LITTLE MISS
DOROTHY

Dorothy turned, and there stood the dearest little doll with coal-black curls and coral-pink cheeks.—Page 78. Little Miss Dorothy.

LITTLE MISS
DOROTHY

The Story of
the Wonderful
Adventures of
Two Little People

By MARTHA JAMES

WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS
BY J. WATSON DAVIS

A. L. BURT, PUBLISHER, 52–58 DUANE
STREET, NEW YORK

Copyright, 1901, by A. L. Burt.

LITTLE MISS DOROTHY.

PREFACE.

O the wonderful journeys the children take

In fairy boats o’er sunset lake:

A drowsy fleet with Captain Snore,

Who lands them safely on slumber shore!

And Little Boy Blue is waiting there

To show them the road to dreamland fair.

Over the road they float away,

Meeting their friends of every day,

Heroes of “once-upon-a-time”

And magic scenes of ev’ry clime;

Playthings and friends the same until

They reach dear Topsy-turvy Hill.

And fairies nightly frolic there

All on the road to dreamland fair.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

Dorothy May was a dear little girl, whose soft eyes met yours with a twinkle in their brown depths. She was very fond of Cousin Ray, a bright-haired boy all curves and dimples, who lived quite near and often came to play with her.

These two little people wondered about the great world around them; about the trees and flowers, the birds and the blue sky.

Of course the fairies loved them, because fairies love all children, and hover around them to whisper strange sounds in their childish ears and picture wonderful sights for their innocent eyes. At least Aunt Polly said so, and told beautiful stories to prove it. But there, if I am going to tell you about the adventures of these two little folks, I must begin with The Funny Pudding.

LITTLE MISS DOROTHY.

CHAPTER I.
THE FUNNY PUDDING.

OROTHY and Ray were making mud pastry on Aunt Polly’s back steps. “Get me a little more water, please; this paste is too thick,” said Dorothy, and Ray brought the water from Aunt Polly’s bright kitchen. They made mud pies and mud cakes and took tiny sticks, with which they traced lines, circles, and faces on them.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to make real pies and cakes?” said Dorothy.

“Yes,” answered Ray, “if you knew how.”

“Why, anybody can make them!” exclaimed Dorothy. “It’s just raisins and things!”

“If I could make real pies and cakes I’d eat them all the time,” said Ray.

“So would I!” exclaimed Dorothy.

“O no! you wouldn’t,” said a wee voice behind them. The children turned and there stood a little old woman about as high as your twelve-inch rule. She wore a white cap and blue apron and carried a tiny spoon in her hand.

“You couldn’t eat sweets all the time,” cried the little old woman.

“Just try us,” said Ray. “I think I could.”

“I know I could,” cried Dorothy. “I love tarts, I could live on tarts.”

“And pudding,” said Ray; “I could eat it all day long.”

“So could I,” replied Dorothy; “I wish I had some pudding now.”

“You shall have all the pudding you want,” said the old woman, “if you do as I say. Sit close together; close your eyes and when I say ‘Salt’ open them.”

The children did as the old woman said and sat very still with their eyes closed while she sang these words:—

“Listen, children, while I tell

How to make a pudding well:

Sift your flour fine and white,

And a quart will be all right;

Sugar, just a cup—no more;

Eggs, well beaten—put in four;

Lump of butter melt, and—halt!

Don’t forget a pinch of—Salt.”

The children opened their eyes at the magic word. The old woman had disappeared, and instead of Aunt Polly’s back steps they were in the kitchen of a great castle.

“How funny you look, Ray,” said Dorothy, “with that cap and apron on just like a baker.”

“Well, you look funny too,” replied Ray; “there’s a big daub of flour on your nose.”

Dorothy tried to brush it off and asked, “Is it off?”

“No,” replied Ray; “it looks bigger than ever.”

“Never mind it,” said Dorothy, “let’s go to work and make a pudding, a sweet, juicy, delicious pudding.”

“Good,” cried Ray; “my mouth waters already. What can I do?”

“You can help,” said his cousin; “first of all, we’ll get a large pan to mix things in.”

Over the fireplace in the great kitchen hung shining pans of all sorts and sizes.

“I’ll have that large one,” said Dorothy, pointing to one, and Ray started to get it. But imagine their surprise when a round face appeared on the pan that grinned at them, and all at once the pan jumped down from its place and began to waltz around the floor. It looked so funny with its round body and short legs that the children laughed aloud. All of a sudden it gave a jump on to the table, where it remained quiet, like any sensible pudding pan.

“Now for the flour,” said Dorothy; and no sooner did she say the words than a barrel of flour came dancing into the kitchen on long spindle legs with the funniest face you ever saw, and with its hands folded on its great stomach. The children laughed so heartily at this droll sight that the tears rolled down their cheeks; and when the funny barrel made a low bow in the middle of the floor, Dorothy was laughing so hard that she could not speak, but Ray went to the barrel and took out a quart of flour. Then the barrel made another bow and walked with a swagger out of the kitchen.

“Eggs next,” said Dorothy, “and here they are.”

Four eggs appeared walking on stilts into the kitchen. All at once they jumped off the stilts and began to chase each other. The children gave peals of laughter as they watched the activity of the four eggs: at last Ray cried out, “Let’s catch them.” The children began to run after the eggs. Dorothy caught one and broke it in the pan, and then the three other eggs scrambled in as fast as they could. “This is the funniest pudding I ever heard of,” said Dorothy. “I wonder what comes next.” Just then a voice sang—

“Listen, children, while I tell

How to make a pudding well:

Sift your flour fine and white,

And a quart will be all right;

Sugar, just a cup—no more;

Eggs, well beaten—put in four;

Lump of butter melt, and—halt!

Don’t forget a pinch of—Salt.”

“Get the sugar and salt, and I’ll melt the butter,” said Dorothy; and no sooner did she say the words than sugar, salt, and butter dropped into the pan before their eyes.

Then a great spoon walked up to the pan and began to mix the pudding while Dorothy and Ray looked on in wonder.

“I forgot raisins,” said Dorothy; and just then a shower of raisins fell into the pudding. The children watched the wonderful pudding making itself. “I wonder whose castle this is,” said Ray; “let us walk around and see if we can find out who lives here.”

“And when we come back the pudding will be all made,” exclaimed Dorothy.

They walked out of the kitchen and came to a great dining-room where a table was spread with all sorts of good things. There were two chairs at the table, and it did not take the children a minute to sit in them and sample the goodies. Ray passed Dorothy a plate that was heaped with flaky jam tarts, and in a very few minutes there wasn’t a tart left on the plate.

They ate plum cake and mince pies, and when these were disposed of a great steaming pudding appeared in the center of the table.

“Perhaps it’s our pudding all cooked,” said Ray, “how good it smells.”

They piled their plates with the pudding again and again, forgetting their good manners until it was all eaten up.

When everything on the table was eaten they arose and walked into another room. They found a table filled with fruit, candies and bon-bons.

In a short time these were all eaten up and another room in the castle explored.

“Suppose we go outside,” cried Dorothy. “I couldn’t eat any more, could you?”

“No,” said Ray; “I don’t feel very well.”

“I don’t either,” said the little girl, and they took each other’s hands and went outside into a garden.

There was a beautiful fountain playing in the sunlight, but the children never noticed it. To tell the truth they had eaten so much that they did not feel happy at all, and could not enjoy the lovely garden.

“I shan’t go another step,” said Ray, with a frown; “I’m going to rest on this bench.”

“Don’t be so cross,” cried Dorothy. “I’m going to sit down too.”

Just as Dorothy sat down there was a loud noise, and in the distance the children saw a great giant approaching.

“Let’s hide,” said Dorothy, and quick as a flash the children got behind the bench before the giant had seen them.

There was a hole in the back of the bench and they could peek through. The giant walked right over to the bench and sat down, while close behind it, the children were hiding as frightened as could be.

They didn’t dare speak, but they thought that the giant was the ugliest monster they had ever seen.

After a while he put up his great arms and yawned. The bench groaned and creaked with his immense weight, and all at once it broke down and the giant lay sprawling on the ground. The children jumped from their hiding-places, but not before the giant had seen them.

“What are you doing in my garden?” roared the giant, getting on his feet.

“If you please, we got here by mistake,” said Ray.

“We were in the castle,” explained Dorothy, “where we ate so many tarts and things that we had to come out here.”

“So ho!” roared the giant. “Did you know that whoever enters my castle belongs to me?”

The children trembled, and the monster continued: “This is the kingdom of the greedy, and I am the ruler; henceforth and forever you belong to me.”

“Oh, please let us go home,” said Dorothy; “we don’t like your castle.”

“Silence!” roared the giant. “If you disobey me I’ll boil you in my pot of soup.”

The children were very quiet after that terrible threat and did not dare raise their eyes to look at the giant. They felt very badly. Dorothy had a pain in her stomach and Ray’s head ached.

“What are you doing in my garden?” roared the giant, getting on his feet.—Page 10. Little Miss Dorothy.

Suddenly a great bell rang and the giant jumped saying: “There’s the dinner-bell, come with me.”

“Please, Sir Giant, we don’t want any dinner,” said Ray, timidly.

“Silence!” roared the giant, “if you disobey me I’ll boil you in my pot of soup.”

Poor sick, surfeited children! They followed the giant into the castle and sat at the very table where they had eaten so much.

The table was all piled high with a fresh supply of pastry and the great greedy giant soon devoured everything in sight. The table of goodies made Ray frown, and Dorothy’s head ache. When the greedy monster had eaten everything in sight, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and in a few minutes began to snore.

“Now is our chance,” whispered Ray, and he took Dorothy’s hand and they stole on tiptoe out of the room. Just as they reached the door a voice sang out, “I’m all ready.”

The children turned and there stood their great pudding that had made itself. They started to run away, but the pudding ran after them calling:

“Come back, come back!” On and on ran the children, and every now and then a slice of pudding struck them on the back as they ran.

Down the long garden, through winding paths, over hedges the children fled from the funny pudding and the kingdom of the greedy.

At last they reached a gate and when they were outside the very first person they met was the little old woman with the white cap and blue apron. “What!” she exclaimed, “you are not running away from all the good things in the castle, are you?”

“Yes, we are,” cried Ray, “we want to go home.”

“But think of all the pies and tarts and puddings in there!” cried the little woman.

“I would rather have my nice bread and milk than all the tarts in the world,” said Dorothy.

“But you said you could live on sweets and eat pudding all day long,” said the old woman.

“We didn’t mean it,” replied Ray. “We don’t want any more pudding and we do want to get away from the kingdom of the greedy and this terrible giant.”

“Well, well!” said the old woman; “I don’t blame you for that; he is certainly a very ugly giant, and little boys and girls ought not to belong to his kingdom.”

“Never,” said Ray.

“You know,” continued the old woman, “when little boys and girls are greedy and want more than mamma thinks is good for them, they belong to the kingdom of the greedy and this giant is their ruler.”

“He is such a horrid giant, too,” said Dorothy, “so ugly and impolite.”

“Yes,” cried Ray, rubbing his stomach, “he gives me a pain.”

Then the little old woman touched them lightly with her spoon and vanished with a smile and the children found themselves on Aunt Polly’s back steps in the midst of their dear mud pies.

CHAPTER II.
THE LITTLE ROSEBUD CALENDAR.

WHEN Ray was only a baby he would hold the woolly lamb that grandma had brought him in his chubby little fists, saying, “I love oo, lamb,” and there was a great colored ball that he liked to roll across the floor and say, “Oo ball, tum back, tum back.” Then he would run and catch it and hold it up to his dear little dimpled chin.

But when he grew to be quite a little man and could walk from room to room it pleased him to sit in the big chairs, look at the pictures and talk to them all by himself. There was one small picture card on his papa’s desk that Ray liked very much. It was the picture of a golden-haired girl standing beside a large vase, with a bunch of roses in her hand and a wreath of rosebuds on her head.

“I think she looks just like my cousin Dorothy,” said Ray, “only she wears her dress right down to her slippers and Dorothy’s dress is short.”

His mamma had told him that the picture girl was little Miss Calendar, but Ray liked to call her Rosebud.

One afternoon Ray was feeling rather tired. He sat all curled up in his papa’s easy-chair at the desk.

“Please, Rosebud, I wish you would talk to me,” said Ray wistfully, looking at little Miss Calendar with tired eyes.

The picture-girl smiled at him and whispered, “How do you do, Ray?”

“I’m very well, thank you,” answered the little boy; “but I didn’t know that you knew me.”

“Didn’t you?” replied Rosebud. “I know you very well indeed.”

“That seems strange,” said Ray; “how do you know me so well?”

“I see you every day and hear your mamma talking to you,” was the answer.

“Yes, of course you do, I never thought of that,” said Ray. “Perhaps you see everything I do.”

“I do indeed,” replied the picture-girl; “that is, I see everything you do in this room.”

“You must excuse me for throwing all the books on top of you when I was putting my papa’s desk in order. I hope it did not hurt you.”

“Of course I don’t like to have books thrown at me, it hurts my feelings,” said Rosebud sweetly.

“I wouldn’t do that for anything and I shall be more careful,” added Ray.

“Do you ever play?” asked the little boy thinking what a sweet little playmate Rosebud would be.

“O yes, when I’m not busy.”

“What do you do when you are busy?” asked Ray with curiosity.

“Well, you see,” said Rosebud, “all the days of the year are numbered right under my feet, and when people come in to see my calendar I smile and hold up my roses, so that they may know that it is a beautiful day and smile also.”

“But suppose it isn’t a beautiful day,” said the boy; “suppose it happens to be dark and rainy.”

“But every day is beautiful and if it is a little dark I try to look all the brighter.”

“I don’t like rainy days very well,” said Ray, “but perhaps they are nice.”

“Indeed they are,” answered Rosebud; “how bright the flowers look after a shower! And the dear rain washes everything, you know.”

“Rainy days are good, I forgot about the flowers and things,” said Ray and then added quickly, “If you were not busy now you might play with me.”

“I’ll tell you a story,” said Rosebud, “if you would like to hear me.”

Ray was delighted to hear a story and sat very still while Rosebud began:—

Once upon a time there was a little brown mouse whose name was Nibble. He built himself a snug house not far from the coal-bin in a nice warm cellar. Every day he attended to his household duties, called at his grocery store (the pantry up-stairs) and then went out for a quiet walk. One day he met Mrs. Ratt, who lived across the street, and he stopped to have a friendly chat with her.

“How do you like your tenants?” asked Mrs. Ratt.

“Very much indeed,” replied Nibble. “They are so exclusive that they won’t even tolerate a cat. Of course that shows their good sense, because of all creatures I do dislike cats, they are so——”

“Grasping,” sneered Mrs. Ratt.

“Yes,” assented Nibble, “and nosy, if I may use a vulgar expression.”

“And sly,” quoth Mrs. Ratt, shaking her head.

“Yes, indeed,” replied Nibble, “if those horrid cats had their way they would drive us out of existence.”

“Well, thank goodness, I’m not annoyed by the ill-bred creatures,” he added with a satisfied blink.

“No,” sighed Mrs. Ratt, “you are rich and prosperous while I have to scratch for a bite to eat.”

Nibble gloried in his good fortune, so he told Mrs. Ratt about all the good things he had to eat, and to crown this air of plenty he invited Mrs. Ratt and all her family to a party the following night. Then they parted and Nibble went home to arrange his house in neat order for his guests.

He had some fine old cheese and was going to make a rarebit for his friends, but he got so hungry that he ate it all up, and on the night of the party he found that he had but one cracker and a piece of an old shoe. He was disappointed, because he wanted to impress Mrs. Ratt with his abundance. He had just made up his mind to go to the grocery store before she came when he heard a little squeal outside his house, and on opening the door there stood Mrs. Ratt and all her children.

“Good evening,” said Mrs. Ratt, “I’m afraid we are a little late, but the fact is I’m rather timid, you know, and waited until it was quite safe.”

“You did perfectly right,” said Nibble. “I’m afraid you live in a very dangerous locality.”

“I should say so,” replied Mrs. Ratt, and she raised her eyes in horror. “There have been no less than five hold-ups within the last week, all my relations too,” she added with a squeal.

“Who is the desperado?” asked Nibble.

“Who should it be but our ancient enemy,” groaned Mrs. Ratt, shaking her head. “A precious pair of rascals by name Thomas and Maria, they are the terror of our peaceful community.”

“Horrors!” exclaimed Nibble, “those two midnight prowlers!”

“Yes,” sighed Mrs. Ratt, “not only committing deeds of violence, but disturbing the whole neighborhood with their orgies.”

“Well, well,” said Nibble, “there’ll be an end to it some time,” and Mrs. Ratt added quickly, “Yes, if there isn’t an end to us first.”

“I wonder people put up with their behavior!” exclaimed Nibble.

“Put up with it!” echoed Mrs. Ratt, with scorn, “they like it and encourage those cats in their evil doing. Why, only the other day I happened to be peeking through the blinds and there stood a man stroking this same notorious Maria and calling her pet names.”

“The idea!” said Nibble, “and what did she do, the pampered thing?”

“Why, even then, she had her back up about something,” was the answer.

“Suppose we think of something more pleasant to talk about,” ventured Nibble, in his sweetest tones, “these cats grate on my nerves.”

Just then the baby rat cried out, “I’m hungry,” and Nibble had to give him the only cracker to eat.

“Now, what shall I do?” thought Nibble; “there isn’t a thing in my house except that old shoe, and that will only sharpen their appetites.”

All at once a new thought struck him and he said, “I have a little surprise in store for you, my dear Mrs. Ratt; instead of having the party in my humble place, I thought we might go up-stairs where there is more light and air.”

“How delightful!” exclaimed Mrs. Ratt, while Nibble added, “Of course we will be just as quiet as possible to show the folks that we do not hold our gatherings after the manner of those ill-bred cats.”

“Certainly,” assented all the rats, and they followed their host out of the cellar and up the stairs so quietly that you would never have heard them.

They had supper in the pantry, and a most tempting repast it was! Crackers, cheese, apples, lump sugar and a delicious morsel of mince pie.

“How thoughtful your tenants must be!” said Mrs. Ratt, “this pie is really good.”

“Just like mother used to make,” said Nibble with a wink.

“But what have we here?” cried Mrs. Ratt, smelling a stone jug.

She got the stopper off and after taking a deep whiff exclaimed: “Elderberry wine as I live!” Then she raised her eyes and said: “Ah, Nibble, you are indeed blessed with the good things of this life!” Nibble waved one of his front feet as much as to say, “This is really nothing at all, you know,” when all at once those young rats knocked over the jug of wine. It made a terrible noise and very soon footsteps were heard approaching the pantry. In a second Nibble had started with all his friends behind him and never stopped running until he reached his house in the cellar quite breathless with excitement.

No sooner did he get in bed than he heard a terrible squeal in the street and he knew that something dreadful had happened to Mrs. Ratt and her family.

As he never saw them again he had strong suspicions that Thomas and Maria had added another crime to their long list of misdeeds.

Whether it was owing to the elderberry wine or the hasty flight, Nibble slept very sound that night and all the next day.

After that he felt better, and one morning he ventured to peep out.

Imagine his surprise when there sat a bold, bad cat looking at him.

“Good morning,” said Maria, pleasantly.

“How do you do?” returned Nibble with great dignity.

“O, won’t you come and play with me?” asked Maria in her most coaxing tones.

“No, thank you,” said Nibble, “I’m too busy.”

“How doth the little busy mouse

Improve each shining minute.

She softly travels through the house

And gets the best that’s in it.”

Thus sang Maria, and then laughed long and loud, but even this little serenade would not tempt Nibble from his cosy house.

“You are the handsomest mouse in these parts,” said the cat.

Nibble pricked up his ears; he did love to be flattered, and whispered, “Think so?”

“I’m sure of it,” answered Maria; “and if it was not for the fact that you’ve lost your tail you’d be the prince of fine fellows.”

“But I haven’t lost my tail,” declared Nibble; “it is very long indeed.”

“I can hardly believe that,” said Maria, “because the other day when you went up-stairs to the pantry I could not see any tail.”

“Did you see me the other day going into the pantry?” asked Nibble in surprise.

“O yes, indeed!” answered the cat.

Now this statement of Maria’s was not true, as she had never seen Nibble until that moment, but the foolish little mouse believed it, and thought if the cat did not hurt him on that other day she would not now.

“I’ll just run across the cellar and then you can see for yourself what a nice tail I have,” said the vain Nibble.

That was all the cat wanted. She caught Nibble and that was the last that was seen of him.

When Rosebud had finished this story she danced all around on her dainty toes. Then she glided slowly forward and backward, making low courtesies to the little boy. After a while her steps became faster and faster. She shook her pretty curls and beckoned to Ray, and before he knew it he was dancing too.

Rosebud took his hand, and together they danced all around the room.

The strangest part of it was that they danced over chairs and tables as lightly as if they were not there. O it was delightful, and Ray felt that if there had been a window open they would have danced right out and up to the blue sky. At last they stopped a minute, and just then there was a step in the hall and somebody opened the door.

It was Ray’s dear mamma who had missed her little boy and had come to find him.

“O mamma!” exclaimed Ray, “I want you to meet my little playmate.”

Ray turned to find Rosebud, but she was not there. Then he looked behind the chairs and in every corner but he could not find her.

He was just beginning to feel very much disappointed when he happened to looked on his papa’s desk. There was Rosebud in her old place on the picture standing with her bunch of roses and smiling at him.

CHAPTER III.
THE BOY IN THE TEAPOT.

ON Aunt Polly’s table stood a blue china teapot. Such a pretty little teapot it was, with strange leaves and figures all over it, and right in the center was a queer little boy with two great birds, one on each side of him. He was dressed queerly too, not at all like the little boys you know. He wore a loose sack with very wide sleeves and a broad sash that went under his arms. His trousers were very wide and he had on the dearest little slippers with curled up toes.

Ray liked to look at Ah Lee (that was the teapot boy’s name) and wondered about him. And as our little boy often visited Aunt Polly he became very well acquainted with the strange little boy in the teapot.

One afternoon his auntie had company and Ray was among the guests. After having a cup of delicious tea, made in the blue china teapot, everybody looked at Ray and then stole softly into the parlor.

He was lying on his back on an old-fashioned lounge, his hands under his head, thinking about the teapot boy.

Imagine his surprise when all at once somebody said, “I think I’ll go home this afternoon.”

“Excuse me,” said Ray, who was not quite sure, “did you speak, Ah Lee?”

“Yes,” answered the boy in the teapot, “I’m going to take a flying trip home. Would you like to come?”

“Thank you,” said Ray, “I would like it very much, if you don’t stay too late.”

“Come along then,” replied Ah Lee, stepping down from the teapot and the two great birds with him. He jumped on the back of one of the birds and said to Ray, “Follow me,” and almost before he knew it, Ray was on the back of the other bird flying through the air behind the teapot boy. They flew over houses and high church steeples, over the tree-tops and telegraph poles, over deep woods and open green meadows. At last they came to a very large lake.

“Let us fly down here and water our birds,” said Ah Lee, beginning to descend on his great bird. Ray did the same, and when they were near enough to the water the birds put their long bills into it and took a deep drink. Then they rose into the air again and continued their journey over the land and over the sea.

“Is it very far?” asked Ray, as they flew along faster and faster all the time.

“We are almost there,” answered Ah Lee, and in a very few minutes they began to descend down, down, down, until they touched the ground.

The boys got off the birds and Ray looked about him. He had never seen such queer sights before. The people around him looked just like Ah Lee.

Almost before he knew it, Ray was on the back of the other bird flying through the air behind the teapot boy.—Page 32. Little Miss Dorothy.

They were dressed in soft, bright-colored silks and had long braids of straight black hair.

Ah Lee took Ray’s hand and they walked along till they came to a queer little house with a garden.

“Now you sit here and wait for me,” whispered Ah Lee, and he went into the house while Ray waited on a small black stool. He thought the flowers were very pretty about him, and he was just going to take one when a voice called out, “The Princess comes to the garden!” Ray turned to see who had spoken and beheld a little girl, who smiled at him and held a fan behind her ear. She asked him who he was and whence he came and when he had told his story she said:

“My name is Yan Lu and I attend the Princess.”

“How I would like to see her!” exclaimed Ray.

“Then follow me,” said Yan Lu. “I will hide thee behind a great plant and thou canst see the Princess when she comes.”

Ray followed Yan Lu and as they went along he could not help looking at her feet. Such tiny feet he had never seen! They were so small that she could hardly walk. She took little mincing steps and rested a great many times, looking behind at Ray and smiling.

“Are your shoes too tight?” asked our little boy, feeling sorry for Yan Lu and glad that his own shoes were so comfortable.

But Yan Lu looked down at her little feet and only laughed and then glanced slyly at Ray and laughed again. He began to think that perhaps they did not hurt her, she laughed so much about it.

Ray noticed that her hair was all done up in rolls and had great pins sticking through it.

“She is really a very odd little girl,” thought Ray.

They came to a large plant and Yan Lu told Ray to stand behind it. Then she waved her fan to him and took her little mincing steps again and walked off. In a few seconds Ray saw a procession coming. He kept very still, and as it came nearer he saw that four tall men were carrying a sort of chair in which a little girl was sitting.

“That must be the Princess,” thought Ray, and just then he caught sight of his little friend Yan Lu who walked behind the chair.

When they reached the spot where Ray was hiding the four tall men placed the chair on the ground and the little Princess arose and stepped out of it. She waved her hand and the men took the chair and walked away. Ray was not afraid of the Princess, but still he did not want her to see him, so he kept as still as a mouse behind the great plant.

She looked all round and suddenly peered through the leaves at Ray. Their eyes met and the little Princess said softly, “Peek-a-Boo!”

Ray could not help smiling, but he quickly stepped to the other side of the plant. The Princess did the same and, smiling through the leaves, whispered again, “Peek-a-Boo!” Then Ray came from behind the plant and stood face to face with the Princess and Yan Lu.

“Won’t you please tell me your name?” asked Ray, and the little Princess replied:

“Why, my friend, I have told it to you twice. My name is Peek-a-Boo.”

“Are you carried in that chair all the time?” asked Ray, and Peek-a-Boo replied:

“Most of the time; you see my feet are so small that I cannot walk very well, they are smaller even than Yan Lu’s.”

“What a pity,” cried Ray; “I hope they will grow bigger.”

“O no, little boy; they are all bandaged up so that they cannot grow!”

“It must hurt,” replied Ray.

“Well, perhaps it does a little,” said Peek-a-Boo with a giggle; “but in my country it is considered very nice for girls to have tiny feet.”

“My cousin Dorothy is a little girl like you,” remarked Ray, “and her feet are almost as large as mine.”

Both girls gave a little shriek at this piece of news and Peek-a-Boo said, “O-o-o! that must be dreadful!”

“O, no, it isn’t,” answered Ray quickly; “I think it is fine to have feet that you can run and jump with.”

Yan Lu laughed aloud and Peek-a-Boo giggled behind her fan.

“Would you like to play?” asked Peek-a-Boo suddenly.

Before Ray could answer Yan Lu whispered something to the Princess and she said, “Truly I forgot it is the great kite-flying day and my grandfather flies a ship.” She turned to Ray and said, “Come quickly.” He followed the two little girls down the garden path and all at once he saw the queerest sight. A number of people, old and young, were flying kites.

They were very much interested in it and Ray had never seen such queer-looking kites before. They were all sorts and sizes, and all at once Peek-a-Boo clapped her hands and cried, “There is my grandfather with his great ship.” Ray looked and saw an old man with a kite shaped like a great ship, and he was running hither and thither with it like a boy.

It was fun for Ray to watch him and he grew so excited that he ran to the old man and asked if he might help.

After much effort the great kite rose in the air and everybody seemed pleased. Ray watched a small boy whose kite was so far up in the air that it looked like a tiny white speck. All at once the boy began to draw down the kite, and when he caught it Ray saw that it was in the shape of a great fish.

When he had seen all the queer kites Yan Lu whispered:

“You must be hungry, come with me and get some dinner.”

Peek-a-Boo remained near her grandfather viewing the kites, while Ray followed Yan Lu into the house and sat at a table right beside his old friend Ah Lee. A small bowl was placed before him and two little wooden sticks. Ray forgot where he was for a minute and started to drum with them, but Ah Lee gently touched his foot and Ray remembered that it was not polite to drum on the table.

Ray had a dish of chop suee and a tiny cup of black tea which tasted very good indeed.

As they arose from the table he could hear voices singing in another room and it sounded just like this:—

“Oo luck ging foo,

Chow chow wing choo,

Ah Lee chee chee,

O chee O chee.”

It sounded so funny to Ray that he laughed aloud, but Ah Lee shook his head and Ray said quickly, “Please excuse me.”

“Are we going home soon?” asked Ray, as they went into the garden.

“Yes,” answered Ah Lee, “we are going now.” He took Ray’s hand and they ran quickly to the spot where the great birds were waiting for them.

Just as they jumped on the birds, Ray saw Yan Lu and the little Princess Peek-a-Boo waving their fans and saying “Good-by, come again from the land of big feet.”

Ray smiled at the two little girls and rose in the air on his bird.

In another minute he was flying; over lakes and rivers, mountains and valleys, and far over a great deep ocean where large ships were sailing.

Ray held on to his bird with all his might when they were flying over the dark water so that he would not fall.

Again they flew over steeples and house-tops and reached Ray’s country. Right down to Aunt Polly’s house flew the birds, but how they got into the house and how Ah Lee and his great birds got back to their old places on the teapot, and how Ray found himself on the lounge, I leave you, my dear little readers, to guess.

However, it was all done so quickly that nobody knew what had happened except Ray and the Boy in the Teapot.