The King of Gee-Whiz Part 16

Above all in the city of Almalena there was a great feeling of happiness and content. You might look over all that valley inch by inch, and listen hour by hour and never would you hear a complaint or a cry; nothing except smiles and happy words and cheerful songs and pleasant voices, and musical instruments which spoke only of joy and pleasure.

This, indeed, is the great thing about the home of the Fairies, that there everything is happy, and that such a thing as grief or unhappiness is unknown.

"This," said Lulu, "is the most beautiful place I ever saw, and it far surpa.s.ses anything of which I have even dreamed."

"Now since we are here safe and sound," said the Enchanted Banjo, "it is our first duty to go to see the Fairy leader, the good Queen Zulena. I am sure you will say there was never so beautiful and good a queen in all the world. You may drive us to the royal court of the Fairies, if you please, Coachman."

So the coachman cracked his whip, the b.u.mblebees again champed at their bits and snorted, then broke into a gallop that fairly made the little coach fly up the main street to the Royal Court of the Fairy city of Almalena.

The coach pulled up under the wide porte-cochere and as Zuzu and Lulu arose from their seats there came out to meet them many servants who aided them to alight and ushered them into the Royal Court of the Fairy Queen Zulena. This was in the finest palace of gold and silver and jewels which can be imagined. Here presently they saw the Fairy Queen.

She was a very beautiful queen, this ruler of the secret Valley of the Fairies. This Zuzu and Lulu saw as she arose from her throne to meet them. She seemed about as tall as Lulu, although it is hard to tell just how tall any person is in the Fairy country, where measurements are not the same as with us. She was robed in white and silver, and wore a crown of s.h.i.+ning little diamonds which glittered beautifully. Her throne was about as tall as a library chair, and was placed on a little platform raised a distance above the floor. The arms of the throne were richly carved and about the back and along the arms were set many great red stones which made a warm light. Around the foot of this throne fell the folds of the Queen's garments, and as she rose and swept back these long robes there stepped out, from recesses in the wall, one at each side of the throne, two pages, a boy and a girl, of the same height and size and expression. Zuzu and Lulu looked at these in wonder and realized that they also were Twins. These twin pages carefully took up the robes of the Queen and stood at the edge of the platform. As Zuzu and Lulu gazed at these pages, to their great surprise they observed that they had hair of malazite blue and corazine green, just as they themselves had; only in the case of the pages, the boy, whose name they learned was Fofo, had the blue hair, and the girl, whose name was Fifi, had green, these colors being the reverse of those in their own case.

The Queen stepped down from her beautiful throne and caught Lulu and Zuzu in her arms. "My dear children!" said she. "My dear children, how glad I am to see you! And here, too, is my good Banjo, that used to play for us long ago, before we lost it. Ah! I see these new friends of mine have the royal malazite and the corazine hair, and they are the images of yourselves, my dear pages, Fofo and Fifi! These are royal children who have come to visit us, and I am sure all this is as much as any Fairy Queen could ask. I hope that my new friends will shake hands with these my pages, and that you all will be very good friends."

So the little pages stepped forward from the foot of the throne, Lulu and Zuzu shook hands with Fofo and Fifi and soon they were very good friends.

"Now," said the Fairy Queen, "we will have some cakes and tea, for I know you must be very weary from your long ride. And as you eat, I will have some shadows dance on the palace wall for your entertainment. I am sure the Enchanted Banjo will play for the shadows, because they can always dance very much better to the music of an Enchanted Banjo."

So then the shadows began to dance on the wall for them, as the Banjo played:

THE DANCE OF THE SHADOWS

When the firelight flickers brightly Then we see upon the wall Shadows bowing all politely, Short and thin, and wide and tall; When the ruddy blaze is leaping And the red sparks glint and glance, Then with bows both low and sweeping Do the shadows start their dance.

With a sway and a s.h.i.+ft, and a leap and a lift, And a stride and a shuffle as they glide roundabout, And a stop and a swing, and a jump and a fling, And a twist and a twirling as they weave in and out.

Thus they go in gay procession Down the wall and back again As though it were their profession To make mock of dancing men; They go swift, and swifter, wheeling In the figures made by chance, Darting from the floor to ceiling-- Thus the shadows have their dance.

With a leap and a whirl and a twist and a twirl And a slide and a shuffle as they weave roundabout, And a swing and a hop, and a bow and a stop, And a s.h.i.+ft and a nodding as they wind in and out.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XXVI

THE JOURNEY TO CANDY-TOWN

After they had eaten all their fairy cakes and tea--which were not in the least like anything they had ever tasted before, but were much better than anything they had ever known--Zuzu and Lulu told the Fairy Queen about their journey and how they had happened to undertake it.

They told her what the Black Fairy had said to them, and how they had taken off the wooden leg of the Dragon, and how they had started down the Golden Ladder. Neither Zuzu nor Lulu had heard of the King's losing his shadow, but in some way the Fairy Queen had heard of this, and now she told them of it, to their great surprise.

"This," said she, "was the work of the Wicked Fairy Gobo, whom I have warned never to interfere in matters outside of his own home in yonder mountain. Had you only telephoned to me by the White Cricket instead of the Black Cricket, all would have been well, for in that case I should have sent the b.u.mblebee Express quite up to the top of the ladder for you, and should have commanded the Dragon to let you pa.s.s; but at any rate, here you are, my dears, and I think no one will be the worse off for that, except the Wicked Fairy Gobo, who knew very much better than to use the Fairy Telephone Line. Him I shall punish for this act in due time. But we must not be angry or unhappy over these things. After you have finished your supper, we will have a short sail upon the lake, and make a visit to some of the floating islands."

So they all went out sailing upon the Fairy lake, in a beautiful pale-green boat, which moved very gently through the water under the oars of a crew of Fairy dwarfs, who used oars made of wheaten straws, rowing so gently that the boat hardly made a ripple on the water. They had also a sail of white silk, which was hoisted at the bow of the boat, and which was filled by a gentle wind that blew across the lake. The Queen sat on the high seat at the stern of the boat, with Lulu and Zuzu at her feet. After some time they landed at the edge of one of the floating islands, which the Twins were sure was one of the most beautiful places they had ever seen in all the world.

As they moved from the sh.o.r.e they found themselves in a grove of trees, and a short distance ahead in this grove they saw gleaming the sides of a sort of small temple, surrounded by a fence. To their great surprise they found that this fence was built of red and white and blue rails, laid up like any rail fence; but that these rails were sticks of candy instead of wood.

"Come now, my children," said the Fairy Queen, "and let us be seated at yonder temple or kiosk, and have some more cakes and tea." So they all went to a little table in the kiosk, and the Queen touched a tiny bell.

Some very small Fairies brought cakes and tea of the finest sort imaginable, of which it seemed they could not eat so much as to injure themselves, and which no matter how much they ate always tasted as good as they had before.

"Now," said the Queen, "I see that you still have the Royal Wis.h.i.+ng Wands which the good King of Gee-Whiz has given to you. Why do you not wish for something, if there is anything you would like to have?"

"Alas!" said Lulu, "we had but three wishes a week, and we have used them all up but two. We are saving those for some important occasion."

"That is very nice of you," said the Queen, "but now let me a.s.sure you that your Wis.h.i.+ng Wands are meant for use in the kingdom of Gee-Whiz, and not in the kingdom of the Fairies. While you are with me you can have anything you like as often as you like, by only wis.h.i.+ng for it, if I am not mistaken in thinking that my Fairies are able to do anything I ask of them."

"I wish," said Zuzu, "that I had a sled that would run up hill."

"A very good and sensible wish," said the Queen, "and one which is easily granted. Here is your sled, with your name on it in nice red color, and with low sharp runners; and I a.s.sure you it will run up hill just as well as down; which has never been the case in your country, and which is a great objection to all sleds used there."

"Now," said Lulu, clapping her hands and jumping up and down, "we must have some snow! But I wish it could be warm snow, for cold snow is not pleasant, and makes one's hands red."

Again the Queen smiled and waved her wand and lo! as she did so soft snow began to fall all about them, so that the ground was soon quite white. Almost afraid to test it, Lulu put her hand into the snow, but withdrew it again with a cry of delight. To her great surprise the snow was quite warm and nice.

"I think you will find this sort of snow very comfortable," said the Queen.

"I don't see how anything so cold as snow can be warm," said Zuzu, only half believing that this could be true.

"You do not remember," said the Fairy Queen, "that this country is more or less tropical, so that here snow might be expected to be warm."

"At any rate," said Zuzu, "I find it very nice, and with a sled that runs up hill, and snow that does not get cold, I don't see what more any one could ask. I don't think I'll wish any more, because I can't think of anything to wish."

"I know what I'd like!" cried Lulu.

"And what is that, my dear?" asked the Queen.

"I'd like a doll."

"What sort of doll, my dear? We have many very fine ones."

"I'd like a new doll--no, I wouldn't, because that would be leaving my old dolly, and I am sure I like my old dolly as much as I could any new one, yet I want a new one, too. Now, what can I do, when I want both a new doll and an old one?"

"That is very easy," said the Queen. "I will get you a doll which is both old and new." And again she waved her wand.

Lulu looked down, and almost cried aloud; for there in her arms was a brand new doll, the finest she had ever seen, that could laugh and talk and eat, which was quite new, but which, to her great surprise, was also quite old! She felt free to love it quite as much as she liked, and so she did love it very much. As she stood with the doll in her arms, to her great surprise the Enchanted Banjo began to play and the doll began to sing, and the song it sang was called:

I'M THE DOLLY YOU LOVE BEST

With battered eyes and broken nose, With tattered ears and worn-out toes; With one pulled-out and stringy arm Where you have swung me to my harm, I am the dolly you love best, The doll that's dearer than the rest.

Your own old dolly Whose smile is ever jolly, Who never sighed or cried when you would fling her at the wall; Your old, worn dolly, Your best-loved dolly,-- The dolly that you always thought the fairest one of all.

I am the doll who heard you weep Because she would not go to sleep; I am the doll who helped you play At going calling every day; With frowsled hair, in tatters dressed; I am the dolly you love best.

Your own old dolly Whose smile is ever jolly, Who never moaned or groaned when you would idly let her fall; Your old, old dolly, Your best, best dolly-- The dolly that you always thought the fairest one of all.