The King of Gee-Whiz Part 13

They looked at him in great surprise And did not answer back, And then great rage began to rise Within the Jumping Jack.

"Now, look at me!" he cried, and humped, And pulled his legs 'way down, Then gave a spring and madly jumped Away, out of Toytown.

The Horn blew loud, the Red Top hummed, The Talking Doll called: "Stop!"

The Bell rang, and the gay Drum drummed, But still he would not drop.

The Jumping Jack jumped on and on Although for him they yearned; They know not where 'tis he has gone-- He never has returned.

They say--but I don't think it's true-- That little girls and boys Sometimes grow rudely jealous, too, As do some foolish Toys.

Zuzu and Lulu were very much encouraged at hearing the Banjo once more, and so they dried their tears.

"Cheer up, my young friends," said the Banjo, "and look about you. To me it seems very strange that Twins with Royal Hereditary Hair should not be able to see the resting-place cut here in the rock."

Zuzu and Lulu both looked about them, and there, in the face of the rocky wall along which the Golden Ladder hung suspended, they saw a little room or cave, and to this there led from the Ladder a sort of platform made up of rungs or rounds. Very quickly they stepped over this short horizontal ladder and sat down in the shade of the chamber into which they stepped.

"Dear me," said Lulu, "my arms are tired. I don't believe I could have carried this basket another minute."

"And my feet," said Zuzu, "are nearly cut in two by the rounds of the Ladder. This Dragon's leg is very heavy, and, now that I think of it, I don't see why I carried it at all, for when one stops to reason it out, there seems very little use in the wooden leg of a Dragon for any one but the Dragon itself. Let us leave it here and take it up when we go back."

"That would be a sensible thing," said Lulu. "I think it also would be very sensible if we ate our lunch now, for then the basket would be much lighter."

They ate their lunch, which tasted very good, as they were hungry after their long climb.

"Now," said Zuzu, "let us ask the Enchanted Banjo to play for us again, and perhaps that will make our hearts lighter also, and then we shall certainly climb very easily."

So now they placed the two pieces of the Banjo together again and it began to play for them a lively air, which had in it some strange things which they had not hitherto heard.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He drank a deep draft of the rubber juice _Page 93_]

HOW THE BIRDS LEARN TO SING

Once on a time, long, long ago I went to singing-school Where all the wee birds in a row Learned to obey each rule; The teacher was a Parrot wise For he alone could talk-- He flapped his wings and blinked his eyes And scolded at the Hawk.

And the Crow and the Wren And the little Fat Hen And the Sparrow and Thrush and Jay Were taught how the notes Should come from their throats In quite the particular way.

The Parrot taught the Dove to coo, The little Chicks to cheep, The Owl to screech and sing "Too whoo!"

The Whippoorwill to weep; He taught the Lark to run the scales And trill with great delight; He had a cla.s.s of Baby Quails That whistled at "bob-white!"

And the Hen learned to "cluck;"

"Quack-quack" sang the Duck; Till the Parrot at last called "Hus.h.!.+"

And the echoes all rang, When the Bobolink sang, A duet with the little Brown Thrush.

Now when I hear the Robin's song, Or Humming Bird's soft note, Or hear a carol sweet and strong From the Canary's throat, I smile, and sometimes beat the time For very well I know How each one learned his music's chime While standing in a row

When the Crow and the Wren And the little Fat Hen And the Sparrow and Thrush and Jay Were taught how the notes Must come from their throats In quite the particular way.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XXII

THE b.u.mBLEBEE EXPRESS

The three now sat in a row and were not unhappy, for their hearts felt very light. At last the Banjo said: "My young friends, it is not true that I am a Fairy, although I have told you that I was born in Fairy-land and that my parents were good Fairies as well. Now, I did not like to say much to you before this time, although the truth is that had you not taken me with you to the Fairy Valley, I could not have gone there at all."

"How, then, did you come to leave the Valley of the Fairies?" asked Lulu.

"Once, long ago," replied the Enchanted Banjo, "I was taken up to earth by a Black Fairy and left hanging upon a tree, where I was found by the King of Gee-Whiz, and later given to his Private Secretary, who always had to make music every day for his Majesty. There was no way in which I could escape, and, indeed, I was always treated kindly, as you know.

Now, I will try to see whether I have forgotten all the speech of the Fairy Valley. I need not say that it is fortunate that you brought me along, because, certainly, if you came through the act of a bad Fairy, you would not be welcome in the Valley, and there is no telling what might happen were I not there. But now, if you will put me together once more and press very lightly upon the strings, I will try to talk in what is known as the Diamond language, very small and bright and clear and precious; because that is the way the voice of a Fairy sounds, as nearly as any one can describe it."

So now they put the two pieces of the Banjo together again very gently and pressed very lightly upon the strings, and very softly the Banjo began to play as they had never heard it play before; and, indeed, its voice did sound like a diamond or some other precious stone, as nearly as they could describe it.

THE b.u.mBLEBEE EXPRESS

Ho! The b.u.mblebee Express!

How it buzzes through the air Till before you even guess Where you are, why, you are there!

Stopping at the hollyhocks For a load of honey freight; At the sweet pea and the phlox Where the other s.h.i.+pments wait.

Then away, away it goes!

With a zip and zum and zoom With a halt beside the rose And a stop at Clover Bloom.

Hurry, Fred and Tom and Bess Don't you want to take a ride On the b.u.mblebee Express To the orchard's other side?

Will it hold you? Goodness, yes But you can not have a seat In the b.u.mblebee Express If you are not good and sweet.

Hardly had the last note of this Fairy summons died away, when there came a soft, whirring sound below them.

"Look!" cried Lulu. They peered over the edge of the room in the rock far down along the Golden Ladder; and there, approaching them rapidly, they saw a bright light. A faint click came along the Ladder, as one may sometimes hear the rails click when a railway train is far away.

Rapidly this light grew more distinct, and almost at once, with a whizz and a whir about as loud as ordinarily may be heard across a room, but which in that place sounded very much louder, there drew up at the edge of the chamber a strange and wonderful little coach, such as perhaps no Twins in the world ever saw before.

It was made of a walnut sh.e.l.l for a body, although the sh.e.l.l was traced with lines of silver and gold. It had a canopy over the top, made of such gossamer as blows upon the air of evenings. Within it were two seats, each as large as a silver dime, and there was another seat or high box for the coachman. The coachman was a small blue gra.s.shopper, who sat very erect and straight upon his seat and drove with wonderful skill, holding tight to the lines, which were made of single strands of silk. The most wonderful of all was the team which drew this little Fairy coach, for such at once they saw it was. Its horses were nothing in the world but great golden b.u.mblebees, with black and yellow bodies, with fuzzy legs and large, bright, dark eyes, which shone so clearly that no other lamps were needed for the coach. Indeed, it had been their eyes which the Twins saw as they leaned over the edge; and it was their strange, steady buzzing which had made the noise they heard--a very busy and pleasant sound when b.u.mblebees are going as fast as these had been. They panted a little as the coachman pulled them up and drove slowly into the little room in the rocky wall where the Twins were sitting. The latter looked at the Fairy coach with delight, for it was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen in all their lives. At first they did not know whether there was any one about the coach but the driver, but now there stepped down a footman, about as large as a green house-fly and much resembling one. With a deep bow, he swung open the door in the side of the coach as though inviting the Twins to enter. As he did this, the driver tightened up his reins and the golden harness of the b.u.mblebee horses jingled and jangled and tinkled as they began to toss their heads and champ at their bits, eager to start.

"Dear me," said Lulu, "isn't this the sweetest little coach in all the world? How fine it must be to be a Fairy and ride in such a coach as this!"

"What is this, Banjo," asked Zuzu, "and where has it come from?"

"You must be an extraordinarily ignorant person," said the Enchanted Banjo, "not to recognize Queen Zulena's own private coach, the b.u.mblebee Express. But why do you wait? Why don't you get into the coach? You see the footman is waiting for you."

"Get in?" said Zuzu. "Why, how could we?"

"Yes, indeed," said Lulu. "It is not big enough for a kitten, let alone Twins of our age."

"You are quite mistaken," said the Enchanted Banjo. "Her Majesty, the good Queen Zulena, has sent for you. Do not try to understand everything in the world, for you are still young and there are many things which you do not know. So do as I say and step in at once."

To their great surprise, they stepped through the door with perfect ease and found there was plenty of room and to spare upon the seats.