THE MARY FRANCES STORY BOOK - 37 Illustrated Stories among the Story People E-Book

Anon E. Mouse

• Herausgeber: Abela Publishing
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

All the stories in this book contain lessons; they teach something about cooking and sewing, knitting and crocheting, housekeeping and gardening, and first-aid—and tell a story, too; but The Mary Frances Story Book is all story, in fact 37 exquisitely illustrated stories drawn from many sources. On a summer afternoon Mary Frances took a holiday and sailed away across the blue water to an island—an island formed by the top of a coral mountain resting in a sea of blue—a brighter blue than the water anywhere in the world. The island itself and the roofs of the houses were coral white, with palm, banana and mahogany tree encased in green. The breezes that blew are the warm, soft breezes of the southern sun. This island is the “enchanted island” of the good story-tellers which Mary Frances, and now all children, are allowed to visit. The story people who live there believed in truth and beauty, and courage and kindness, and these are the theme of all their stories. As may be imagined, when Mary Frances came home she had not only one, but many new stories to tell; and they are now written in this book. This volume is sure to keep you and your young ones enchanted for hours, if not because of the quantity, then their quality. They will have you coming back for more time and again. ============ KEYWORDS/TAGS: fairy tales, folklore, myths, legends, children’s stories, childrens stories, bygone era, fairydom, fairy kingdom, ethereal, fairy land, classic stories, children’s bedtime stories, happy place, happiness, laughter, Sea Shore, Ferry, Pirate’s Cat, the Lost Story, Land Ahoy, Old Witch, Iron Chain, Curtain, Search, Find, Chase, Punishment, The Bubble Story, Anon, First Day, Mischievous, Anna, Peter Diamonds, Toads, Macé’s Fairy Tales, Magic Necklace, Cat, Carrots, Brahmin, Tiger, Jackal, Hindu, Folk Tales, Red Dragon, Poems, Crow, Twins, Tiny, Adventures In Tiny Town, Lock-Up, Adopt, Discover, Fire, Adventures, Saves, Baby, Life, Shopping, Mother, Second Day, Magic Mask, Closing Door, Maud Lindsay, Tom, Well, Neil Forest, Gloomy Gus, Christmas Cat, Alfred Westfall, Patty, Pitcher, Crowquill’s, Magic Circle, Wonderful Pitcher, Well Dressed, Stranger, Trouble, Third Day, Sir Galahad, Sir Thomas Malory, King Arthur, Knights Of The Round Table, Order Of Knighthood, The Sword In The Stone, Perilous Seat, The Sword Of Balin Le Savage, Quest, Holy Grail, White Shield, Red Cross, Sir Launcelot, Sir Percival,  Attack, Gentlewoman, Mysterious Ship, Sword Of The Strange Belt, Risk, Knight In White Armor, Achieves, Quest, Bears Across The Sea, Passing Of Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, Camelot, Sir Launfal, James Russell Lowell, Fourth Day, Music, Bewitched, Hartley Richards, Bob Three Foes, Father Pan, Revenge, Ann, Catch A Thief. Daisy Gilbert, John, Margaret Paton, Among Savages, Grace E. Craig, Strange Guest,  Washington Irving, Spectre Bridegroom, Wedding Feast, Midnight Music, Robert Of Sicily, Henry W. Longfellow, Man Without A Country, Edward Everett Hale, Your Flag, My Flag, Wilbur D. Nesbit, Last, Story Island, Cricket On The Hearth, Charles Dickens, Chirp, First, Peerybingles, Caleb Plummer, Tackleton, Dot, Upset, Bertha, Blind Girl, Father, Eyes, Carrier, Cart, Party, Shadow On The Hearth, Listen To The Cricket, Blame, Confess, Deceit, Returns To Life, Unexpected, Return Home, Goodbye, Mary Frances, Come Again

Leseprobe

THE MARY FRANCES STORY BOOK

OR ADVENTURES AMONG THE STORY PEOPLE

Jane Eayre Fryer

Illustrated By Edwin John Prittie

Originally Published By

THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY PHILADELPHIA,[1921]

Resurrected by

Abela Publishing, London[2018]

The Mary Frances Story Book

Typographical arrangement of this edition

© Abela Publishing 2018

This book may not be reproduced in its current format in any manner in any media, or transmitted by any means whatsoever, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, or mechanical ( including photocopy, file or video recording, internet web sites, blogs, wikis, or any other information storage and retrieval system) except as permitted by law without the prior written permission

of the publisher.

Abela Publishing,

London

United Kingdom

ISBN-: 978-X-XXXXXX-XX-X

email:

[email protected]

Website

Abela Publishing

ABELA: Zulu – to share or distribute

For all boys and girls who love stories.Jane Eayre Fryer

Dedication

This Ebook Is Dedicated To Emmy Friend, Colleague, Mentor, Role Model, Who Fell Off The Planet Far Too Soon.

They Could See that the Pirate’s Ship was Keeping the Distance the Same as at First Between Them.

Preface

The Mary Frances Story Book is different from the other Mary Frances Books. They are part lessons and part story; they teach something about cooking and sewing, knitting and crocheting, housekeeping and gardening, and first-aid—and tell a story, too; but The Mary Frances Story Book is all story.

On a summer afternoon Mary Frances took a holiday and sailed away across the blue water to an island—an island formed by the top of a coral mountain resting in a sea of blue; oh, so blue—a brighter blue than the water in your mother’s bluing tub—not the blue that makes you feel sad and blue, but the blue that makes you laugh with happiness. The island itself and the roofs of the houses were coral white, and the green was the green of the palm and banana and mahogany tree. The breezes that blew over them were the warm, soft breezes of the southern sun. This island was the “enchanted island” of the good story-tellers which Mary Frances was allowed to visit. The story people who lived there believed in truth and beauty, and courage and kindness, and these were the theme of their stories. Like all good islands, this island had enemies, but they came to a bad end, as, in the long run, all evil persons will; and truth and beauty, and courage and kindness won the day, as they always must in every land where the searchlight of the sun flashes its beams.

As may be imagined, when Mary Frances came home she had not only one, but many stories to tell; and they are written in this book.

J. E. F.

Merchantville, N. J.

Acknowledgments

For kind permission to use copyrighted and other material, the author is indebted to the following: Milton Bradley Company, for “The Closing Door”, from Mother Stories, by Maud Lindsay; Little, Brown & Company, for “Tom Goes Down the Well”, from Mice at Play, by Neil Forest; Presbyterian Board of Publication, for “Gloomy Gus and the Christmas Cat”, by Alfred Westfall, and “Ann Catches a Thief”, by Daisy Gilbert; McLoughlin Brothers, for “Patty and Her Pitcher”; The Beacon Press, for “The Brahmin, the Tiger, and the Jackal”, from First Book of Religion; Cassel & Company, for “Music Bewitched”, by Hartley Richards; American Baptist Publication Society, for “John and Margaret Paton Among Savages”, by Grace E. Craig; Bobbs-Merrill Company, for “Your Flag and My Flag”, from The Trail to Boyland, by Wilbur D. Nesbit, copyright 1904. Acknowledgment is also due to Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company, for “The Bubble Story”, “Mischievous Anna and Peter”, and “The Cat and the Carrots”.

Contents

THE TRIP TO STORY ISLAND

I. On the Shore

II. The Good Ferry Puts Out to Sea

III. The Pirate’s Cat

IV. The Story of the Lost Story

V. Land Ahoy

VI. The Old Witch and the Iron-Chain Curtain

VII. Finding the Lost Story

VIII. The Pirate Chases The Good Ferry

IX. The Terrible Punishment of the Pirate and the Old Witch

X. The Bubble Story Anon.

STORIES TOLD THE FIRST DAY

XI. Mischievous Anna and Peter Anon.

XII. Diamonds and Toads Macé’s Fairy Tales

XIII. The Magic Necklace Macé’s Fairy Tales

XIV. The Cat and the Carrots Anon.

XV. The Brahmin, the Tiger, and the Jackal Hindu Folk Tale

XVI. The Red Dragon Anon.

XVII. Two Poems

….If I Could Crow

….The Twins

XVIII. Tiny’s Adventures in Tinytown

….Tiny Gets Lost

….Tiny Is Put in the Lock-up

….Tiny Is Adopted

….Tiny Discovers a Fire

XIX. Tiny Has More Adventures

….Tiny Saves a Baby’s Life

….Tiny Goes Shopping

….Tiny’s Mother Finds Her

STORIES TOLD THE SECOND DAY

XX. The Magic Mask Old Tale—Retold

XXI. The Closing Door Maud Lindsay

XXII. Tom Goes Down the Well Neil Forest

XXIII. Gloomy Gus and the Christmas Cat Alfred Westfall

XXIV. Patty and Her Pitcher Crowquill’s Fairy Tales

….In the Magic Circle

….The Wonderful Pitcher

….The Well-dressed Stranger

….Patty in Trouble

….The Pitcher to the Rescue

THE STORIES OF THE THIRD DAY

XXV. Sir Galahad Sir Thomas Malory—Adapted

….King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

….Galahad Receives the Order of Knighthood

….The Adventure of the Sword in the Stone

….Sir Galahad Sits in the Perilous Seat

….Sir Galahad Wins the Sword of Balin le Savage

….The Knights of the Round Table Set Out in Quest of the Holy Grail

….Sir Galahad Finds a White Shield with a Red Cross

….Sir Launcelot and Sir Percival Attack Sir Galahad

….The Adventure of the Gentlewoman, the Mysterious Ship, and the Sword of the Strange Belt

….The Gentlewoman Risks Her Life for Another

….Sir Galahad Meets a Knight in White Armor

….Sir Galahad Achieves His Quest, and Bears the Holy Grail Across the Sea

….The Passing of Sir Galahad, the End of Sir Percival, and the Return of Sir Bors to Camelot

XXVI. How Sir Launfal Achieved the Holy Grail James Russell Lowell—Retold

THE STORIES OF THE FOURTH DAY

XXVII. Music Bewitched Hartley Richards

….Bob’s Three Foes

….Father Pan’s Revenge

XXVIII. Ann Catches a Thief Daisy Gilbert

XXIX. John and Margaret Paton Among Savages Grace E. Craig

XXX. The Strange Guest Washington Irving—Retold from The Spectre Bridegroom

….The Wedding Feast

….The Midnight Music

XXXI. Robert of Sicily Henry W. Longfellow—Retold

XXXII. The Man Without a Country Edward Everett Hale—Retold

XXXIII. Your Flag and My Flag Wilbur D. Nesbit

THE LAST DAY ON STORY ISLAND

….The Cricket on the Hearth, A Fairy Tale of Home Charles Dickens—Adapted

XXXIV. Chirp the First

….The Peerybingles

….The Strange Old Gentleman

….Caleb Plummer

….Tackleton

….Dot is Upset

XXXV. Chirp the Second

….Bertha, the Blind Girl, and Her Father

….Tackleton Comes In

….Bertha’s Eyes

….The Carrier’s Cart

….The Party at Caleb’s

….The Shadow on the Hearth

XXXVI. Chirp the Third

….John Listens to the Cricket

….John Blames Himself

….Caleb Confesses His Deceit

….The Dead Returns to Life

….Tackleton Does the Unexpected

THE RETURN HOME

XXXVII. Good-by, Mary Frances. Come Again!

List of Illustrations

They Could See that the Pirate’s Ship was Keeping the Distance the Same as at First Between ThemFrontispiece

Mary Frances Leaned Down and Caught Hold of His Fins

“Just Some Flying Fish,” Answered the Cat

She Fed Him a Little at a Time with a Medicine Dropper

On One of the Flowers was Perched a Tiny Fairy

They were as High Up in the Air as the Top of a Mountain

She Drank Long and Eagerly

He Threw the Necklace Around Coralie’s Neck

“Have You no Feelings?” said the Carrot

“Wow!” shrieked the Dragon

Just at Her Feet Lay the Tiniest Little Bit of a Town

The Pony Cantered All the Way Down the Street

She Ran as Fast as She Could and was Just in Time to Drag the Baby Out of the Way of the Wagon

“Mother!” she Cried. “Oh, Mother!”

The Magic Mask was Ready, and Herlo Tried It on the King’s Face

But All the United Efforts of Bess and Bob and Archie’s Left Arm could not Raise Tom

He Swung Down the Trail with a Speed that Mocked the Wind at His Back

She then Touched the Pitcher with Her Wand

“Be not Alarmed, Dear Mistress,” said the Pitcher

Immediately He Grasped the Sword by the Handle, But could not Stir It

Then Sir Galahad Took His Place in the Field

A Monk Led Him Behind the Altar where the Shield Hung as White as Snow, but in the Center was a Red Cross

The Damsel Rode as Fast as Her Horse would Gallop that Night and All The Next Day till They Came in Sight of the Sea

Slowly Sleep Came Upon Him and He Dreamed

Away Went the Schoolmaster’s Legs, Cutting such Capers as the World Never Looked Upon Before

Before the Door of a Low, Thatched Hut Stood a Fair-haired Young Woman

Once He Thought He Saw Them

A Tall Figure Stood Among the Shadows of the Trees

Toward the Very Last, Robert the Jester Rode on a Piebald Pony

He Flung the Book into the Sea

Your Flag and My Flag

“If You Please, I was to be Left till Called For”

There were Houses in It, Furnished and Unfurnished, for Dolls of All Stations in Life

They Jogged on for Some Time in Silence

The Trip to Story Island

On The Shore.—The Good Ferry Puts Out To Sea.—The Pirate’s Cat.—The Lost Story.—Land Ahoy.—The Old Witch And The Iron-Chain Curtain.—Finding The Lost Story.—The Pirate Chases The Good Ferry.—The Terrible Punishment Of The Pirate And The Old Witch.—The Bubble Story.

I ON THE SHORE

F only—” whispered Mary Frances to herself, as she closed the book she had been reading, “if only one could find the ‘enchanted island,’ and the ‘hidden treasure of stories’—I wish—I wish the story told how to get there!”

She was sitting on the branches of a tree, which were so bent that they formed a sort of hammocky rocking chair. The tree was close to the bank of the river, and away in the distance the whitecaps of the ocean rolled up and broke upon the beach.

“It’s quite a journey,” said a small voice, “quite a long journey.”

Mary Frances looked all around, but could not find where the voice came from.

“You see, it’s out at sea,” continued the voice; “and only one boat and one passenger a year. What’s more——”

This last was uttered with a deep sigh.

“Why, where are you? Who are you?” asked Mary Frances, springing up.

“Here I am, but I won’t be long,” continued the voice. “You’d better look lively, for I can’t cling to this fence much longer. Besides, I am almost out of element!”

Then the little girl saw a dolphin sitting on the top rail of the fence, holding on with one fin.

“Oh!” she cried, “do you really know where the ‘enchanted island’ is? Will you tell me how to get there?”

16 “That I will!” said the dolphin. “That I will, if you’ll get me a little of my element first.”

“What is that?” asked Mary Frances.

“Why, you couldn’t live without yours for one minute! I’ll die if I don’t get some soon!”

“Oh, dear, what can it be? Whatever in the world is your element? I don’t want you to die!”

“Be quick!” cried the dolphin, fanning himself with the other fin. “I feel very faint!”

“I’ll get some water!” Stooping quickly, Mary Frances filled her hat. Before she could dash it over him, the dolphin ducked his head into the hatful of water.

“Thank you,” he said, raising his head. “You’re not so dull after all. Water is my element; air is yours.”

“Of course,” said Mary Frances; but she wondered why the dolphin didn’t jump back into the water.

“The reason is that it takes me so long to climb a fence!”

“Oh!” said Mary Frances, although she didn’t see why the dolphin had to sit on a fence to talk.

“So that there’ll be no offense!” said the dolphin, after staring at her for a while; “but to refer to the trip—have you a ticket?”

“Why, no, I don’t think I have.” Mary Frances searched in her pockets, and pulled out some ribbon, a doll’s wig, a thimble, and a piece of paper.

“That’s the ticket!” exclaimed the dolphin, pointing with his fin. “All you need to do is to sign it. Have you a pencil?”

Mary Frances searched again in her pockets, while the dolphin looked on anxiously, but couldn’t find one.

“Well, never mind; just pull out one of my whiskers,” he said. “It will write right well.”

“But I might hurt you!” cried Mary Frances.

“Not if you take that loose one,” he said, pointing with his fin.

17 Very gently Mary Frances pulled it, and out it came.

“Sign your name!” cried the dolphin excitedly. “Right at the end of the paper!”

“Excuse me,” said Mary Frances; “my father says that no one should ever sign a paper without reading it.”

“That’s good reading!” said the dolphin. “Read it!”

And Mary Frances read:

Good forOne First Class PassagetoStory Island

I Believe in All Good Fairies.Signed ———No. 1,234,567.

“Of course, I’ll sign that!” said Mary Frances, gravely using the dolphin’s whisker.

At that, the dolphin fell over with a great splash into the water.

“Oh!” screamed Mary Frances, “you’ll be drowned!” But, just at that moment, up came the dolphin’s head out of the water.

“My element!” he said. Then Mary Frances laughed to think how soon she had forgotten.

“Hold your ticket and wait right where you are!” the dolphin called out, swimming away.

Mary Frances watched the splashing tail and shining back flashing in the sun. Two or three times he leaped playfully in the air, turned somersaults in the water, and then disappeared from sight in the little cove near the mouth of the river.

II THE GOOD FERRY PUTS OUT TO SEA

“OH, my,” thought Mary Frances; “oh, my, I hope he won’t forget!”

After a little while, she caught sight of the dolphin swimming around the little high peninsula on one side of the cove. He seemed to be piloting something, for every few seconds he would leap up and look around as if to make sure that everything was as it should be.

Soon Mary Frances saw a beautiful little sailboat rounding the point. Surely it was following the dolphin. As it drew nearer she could read the name in gold letters on the prow, The Good Ferry.

A brisk wind filled the white sails and brought the boat so swiftly up the river that the dolphin had to swim with all his might to keep ahead. As she came to anchor in the shallow water near the bank, the dolphin called out, “Have you your ticket?”

“Yes,” answered Mary Frances, holding it up to view.

“Then step on my back and jump aboard!” said the dolphin.

As Mary Frances placed her foot on the dolphin as on a bridge, he suddenly arched his back and tossed her aboard.

“Take plenty of time to look the ship over,” he called out; “and don’t lose your ticket!”

Then the dolphin, with The Good Ferry following in his wake, swam down the river and put out to sea.

The Good Ferry was a charming little boat, graceful in every line. It wasn’t any longer than a large rowboat, but it seemed to have every comfort provided. There was on deck a comfortable deck chair; upon it was spread a beautiful steamer rug.

19 “I’ll take a nice nap, after I look the boat over,” thought Mary Frances.

As she made her way into the cabin, she uttered a cry of delight—and no wonder. Any girl would have loved it. The walls and woodwork were ivory white. Soft pink and light blue hangings fluttered at the windows. A large bowl, filled with pink roses and turquoise blue larkspurs, stood on the little golden dressing table with its folding mirrors.

A little ivory-white princess dresser, with its full-length mirror, stood across one corner, and an ivory-white bed across the other corner. On the rocking-chair, and bed, and dresser were painted pink and blue flowers, and the covers of the table, bed and dresser were embroidered with the same designs.

There was a wardrobe in a corner, and in it Mary Frances found the loveliest dressing gown of pink crêpe de chine, embroidered with sprays of light blue forget-me-nots, and white daisies with yellow centers, and pink roses; and a pair of light blue bedroom slippers and silk stockings, and a boudoir cap and nightgown, and a big steamer coat and cap—all just the right size.

“Just like a grown-up young lady,” she thought.

There were two more doors; one led to a pretty white bathroom, and the other to a little dining-room, lined with mirrors.

“I can’t get lonesome,” thought Mary Frances, “with so many ‘me’s’ about me;” and she laughed, and, just as she laughed, food appeared on the table. There were chicken soup, and celery, and olives, and crackers.

“Oh, dear! How hungry I am!” she exclaimed. “I guess this is meant for me;” and she sat down on the one chair at the table and began to eat the soup.

“I feel lots better!” said she, finishing the last drop. “It’s not good table manners to tip this plate,” she thought; “but I guess my reflections will excuse me,” and she bowed to the pictures of herself in the mirrors, and laughed.

Then suddenly the soup course disappeared from the table,20 and in its place there were roast turkey and cranberry sauce, and roasted sweet potatoes and apple sauce, and the many other things which go to make an all-around feast.

“How wonderful!” exclaimed Mary Frances, helping herself to turkey. “But how stupid to eat by myself, with only myself for company.” Just then she looked out of the porthole window and saw the dolphin, swimming ahead of the little ship.

“I’ll go invite the dolphin to dinner,” she thought; and went on deck.

Imagine her surprise to find that there was no land in sight. Neither was there any ship. The only other thing than the dolphin was the sea-gulls flying overhead.

“Hallo! Hallo!” shouted Mary Frances, making a trumpet of her hands. “Mr. Dolphin, Mr. Dolphin, one moment, please!”

The dolphin turned and looked at her. “Yes?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Please, Mr. Dolphin, do you ever eat? I am lonesome, eating all alone.”

“I eat only fish,” said the dolphin. “They are in my element, you see. I do not find my food out of my element.”

“Oh, as to that,” replied Mary Frances, “I will fill a bowl with your element, if you will only accept the invitation.”

“Agreed!” said the dolphin, swimming to the rope ladder hanging over the side of the ship. Mary Frances leaned down and caught hold of his fins, when within reach, and helped him up.

When the dolphin reached the deck, she picked up a fire-pail with a rope attached, threw it overside, and brought up a pail of water. Then she hastened to the dining-room and brought a bowl.

After that she helped the dolphin to the dining table. The only chair was clamped in place to the floor, just as on any steamer, and she could not move it. So she changed her place to the side of the table. As the chair was a revolving one, like a desk chair, she turned and turned it until it reached the right height for the dolphin. She placed the bowl of water, “element” she called it, at the dolphin’s place.

Mary Frances Leaned Down and Caught Hold of His Fins

“Is there anything on the table, Mr. Dolphin,” she asked, “which you would like?”

“Yes,” sighed the dolphin, “I would like some more salt in my element soup.”

Mary Frances gravely shook the salt-shaker over the bowl for a full minute. The dolphin tasted the water. “A little more, please,” he said.

So Mary Frances emptied almost all the rest of the salt out of the shaker into the bowl. The dolphin dipped in his head. “That’s excellent,” he said, smacking his lips.

“Mercy,” thought Mary Frances, “I do hope he won’t turn into a salt mackerel.”

“Salt Smackerel is my pet name,” said the dolphin, smacking his lips again, and wiping them with his fin.

“I hardly dare think,” thought Mary Frances, “yet I can’t help thinking, can I? What queer table manners he has! I suppose his mother never taught him not to smack his lips when he eats—just to chew with the lips closed.”

“I chew all I choose!” exclaimed the dolphin. “My mother never sat at a table, you see.”

“Oh!” said Mary Frances, “did she stand?”

“Three feet high in her stocking feet,” solemnly declared the dolphin, which Mary Frances didn’t consider an answer at all; but was too polite to say anything that might be annoying to a guest.

“I wonder what I can give him for dessert?” she thought.

“If you please,” said the dolphin, and Mary Frances noticed that he was very pale, “if you please, I do not care for any. You see, I have deserted my post—that is enough dessert for me, and I shouldn’t wonder if I’d be punished enough for it in a minute—Oh! Oh! what is that! It’s the pirate’s cat!” and with a scream, he leaped out of the window into the water.

III THE PIRATE’S CAT

“ME-OW! me-ow!” came the cat’s voice from the door.

“Oh, Kitty! Kitty!” cried Mary Frances, running toward it. “Why, wherever did you come from? I thought I had looked all over the ship.”

“Indeed,” replied the cat, “even if you had, and you have not, you wouldn’t have found me. The pirate’s been watching a year to throw me on board The Good Ferry.”

“Oh,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “the pirate—why, I haven’t seen any pirate!”

“Of course you haven’t,” said the cat; “he’s too smart for that. He’s been watching for a time when the dolphin had deserted his post.”

“Oh, dear,” thought Mary Frances, “it was all my fault;” but out loud she said, “Well, no great harm can come of it, anyway. Won’t you have some dinner?”

“Yes, thank you,” said the cat, looking longingly at the table.

“Take this chair,” invited Mary Frances, pointing to the dolphin’s place.

The cat leaped up on the chair, and carefully tucked a napkin into the collar on its neck. Mary Frances filled a plate with turkey and potatoes and gravy, and set it before the cat, who politely waited for her to take her place and begin to eat.

“Do not wait for me, Kitty,” said his hostess; “I’ve finished this course, thank you.”

Soon nothing was left on the plate.

Just as Mary Frances was going to suggest that ice cream might make a nice dessert, the cat began to tremble. It trembled so that the ship shook all over.

“Why, what is the matter?” asked Mary Frances. “Are you chilly?”

“Oh, dear, no,” replied the cat, its teeth chattering. “Oh, dear, no; but I forgot! The pirate will hang me! He will! He will!”

“Why will he hang you?” asked Mary Frances, quite bewildered, and a little frightened.

“Speak softly,” said the cat. “Come here, and I’ll whisper.” And behind his upraised paw, he told, “The pirate ordered me to eat the dolphin; and to bring his right fin to prove that I’d done it. And now I’m too full of dinner to do it.”

“Eat him, indeed!” said Mary Frances, angrily. “I’d like to see you!”

“Oh, would you?” cried the cat. “If you only hadn’t given me so much dinner, you might have had the pleasure—that is, if the dolphin had come aboard again. You see, I can’t do it now; I can’t catch him in the water. And the pirate said he’d come for me in an hour and nine minutes. It’s close to that now,” glancing at the clock. “Oh, what shall I do?”

“Why does the pirate want the dolphin killed?”

“Hush!” exclaimed the cat. “Speak softly! Come here! I’ll whisper the reason to you. It’s on account of the lost story. He thinks you might find it, and if the dolphin is destroyed, he can run down The Good Ferry. He can’t do the work himself, for he is bound in chains on his own ship, but he has prisoners on board whom he orders about, just as he did me. He can’t get within miles of The Good Ferry if the dolphin is guiding her. He was so mad that he didn’t notice when the dolphin first came aboard that the foam from his mouth was strong soapsuds, and washed the black decks of the pirate ship snow white.”

“But,” said Mary Frances, “you forget—if the dolphin guides the ship, the pirate can’t get you!”

At that the cat began to laugh joyously, and it laughed so hard that Mary Frances laughed too; and suddenly the meat course disappeared off the table and a huge block of ice cream appeared in its place, and Mary Frances and the cat—you know what they did.

IV THE STORY OF THE LOST STORY

“LET’S go on deck,” said Mary Frances, when they had finished, “and perhaps you can tell me more about the lost story. But first you must solemnly promise that you will not eat the dolphin.”

“I solemnly promise,” said the cat, with upraised paw.

“Very well,” said Mary Frances, leading the way to the deck chair, on which she lay down, while the cat curled himself up on a coil of rope near her head.

“It happened in this way,” began the cat, in a low tone of voice, as he nervously looked around. “You know the ‘enchanted island’ is Storyland, and the home of the Story People. The Story King and Queen have ruled there forever. Well, one day a wicked fellow, who had always said there were no such things as fairies, somehow got into the ‘enchanted island’—it has always been a mystery to me how he did it—and stole a story, and carried it away and hid it. The trouble is that no fairy is allowed to find it. The boy or girl who takes it back will be the first person allowed to enter the ‘enchanted island’ since it was lost.”

“Do you know where it is hidden?” asked Mary Frances.

“I have a slight idea,” whispered the cat.

“Is it on board the pirate ship?” she asked.

“It cannot be. I have searched everywhere—everywhere—everywhere-everywhere—” drowsily replied the cat. Mary Frances noticed that his eyes were closing.

“Just one thing more before you go to sleep, Puss; just one thing more,” she said. “Do you know how long it will take to reach the ‘enchanted island’?”

“And they sailed away,

A year and a day,

To the land where the palm tree grew,”

murmured the cat; and, shake him as she might, that was the only answer Mary Frances could get, until, at length, she could get no answer at all.

After she was certain he was asleep, she went to the bow of the boat and called softly to the dolphin.

He swam up close alongside. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“I am, indeed,” replied Mary Frances; “but I want to tell you what the cat told me. First, I want to say that he will not hurt you because he is horribly afraid of the pirate, and he knows that he is safe on The Good Ferry as long as you protect it.”

“That’s right!” said the dolphin. “And now, how about the cat’s tale?”

Then Mary Frances told the dolphin the story the cat had told her.

“Why can’t we search for it now?” she asked.

“Well,” replied the dolphin, “I am not exactly sure about the cat’s tale myself, and every year I take one person direct to the island—that’s my orders—that’s my orders. None of them have ever found the lost story—so I’ve taken them direct home. That’s been my orders; that’s been my orders. Better go on, I say; better not take anybody else’s word, I say, I say.”

“All right,” said Mary Frances, “just as you say; but a year’s a pretty long time.”

“That depends,” replied the dolphin.

“A year is queerIf it’s full of fear,A year’s a dayIf it’s full of play;

And I’ve heard sayA year will leap,If you’re sound asleep.”

And away it swam.

And then Mary Frances noticed that the sky was getting dark, and she realized that she was very sleepy. She made her way to the white cabin and undressed and went to bed, wearing the pretty clothing which she found in the wardrobe.

“If I waken suddenly, and want to go on deck, I’ll have on my negligee,” she thought, as she tied the dressing gown in place and slipped on the boudoir cap.

VLAND AHOY!

ARY FRANCES awoke with a start, and rubbed her eyes.

“Surely I heard somebody call,” she said.

Again came the call, “Land ahoy! Land ahoy!”

“Why, that is what they called out on Columbus’ ship when they discovered America!” thought Mary Frances, hurriedly dressing. “I wonder if we are discovering anything.”

It was just getting light as she ran out on deck. At first she did not see any living thing except the dolphin, which was swimming ahead of the boat. She gazed around on the water. It was a deep blue color.

“It looks like the tub of bluing water when Nora rinses the clothes,” she thought. “I wonder if it will color anything?” She ran to the railing, dipped up a pailful and dropped in her handkerchief. “Just clear water,” she said; and hung it up to dry.

“Land ahoy!” came the call once more. Mary Frances looked up at the sails. There was the cat. He was sitting on the rope ladder, and holding his forepaws like a telescope. As soon as he saw Mary Frances, he pointed ahead and shouted, “Land ahoy!” Then she saw a dim outline of coast.

The cat scrambled down the rigging, and ran up to her. “Story Island! See!” he said.

“Why,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “why, how long have I been asleep? I thought you said something about a year!”

“Ha, ha!” laughed the cat. “A year and a day, I said, and that it nearly is. You have been asleep just three hundred and sixty-five days and some hours.”

“Have I really?” exclaimed Mary Frances; then hearing a sudden splash in the water, “Oh, what was that? Was it the pirate?”

“That? That wasn’t anything to be afraid of—just some flying fish,” answered the cat.

“Do they really have wings?” asked Mary Frances.

“They certainly do. Come, let us look into the water and see if there are any near the boat,” said the cat.

“Oh, oh, oh,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “what a beautiful fish I see! It has a tail of gold and a head of blue—turquoise blue. Isn’t it beautiful! See it, there!”

“Yes, I do,” said the cat; “it is an angel fish.”

“An angel fish! That’s just the right name for it,” said Mary Frances.

“Yes, I believe somebody who tasted one named it that,” said the cat.

“Surely nobody would eat such a beautiful creature,” Mary Frances said.

The cat smiled. “Its beauty is more than skin deep,” he said.

“Well, I wouldn’t eat anything so lovely,” said Mary Frances.

“That reminds me of a rhyme a fish taught me,” said the cat.

“That sounds mighty fishy,” thought Mary Frances, but she did not say anything.

“Shall I say it for you?” and without waiting to hear, he went on:

“Oh, mother, if you lived down in the seaAnd a fish you had to be,What kind of fish would be your wish?My own would be—an angel fish.

“With nose of loveliest turquoise blue,And tail-wings of yellowest golden hue—I’m sure my most angelic wishIs to be an angel fish.

“Don’t you suppose when fishes dieTheir dream is never toward the sky;But if they’re good, their dearest wishIs to be an angel fish?”

“That is a pretty angelic wish, I’ll say,” added the cat. “Oh, there are some of the flying fish,” pointing to a distance from the boat.

“They are not anything like as pretty as the angel fish,” said Mary Frances.

“Oh, see the whale spouting!” exclaimed the cat, running to the other side of the boat.

And Mary Frances saw the long fountain of water shooting up in the air.

“My,” said the cat, “if I could just catch that whale, I could feed every hungry cat I ever heard of.”

“Just Some Flying Fish,” Answered the Cat

“Why, how big is it?” asked Mary Frances.

“It’s twenty times as long as half again, and double the quarter wide,” said the cat.

“How large is that, if you please?” asked Mary Frances.

“If the length is multiplied by the thickness and then by breadth, it will give the correct volume,” said the cat; “at least, that’s according to tickle.”

“Tickle?” asked Mary Frances. “What is tickle?”

“Tickle is short for arithmetickle,” replied the cat.

“Oh?” said Mary Frances, “we don’t call it arithmetickle; we called it arithmetic.”

“That is nothing like so pretty a name,” said the cat, “and you get the same result.”

“But the size of the whale—” said Mary Frances, “what is it?”

“Can’t you do a simple little problem like that—when I’ve given you the rule?” asked the cat.

Mary Frances did not like to say that she had to give it up.

“Let bygones be bygones,” said the cat, “and look up ‘whales’ in the dictionary when you reach the island.”

“Oh, yes,” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Oh, I can see—I think I can see some houses! Oh, look, Cat, look! They are pure white!”

“Don’t you know why?” asked the cat.

“I suppose they are painted,” said Mary Frances.

“Painted, me whiskers!” exclaimed the cat. “They are not painted. They are made of coral.”

“What is coral?” asked Mary Frances.

“Come, I will show you,” said the cat, leading the way to the middle of the deck.

He lifted a wooden cover. Underneath was a deep box. The bottom of the box was made of glass.

“Now, you can see the bottom of the sea,” said the cat. “See? See? See the bottom of the sea?”

“Oh, look at those white trees!” cried Mary Frances, gazing down into the clear water through the glass.

The cat laughed. “They are not trees,” he said; “they are coral formations;” and he told her about the tiny coral insects which build coral growth by fastening their tiny shell bodies to each other.

“Do they know they are making trees?” asked Mary Frances.

“Oh, my, no,” said the cat. “They just grow naturally, like any other babies. Sometimes they make fan-like forms, or sponge-shaped ones.”

“Did they build the white houses over on the island?” asked Mary Frances.

“Of course not,” said the cat; “what a curious question. They live only in the sea. The houses are up in the air—but they built the island.”