"Don't, don't," said the stone. "I don't want to hurt any one."
Felix, in his surprise, dropped the stone, and it fell to the ground, saying—
"Thank you! thank you!"
"Queer, queerer, queerest!" said Felix to himself. But the Pine Queen knew what he was saying, for she said—
"Wait till you have seen the practice." Felix rubbed his eyes again, for though the sun was shining, there was certainly snow upon the ground, and the two little players, who stood with brush and ball in their hands, were clad in warm coats and gloves and winter boots, which Felix thought must prevent their running well. The girl had a scarlet feather in her felt hat, and the boy a long blue tassel hanging from his velvet cap. The girl was raising her brush to ward off the ball that the boy was about to throw.
"Isn't it pretty?" said the Pine Queen—
"Throw, throw, hit, hit!
No danger, not a bit."
But Felix was thinking about "Scour, mop, and dry it," as he looked at the snow-covered patch of land.
"Ah!" continued the Pine Queen, divining his thoughts, "snow is soft, so that if the players fall it does not hurt them. But there is no snow to be seen when the regular game begins."
And the Queen waved a rose that she held in her hand, and in a moment the scene was changed, and Felix saw before him a smooth piece of lawn that looked like shining velvet. The flower-pots with full-blown roses were there, so was the girl with the pail and the player with the long broom, looking quite hot, as if they had been at work for hours.