University of Virginia Library

27. XXVII
JENNIE CHIPMUNK AND THE FAIRY DISHES

DID you ever have a lot of company come to your house? I suppose you have; uncles and aunts and cousins and brothers-in-law and all sorts of relations. Well, when they come, and have had dinner or supper or whatever it is, aren't there a lot of dishes to wash and dry? Oh, ever so many.

Well, that's the way it was at Grandma Lightfoot's house one day after they had had company. Mr. and Mrs. Bushytail, that is, Johnnie and Billie and Sister Sallie Bushytail's papa and mamma, had been on a visit, and also Mr. and Mrs. Littletail, and Sammie,

and Susie, and Uncle Wiggily, and Lulu and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble, and so many others I can't tell you. Of course there were lots of dishes for Jennie Chipmunk to wash, and she started to do them, singing, as she always did, and smiling so as to show her teeth.

Billie and Johnnie Bushytail and the other children were out playing, but Jennie couldn't go, because she had to do the dishes. She was splashing away in the water and in the suds, wishing she could some day see a fairy, when Johnnie Bushytail came in.

“Oh, come on out and play, Jennie,” he said. “Let the dishes go until morning.”

“No,” she answered, “I must do them to-night, for that's what grandma expects.”

“But if you do them all now it will be dark when you get through, and you can't play.”

“I can't help it,” answered Jennie, with a sigh, for she did not want to go and play. Then Johnnie coaxed her some more, and so did Billie, and Sammie and Susie Littletail, but Jennie would not leave the dishes. I suppose if Grandma Lightfoot had been there, she would have let the little orphan chipmunk go, but you see grandma wasn't, having gone to take a walk in the woods with Mr. and Mrs. Bushytail, and Mr. and Mrs. Littletail.

Well, all the children ran out again to play — that is, all but Jennie, and she remained in to finish the dishes. And she kept on singing, for that made her feel happier.

Then, all at once, when she reached over to get a saucer that had contained cornstarch pudding, if out of it didn't pop a little creature all made of soap bubbles. Oh, it was the oddest little creature you ever saw, with

pretty colors going and coming, prettier even than the sky-blue-pink fairy.

“Why!” exclaimed Jennie, “I — I didn't know you were there. I didn't see you a minute ago.”

“Of course not,” answered the little soap-bubble lady, for she was a perfect lady, “I wasn't there a minute ago. I just arrived.”

“And who are you?” asked the little orphan chipmunk, but she didn't stop doing the dishes, for she wanted to finish, and go out to play.

“Why,” replied the soap-bubble lady, “don't you know? I am the magical dish-washing fairy. I thought everyone knew that.”

“No,” said Jennie. “I didn't,” and she looked at the big pile of dishes she had yet to do, before she could go out. “Are you wonderful?” she asked.

“Yes,” went on the magical dish-washing fairy, “I am wonderful. Now will you kindly go sit down in that chair, and watch me carefully.”

“Oh,” objected Jennie. “I can't sit down. I have to wash these dishes.”

“You leave them to me!” exclaimed the soap-bubble lady, stepping out of the saucer, and she puffed out her cheeks, and believe me if a whole lot of the most beautifully colored bubbles didn't float right up to the ceiling! Well, of course Jennie Chipmunk didn't want to sit down in a chair, but when a fairy tells you to do anything, why you just have to do it, that's all, or something is bound to happen — oh my, yes, and a waste-paper basket, too.

Then if that soap-bubble fairy lady didn't begin to do things. “You just watch me,” she called to Jennie. “See, I roll up my

sleeves to show you that I have nothing hidden in them.”

Then she waved her magic wand three times and, dear me, if hundreds and hundreds of soap-bubbles didn't appear in that dishpan, and the dishes began jumping up from the table, and into the soapy water, where they sozzled themselves around, getting all clean and shiny, and then they leaped right out of the suds into the rinsing water, all piping hot, and then they jumped out of that into the draining pan, white and glistening, and goodness gracious me, sakes alive, if the dish towel didn't hop off the rack and begin to dry those dishes as quick as a piece of sand-paper! right before Jennie Chipmunk's eyes!

And more than that, if the dishes, as soon as they were dry, didn't float off through the air — the plates, the cups, the saucers, the

platters and the butter plates, all of them floated right to the pantry and hopped up on the shelves, each one in the proper place. And all the while that soap-bubble fairy just stood there, smiling and waving her wand and not doing a thing else.

Then, believe me again, if you please, if the dish rag didn't wring itself out, and hang itself up to dry, and the dish towel hopped back on the rack, and the dispans were all wiped out, and put over the stove to dry, and then, presto chango, lack-scaddedo! the dishes were all done!

“What do you think of that?” asked the fairy, throwing a red and blue and a yellow bubble up in the air, and catching it on the end of her wand. “What do you think of that, my dear?”

“Wonderful! Wonderful!” cried Jennie, as happy as could be.

“Ah, a mere trifle, my dear. Such things are nothing to me. I always love to help children!” cried the fairy, putting a red bubble in her left ear and a purple one in her right ear, just like earrings. Then she waved Jennie good-bye and disappeared. And Jennie went out to play, and the others couldn't believe she had the dishes done so quickly. But she didn't tell them about the fairy, for it was a secret. Now to-morrow night, let me see, Oh, the story will be about Billie and the yellow fairy.