University of Virginia Library

26. XXVI
SALLIE AND THE BAD FOX

SISTER SALLIE was very glad when Johnnie came back home with the acorns, but she felt sorry that he had had so much trouble in getting them, and had been in such danger.

“Oh, but it was all right when the sky-blue-pink fairy came and let me out,” he explained. “I'd like to punish that bad fox, though,” he went on, and he snapped his teeth.

“So would I,” spoke Billie, when he heard his brother tell about being shut in the tree.

“Oh, don't go near him!” exclaimed Sister Sallie. “I would be afraid to speak to him,

even,” and then Sister Sallie said, “Oh. dear!”

“What's the matter?” asked Billie.

“Oh, dear!” cried Sister Sallie again. “I just wish I could see a fairy some day. Of course, I know that when you want to see one you never do, never, never, but I can't help wishing all the same. You've seen one, Billie, and so has Johnnie, and so did Sammie and Susie Littletail, and Uncle Wiggily Longears, and I never have.”

“You saw the fairy prince who was at Alice and Lulu Wibblewobble's party,” said Johnnie.

“Oh, well, so did every one else. That doesn't count. I want to see a fairy all by my own self,” and then she exclaimed, “Oh, dear!” again, and just as she did, there sounded, up in the air, the blast of a silver trumpet blowing “Ta-ra-ta-ra-ta-ra!”

“What was that?” cried Johnnie.

“It sounded like the horn that blew when the fairy prince came,” answered Billie.

But though they looked up, and though they looked down, they couldn't see anything. But, nevertheless, something happened, or, rather, was soon going to happen, even if they couldn't see anything. You know, I told you something always took place when any one said, “Oh, dear!” three times, in the right way. Well, Sister Sallie had said it.

Pretty soon Mamma Bushytail called to the squirrel children: “Come, my dears, I want you to run over to Grandpa Lightfoot's house with some pudding I have made for him. And you may stay a while and play with Jennie Chipmunk.”

Then they all laughed, they felt so happy, and in a little while they set off through the

woods to visit their Grandpa and Grandma Lightfoot. They had a nice time playing with Jennie Chipmunk, the little orphan, who washed the dishes, and smiled so you could see her nice, white teeth. After they had eaten some hickory-nut cake, Johnnie and Billie and Sister Sallie started for home. And, would you believe it? on the way Sister Sallie got lost. The first thing she knew she was all alone, and Billie and Johnnie had gone on ahead. Well, she tried not to be frightened, but she was, just the same, and pretty soon she came to a big hollow tree, and she heard a funny noise. Then out from behind a bush came a funny animal. He was all covered over with leaves.

“Who are you?” the animal asked Sister Sallie. So she told him, and said she was lost, and she asked him who he was. “Oh, I am a fairy,” said the odd creature, and Sister

Sallie felt so happy she laughed, even if she was lost.

“Oh, how nice!” cried Sister Sallie. “And will you give me three wishes, fairy, like Susie Littletail had?”

“To be sure I will,” answered the animal all covered with leaves. And now, what do you think? It wasn't a fairy at all, but the bad fox, who had pasted leaves all over himself so as to fool Sister Sallie. But she didn't know that until later.

“May I wish now?” asked the little girl squirrel.

“No, you must first get inside this hollow tree,” spoke the fox, and if he didn't point to the same tree in which he had shut up poor Johnnie Bushytail. “You must get inside this tree, and then you can have as many wishes as you like,” he said.

So Sister Sallie, never thinking anything

wrong, got inside the tree, and, no sooner was she there, than that bad fox closed the door on her, and he smacked his lips, and he thought what a good meal he would have. But just then, as true as I'm telling you, if along didn't come the little green fairy man who once saved Billie Bushytail from the hawk. And he was real angry at that fox for pulling off so many leaves from the trees, to stick on himself to fool Sister Sallie.

“What have you in that hollow tree?” asked the green fairy man very sternly.

“If you please,” replied the fox trembling, for he knew he couldn't deceive the fairy, “I have my dinner in there.”

Then the fairy knew everything, and he decided to play a trick on that fox. So he put a magic spell on him, and made him keep quiet, and then the fairy called out to Sister Sallie, who was shut up in the tree:

“Make a wish, my dear,” and Sister Sallie wished for a ring with a blue stone in, like Susie Littletail had, and in an instant if it wasn't on her little paw. Then she wished for a gold bracelet, and got that, and when she was going to make the third wish the green fairy said:

“This third wish I give to thee,

Wish that you were out of that tree.”

Then Sister Sallie did so, for she felt that something was wrong, and in an instant the tree opened, and she could come out. And it's a good thing she wished that, for if she hadn't she would have had to stay there for ever so long, until the sky-blue-pink fairy came, for the green fairy wouldn't have had any power over the tree after Sister Sallie had made her third wish. So everything turned out all right, and to punish that bad

fox the green fairy turned him into mosquito that never could bite any one, and the biteless mosquito flew away, buzzing as hard as he could buzz. Then the green fairy showed Sister Sallie the way home, and she reached it safely. Now to-morrow night, if the ceiling doesn't fall down, I'll tell you about Jennie Chipmunk and the fairy dishes.