to her playmates, and often she spun them from her own imaginings.
"Tell us one you made up!" the children often said.
Now, while with Rob, and Lena, she sat upon the grass, and watched their eager faces, she decided to tell a new, and charming tale that would delight them. "Once upon a time," said Polly—
"That's right!" cried Rob.
Polly shook her finger to silence him, and began again.
"Once upon a time there lived a prince who was very, VERY handsome, but very poor.
"One day he found that his money was almost gone, so he took his pet horse, and started out to seek his fortune.
"He rode, and rode 'til he came to a dark forest. He was a brave prince, so he was not afraid, and rode right into the woods, and when he reached a pool, he stopped to let his horse drink,—"
"Oh, this is the interesting part where something happens, but it's so warm, I'll have to run up to the house, and get my little sunshade," said Polly.
"Wait just a minute," cried Rob, "stay just where you are, and I'll bring you one."
"Why, Rob, where'll you get it?" said Lena.
"Just you wait, and you'll see!" cried Rob, turning as he ran to say, "don't tell any more 'til I come."
"What DID he mean?" Polly asked, but Lena could not guess, and they wondered if Rob had been joking.
They had not long to wait, however, for in a few moments he came running back to them, waving a huge leaf over his head.
It proved to be a rhubarb leaf, with a red stalk.
"There!" he cried, "I went over home on purpose to get this for you."
"Oh it's a big green sunshade, with a fine red handle," cried Polly, "how pretty! Now I can tell the story."
"Yes, and you can tell it all before your sunshade WILTS!" said Lena, with a laugh.
"That's a fine sunshade," said Rob, as he handed her the leaf.
"And Polly looks like a princess under it," said Lena.
"Now, tell the story," said Rob.
"And while his horse was drinking, a mist floated over the pool, and out of the mist sprang a little, old witch," continued Polly, leaning forward, and lowering her voice, to make the tale sound mysterious.
Lena and Rob bent toward her, that not a word might be lost.
"What happened?" whispered Rob.
Polly's eyes were bright.
She raised her forefinger, as she spoke.
"'Take the path to the right,' said the little, old witch, 'and KEEP to the right, no matter how thick the forest, and you'll come to a fountain. At the fountain you'll find a beautiful nymph, and SHE'LL tell you what to do next.'"
"And did he?" questioned Rob, eagerly.
"Be still, Rob. Let Polly tell it," whispered Lena, laying her hand on his arm.
"The Prince mounted his horse," continued Polly, "and just then he noticed the little path at the right of the pool. He'd not seen it before. He turned his horse into the path, and the horse acted as if he knew the way, and trotted along at a fine gait.
"At last he reached the fountain, but the nymph wasn't anywhere in sight.
"'What DID the witch tell me to say?' said the prince.
"Then a voice said:
"'Cymbrel! Cymbrel!
By a fountain or a well,
Whistle thrice, and you shall see,
A lovely nymph will come to thee!'
"Then the prince called out: 'Cymbrel! Cymbrel!' and whistled three times, and out of the fountain rose a lovely nymph. There were pearls and diamonds in her hair, and her robe was of rainbow colored mist.
"She held out her hand, and the prince sprang from his horse, and bowed low before her.
"'There never was anyone so lovely as you,' said the prince, and he was—"
"Just WILD to win her," said Rob, who had been silent a long time.
"That's it," agreed Polly, "he was wild to win her, and he didn't say a word, for fear that the mist would melt, and she'd disappear.
"Then she spoke, and her voice sounded like music.
"'I am enchanted,'" she said.
"And the prince said 'So am I,'" said Rob.
"Oh, no he DIDN'T," laughed Polly.
"You mustn't interrupt," said Lena.
"I'm not interrupting," said Rob, "I'm only helping Princess Polly with the story, and telling how I'd have felt, if I'd been the prince."
"Well, you aren't the prince," Lena replied, "so you listen."
"When the prince looked up, and saw that the lovely nymph was smiling, he felt so strong and brave that he told her that he wanted to win her, and he asked what would—would undo, oh that ISN'T the word, but that's what he meant," said Polly, "so never mind, I'll use it. He wanted to know what would undo the enchantment.
"'You can not win me until I am disenchanted. Free me, and I am yours. My enchantment must last until the ogre who dwells in this forest is killed,' whispered the nymph.
"The prince drew his sword.
"'With this I will free you, and you shall be mine,' he said, and mounting his horse he rode through the forest, looking this way, and that, in search of the ogre.
"Every evening he rode back to the fountain, and there he wearily told the nymph that he had not yet found the ogre.
"She always told him to be brave, and continue the search.
"At last came a day when there was a fearful battle in the woods!"
Polly's eyes were bright, and she leaned forward in her excitement.
Her rhubarb leaf parasol had wilted, and she cast it aside.
"There was a gale that broke the great branches of the trees, and pulled up shrubs by the roots, and when the wind was blowing hardest, the ogre rushed out from his cave, right into the pathway in front of the prince's horse.
"The horse pranced, and pawed the dirt, because he was scared, but the prince was brave.
"He thought only of the beautiful nymph, and he slashed at the big ogre, and with the third blow from his sword the ogre fell dead.
"Then the prince rode back to the fountain, and there stood the nymph, only she wasn't a nymph any more, but a real, truly princess.
"She ran to meet him, and he swung her up into his saddle, and they rode back to his castle.
"There she told him that he need never leave her to seek his fortune, because she had more gold than they could ever spend, and so they lived happy ever after."
"Oh, I love to have the fairy tales end like that," said Lena, with a happy sigh.
"And when a fellow hears of a prince who is daring, he wants to start right out, and do something just as brave," said Rob, his brown eyes looking out across to the distant hills. "There isn't the chance to save nymphs, and princesses, now!"
"Oh, Rob, it doesn't matter," said Polly, "for if there was a nymph to fight for, I just KNOW you'd be brave!"
"I'm SURE I would mean to be, but I haven't had the chance to try!" said Rob, with a sudden fit of shyness, "but if it was YOU, Polly, I'd—I'd do most anything!"
"I know you would," Polly answered gently.
"That was a lovely story," said Lena, "did you make it up?"
"Yes, and I got so excited when the ogre came out, and rushed at the prince, that I was all out of breath just TELLING it," said Polly.
"And when you told about the gale you frightened me," said Lena, "because I was SURE that the ogre was coming!"
Polly had a charming way of telling her stories, and those who listened, remembered them, and thought of them again and again.
Perhaps Rob thought oftener of them, than did any other of her friends. He was very fond of Polly, and never thought of her as Polly Sherwood, but always as Princess Polly.
He would not have told his thoughts to anyone, but in his heart he longed to do something brave that she might know that he had not boasted idly, when he had said that her fairy tales had made him long to do valiant deeds.
For days after the morning spent at Sherwood Hall, Rob dreamed of the story that Polly had told.
"Oh, pshaw! Those things don't happen nowadays," he muttered, in disgust. "Not that fairy things EVER happened," he added, "but knights really lived, and they did things that proved their courage."
While Rob dreamed, and pondered over the valiant knights of old, Polly, blowing huge soap bubbles, stood in the sunlight, making them larger and larger, and laughing when they floated away on the soft breeze.
She, too, was dreaming.
The scent of the garden flowers made the air sweet, the yellow butterflies, at play in the sunshine, fluttered too near a bubble.
It burst with the touch of their soft wings, and they flew away, frightened that a clear, beautiful globe had chased them, and then so mysteriously disappeared.
Vivian Osborne watched her, and so still had she been, that Polly had almost forgotten that she was there.
Again she dipped her pipe into the bowl of suds, and gently she blew, determined to make a larger bubble than she had yet made.
How beautiful it was! The trees, the blue sky mirrored on its glossy surface, and—yes, there were the holly-hocks reflected on it, and curving to fit its globe-like form.
"Oh!" cried Vivian, "see the colors on it, blue, and pink, and green, and your house, Polly. Don't it look like a tiny castle?'
"M—m," agreed Polly, for the pipe stem between her red lips would not permit her to talk. When the bubble was as large as she dared to make it, she swung it from the pipe and they saw it sail away.
Sir Mortimer, who had been watching Polly, scampered off after the bubble. He often chased a bright, colored ball, and this he thought was the finest ball he'd ever seen.
It dropped to the grass, and just as puss reached it, it burst. Sir
Mortimer stared at the place where it had vanished.
Polly and Vivian laughed at his surprise. He touched the spot with his soft paw, then, turning, trotted away, as if to let them see that the matter was beneath noticing.
"Oh, he's the dearest kitty!" cried Vivian, "blow another bubble, Polly, and blow it right at him."
Laughing at the thought of surprising Sir Mortimer, Polly blew a fine bubble, and swung it toward him.
He blinked at it, as it came nearer, and then,—oh, how they laughed, he began to back away from it.
It overtook him, however, and landed squarely on his upturned nose.
He sneezed in disgust, and rubbed his nose violently with his paw.
"Oh, Mortimer darling, I won't do it again. If you don't like soap bubbles, you needn't have them," said Polly, picking him up, and caressing him.
It was evident that he forgave her, for he at once commenced to purr.
When Vivian said that she must go, Polly walked part of the way with her for company.
"Are you truly going to visit Rose Atherton, soon? Inez Varney said you were," said Vivian.
"Oh, yes," Polly replied, "I have the invitation, and I'm to go the first week mama will let me. I may go next week. When I KNOW what day I can go, I'm to write, and tell Rose, and Rose, with her Aunt, will call for me at the station."
"Aren't you wild to go?" asked Vivian.
"Wild?" repeated Polly, "why I can hardly wait for the day. I want to see the lovely, old house, and all the fine things, but most of all, I long to see Rose."
"Well, Inez said—no, I guess I won't tell you what Inez said," Vivian paused.
Did she dislike to repeat Inez' words, or was she waiting for Polly to coax her to tell them? No one could have guessed.
Polly, thinking that Inez often spoke unpleasantly, turned toward
Vivian, and laying her little hand on her arm, said:
"I guess you'd better not tell what Inez said. I won't feel any different toward Rose, if you do. I love Rose, and I'm going to visit her, and I know I'll have a fine time."
"Oh, I'm sure you will," said Vivian, and she said it as if she meant it.
"And Rose is coming to visit me," said Polly, "and when she comes, most of the girls will be glad to see her. I wish they ALL would."
"I will," said Vivian, "and you'll see that I am. I'll help to make her glad that she came."
Some one came running swiftly behind them, and they turned to see who it might be.
It was Harry Grafton, breathless and excited.
"Oh, what do you think?" he cried. "Dollie Burton got almost run over, and would have, if it hadn't been for Rob Lindsey. I tell you, he's a splendid fellow, and my father saw it all, and he says it was the bravest thing he ever saw done, and he shook hands with Rob, and little Dollie is only frightened, but she's almost—"
"Why, Harry Grafton! What ARE you saying?" cried Polly.
"What has happened to Dollie?" said Vivian.
At that moment Leslie came running to tell the news.
"Only think!" she cried, "dear little Dollie Burton was almost—"
"That's what I just told them!" declared Harry, "and I'm proud just to be Rob's friend."
Polly and Vivian were as excited as Harry and his sister were, and for a few moments the four little playmates talked at the same time, and Polly at last realized that she was not getting a clear idea of what Rob had done, or what had happened to wee Dollie Burton.
At last Harry grew calmer, and, with Leslie's help, told the story.
Little Dollie had been playing in her own garden, where surely one might think that she was safe. A horse from a neighbor's stable had escaped, and went plunging down the street.
The tiny girl ran down the driveway to look after the flying horse, and just as Dollie reached the road, the horse turned, and ran wildly back in the direction whence he had come.
The little girl seemed too frightened to run, and stood still in the path of the madly racing horse.
Rob Lindsey seeing her danger, sprang out into the street, snatched her up when the animal was about to trample upon her, and bore her to safety setting her down once more in her own garden.
"My father was just coming along," said Harry, "and he saw Rob rush out into the street, and grab Dollie just in time to save her, and he says Rob stood an awful chance of being run over.
"Rob declares it wasn't much to do. He says he didn't have time to think, and be scared.
"Father took his hand, and just told him that that was the brave part of it. He told Rob that a coward would have thought only of himself.
"I tell you, he's a hero, as much as those we read of.
"Mrs. Burton says that she can not say enough to tell how she feels, when she thinks that little Dollie is alive, and unhurt, and all because of Rob!"
"There he is now," cried Leslie.
"Oh, everyone run along. I want to speak to him just a minute myself," said Polly, and, as usual, they obeyed.
Very shyly Rob approached. He felt that he was receiving too much praise from everyone, and yet—a word of approval from Princess Polly, ah, that would be worth much!
"Rob," she said, when the others had walked along, "Rob, don't ever say again that you'd LIKE to be brave. You ARE brave!"
"She wasn't a nymph, and I wasn't a prince," said the boy, blushing.
"You're as brave as any prince in any fairy tale I ever read," said
Polly, and Rob wondered who would care for greater reward than that.