THE LITTLE GIRL THROW-AWAY
Little Girl Throw-Away was always throwing something away from morning until night.
“She threw away paper, she threw away string
She threw away almost everything.”
One day a fairy peeped in the window and called,
“Little Girl Throw-Away,
Hear what the Thrifty Fairies say.”
The little girl said, “I don’t believe in fairies except big ones like Santa Claus.”
Then the most surprising thing happened.
THE LITTLE FAIRY FROM THRIFT TOWN STEPPED OUT ([See page 50])
The Thrifty Fairies sailed in the window and tugged at the little girl’s dress and apron, and soon they carried her away, away, away to Thrift Town.
There every one was smiling and happy and every one was talking about saving something.
They called in merry little voices,
“Save to-day, save to-morrow,
Then you’ll never have to borrow.”
The Thrifty people were very, very small and looked like real fairies. One little Fairy called,
“I’d make a four-poster bed to-day,
If I had your pencils, Girl Throw-Away.”
Little Girl Throw-Away looked in her dress pocket and apron pocket, but she could not find any pencils at all. Then the Fairy said,
“I like paper sheets, you think it funny,
But they would save me lots of money.”
Then Little Girl Throw-Away, sighed, “Oh dear, oh dear, I do throw away things so much, I never save my paper, I never write on both sides of a sheet.”
The Fairy next said in a sing-song kind of way,
“I would be glad of everything,
If I only had a ball of string.”
She would not tell anyone what she wanted the string for.
By and by the Thrifty Fairies took Little Girl Throw-Away home.
She sat in her little red rocking chair and said, “I cannot see the Fairies now, but I will begin to save for them!”
So she saved her little bits of pencils and paper and string, and laid them in a little box on the window-sill every night, and every morning they were gone.
She saved all the paper bags too, that came to the house for the Fairies.
By and by at the end of a year and a day, she saw a Fairy balloon.
It sailed down, down, down, and the little Fairy from Thrift Town stepped out and said,
“Our balloon is made of your paper and string
And kites too we have made, and everything.”
THEY HAD A BIRTHDAY PARTY AND DANCED ROUND AND ROUND IN A RING ([See page 66])
She gave Little Girl Throw-Away a tiny little white box. On opening it, the Little Girl found a tiny gold ring with a forget-me-not upon it. Inside the ring was written,
“Save a bit every day,
Help the fairies in their play.”
Waving her hand gayly the little Fairy stepped back into her balloon and sailed away, away, away to Thrift Town.
Little Girl Throw-Away put her ring on her third finger and wished it on, saying,
“I am Save-A-Bit, you understand,
For I have been to Fairyland!”
Soon every little girl in town was saving paper, and pencils and strings, and I think the Fairies must often have dropped things down to them from their gay balloons, for the children wore happy smiles and talked in a fairy language.
They sang fairy songs too,
“Think, before you throw away,
That’s what all the fairies say,
The Thrifty Fairies wear a smile,
And that’s what makes their life worthwhile.”
Little Girl Throw-Away became a very thrifty child and sometimes she talked in fairy rhymes.
“I’m very glad the fairies came,
And played with me a pleasant game,
If you would like to do the same,
Just save a bit, and change your name.”
The Little Girl changed her name to “Girl Save-A-Bit,” and many a time she played with the Fairies from Thrift Town.
THE ENCHANTED STAIRCASE
(A BIRTHDAY STORY)
Little Boy lived with such old people they had forgotten what a Birthday Party was, so he said,
“How can I give invitation hearty,
Unless I prepare for a Birthday Party?”
To his surprise, the staircase on which he stood, answered,
“If you go up this staircase as like as not
You’ll get to the bottom instead of the top.”
THEY LOOKED UP AND SAW A CUTE LITTLE HOUSE IN A TREE AND AN OLD MAN STOOD AT THE DOOR ([See page 71])
Little Boy chuckled as he rattled the pennies in his pocket and said happily,
“Little pennies, dimes will make,
Soon I’ll buy my Birthday Cake!”
Before the pennies could be changed into dimes or answer a word, and before Little Boy could get into bed, (for it was his sleepy time) “pitter, patter, pitter, patter” was heard on the staircase and up came Fairy Good-Cheer, saying,
“I need a Birthday Cake I fear,
My birthday comes but once a year.”
The Fairies had always been so good to Little Boy that he emptied his pockets of the pennies he had saved for his own Birthday Cake, and Fairy Good-Cheer went off singing,
“When anything you want to know,
To the enchanted staircase go.”
Little Boy saved up his pennies again for a week and a day and said,
“Little pennies round and bright,
Will you buy me candles for a light?”
Before the pennies could answer a word, “pitter, patter pitter, patter,” was heard on the staircase and up came Fairy Light-Heart saying,
“I must buy eight candles to lend a glow,
You’ll lend them to me Little Boy I know.”
As Little Boy handed Fairy Light-Heart the pennies she sang,
“When anything you want to know,
To the enchanted staircase go.”
Little Boy saved up pennies again for a week and a day and said,
“Little pennies for a treat,
Will you buy some candy sweet?”
Before the pennies could answer, “pitter, patter, pitter, patter” was heard on the staircase and Fairy Sweet-Tooth said as she bounded in,
“All I need is some Birthday Candy,
Do you happen to have some handy?”
As Little Boy parted with his pennies again, she went off singing,
“When anything you want to know,
To the enchanted staircase go.”
THE DWARFS WERE ALL AT BREAKFAST DOWNSTAIRS ([See page 67])
Once more Little Boy saved his pennies and when he had twenty-three he said,
“Little pennies twenty-three,
Will you buy a top for me?”
He put his hand up to his ear to listen.
Sure enough, again he heard, “pitter, patter, pitter, patter” and up came Fairy Sing-Song, singing,
“All I need is a musical top,
That will spin, and spin and never stop.”
As Little Boy counted out his twenty-three pennies she went off singing,
“When anything you want to know,
To the enchanted staircase go.”
Little Boy sighed after the Fairies left him and he went out and sat down on his own staircase saying,
“To-morrow my Birthday will be here,
I’ll have no party now I fear.”
Then the enchanted staircase on which he was sitting cried,
“Just go to the bottom, look up and see,
The Fairies surprise both you and me.”
Little Boy ran down stairs and looked up.
He saw on the tip top step a wonderful Birthday Cake. It was large and round and had pink and white frosting upon it.
Just then a cheerful voice called,
“Fairy Good-Cheer makes no mistake,
She has sent to you a Birthday Cake.”
Then, as Little Boy winked and blinked his eyes to be sure he was not dreaming, a laughing voice called,
“Fairy Light-Heart brings the candles,
More than one Boy ever handles.”
There shone candles on every step, big candles, little candles, middle-sized candles, Birthday Candles, red, white and blue candles, ready to light the Birthday Cake.
Then he saw boxes, and boxes of candy, while a sugary voice cried,
“Fairy Sweet-Tooth pile them higher,
Of candy, small Boys never tire.”
Little Boy laughed so hard that he rolled right over in a heap on the floor, for the Fairy piled candy right up to the ceiling.
Then a Musical Top began to spin down the staircase singing,
“Fairy Sing-Song’s smile is winning,
See, she sets your top a spinning.”
“My Top,” said Little Boy in surprise.
AND THE WEE PEOPLE CAME TUMBLING DOWN THE CHIMNEY ONE AFTER ANOTHER ([See page 73])
Then all the fairies trooped down stairs and cried,
“’Tis heigh! my hearty, and ho! my hearty,
We’ll help you make a Birthday Party.”
Then the most wonderful thing of all happened.
The top step of the enchanted staircase opened.
The Birthday Cake led the way.
The lighted candles went two and two, and the candy boxes followed, while all the time the Musical Top played.
Fairy Good-Cheer and Fairy Sweet-Tooth cried,
“When you give pennies up ’tis true,
Surprises sometimes come to you.”
The Musical Top took one of Little Boy’s hands singing,
“We are on the road to Fairyland,
We hear a distant Elfin Band,
Thither we’ll haste without delay,
For the fairies call, ‘Away, away,’
When you feel the touch of the magic hand,
You can see the lights of Fairyland.”
Fairy Light-Heart took Little Boy’s other hand singing,
“How shall we ride to Fairyland?
Shall we find the realm on sea or land?
In that wonderful hour when dreams come true
There’s a fairy palace for me and you,
I am the Queen you understand,
And you are the King of Fairyland.”
In less time than it takes to tell it, the Fairies led Little Boy into Fairyland.
They had a Birthday Party and danced round and round in a ring and for all I know they are dancing yet.
If you ever hear an old staircase go “creak, creak” when you are on it, put your ear close to one of the steps and listen. It may be trying to talk to you and say,
“When anything you want to know,
To the enchanted staircase go.”
Whether your staircase is enchanted or not you can never tell until you try it.
