THE FAIRY SHOEMAKER
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
Oh, ho, it is fun to be making a shoe.”
sang the Fairy Shoemakers as Little June ran through the woods one day.
She stopped and listened and heard the fairy hammers, but she could not see where the fairies were hidden.
Little June looked down at her worn out slippers and said,
“I’d like new slippers, I’d like new shoes,
Of every color, if I could choose.”
She went on to the store, with a basket on her arm, for she was the little errand girl of the family.
As she came back home through the woods, she heard someone singing,
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
We are making a little red slipper for you.”
Little June looked under the broad leaves about her path, and under the toad-stools, but she could not see where the voice came from.
Every day she ran out and did errands willingly, and only once did she complain to her mother about her shabby slippers.
Mother put little bows of ribbon on the shabby slippers to cover the worn part, and she said everything cost so much this year June would have to wait for a new pair.
AT THAT VERY MINUTE A LITTLE FAIRY JUMPED RIGHT ON THE LITTLE TOE ([See page 21])
Mother said pleasantly,
“Wait a little longer dear,
’Till coins, in my purse, you hear.”
Whenever June ran through the woods she heard a new song, and every bird and animal she met made friends with her.
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
We’ll make a little slipper of blue,”
sang the Fairy Shoemakers, and Little June clapped her hands singing,
“I need new slippers, I need new shoes,
If they’re for me, that’s glorious news.”
One day June went on her way sadly, for one little toe showed through one little slipper.
By and by as she sat down on a log to rest two little tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
At that very minute a little fairy jumped right on the little toe, that peeped out from the little slipper, singing,
“A rat, a tat, tat, how can I see,
Who will thread the needle for me?”
It was a tiny needle of course, but Little June had bright eyes and she threaded it while the Fairy sang,
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
I make silver slippers with buckles new.”
Then June knew that she was talking to one of the Fairy Shoemakers and she said,
“Oh Fairy Shoemaker if you choose,
Could you make me slippers or shoes?”
The Fairy pretended he did not hear, but he blew a silver whistle, and four and twenty little Fairy Shoemakers came, with their four and twenty little needles and one after another, they asked the little girl to thread them.
As they hopped about her, she never dreamed that they might be measuring her feet for a pair of slippers.
One of the Fairies hopped right up in her lap, saying,
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
We heard you were crying, oh was it true?”
Little June said, “How would you feel if you were in a performance to be given the last day of school, and what if you had to dance in the front row, with an old pair of slippers on?”
At that, the Fairy Shoemakers all sang in a chorus,
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
And in the front row, that will never do.”
Little June did not know that she had been dreaming in the woods that Saturday morning, until she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, and there stood her teacher before her.
Little June cried again and told her teacher all her troubles, and her teacher said, “I love the fairies too, hark! what is that?”
They both heard the fairy song,
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
We are making little red slippers for you.”
Little June went merrily homeward.
The last day of school drew nearer and nearer.
The little slippers grew more and more shabby!
At last the great day came, and mother said she was sorry she had no new slippers for the willing little feet.
She said,
“I’m sorry when the day is here,
No coins are in my purse, I fear.”
Little June sat down and sang,
“I need new slippers, I think it funny,
I know no way of making money.”
Evening came, and she put on the little white dress she had ironed herself, and the little red sash and hair ribbons father had given her.
She looked at the little old slippers, with patches upon them. They had been carefully blackened.
At that very minute the door-bell went, “Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.”
She ran downstairs in her stocking feet.
There, on the door-step was a box marked, “For June.”
With trembling fingers she opened it, and took out a pair of little red slippers.
They were exactly the right size.
They had gilt buckles upon them.
Little June was so happy she danced the best of any one, she had to come out by and by all alone, in her little red slippers and dance for an encore.
The people said it was the prettiest little performance they had ever seen, and Little June knew that it was a fairy dance, and that she had learned it from the Fairy Shoemakers who measured her for a pair of slippers.
Even as she danced she thought she heard their fairy hammers ringing, and their fairy voices singing,
“A rat, a tat, tat, a rat, a tat, too,
We made the little red slippers for you.”
TELL-TALE & TATTLE-TOO
A Halloween Story for Me and You
On Halloween night, when the moon is bright
The witches are about,
On Halloween night, if you’re not good, quite,
They’ll scare you without doubt.
Once upon a time, there was a little boy who always told tales, and always tattled on his playmates at school.
On Halloween night, a big Jack O’ Lantern appeared on the window-sill of his room, and called out of its crooked mouth,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
It’s Halloween, we’ve come for you.”
The little boy replied,
“I am a Tell-Tale, I’ve heard said,
That you are just a pumpkin head.”
At this very minute, a Black Cat jumped up on the window-sill, winking and blinking her great round eyes, and she said, as she showed her white teeth,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
It’s Halloween, we’ve come for you.”
The little boy answered,
“I am Tell-Tale, on Halloween,
I hear Black Cats are often seen.”
Then, whisk, bound, without any warning, a witch on a broom rode right up on the window-sill and shouted,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
It’s Halloween, I’ve come for you.”
As she said the last word, the wind blew, “Ooo-ooo-” and it blew the little boy right on the witch’s broom stick and they blew away, away, away.
The Jack O’ Lantern and big Black Cat had to run as fast as they could to keep up.
By and by they sailed down, down, down into the heart of the deep green woods.
Brownies dance on Halloween,
Tripping lightly o’er the green.
There were Brownies sure enough, dancing in a circle. They waved their hands and made comical faces singing.
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Join the ring, we’ve room for you.”
Before he knew it, the little boy was dancing round and round the ring with the Brownies.
He was all out of breath when they stopped dancing and the Jack O’ Lantern said,
“He tells tales as a rule,
On the playground or in school.”
The Black Cat said,
“He tip-toes in without a noise,
And tells tales on girls and boys.”
The Witch said,
“Tell-Tale Tattlers are a trouble,
In the kettle, let him bubble.”
The Brownies said,
“We will test him in the woods,
He may decide he will be good.”
AND THEY BLEW AWAY, AWAY, AWAY ([See page 29])
They all began to dance around a big kettle, that hung over the fire. The Brownies covered their eyes and the Jack O’ Lantern dropped a candle in the kettle. The Black Cat dropped in catnip and the witch dropped in two straws from her broom.
Then the Brownies uncovered their eyes and said,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Tell us what did Jack O’ Lantern do?”
Tell-Tale put his hand over his mouth for he wanted to whisper, “He dropped in a candle, and it will spoil your kettle of soup,” but he sat stock-still and never said a word.
Then the Brownies winked and blinked at each other as they said,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Tell us what did the Black Cat do?”
Tell-Tale put both hands over his mouth this time for he wanted to sing out, “She put catnip in the kettle and it will spoil your porridge,” but he smiled to himself and never answered a word.
Then the Brownies clapped their hands as much as to say, “We’ve got him this time,” and said,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Tell us what did the old Witch do?”
The little boy turned a backward somersault for he wanted to shout, “She put two straws in the kettle and it will spoil your stew,” but he said never a word.
Then the most surprising thing happened.
The candle jumped out of the kettle and said,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Is not a good name now for you.”
Then the candle jumped into a beautiful Halloween lantern and stood by his side, while the catnip jumped out of the kettle and said,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Such a name will never do.”
Then the catnip began to weave this way and that way, till it wove a beautiful carriage for the little boy to ride home in.
Out jumped the two straws from the kettle and sang,
“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Think a minute, is it you?”
The straws turned into two coal-black steeds and were ready to draw the beautiful carriage.
The lantern lighted their way, and saying good bye to the Jack O’ Lantern, the Big Black Cat, and Witch, he drove merrily homeward.
As a Halloween joke,
Just then he awoke.
He saw a Halloween lantern in the moon-light. It hung above the window-sill and as it turned round and round, he saw on it a Jack O’ Lantern, a Big Black Cat and a Witch!
He cried,
“’Tis a magic lantern, if I were in it,
I’d change my name to Think-A-Minute.”
Whether he rode in the magic lantern or not, I cannot say, but every year on Halloween a Big Black Cat, sat on his door-step, and a Jack O’ Lantern peeped in his window, and a Witch riding by on a broom said,
“Think-A-Minute, how do you do?
’Tis Halloween, we’ve come for you.”
He had many jolly rides with the trio many times on Halloween without doubt.
I wish I knew if he really changed his name to “Think-A-Minute.” I forgot to ask him.
