University of Virginia Library

28. XXVIII.
BILLIE AND THE YELLOW FAIRY.

BILLIE BUSHYTAIL was feeling pretty badly and the reason for it was this. He had been kept in at the owl school, because he missed in spelling, and when the teacher let him out it was too late to go off with the other boys playing ball. Billie had his ball and his bat and his catching glove with him, but that didn't matter. Johnny Bushytail and Sammie Littletail and Bully the frog had gone a long way off, to Farmer Tooker's meadow to play, and by the time Billie got there it would be dark. So he felt quite badly.

He walked on through the woods thinking

all sorts of things, and then he threw his ball up in the air. He thought he would catch it, but the ball went in an empty bird's nest in a tall tree, and didn't come down. Then Billie threw his bat up after the ball, and if that didn't stay up in the tree too. Then he got real excited, and tossed up his catching glove, and, well, of course you may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not a bit, if the glove didn't stay up there, too. Well, poor Billie! Not a thing to play ball with! He felt worse than ever.

So he kept on through the woods wondering how he was ever going to get his things down, for the tree was a very tall one, and, even though he was a squirrel, his papa and his mama had told him never to climb tall trees when they were not around.

“Oh, dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!” cried Billie.

Just then if he didn't hear a bird singing. Oh, such a beautiful song it was! I couldn't begin to sing as nicely as that bird did. The words went something like this:

“Oh, what a pretty song!” cried Billie.

“Think so? Glad you like it,” spoke a voice, and the little boy squirrel looked up, and saw a beautiful yellow bird sitting on a tree not far away. And as soon as he heard that song Billie felt better, even though he had lost his ball, his bat and his catching glove.

Well, just a moment later if some bad boy didn't throw a stone at that bird, that dear, little yellow bird, and break its leg. The

poor bird stopped singing at once, and the bad boy came up, thinking he could catch it. But the bird didn't fall from the tree and then the bad boy went away, and pretty soon Billie came out from where he had hid behind a bush. Then the yellow bird got so weak from pain that it fell down on the ground.

“Oh dear!” cried Billie. “What can I do to help you?”

“I would like some water,” said the yellow bird, faintly.

So Billie found an acorn cup, and scampered off to the brook, filled it with water, and brought it to the wounded bird. Then he got some more, as quick as you can eat a jam tart, and the bird felt much better.

“What else can I do for you?” asked Billie. “Maybe I could fix your leg for you. Or shall I go for Dr. Possum?”

“Thank you,” answered the bird, “but if

[Description: Full page color illustration by Louis Wisa. A squirrel and a fairy stand watching a baseball, bat, and glove fly through the air.]

you could find the little green fairy man, he would make my leg well in a minute.”

“I will!” cried Billie, and he scampered off.

He found the little green fairy man leaning against a tree, and watching some butterflies get honey from flowers.

“Please come with me,” said Billie. “The yellow bird has a broken leg.”

“Of course I will!” exclaimed the green fairy. “The yellow bird is a friend of mine. How did it happen?” Then Billie told, and the little green fairy man said the little boy squirrel was very kind.

Well, when they got back to where the poor bird was the green fairy did a magical trick. He took two pieces of wood, and three little stones, tossed them up in the air, and pronounced this word: “Ish-ka-loo-la-osh-ka-loo-la-bosh-ka-loo-la-lum!” and in an instant

that bird's leg was all well again, and it sang its song some more, just like this, only, of course, I can't sing it very well:

“Now do you feel better?” asked Billie.

“To be sure I do,” was the yellow bird's reply, “and to pay you for what you did, you may have three wishes.”

“What!” cried Billie, “are you a fairy, too?”

“I am a yellow fairy,” was the answer.

“Then why didn't you cure your own broken leg?” asked the boy squirrel, thinking maybe the bird was fooling.

“Because,” said the yellow fairy, “just because. It's against the fairy rules. But to

show you I AM a fairy I will turn into an elephant,” which it did, then and there, and turned back into a yellow bird again in an instant. “Now wish three times,” the yellow fairy said to Billie, who of course could not help believing, after he had seen the elephant.

“I wish I had my ball back!” exclaimed Billie quickly.

“Very good!” cried the yellow fairy, “here it is,” and she waved her bill in the air, and in an instant Billie's ball came bounding right to his feet. “Wish again,” said the fairy.

“I wish for my bat,” spoke Billie.

“Very good,” went on the fairy, and once more she waved her bill, and if the bat didn't come sailing right from the tall tree to Billie's feet.

“One more wish!” cried the yellow fairy,

and Billie wished for his catching glove, and got it quicker than a wink.

“I think I'll give you one more wish myself for good luck,” spoke the green fairy, and Billie said:

“I wish I was with the boys playing ball,” and, land sakes, goodness, gracious me, suz-dud! if he wasn't on the ball field in an instant, just in time to catch a ball that Sammie Littletail knocked, and he caught him out! Now, what do you think about that? To-morrow night, if the postman brings me a letter, I will tell you about Johnnie and Possum Pinktoes and the fairy prince.