Back Aa

Friendly Fairies

Close

<h2>CROW TALK</h2> "Caw, Caw, Caw," one old crow cried as he faced the other two crows. "Caw?" asked the second old crow as he plumed his feathers and screwed his head around to get a better view of the little boy lying under the tree. "Caw-AAAAH! Ca—aaaaw!" replied the first crow. "Those crows must be talking to each other!" Dickie Dorn thought to himself, as he lay upon his back under the big oak tree and watched the three crows. The third crow now cried, "Awww! Ca-ca-caw!" Dickie jumped up and ran down the hill to where Granny lived. It was a tiny little house, not much larger than a piano box, but it was plenty large enough for Granny, for Granny was only two feet high. Some people even thought Granny was a witch. Of course Dickie knew that Granny was not a witch, for Granny was very good and kind. So Dickie knocked at Granny's tiny front door. "Come in!" Granny cried. "Good morning, Dickie!" she said, as Dickie crawled into the tiny living room. When Dickie took a seat upon a tiny sofa he did not know just how to ask Granny for what he wanted, so he twiddled his thumbs. "Why do you twiddle your thumbs, Dickie?" Granny asked, as she smiled through her glasses at him. "I was wondering what the three crows were talking of!" Dickie replied. Granny went to her tiny cupboard and brought out a little bottle of purple fluid. She dropped three drops of this into a tiny spoon and held it to Dickie. "Am I to take it, Granny?" "Yes, my dear, and you will be able to understand what the three crows are talking about." Dickie swallowed the purple fluid, for he was very anxious to return to the big oak tree and listen to the crows. Granny watched him for a few moments with her eyes full of twinkles, then she told him to run along to the tree. And Dickie thanked Granny and ran as fast as he could to the tree where the three crows were still talking. <center> <ANTIMG alt="020 (59K)" src="images/020.jpg" height-obs="527" width-obs="902" /> </center> The first crow cried, "I know where there is a box filled with golden pennies!" "Ah, my brother, where?" asked the second crow. "In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first!" "I know where there is a box full of candy!" the third crow cried. "Ahhhh! Where is it, my brother?" asked the first crow. "In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first." "I know where there is a box full of ice cream!" cried the second crow. "Aha! My brother, where?" asked the third crow. "In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first!" Then the crows went on talking about other things, but Dickie did not hear them, for he was running in the direction of the great meadow as fast as he could. And when he came to the middle of the great meadow there was a large box, and in the large box were three other boxes. One contained the golden pennies, another the candy and the third was full of ice cream. <center> <ANTIMG alt="021 (104K)" src="images/021.jpg" height-obs="832" width-obs="684" /> </center> "I found it first!" Dickie cried and he took a pencil stub from his pocket and, with much twisting of mouth and thinking, he printed his name upon the box. Then Dickie ran home as fast as he could and told Daddy Dorn. Daddy Dorn hitched up Dobbin Dorn and Dickie and Daddy went to the middle of the great meadow and put the big box in the wagon and took it home. <center> <ANTIMG alt="022 (42K)" src="images/022.jpg" height-obs="363" width-obs="1022" /> </center> Then they called Mamma Dorn and they all ate some of the ice cream and candy. Then Dickie took some of the ice cream and candy and some of the golden pennies to Granny. Then Dickie ran back home and had some more ice cream and candy, and asked Daddy if he might take some of the golden pennies downtown and buy something, and Daddy Dorn said: "Of course, Dickie Dorn, for they are your golden pennies." So Dickie took two handfuls of the golden pennies downtown and bought a fine little pony with a little round stomach, and he bought a pretty pony cart and harness. Then Dicky drove the pony back home. By the time Dickie reached home he was hungry for more ice cream and candy, so he went to the box to get some. "Oh Mamma and Daddy!" he cried, "Come see! The box is full of candy and ice cream!" And sure enough that was the case, for although they had eaten almost all of the ice cream and candy before now the two boxes were filled again. Then Daddy Dorn took two large handfuls of golden pennies from the golden penny box and they watched the box fill up with pennies again. "Whee!" cried Dickie Dorn. "Whee!" cried Mamma Dorn, and "Whee!" cried Daddy Dorn. "We will give a party!" So Dickie drove around to everybody's house in his pony cart and invited everybody to come to the party. <center> <ANTIMG alt="023 (141K)" src="images/023.jpg" height-obs="1088" width-obs="701" /> </center> And they all had such a nice time they ate the ice cream box empty sixteen times and it filled right up again, and they ate the candy box empty seventeen times and it filled right up again, and Dickie and Mamma and Daddy Dorn gave everybody all the golden pennies they could carry home and emptied the penny box eighteen times, and whenever they emptied the golden penny box it filled right up again. And every one felt very grateful to Dickie Dorn and thanked him for such a nice time, and Dickie brought Granny out of a corner where she was eating her eighth dish of ice cream and told everybody that it was Granny who had really given the party, and he told them how Granny had helped him to learn crow talk. <center> <ANTIMG alt="024 (36K)" src="images/024.jpg" height-obs="401" width-obs="908" /> </center> So the people never called Granny a witch after that, for they knew she was very good and kindly. And Dickie put the three boxes—the candy box, the ice cream box and the box with the golden pennies—out in front of his house so that whenever anyone wished candy or ice cream or golden pennies they might walk up and help themselves. Dickie Dorn calls it an "All-The-Time Party," for there is always someone out in front of Dickie Dorn's house eating from the candy and the ice cream box and filling their pockets with golden pennies. Some day I hope to see you there. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

1 of 2

2 of 2