Speaker 1: Chapter one of The Magic Umbrella. This is a LibriVox recording.
Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit librivoxt dot org. Read
Speaker 1: by Larry Wilson, The Magic Umbrella by David Cory, Mister Forefeathers.
Speaker 1: Jimmy had a little garden. He liked to watch things
Speaker 1: go all but the weeds, which came up in abundance.
Speaker 1: Mother had explained to him that unless they were taken out,
Speaker 1: the things he had planted would not grow strong and sturdy.
Speaker 1: It had been very hot, and Jimmy had been working hard.
Speaker 1: Now and then the sun slipped behind a cloud, and
Speaker 1: although it was a relief to escape from its hot
Speaker 1: rays even for a few moments, Jimmy felt the gathering
Speaker 1: clouds meant rain, and he wanted to finish weeding his
Speaker 1: garden before the storm. Here and there a butterfly lit
Speaker 1: on a flower, or a bee buzzed drowsily as it
Speaker 1: flitted by the honeysuckle. I'll sleepy, Jimmy began to feel,
Speaker 1: but he kept on diligently until his quiet reverie was
Speaker 1: disturbed by the voice of his mother calling Jimmy, Jimmy, yes, mother,
Speaker 1: I'm coming. Quickly, throwing down his little hoe, he ran
Speaker 1: up to the house. Jimmy, I must have some aches
Speaker 1: to finish the baking. Don't delay, because before long we're
Speaker 1: sure to have rain. Now, no one can be expected
Speaker 1: to enjoy going to the store, especially if it upsets
Speaker 1: one's plans. And the way to the store leads along
Speaker 1: a dusty road, and one must hurry and not follow
Speaker 1: a little chipmunk to find out in what spot it
Speaker 1: makes its nest, nor take the time to catch frogs
Speaker 1: and lizards to carry home to stalk a pond in
Speaker 1: the meadow like the one in which Jimmy already had
Speaker 1: a fine collection. But Jimmy was a good boy and
Speaker 1: liked to please his mother. With a cheerful I'll hurry
Speaker 1: all I can, mother, He ran down the path and
Speaker 1: out to the road. He had covered half the distance
Speaker 1: when suddenly a little rabbit darted across his path. Perhaps,
Speaker 1: if Jimmy hadn't been so tired from weeding his garden,
Speaker 1: he would not have said just what he did. But
Speaker 1: suddenly he exclaimed, I wish that I was far far
Speaker 1: away from here. The little rabbit stopped suddenly on the
Speaker 1: other side of the road and looked at him. And
Speaker 1: what do you think? Jimmy plainly saw the rabbit wink
Speaker 1: at him. It was growing dark, although Jimmy knew that
Speaker 1: it was still early in the afternoon. Looking up into
Speaker 1: the sky, he noticed the fast lowering clouds, and a
Speaker 1: big drop of rain fell upon his upturned face. He
Speaker 1: looked down to where the little rabbit had been, and
Speaker 1: on the very spot where he had seen it when
Speaker 1: it winked at him, stood a little old man. He
Speaker 1: had a long white beard and such merry eyes. In
Speaker 1: his hand, he held a black umbrella with a crooked handle,
Speaker 1: just like one Jimmy's father had, only the handle looked
Speaker 1: bigger and stronger. You'd better take this umbrella, Jimmy, else
Speaker 1: you'll get very wet. And with these words, the little
Speaker 1: old man pushed the umbrella into Jimmy's hand. Jimmy wanted
Speaker 1: to thank him and ask who he was, because mother
Speaker 1: would wish to return it, but he was nowhere. About
Speaker 1: All Jimmy could see was the little white tail of
Speaker 1: a brown rabbit scurrying away through the underbrush. What a fine,
Speaker 1: strong umbrellas it was. The large drops of rain came
Speaker 1: faster and faster as Jimmy opened it. There on the handle,
Speaker 1: What did those letters spell in A gee I see
Speaker 1: you M b R E l l A. Jimmy's eyes
Speaker 1: grew wide with wonders he read the two words. Down
Speaker 1: came the rain in torrents and with it whew, how
Speaker 1: the wind blew? Could he hold on? Or in one
Speaker 1: of those wild guests? Would he lose his magic umbrella? Finally,
Speaker 1: he decided he had better stop and wait for the
Speaker 1: shower to blow over. As he pulled the umbrella well
Speaker 1: down over his head, Jimmy thought, how like a seat
Speaker 1: the large handle looked. Why not sit down in it
Speaker 1: until the rain stopped? No sooner thought than done. How
Speaker 1: comfortable it felt? And now let it blow, laughed Jimmy.
Speaker 1: No sooner had he spoken than a great gust of
Speaker 1: wind caught the umbrella in the very center. Jimmy tried
Speaker 1: to slip off, but the ground was spinning before his eyes,
Speaker 1: and he clutched at the handle. The next instant he
Speaker 1: realized that the magic umbrella was carrying him away. Where
Speaker 1: would it take him? Now he was far above the road.
Speaker 1: How pretty it looked with its green banks and hedges,
Speaker 1: all fresh and dripping and shiny from the shower. The
Speaker 1: birds began to chirp. A flock of blackbirds circled around
Speaker 1: Jimmy under his magic umbrella, and then flew off in
Speaker 1: the opposite direction. In the soft, gentle breezes, Jimmy sailed
Speaker 1: silently on above the big meadow with the pond and
Speaker 1: the gay wild flowers nodding in the sunlight, now passing
Speaker 1: over chimneys and steeples. No doubt the town Jimmy had
Speaker 1: heard his father tail about. The buildings were tall, and
Speaker 1: there were a great many. You wish to take me further, Yet,
Speaker 1: my magic umbrella, said Jimmy, you seem to know just
Speaker 1: where you are going, at least I hope you know.
Speaker 1: But no matter, lead me wherever you will. On and
Speaker 1: on they traveled together, Jimmy holding firmly to the handle,
Speaker 1: until they reached a beautiful garden, in the center of
Speaker 1: which stood a magnificent castle. Jimmy felt the umbrella descending
Speaker 1: nearer and nearer It came to the ground, until Jimmy
Speaker 1: felt his feet touch the soft green grass. Slipping off
Speaker 1: the handle, he closed the umbrella and then, stretching his
Speaker 1: arms into the air, looked up at the height from
Speaker 1: which he had just come. What should he do now?
Speaker 1: He stooped to pick up the umbrella, which had fallen
Speaker 1: on the grass. It was gone, but as I caught
Speaker 1: sight of a little white tail belonging to a little
Speaker 1: brown rabbit, scurrying off into a clump of bushes. As
Speaker 1: Jimmy stood in the beautiful garden, uncertain what next to do,
Speaker 1: he heard the song of a bird, sweet and clear.
Speaker 1: The King of the palace is looking, they say, poor
Speaker 1: little throne boy, who is happy and gay. So why
Speaker 1: don't you try, my little sir man, to wait on
Speaker 1: the throne the best that you can. I think I'd
Speaker 1: like that, thought Jimmy, and he ran around to the
Speaker 1: rear of the castle to peep into the kitchen door,
Speaker 1: But the cooks were far too busy to notice him,
Speaker 1: for it was a feast day and there were over
Speaker 1: forty lambs to be roasted. So he entered a side door,
Speaker 1: passing from room to room until all of a sudden
Speaker 1: he stubbed his toe on a gold nail in the floor,
Speaker 1: when out jumped a man from behind the velvet curtain
Speaker 1: twenty feet long. He had three feathers in his cap,
Speaker 1: and as Jimmy didn't know his real name, he called
Speaker 1: him mister three feathers. They tell me the king is
Speaker 1: looking for a throne boy. Mister three feathers, said Jimmy politely,
Speaker 1: an angry flush overspread the man's face. Is the king
Speaker 1: looking for a throne boy? Mister three feathers, I would
Speaker 1: like to be a throne boy? Now. The man was
Speaker 1: so angry at being called mister three feathers that he
Speaker 1: took little Jimmy by the collar and began running him
Speaker 1: out of the castle. But just then a man with
Speaker 1: forefeathers called out, what are you doing with the boy?
Speaker 1: What does he want? He hushes to be a throne boy,
Speaker 1: answered mister three feathers. Well, said mister forefeathers, Why turn
Speaker 1: him away? Don't you know that we need a throne boy?
Speaker 1: He might just tickle the fancy of the king. He
Speaker 1: then led Jimmy to the King, who was seated on
Speaker 1: his beautiful crimson throne. No sooner did his Royal Highness
Speaker 1: see Jimmy than he began to smile. Have you brought
Speaker 1: me a throne boy? He asked mister forefeathers For the
Speaker 1: King was a very bright man and could read people's
Speaker 1: thoughts before they could speak them. Yes, your Highness, answered
Speaker 1: mister Forefeathers. So Jimmy was hired to be the throne boy,
Speaker 1: and was given a beautiful court dress with little gold slippers.
Speaker 1: End of chapter.
Speaker 2: One Chapter two of The Magic Umbrella. This is a
Speaker 2: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
Speaker 2: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Speaker 2: Read by Jonathan Kirk. The Magic Umbrella by David Cory,
Speaker 2: A long journey. It was Jimmy's duty to take care
Speaker 2: of the ornaments which adorned the throne. He rubbed the
Speaker 2: golden candlesticks, and dusted the ivory steps, and beat the
Speaker 2: purple cushions. But every morning, before he did all these things,
Speaker 2: he had to dip his hands in perfumed water. The
Speaker 2: King was so pleased with the way he did his
Speaker 2: work that every week he gave him a gold piece.
Speaker 2: And and after a while Jimmy had so many gold
Speaker 2: pieces that he said to the King one day, where
Speaker 2: shall I put my gold pieces? Whereupon the King gave
Speaker 2: him an ivory spade and an apple tree in his
Speaker 2: own private garden, under which he might dig a hole
Speaker 2: for his gold pieces. When evening came and his work
Speaker 2: was done, Jimmy would sit under the tree and sing
Speaker 2: to himself, for of course he grew very lonely at times.
Speaker 2: But he said to himself that someday he would take
Speaker 2: all his money and go back to his dear mother
Speaker 2: and buy a pretty little house in which he and
Speaker 2: she would live for the rest of their lives. One day,
Speaker 2: after Jimmy had lived for several years in the palace,
Speaker 2: the King said, as I find that you are one
Speaker 2: to be trusted, I shall employ you to go on
Speaker 2: a long journey. As soon as Jimmy was ready to
Speaker 2: take the long journey, the king summoned him to the
Speaker 2: throat and said, you see this letter. It must be
Speaker 2: taken to the great governor Gioriando. Where he lives, I
Speaker 2: do not know, but you must find that out for yourself.
Speaker 2: The letter was very square and large, and sealed with
Speaker 2: a great deal of red sealing wax. Put this letter
Speaker 2: inside your inner vest and button it tight, said the king.
Speaker 2: You see it is marked private, And then, wishing Jimmy
Speaker 2: good luck, he waved him away with his royal right hand,
Speaker 2: on which he had twelve rings, three on each finger.
Speaker 2: After traveling a long way, Jimmy came to a sandy
Speaker 2: desert across which were no paths and no one to
Speaker 2: point out the road. And it happened that he came
Speaker 2: out on the wrong side of the desert, where he
Speaker 2: met a soldier clad in armor with tall, waving plumes.
Speaker 2: Can you tell me where the great Governor Goriando lives?
Speaker 2: Asked Jimmy. No, I can't tell you, answered the soldier,
Speaker 2: but I have heard of him. Just then a trumpet
Speaker 2: sounded and the soldier hurried away. Well after that, Jimmy
Speaker 2: walked the country up and down, asking all the people,
Speaker 2: can you tell me where the great governor Jorando lives?
Speaker 2: And some turned away, and some just stroked their faces
Speaker 2: and smiled. At last, Jimmy grew weary of wandering about.
Speaker 2: In one day, as he was passing through a field,
Speaker 2: he threw himself down to rest against a haycock, when
Speaker 2: all of a sudden, up jumped a pale looking man
Speaker 2: on one arm. He carried a basket with the cover
Speaker 2: tied down. Are you very tired, he asked? Yes, very,
Speaker 2: answered Jimmy. Can you tell me where the great Governor
Speaker 2: Jorando lives? The traveler shook his head, and, sitting down,
Speaker 2: began to talk in a friendly way. He was a
Speaker 2: sad man with a low and sorrowful voice. Even when
Speaker 2: Jimmy whistled a merry air, the stranger remained sad. After
Speaker 2: a time, he said, what do you say, little man,
Speaker 2: since you do not know where to go? Will you
Speaker 2: go with me? With all my heart? Answered Jimmy. So
Speaker 2: off they started, Jimmy to deliver the letter from the
Speaker 2: king to the great Governor Jorando. And the stranger, well,
Speaker 2: I can't tell you yet what he was going to do,
Speaker 2: but you will soon find out. After traveling together for
Speaker 2: many days, along highways and byways, by banks of little brooks,
Speaker 2: and through little pleasant woods, where birds sang and the
Speaker 2: leaves rustled in the breeze, meeting no one, not even
Speaker 2: a little fairy nor a dwarf. At last, one evening,
Speaker 2: just as the moon was rising, they came to a
Speaker 2: steep hill, on the top of which stood a great
Speaker 2: white rock. It was very large and high and smooth,
Speaker 2: and on one part was carved in big letters white Horse.
Speaker 2: So they stood by this rock and looked down into
Speaker 2: the valley where lay a large city, bright and beautiful
Speaker 2: in the moonlight. On one side were piled up the
Speaker 2: dark mountains, and on the other side was the wide sea.
Speaker 2: The stranger stood very still with his arms folded for
Speaker 2: a long time. At last, turning to little Jimmy, he said,
Speaker 2: what do you think I have something to tell? Will
Speaker 2: you listen? Gladly answered Jimmy, for he felt sorry for
Speaker 2: the strange, sad man. Then the stranger, pointing to a
Speaker 2: spot just outside the city, asked, do you see those
Speaker 2: turrets which point up so high among the green trees. Yes,
Speaker 2: answered Jimmy, I see the turrets. They belonged to a
Speaker 2: grand old castle, went on the man, and in that
Speaker 2: castle dwell a noble old couple who have lived their
Speaker 2: lives there very happily for more than fifty years. When
Speaker 2: the fiftieth year came around, they said, let us celebrate
Speaker 2: our golden wedding, and since it falls on Christmas, we
Speaker 2: will have for our grandchildren a golden Christmas tree, and
Speaker 2: all the presents shall be of pure gold. So they
Speaker 2: bought of a countryman a fine green fir tree, quite tall,
Speaker 2: because the walls were so high. Very soon came the
Speaker 2: joyful Christmas Eve, and not an old couple in the
Speaker 2: kingdom were so happy as they not one little grandchild
Speaker 2: was missing at their golden wedding. It was a happy sight.
Speaker 2: The grandmother was dressed in a velvet gown and a
Speaker 2: feather in her turban, and her face was smiling all over.
Speaker 2: The grandfather had his arms full of little children and
Speaker 2: sang and laughed and wiped the happy tears from his eyes.
Speaker 2: Are you listening, little man, asked the traveler, brushing away
Speaker 2: a tear. Yes, answered Jimmy, I'm listening. Please tell the
Speaker 2: rest I will, said the traveler. I have made up
Speaker 2: my mind to tell the rest, and I shall tell it.
Speaker 2: Just then, Jimmy thought, he felt the great white stone
Speaker 2: move ever so little. After a pause, the strange sad
Speaker 2: man said, let me think, where did I leave off?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yes, it was Christmas Eve. And two of the mothers
Speaker 2: went up in the room in which the tree had
Speaker 2: been placed, to hang upon at the presence and to
Speaker 2: light the candles, And oh soon it was a dazzling
Speaker 2: sight to behold. There were bracelets, coronets, charms, watches, lockets, clasps, rings, vases,
Speaker 2: buckles all made of gold and long golden chain, and
Speaker 2: the light from the candles sparkled on them, and the
Speaker 2: great room of the stately old castle was as bright
Speaker 2: and even brighter than day. And after that was finished,
Speaker 2: the two mothers went up to the grand banquet hall
Speaker 2: to see that nothing was lacking for the golden wedding feast,
Speaker 2: leaving the tree with all its golden presence in the
Speaker 2: care of a servant whom they fully trusted, for he
Speaker 2: had been their servant a long time, and they had
Speaker 2: been very kind to him. Again, the strange sad man
Speaker 2: paused in his story, and, bowing his head, remained silent
Speaker 2: for some time. When he spoke again, Jimmy thought that
Speaker 2: his voice was lower and sadder than before. And that
Speaker 2: servant went on the strange sad man, that servant whom
Speaker 2: they trusted. When he was left alone there, thought to himself,
Speaker 2: how many fine clothes all these would buy? How many
Speaker 2: good things to eat? And a coach and horses. Besides,
Speaker 2: if I only had them for my own and was
Speaker 2: far away from here, then I should be happy. And now,
Speaker 2: what do you think? He took all those golden things,
Speaker 2: and when the doors were thrown open, and the people
Speaker 2: came in haste to see the golden Christmas Tree in
Speaker 2: all its glory. Why those presents were miles away among
Speaker 2: yonder mountains, and the wicked Robber was looking for a
Speaker 2: place to bury them in end of chapter two.
Speaker 4: Chapter three of The Magic Umbrella. This is a LibriVox recording.
Speaker 4: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 4: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read
Speaker 4: by Christina Muschado, The Magic Umbrella by David Cory, the
Speaker 4: Raven Jimmy started back and held on to his gold pieces.
Speaker 4: As the strange sad Man came to this part of
Speaker 4: his story, he began walking backwards and forwards, and at
Speaker 4: every turn he came a little nearer Jimmy. At last
Speaker 4: he came close up, and, stooping over, whispered.
Speaker 5: I myself am that wicked robber.
Speaker 4: When Jimmy heard that, he started back, thinking about the
Speaker 4: gold pieces and the leather bag which hung about his neck,
Speaker 4: and he put his hand up to where they hung.
Speaker 4: And this made the sad eyed man smile, although it
Speaker 4: was only a little ghost of a smile. Don't be afraid,
Speaker 4: he said, I know you have something of value there
Speaker 4: because you raise your hand to it so often, don't
Speaker 4: you know that's the very way to let your secret
Speaker 4: be known. But i'd don't want your gold. I'm sick
Speaker 4: of gold. I want you to hear the rest of
Speaker 4: my story. And he went on to tell how he
Speaker 4: had buried them in a low secret valley, and then
Speaker 4: wandering about among the mountains, had never again dared to
Speaker 4: show his face. But one day, said the strange sad man,
Speaker 4: looking at Jimmy very sorrowfully. I sat down besides a
Speaker 4: little fir tree, and maybe I fell asleep, for I
Speaker 4: was very tired. But anyway, I heard the little fir
Speaker 4: tree singing these words. Here on God's mountain, close under
Speaker 4: the stars. I'm striving to grow big and tall. I
Speaker 4: mind not the heat of the fierce summer sun, nor
Speaker 4: the snow and the wild wintry squall. For I've just
Speaker 4: one plan, and that is to be a beautiful, wonderful
Speaker 4: Christmas tree. And now what do you think? Shall I
Speaker 4: tell you what is in this basket? All those golden
Speaker 4: things are here. For as soon as that little fir
Speaker 4: tree ended its song, I went to that low secret
Speaker 4: valley and dug up all those golden presents, and I
Speaker 4: said to myself, I will return them to their owner.
Speaker 4: And now the castle stands before me, but I cannot
Speaker 4: meet those old people who are so good to me.
Speaker 4: Do you know why I asked you to travel with me,
Speaker 4: to bring you here, so that I might show you
Speaker 4: the castle and beg you to give these golden presents
Speaker 4: into the Baron's own hands, and to tell him all
Speaker 4: that I have told to you. And as the strange
Speaker 4: sad man finished speaking, he handed the basket to Jimmy
Speaker 4: and pointed to a tall fir tree that grew near by.
Speaker 4: There stands the fir tree. It has now grown and
Speaker 4: will make a beautiful Christmas tree. Tell the Baron how
Speaker 4: it wishes to be a Christmas tree. Suddenly, as the
Speaker 4: strange sad Man leaned on to a great white rock,
Speaker 4: it changed into a white horse with wonderful wings, which
Speaker 4: slowly bore upward, carrying away the sad strange man, until
Speaker 4: they were both lost in sight amid the clouds. In
Speaker 4: wonder and amazement, little Jimmy gazed into the sky. Then,
Speaker 4: being very tired, he lay down in a sheltered spot
Speaker 4: and slept till morning, when he set out for the castle.
Speaker 4: On reaching the garden in which stood the beautiful building,
Speaker 4: he set his basket down by a little fountain. As
Speaker 4: he bent over to drink of the clear, sparkling water.
Speaker 4: Along came the high and mighty steward of the castle,
Speaker 4: all dressed out in gold lace and ruffles. On seeing
Speaker 4: the basket, he lifted the cover with his silver pointed cane.
Speaker 4: Don't meddle with that, sir, cried Jimmy. Indeed, I will
Speaker 4: meddle with it, answered the gold lace steward, seeing that
Speaker 4: all of these golden things were marked with the crest
Speaker 4: of the family. Although Jimmy began to tell where he
Speaker 4: had gotten them and what he was going to do
Speaker 4: with them, the steward only laughed and said, hush your
Speaker 4: silly tale. You think anybody will believe that. Then, after
Speaker 4: searching Jimmy, he took away his bag of gold pieces
Speaker 4: and the letter marked private, and shut him up in
Speaker 4: a cell. But when the baron returned, he said to
Speaker 4: his steward, let me see this boy. After listening to
Speaker 4: Jimmy's story, the old baron was very happy to know
Speaker 4: that the strange sad man had repented of his bad deed,
Speaker 4: and he promised Jimmy that when Christmas came, he would
Speaker 4: have the fir tree brought in and decked with candles
Speaker 4: and presents. Suddenly Jimmy remembered the letter marked private, which
Speaker 4: the king had given him. Turning to the Baron, he asked,
Speaker 4: can you tell me where the Great Governor Gioriando lives?
Speaker 4: I have a letter for him. Of course I can,
Speaker 4: replied the Baron. He's my son, and at once he
Speaker 4: gave orders that a messenger be sent with the letter
Speaker 4: to the Great Governor. Then, returning the bag of gold
Speaker 4: to Jimmy, he kindly invited him to remain over night
Speaker 4: at the castle. About midnight, as Jimmy lay asleep, he
Speaker 4: was awakened by a gentle tapping on the window. No
Speaker 4: sooner had he opened it than in fluttered a raven.
Speaker 4: I have brought you a cone from the fir tree
Speaker 4: on the mountain side, said the bird in a hoarse whisper.
Speaker 4: Jimmy noticed that it was fitted with a little cover,
Speaker 4: beneath which lay a gold ring wrapped in a piece
Speaker 4: of paper, on which was written, where this ring twill
Speaker 4: keep away evil? And when Christmas comes, remember the little
Speaker 4: fir tree who longed to become a beautiful Christmas tree. Ah,
Speaker 4: this is a happy ending to my journey for the king,
Speaker 4: thought little Jimmy. The baron and his wife will have
Speaker 4: their Christmas tree with all the golden presents, The fir
Speaker 4: tree will have his wish, and the strange sad man
Speaker 4: will be sorrowful no longer. And then with a happy smile,
Speaker 4: little Jimmy went to sleep. End of chapter three.
Speaker 6: Chapter four of The Magic Umbrella. This is a LibriVox recording.
Speaker 6: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 6: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read
Speaker 6: by Unshrug The Magic Umbrella by David Cory Jolly Tom.
Speaker 6: Early next morning, Jimmy set out once more in search
Speaker 6: of new adventure, and by and bye he came to
Speaker 6: a village where lived a man and wife who had
Speaker 6: a very beautiful daughter. But oh, dear me, she was
Speaker 6: so vain and proud of her good looks that she
Speaker 6: never would help her parents, but sat all day long
Speaker 6: by the window waiting for a prince to come by
Speaker 6: and ask her to marry him. It seemed strange to
Speaker 6: little Jimmy that one with so lovely a face. Should
Speaker 6: not be sweet tempered, but think only of her looks,
Speaker 6: leaving her old parents to do all the work while
Speaker 6: she sat idle looking at her face in the mirror. Well,
Speaker 6: one day a prince came along and saw this pretty
Speaker 6: girl sitting upon a green bank, twining a wreath of flowers,
Speaker 6: and he said, what a wonderful maiden. I will make
Speaker 6: her my princess. But first he asked the neighbors. Is
Speaker 6: she wise? Is she sweet tempered? Oh no, not at all,
Speaker 6: they answered. Then she'll not do for me, said the prince,
Speaker 6: For if she cannot govern her temper, she cannot govern people,
Speaker 6: and to set a dunce upon the throne would be folly.
Speaker 6: I'll pass on. The next day, a great lord passed
Speaker 6: by and saw this pretty girl dressed in her finery,
Speaker 6: all ready for the ball, and he said, what a
Speaker 6: beautiful maiden. I will make her my lady. But first
Speaker 6: he asked of all the neighbors. Is she good to
Speaker 6: her mother? Oh, not at all, the neighbors answered. Then
Speaker 6: she will not do for me, said the lord. A
Speaker 6: girl who is not good to her mother will be
Speaker 6: good to nobody. I'll pass on the next day there
Speaker 6: came a baron riding by, and he saw this pretty
Speaker 6: girl sitting under a tree, stringing beads for a necklace.
Speaker 6: And he said, oh, what a beautiful maiden. I will
Speaker 6: make her my baroness. But first of all, he asked
Speaker 6: the neighbors. Is she kind to the poor? Oh, not
Speaker 6: at all. The neighbors said, then she will not do
Speaker 6: for me, said the baron on. My estates are many poor.
Speaker 6: I'll pass on. The Next day there came along a
Speaker 6: merry young farmer with a round, rosy face and wavy locks.
Speaker 6: And he saw this pretty maiden looking at herself in
Speaker 6: her mirror and braiding her golden locks. Then he watched
Speaker 6: her through the branches of a tree, and he said, oh,
Speaker 6: what a beautiful maid. I will make her my wife.
Speaker 6: But first of all, he asked the neighbors. Is she industrious? No,
Speaker 6: not at all, they answered. Then she'll never do for
Speaker 6: a farmer's wife, he said, And he laughed his merry laugh,
Speaker 6: and shook his wavy locks, and passed on. Swiftly. The
Speaker 6: days slipped away, and the beautiful girl was left to
Speaker 6: twine her flowers and string her beads and braid her
Speaker 6: golden hair by herself. For you see, no one cared
Speaker 6: to marry her. And now I'm coming to the park
Speaker 6: in my story where little Jimmy helps the old parents
Speaker 6: to get a good husband for their wilful daughter. As
Speaker 6: I have just said, Jimmy felt very sorry for the
Speaker 6: two old parents of this beautiful girl who cared for
Speaker 6: nothing in the whole world but to deck herself out
Speaker 6: in fine clothes. So he said to himself, I'll have
Speaker 6: a talk with her parents and maybe I can show
Speaker 6: them away to cure her of her foolishness. And knocking
Speaker 6: on the door of the little cottage, he found the
Speaker 6: two old folks sitting in the dim twilight weeping. What
Speaker 6: is the matter, asked Jimmy, although of course he knew
Speaker 6: it was their daughter's selfishness that made them so unhappy.
Speaker 6: At length, they told him that it was the behavior
Speaker 6: of their daughter that made him so miserable. Cheer up,
Speaker 6: said little Jimmy, I will find a way to help you,
Speaker 6: and running from the house, climbed up the hill and
Speaker 6: knocked on the door of a little house where lived
Speaker 6: a fine young fellow named Jolly Tom. After Jimmie had
Speaker 6: explained all about the pretty girl, and the trouble she
Speaker 6: cast her two kind parents. He said, Jolly Tom, if
Speaker 6: you will marry the girl, I will show you how
Speaker 6: to make a good wife out of her. Very well,
Speaker 6: answered Jolly Tom, I need a wife, and as you
Speaker 6: seem to be a very wise little boy, I will
Speaker 6: marry her. And trust to luck. Come with me, then,
Speaker 6: said Jimmie. So he and Jolly Tom started off down
Speaker 6: the hill to see the old parents. What marry our daughter,
Speaker 6: they cried when Jolly Tom asked for her hand in marriage.
Speaker 6: She is vain and idle and bad tempered. Oh we'll
Speaker 6: manage all that, said little Jimmy, winking at Jolly Tom.
Speaker 6: So the next day Jolly Tom and the pretty girl
Speaker 6: were married, for she was very anxious to be the
Speaker 6: mistress of her own home. And they took Jimmie along
Speaker 6: with them to the little house on the hill. And
Speaker 6: whenever Missus Jolly Tom got angry or cross, Jimmy would
Speaker 6: double himself up and turn somersaults on the floor until
Speaker 6: she was obliged to laugh. And if Missus Jolly Tom
Speaker 6: sat idle with folded hands when there was plenty to do,
Speaker 6: Jimmy would say, oh, what a fine wax figure. Please
Speaker 6: cover it from the dust. And then Jolly Tom would
Speaker 6: throw a shawl over her, or dust her with a
Speaker 6: feather duster, and would laugh his jolly happy laugh, until
Speaker 6: she was glad to go to work. And every time
Speaker 6: Missus Jolly Tom dressed herself up in all her finery
Speaker 6: and stood before the looking glass, Jimmy went out and
Speaker 6: brought a peacock, so that in a short time the
Speaker 6: yard and the barns were so filled with them that
Speaker 6: one could scarcely stir for peacock's But every day that
Speaker 6: she behaved well, he gave away a peacock, and by
Speaker 6: and by she grew so good that very few were left.
Speaker 6: And when only two remained, Jimmy said good bye. But
Speaker 6: before he went upon his way, Missus Jolly Tom gave
Speaker 6: him a big hug and promised to make Jolly Tom
Speaker 6: happy for the rest of his life. And I guess
Speaker 6: she did, for by and bye, a little Jolly Tom
Speaker 6: arrived to fill the days with music, and Missus Jolly
Speaker 6: Tom forgot all about her looking glass, for in the
Speaker 6: eyes of her baby she saw reflected the happy face
Speaker 6: of a mother. End of chapter.
Speaker 5: Four, Chapter five of the Magic Umbrella. This is a
Speaker 5: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Speaker 5: Read by Hannah car The Magic Umbrella by David Cory
Speaker 5: Snow Strawberries, Snow strawberries. The next day, as little Jimmy
Speaker 5: traveled along, the weather became cold. The ground soon was
Speaker 5: covered with snow. After a time, he turned into the woods,
Speaker 5: where the snow was not so deep. As he tramped along,
Speaker 5: he met a little girl with a basket on her arm.
Speaker 5: She was crying bitterly because her cruel stepmother had sent
Speaker 5: her out to gather strawberries in the woods. And who
Speaker 5: can gather strawberries in the winter time? I should like
Speaker 5: to know. Come with me, said Jimmy, kindly, taking off
Speaker 5: his coat and wrapping it around her shoulders. They both
Speaker 5: set off at a run. By and by they came
Speaker 5: to a tiny house made of logs. At the window
Speaker 5: they could see a little man's face peering through the glass.
Speaker 5: When Jimmy knocked on the door, a voice answered, who
Speaker 5: stands outside my door? I pray, If he's no friend,
Speaker 5: then go away. But if he'd be a friend in need,
Speaker 5: then to his pleading, I'll give heed, so Jimmy replied.
Speaker 5: This little maid is sore dismay and of an anxious mind,
Speaker 5: because no wild strawberries grow beneath the winter wind. At
Speaker 5: once the little man opened the door. In the room
Speaker 5: were two other little men, one busy baking bread, and
Speaker 5: the other sewing a button on his coat. But the
Speaker 5: bread wouldn't bake, and the little button fell to the
Speaker 5: floor and rolled into a crack, and the little man
Speaker 5: couldn't find it, although he lighted a candle and got
Speaker 5: down on his hands and knees. I'll bake your bread
Speaker 5: and sew the button on your coat, said the little girl.
Speaker 5: And she did it all so neatly that the two
Speaker 5: little men smiled. You are a good girl, they said.
Speaker 5: Take this boom and sweep away the snow. And what
Speaker 5: do you suppose she found? Why a patch of wild strawberries,
Speaker 5: ripe and red. So she ran into the house and
Speaker 5: told the little men what she had found. Take your
Speaker 5: basket and fill it with berries, they answered, And when
Speaker 5: it was full, they told her to take it home.
Speaker 5: But little Jimmy whispered to her, if your stepmother is
Speaker 5: so cruel, would it not be better for you to come
Speaker 5: with me. The little girl put her hand on Jimmy's,
Speaker 5: and together they set out. Pretty Soon along came a
Speaker 5: handsome prince riding a great white horse, And when he
Speaker 5: saw Jimmy and the little girl, he smiled and said,
Speaker 5: come with me to my castle, and taking them both
Speaker 5: up behind him, he set off again on his great horse. Now,
Speaker 5: as Jimmy and the little girl with her basket of
Speaker 5: strawberries rode behind the handsome prince on his great white horse,
Speaker 5: a little yellow bird called bright Wings began to sing
Speaker 5: from a treetop.
Speaker 7: The Prince and his charge, you white as pearl, is
Speaker 7: carrying home the dear little girl who knows how to
Speaker 7: bake and knows how to sew and sweep away with
Speaker 7: her roomless snow, and little boy Jimmy two, he takes
Speaker 7: back to his castle among the brakes. Jimmy, who's traveled
Speaker 7: ever so far to see the land where the fairies are,
Speaker 7: then away fley the bird, and the little girl laughed, and,
Speaker 7: opening her basket, gave a strawberry to the prince and
Speaker 7: one to Jimmy. But the strawberries weren't nearly as red
Speaker 7: as her lips, which smiled and laughed, for she was
Speaker 7: so happy to think that she was going to the
Speaker 7: castle and not back to her cruel stepmother. Well By
Speaker 7: and by they came to the castle, and the kind
Speaker 7: handsome prince.
Speaker 5: Lifted her off his horse. But he didn't have to
Speaker 5: lift Jimmy down. Oh my, no, Jimmy jumped off as
Speaker 5: nimbly as you please. Then they all went into the
Speaker 5: beautiful castle, and the housekeeper took the little girl up
Speaker 5: to a lovely room and dressed her in a beautiful
Speaker 5: blue gown and gold slippers. A tall, handsome footman and
Speaker 5: Livery showed Jimmy to his room, and were a splendid
Speaker 5: suit of velvet lay upon a chair, and a new
Speaker 5: pair of boots stood on the floor. The use are
Speaker 5: for you, said the footman. He didn't take Jimmy long
Speaker 5: to put them on. Let me tell you he was
Speaker 5: very glad to have them, for his own clothes were
Speaker 5: worn and soiled, and his boots were full of holes,
Speaker 5: so that every time he took a step his big
Speaker 5: toe stuck out, and sometimes his little one. The next day,
Speaker 5: Jimmy said he must be going, but the little girl
Speaker 5: stayed with the handsome prince, for he was very lonely,
Speaker 5: having no little girls of his own. And when she
Speaker 5: grew up to be a lovely princess, the prince married her,
Speaker 5: and she always had a strawberry patch in the garden
Speaker 5: to remember how she first met him. And the reason
Speaker 5: I know all this is because that little yellow bird
Speaker 5: told me so. Soon Jimmy was far away, for he
Speaker 5: was a good walker, anxious to meet with a new adventure.
Speaker 5: By and by, as he neared a little village, he
Speaker 5: met a big goose who flapped her wings and said.
Speaker 7: This is Gooseville. No one is allowed to come here.
Speaker 5: Oh dear me, said Jimmy, won't you just let me
Speaker 5: peek over the fence, for the town was shut in
Speaker 5: all around by a high board fence. No, indeed, replied
Speaker 5: the goose. If I let you in, then I'll have
Speaker 5: to let everybody in, and that will never do. Just
Speaker 5: then a big fox jumped from behind a tree and
Speaker 5: caught the poor goose. So Jimmy kept on his way
Speaker 5: in search of adventure. End of chapter.
Speaker 8: Five, Chapter six of The Magic Umbrella. This is a
Speaker 8: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
Speaker 8: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Speaker 8: The Magic Umbrella by David Cory. Giant Merry Laugh, Fee
Speaker 8: fie fiddle, d d I wonder where little Jimmy can be?
Speaker 8: Sang the Giant Merry Laugh, winking at his little yellow
Speaker 8: bird in her cage. You see, every one in strange
Speaker 8: Land was hoping to see little Jimmy. They didn't know,
Speaker 8: like you and me, that he had just left Gooseville.
Speaker 8: Where do you s'pose Jimmie is? Again, asked Giant Merry Laugh,
Speaker 8: and he gave a great sigh that made all the
Speaker 8: crystals on the tall chandelier tinkle the words where do
Speaker 8: you suppose little Jimmie is? All of a sudden there
Speaker 8: came a loud knocking at the gate, and the little
Speaker 8: yellow bird began to sing. Some one is knocking at
Speaker 8: the gate, hurry and don't let the stranger wait. I
Speaker 8: think he is wearing hob nailed boots and carries a
Speaker 8: silver horn that toots. Just then there came the music
Speaker 8: of a horn, sweet and clear. Merry Laugh jumped up
Speaker 8: from his great chair and opened the door. Would you
Speaker 8: believe it, there stood little Jimmy. Come in, my friend,
Speaker 8: said the giant with a smile as big as the
Speaker 8: sun at noontime, and leaning down, he picked up Jimmy
Speaker 8: and carried him in. Then he closed the door and
Speaker 8: began to laugh. And when mister Giant Merry Laugh smiled,
Speaker 8: it made the leaves tremble. But when he laughed, the
Speaker 8: apples fell off the trees, and the little birds swung
Speaker 8: up and down on the branches. We were just talking
Speaker 8: about you, Jimmy, he explained, I thought so, answered the
Speaker 8: little boy with a grin. My left ear was burning.
Speaker 8: But jimmyy crickets, I'm tired. Have you traveled far? Asked
Speaker 8: Giant Merry Laugh, going over to the ice box for
Speaker 8: a pitcher of milk. Then he filled a bowl with
Speaker 8: broken bread. Jimmy had a fine feast, and after wiping
Speaker 8: his mouth with a clean pocket handkerchief, which his dear
Speaker 8: mother had given him the day he had set out
Speaker 8: for the grocery store, he answered the giant's question, yes,
Speaker 8: see how dusty my boots are. Just then the little
Speaker 8: bird began again to sing. Jimmy, don't you remember me,
Speaker 8: the little bird in the apple tree. I have always
Speaker 8: been your friend and will help you on to your
Speaker 8: journey's end. Will you, said Jimmy, I'm so glad to
Speaker 8: see you, for I remember so many times how you
Speaker 8: sang to me from the old apple tree, but never
Speaker 8: could I catch sight of your golden feathers. What is
Speaker 8: your name, Bright Wings, answered the little yellow bird, as
Speaker 8: she flew over to sit on the giant's shoulder. What
Speaker 8: adventure are you now seeking, little boy, asked the giant,
Speaker 8: merry laugh stroking the tiny bird's feathers. I'm searching for
Speaker 8: a magic herb to cure my father's rheumatism, answered Jimmy.
Speaker 8: I know where that magic herb grows, exclaimed the giant.
Speaker 8: Bright Wings. Will lead you to the place. Follow me,
Speaker 8: said the little yellow bird, and away she went with
Speaker 8: Jimmy to look for the magic herb. By and by
Speaker 8: they came to a rocky glen, where she hopped along
Speaker 8: on the ground, looking this way and that way, until
Speaker 8: at last she came to a little door in a
Speaker 8: big tree. Tapping on it three times with her bill,
Speaker 8: it suddenly opened, and a little fairy dressed in green
Speaker 8: and gold stood before them. What can I do for you,
Speaker 8: little bird, she asked, Then, glancing at Jimmy, she almost
Speaker 8: closed the door, for I guess she had never seen
Speaker 8: a little mortal boy before. My master wishes me to
Speaker 8: get the magic herb for little Jimmie, answered the yellow bird.
Speaker 8: At this, the little fairy laughed, for now she wasn't
Speaker 8: afraid of Jimmy. Come in, she said, and Jimmy following.
Speaker 8: The little yellow Bird saw inside the big tree a
Speaker 8: beautiful house, just like the house you and I live in,
Speaker 8: only of course it was smaller, oh my, yes, and
Speaker 8: then too it was all hung with cobweb curtains and
Speaker 8: carpeted with moss. And the electric lights weren't electric lights
Speaker 8: at all. They were little fireflies that gleamed and twinkled
Speaker 8: like candles in a looking glass. Pretty soon the little
Speaker 8: Fairy took out of a cupboard the magic herb and
Speaker 8: handed it to Jimmie with a song. Little bird, do
Speaker 8: your part cure a sad and broken heart, or a
Speaker 8: body racked with pain till you bring it health again.
Speaker 8: Thank you, and may I be able some day to
Speaker 8: repay you, said Jimmy, as he and the little bird
Speaker 8: went away. I wish I had my magic umbrella, he said. Presently,
Speaker 8: it wouldn't take me long to fly home. I'll carry
Speaker 8: the magic herb to your father, answered the little yellow bird,
Speaker 8: and picking it up in her bill, she flew away.
Speaker 8: And some day I'll tell you how Jimmy's father was
Speaker 8: cured of his rheumatism, for by that time the magic
Speaker 8: herb will have had time to work its magic healing.
Speaker 8: Where now shall I go, thought Jimmy, for he didn't
Speaker 8: want to return to Giant Merry Laugh's castle, so as
Speaker 8: there was nothing better to do, he kept on walking
Speaker 8: until by and by he came to a strange land,
Speaker 8: where the brooks ran up hill, and the birds flew
Speaker 8: upside down, and the moon shone in the daytime and
Speaker 8: the sun at night, and the little stars stood on
Speaker 8: the tops of the trees, and the poor people all
Speaker 8: had liberty bonds, and rich men wore saving stamps. Close
Speaker 8: at hand was a great stone carved into a rude
Speaker 8: kind of chair, and over it was written on a
Speaker 8: stone slab, wishing stone. Jimmy sat down and made a wish,
Speaker 8: but I won't tell you what it was, for if
Speaker 8: you tell a wish, you know it never comes true.
Speaker 8: And while he sat there, a poor old man came
Speaker 8: by with a rose bush in his hand. Where are
Speaker 8: you going? Asked Jimmy for a moment. The old man
Speaker 8: made no reply, but tears filled his eyes from the
Speaker 8: pain in his heart because his good wife had died
Speaker 8: and lay buried in the churchyard. I am taking this
Speaker 8: rose bush to plant by my good woman's grave, answered
Speaker 8: the old man. May I come with you, asked Jimmy,
Speaker 8: Come with me if you like, answered the old man.
Speaker 8: So together they went down the road, and after a
Speaker 8: while they came to the quiet churchyard, where lay the
Speaker 8: people who had traveled life's hard road to the journey's end.
Speaker 8: When the old man came to the grave of his
Speaker 8: good wife, he planted the rose tree, and the tears
Speaker 8: from his eyes watered it until it budded and bloomed
Speaker 8: with beautiful roses. Oh my wish has come true. See
Speaker 8: the tree has many roses. My good wife always loved roses.
Speaker 8: And the old man dried his eyes with the back
Speaker 8: of his hand. And so has mine, said little Jimmy simply.
Speaker 8: But the old man hardly noticed what he said, for
Speaker 8: he didn't know that little Jimmy, as he sat on
Speaker 8: the wishing stone, had wished that some poor person should
Speaker 8: have what he most desired. And I think it a
Speaker 8: lovely unselfish wish, so different from the usual kind. For
Speaker 8: most of us think only of ourselves. But little Jimmy
Speaker 8: had made a wish for some one who needed it.
Speaker 8: Perhaps that is the reason it came true. Well after that,
Speaker 8: Jimmy went upon his way, and the old man plucked
Speaker 8: a rose and took it home with him, to place
Speaker 8: in a vase before the little mirror in which his
Speaker 8: good wife was wont to look when she did up
Speaker 8: her hair. In the morning, and all that night the
Speaker 8: wind sang down the chimney of the little old Man's house.
Speaker 8: She sees your rose is blooming red upon her quiet
Speaker 8: grassy bed and Chapter six read by Gila Zarb freeburg Nappa,
Speaker 8: March seventeenth, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3: Chapter seven of The Magic Umbrella. This is a librifox recording.
Speaker 3: All librifox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 3: information or to volunteer, please visit librifox dot Org. Read
Speaker 3: by honeybees Meadow. The Magic Umbrella by David Cory The WindMan.
Speaker 3: As Jimmy walked down the mountain side, he met a
Speaker 3: man who had three bags in his hand. They were
Speaker 3: little bags, each tied with a string just like a
Speaker 3: toy balloon. I am the WindMan, he said, in answer
Speaker 3: to an inquiring look from Jimmy. In these little bags,
Speaker 3: I carry the winds of the earth. Presently, he took
Speaker 3: an empty bag out of his pocket. Do you feel
Speaker 3: the gentle wind blowing on your face? He asked, tis
Speaker 3: the south wind that blows to day. And in this
Speaker 3: empty bag I shall put her when I am ready
Speaker 3: to send another wind over the land. Then he whistled merrily,
Speaker 3: and a blue bird flew out of the forest, and,
Speaker 3: lighting on his shoulder, commenced to sing, My feathers are
Speaker 3: blue as the blue blue sky, and I sing the
Speaker 3: happiest song, for I am the messinger Spring when she
Speaker 3: comes with her flower throng, and the ice bound brooks
Speaker 3: will hear me sing, and the deer in the woods
Speaker 3: will leap and spring, and the trees will put on
Speaker 3: their leavey gowns, and the children will sing in the
Speaker 3: near by towns. And after that, she clapped her wings
Speaker 3: and flew away Tiloo, Tuloo, blue blue. She caroled till
Speaker 3: she was lost to sight. There she goes, said the WindMan.
Speaker 3: I wouldn't put her in a cage. She's the sweetest
Speaker 3: bird of all. Some say she is the bird of happiness,
Speaker 3: and others that happiness is only in the heart, but
Speaker 3: who knows. And then he turned away into the woods.
Speaker 3: Well after that, Jimmy went on down the mountain side,
Speaker 3: and by and by he came to a little thatched
Speaker 3: cottage where lived a poor widow woman whose only son
Speaker 3: had gone to war. When her day's work was done,
Speaker 3: she would sit and knit warm socks and mittens for
Speaker 3: her soldier boy. And each time she came to the
Speaker 3: last stitch, she would say a little prayer. And some
Speaker 3: of these little prayers went like this, God, keep his
Speaker 3: feet from evil ways. And then she would make her
Speaker 3: needles fly. And when again she came to the last stitch,
Speaker 3: she would say another little prayer, and maybe it would
Speaker 3: be this one, God, keep his feet as warm as
Speaker 3: my love. And then again her needles would fly back
Speaker 3: and forth. And Jimmy thought to himself, ever since I
Speaker 3: went with the old man to the stone cross, I
Speaker 3: have seen beautiful things, And that should not seem strange
Speaker 3: to any life. Boy and girl who reads this story,
Speaker 3: for he who feels pity for another's sorrow will see
Speaker 3: many beautiful things in this world, for goodness in itself
Speaker 3: is a most beautiful thing. As Jimmy left the cottage,
Speaker 3: he heard the blue bird sing, happiness is.
Speaker 9: In the hard loly Thie Bee. Kings and queen's can
Speaker 9: have no more happiness than we. Then, following the path
Speaker 9: down the mountain side, he came at length to a
Speaker 9: small village in the valley. As he walked through the streets,
Speaker 9: he saw many strange things. There was one little house
Speaker 9: that looked like a big bed, for it stood on
Speaker 9: four legs, with four turrets, one on each corner above
Speaker 9: the roof. Presently, Jimmy drew near enough to read the
Speaker 9: sign over the door, mister Sleepman. No sooner had Jimmy
Speaker 9: knocked than it was opened by a young man with
Speaker 9: a poppy flower in his hand. What do you want,
Speaker 9: little man, he in a soft voice. I have never
Speaker 9: seen mister Sleepman, replied Jimmy, although I have a cousin
Speaker 9: named Peter, who has met mister Hercules, King Neptune, and
Speaker 9: the dragon who keeps watch over the Golden Apple orchard.
Speaker 9: Peter's adventures are related in the wind wagon.
Speaker 3: But now I wish to see the man who sends
Speaker 3: sleep I am he replied the young man, waving the
Speaker 3: poppy flower in the air. Come in, so Jimmy went inside.
Speaker 3: When the sleepman walked, he made no noise at all,
Speaker 3: for on his feet were the softest kind of sandals.
Speaker 3: Pretty soon he went over to a cabinet, and, taking
Speaker 3: out a silver flute, began to play a drowsy tune.
Speaker 3: At times it sounded like the hum of bees, and
Speaker 3: then like trickling water, and then again like far away bells.
Speaker 3: Do you like my music? Asked the sleep man, waving
Speaker 3: his poppy flower to and fro oh so slowly little
Speaker 3: Chamine ever answered, for he was fast asleep. You see,
Speaker 3: the sleep man had a wonderful charm. The next morning,
Speaker 3: when Jimmie awoke, he felt so refreshed, and after an
Speaker 3: ice breakfast, he bid the sleep man good bye and
Speaker 3: started off again. After a little way, not so very far,
Speaker 3: he came to a queer little shop. It was shaped
Speaker 3: just like a big white egg, and on top was
Speaker 3: the figure of a dove. Opening the tiny door, Jimmy
Speaker 3: stepped inside. Behind a counter stood three fairies. They were
Speaker 3: marking and labeling pretty boxes. On looking closer, Jimmy saw
Speaker 3: that one was marked good disposition. Then he noticed that
Speaker 3: another was labeled truthfulness, and a third honesty, and others
Speaker 3: sweet voice, blue eyes, brown eyes, gray eyes, yellow hair, faithfulness,
Speaker 3: self control. He hew him the fairies gift shop, laughed
Speaker 3: one of the little fairies, looking up at Jimmy's puzzled face.
Speaker 3: When a child is born, we send it a gift.
Speaker 3: Sometimes we take the gift, and sometimes we send it
Speaker 3: by a snow white dove. As she finished, a bird
Speaker 3: began to sing.
Speaker 9: A Penia, mother, Here is a gift for the tiny
Speaker 9: one at your breast.
Speaker 3: Kiss his eyes if you wish them blue, breathe a prairie,
Speaker 3: Feish him true, harnest and faithful all his whole life through.
Speaker 3: Then one of the little fairies pinned a flower on
Speaker 3: Jimmy's coat as he stood there quietly listening, hardly knowing
Speaker 3: the meaning of it all. Then gently pushing him out
Speaker 3: through the door, she whispered, good bye, little Jimmy. Pretty
Speaker 3: soon Jimmy came to a little dwarf who was sewing
Speaker 3: buttons on a tiny green coat. He was sitting at
Speaker 3: the foot of a big high walnut tree, sewing on
Speaker 3: walnut shells for buttons. It wasn't such an easy drop either,
Speaker 3: let me tell you. For first he had to make
Speaker 3: little holes in the hard shell with a small, sharp gimlet. Hallo,
Speaker 3: said Jimmy, taking off his cap and sitting down by
Speaker 3: the little man of the wood. For whom are you
Speaker 3: making this coat? And who may you be? Asked the
Speaker 3: little man with a frown. You see, he wasn't going
Speaker 3: to answer questions without knowing who Jimmy was. So Jimmy
Speaker 3: explained about the magic umbrella, and oh, lots and lots
Speaker 3: of things. Pretty soon, the little man said, after he
Speaker 3: had put on the last walnut button, come with me.
Speaker 3: I will show you strange sights. I see you are
Speaker 3: fond of adventure, and picking up the little green coat
Speaker 3: and sticking the needle in the lapel of his jacket,
Speaker 3: started off through the forest. You need have no fear,
Speaker 3: for I mean no harm, he said, looking back at Jimmy.
Speaker 3: I'm not afraid, answered Jimmy with a laugh. It was
Speaker 3: very quiet under the leafy boughs. Only now and then
Speaker 3: the soft note of a bird calling to its mate,
Speaker 3: all the sharp sound of a twig breaking beneath their
Speaker 3: feet broke the shadowy silence. End of Chapter seven.
Speaker 10: Chapter eight of The Magic Umbrella. This is a Libervox recording.
Speaker 10: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 10: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Speaker 10: Magic Umbrella by David Cory, Chapter eight, The Little Man
Speaker 10: of the Wood. After a mile or more, they reached
Speaker 10: a big rock on which the little Man knocked three times.
Speaker 10: All of a sudden, a tiny door opened, and right
Speaker 10: in front of them a flight of stone steps led
Speaker 10: down into the ground. Follow me, said the little man,
Speaker 10: but don't trip, or you may fall a mile. And
Speaker 10: he turned to Jimmy to see if his words had
Speaker 10: frightened him. But Jimmy answered with a grin, I'll be careful,
Speaker 10: never fear well. After a while they came to another door,
Speaker 10: and when this opened, Jimmy found himself in a large
Speaker 10: room in which sat a little woman dressed in a
Speaker 10: green skirt and a yellow waist. Why this must be Jimmy,
Speaker 10: she exclaimed. Sit down, my dear, and I'll tell you
Speaker 10: all about my little man and myself. I know you
Speaker 10: are wondering why we live so far down in the earth.
Speaker 10: Jimmy seated himself on a little stool, and as soon
Speaker 10: as the little man had hung up the tiny coat
Speaker 10: on which he had sowed the walnut buttons, he drew
Speaker 10: a chair up to the fire. Once upon a time
Speaker 10: his little dwarf woman commenced. When the world was young,
Speaker 10: and all the trees little bushes, and the ocean no
Speaker 10: larger than a duck pond, and the whale smaller than goldfish,
Speaker 10: and the elephants no larger than puppy dogs. The fairies
Speaker 10: were the only people who lived on this big kind earth.
Speaker 10: Some of them built little houses in the wood, and
Speaker 10: some lived in caverns in the deep earth. And those
Speaker 10: who lived down deep under the mountains became very strong,
Speaker 10: for they worked all day dicking out the diamonds and
Speaker 10: precious stones. Well after a while, those fairies who lived
Speaker 10: in the wood and drank dew and sweet flower juice
Speaker 10: became as light as the thistle down on the meadow.
Speaker 10: And those who lived deep under the earth and ate
Speaker 10: bread made from the wheat of the fields, and drank
Speaker 10: the juice of the wild grape grew heavy and strong,
Speaker 10: but never very tall, for they lived out of the
Speaker 10: sun's warm rays, which makes everything grow tall and big.
Speaker 10: As time went on, a strange thing happened, one of
Speaker 10: the little underground men ran away and lived by himself
Speaker 10: on a mountain top. After a while, he grew as
Speaker 10: large as a giant. At this point in her story,
Speaker 10: the little dwarf woman paused, and, looking over at her husband,
Speaker 10: asked him to go on with the story. So Jimmy
Speaker 10: turned around on his stool to hear better what the
Speaker 10: little man had to say. Of course, this was all
Speaker 10: very long ago, continued the dwarf. And what I'm telling
Speaker 10: tike you was first told me by my grandmother, and
Speaker 10: her grandmother told her well by and by a race
Speaker 10: of giants came upon the earth, and all sorts of
Speaker 10: strange wild animals, and then all of a sudden, one
Speaker 10: day a great rainstorm set in, And if the giants
Speaker 10: hadn't made the water flow in deep rivers to the ocean,
Speaker 10: I guess everybody would have been drowned. But how did
Speaker 10: you come to live here? Asked little Jimmy, looking around
Speaker 10: at the walls of the room, on which hung hundreds
Speaker 10: of little green coats with one nut shell buttons. Oh,
Speaker 10: I'm the little dwarf tailor, answered the dwarf. My wife
Speaker 10: and I make the coats for the little men of
Speaker 10: the wood. Well, I must be on my way. Good Bye,
Speaker 10: and thank you for your fairy story, said Jimmy, and
Speaker 10: off he started again on his journey of adventure. By
Speaker 10: and by. After a while he came to a great
Speaker 10: forest where lived the little men of the wood. Now,
Speaker 10: as Jimmy looked about him, he spied a mossy spot, and,
Speaker 10: being tired with his long journey, he lay down and
Speaker 10: was soon fast asleep. Presently, a noble duke came into
Speaker 10: the forest to find an honest woodcutter to watch over
Speaker 10: his flowers. As the duke walked along, he heard a
Speaker 10: funny little voice close at hand, and looking down, saw
Speaker 10: a small figure dressed in green clothes.
Speaker 6: What wouldst thou have.
Speaker 10: Asked the duke. Let me guard thy roses, replied the
Speaker 10: little man. How dost thou know that I need some
Speaker 10: one to guard them, asked the Duke. Because the fairies
Speaker 10: have told me, and said the little man, Come with me,
Speaker 10: cried the duke. For a man who knows the language
Speaker 10: of the fairies, even though he is no larger than thee,
Speaker 10: is worth more than a thousand wise men. The duke
Speaker 10: then turned upon his heel and retraced his steps, followed
Speaker 10: by the little Man of the Wood. Just then an
Speaker 10: acorn fell off a tree and hit little Jimmy on
Speaker 10: the nose, waking him up with a start. As he
Speaker 10: rubbed his nose, he saw the Duke and the little
Speaker 10: Man of the Wood walking away. Goodness me, cried Jimmy,
Speaker 10: my dream is coming true, and jumping up, followed them
Speaker 10: by and bye. They came to the castle garden, where
Speaker 10: Jimmie hid, hoping to find out who stole the beautiful roses.
Speaker 10: Wasn't it strange that he had dreamt that thieves were
Speaker 10: stealing the Duke's roses? Well By and by, when evening came,
Speaker 10: the little Man of the Wood sprinkled all the flowers
Speaker 10: with snuff powder, and then he hid himself behind a bush.
Speaker 10: After a while, as it grew dark, two cortiers stepped
Speaker 10: out of the palace, and, seeing no one near, plucked
Speaker 10: the beautiful roses and threw them over the garden wall,
Speaker 10: where a man hit them away in a great basket. But, oh,
Speaker 10: dear me, in a few minutes those two cortiers began
Speaker 10: to sneeze their heads off, for the snuff powder got
Speaker 10: up their noses and in their eyes, and while they
Speaker 10: were sneezing, the little men of the Wood ran into
Speaker 10: the castle to call the Duke.
Speaker 8: In.
Speaker 10: A few minutes out came the Duke in a towering rage.
Speaker 10: Seize them, he commanded the royal guards. When the cortiers
Speaker 10: were bound and about to be led away, the Duke
Speaker 10: turned to the little Man of the wood and said,
Speaker 10: I have seized them, and thou hast sneezed them. And
Speaker 10: the Duke laughed very loudly at his own joke, and
Speaker 10: so did Jimmie, who was hiding behind a bush. You
Speaker 10: remember who laughs with me, asked the Duke, looking about him,
Speaker 10: For you may be sure. The two cortiers weren't last,
Speaker 10: no surrey, They didn't see anything funny, and besides, they
Speaker 10: were too busy sneezing. It was I who laughed, your
Speaker 10: Royal Highness, answered little Jimmy, stepping out from behind his
Speaker 10: hiding place. You are a good joker, and the joker
Speaker 10: beats the king. This so pleased the noble Duke that
Speaker 10: he invited Jimmy into the castle at the same time,
Speaker 10: turning to the little Man of the wood and saying, henceforth,
Speaker 10: thou shalt be the guardian of my castle. So the
Speaker 10: little fellow was made seneschal of the palace, and that night,
Speaker 10: when every one was asleep, he cut little holes in
Speaker 10: the walls and floors through which he might squeeze in
Speaker 10: case the great doors were closed. In this way he
Speaker 10: was able to creep through the great palace without anyone
Speaker 10: seeing him. And before long he found out he was faithful,
Speaker 10: and who was not. When the Duke learned of this,
Speaker 10: he was so pleased with the little man that he
Speaker 10: gave him a toy palace to live in.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 10: One evening, as the little Fellow was creeping through the castle,
Speaker 10: he came into the room of the Duchess, where she
Speaker 10: lay asleep with her little baby boy about a month old,
Speaker 10: And just as the little Man of the Wood tiptoed
Speaker 10: over the door sill, the baby rolled off the bed
Speaker 10: on to the soft floor rug, and lay there without
Speaker 10: waking its mother. The little Man of the Wood, having
Speaker 10: never seen a baby before, thought it was one of
Speaker 10: his own people, and, picking it up in his arms,
Speaker 10: carried it away to his little palace. Every day he
Speaker 10: fed it with milk, until by and bye I grew
Speaker 10: up to be a big boy with golden hair and
Speaker 10: blue eyes. But oh dear me, this was long after
Speaker 10: Jimmy had left the palace. He went the very next
Speaker 10: morning and never knew what had happened until long after.
Speaker 10: But while Jimmy is on his way, I'll tell you
Speaker 10: what became of the little baby, for I know you
Speaker 10: are anxious to know how a dwarf can plain her
Speaker 10: set sentinel at the same time. End of chapter eight.
Speaker 11: Chapter nine of The Magic Umbrella. This is a LibriVox recording.
Speaker 11: All Liberalvox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 11: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read
Speaker 11: by Bobby Bee, The Magic Umbrella by David Corey Blue Eyes.
Speaker 11: One night, when the Dwarf was at a banquets given
Speaker 11: by the Duke, he heard one of the cartiers say
Speaker 11: it was strange that a thief who had stolen the
Speaker 11: Duchess's child must be very clever. To Sylvie at Line
Speaker 11: and the little Dwarf, who had been wondering for some
Speaker 11: time why the child shook the growing taller each day
Speaker 11: until he was twice his size, jumped upon the banquet
Speaker 11: table and cried in a loud voice, I will return
Speaker 11: the child to you. For he felt sure that the
Speaker 11: baby he had taken years ago to his own little
Speaker 11: palace must be the lost child of the Duchess. But
Speaker 11: when the child was brought into the banquet hall, he
Speaker 11: would have nothing to do with anyone, and clung to
Speaker 11: the dwarf, saying he is my father. This made the
Speaker 11: Duke so angry that he ordered them both out of
Speaker 11: his castle. So the dwarf took the boy and hurried
Speaker 11: from the palace and away into the forest. After a
Speaker 11: year and a day, the dwarf went back to the castle, and,
Speaker 11: while everyone was asleep, crept through the little holes which
Speaker 11: he had made in the floors and the walls of
Speaker 11: the great palace, until he came to the room in
Speaker 11: which the Duchess slept. There he told her in a
Speaker 11: dream that her boy was safe and well, and that
Speaker 11: the little men of the forest had made him their king,
Speaker 11: and that when he had grown old enough to take
Speaker 11: care of himself, he would come back to her at length. However,
Speaker 11: when the child had grown up to be a big boy,
Speaker 11: the little men of the wood became afraid of him,
Speaker 11: and one night, as he lay asleep, they bound him
Speaker 11: to the earth, just the way the Lilliputans fastened Gulliver,
Speaker 11: and when Little Blue Eyes awoke in the morning, he
Speaker 11: found he could not move. Across his body were stretched
Speaker 11: hempen cords and fastened to hundreds of steaks driven into
Speaker 11: the ground. What have I done that you should treat me?
Speaker 11: So he asked the little men of the wood, as
Speaker 11: they gathered around him. The dwarf who had brought the
Speaker 11: little boy to the forest felt sorry for him, but
Speaker 11: he dared not say so for fear of the other
Speaker 11: little men. Then the dwarf men came nearer, and some
Speaker 11: of them stood upon the boy's chest, while others walked
Speaker 11: along his legs and arms, taking care, of course, not
Speaker 11: to hurt him. By and by. They agreed that if
Speaker 11: he would promise to leave the forest and return to
Speaker 11: his own country, they would release him. So he swore
Speaker 11: a solemn oath that he never would harm them, and
Speaker 11: after that they cut the cords and set him free. Nevertheless,
Speaker 11: he was very unhappy to leave them, even though he
Speaker 11: had been so badly treated, and his little dwarf friend
Speaker 11: felt very sad that King Blue Eyes was forced to
Speaker 11: return to his own country and be with them. No
Speaker 11: more harm. No one smaller and weaker, said the little dwarf.
Speaker 11: As the boy started off for his father's castle. By
Speaker 11: and by, Blue Eyes saw in the distance a castle.
Speaker 11: He knew it belonged to his father, because his dwarf
Speaker 11: friend had told him so one day when they had
Speaker 11: wandered together a long way from the forest. When Little
Speaker 11: blue Eyes reached the castle, he found it in great uproar,
Speaker 11: for the king had died and his wicked lords were
Speaker 11: striving among themselves for possession of all his belongings. As
Speaker 11: Little blue Eyes crept into the garden, he saw sitting
Speaker 11: on a bench a beautiful maiden weeping bitterly. Why do
Speaker 11: you weep, he asked, because my father is dead these
Speaker 11: seven days, she answered, and now his lords quarrel among
Speaker 11: themselves as to who shall govern the country. Where is
Speaker 11: your mother, asked Little blue Eyes, sitting down beside her.
Speaker 11: Alas she has been dead many years, replied the maiden.
Speaker 11: As she finished speaking, the wicked lords themselves came running
Speaker 11: into the garden. They will kill me, cried the maiden,
Speaker 11: for they fear I will lay claim to my father's kingdom.
Speaker 11: Let us hide in the forest, said Blue Eyes, and
Speaker 11: they both ran from the garden, and were soon safely
Speaker 11: hidden among the great trees. Forgetting that he was no longer,
Speaker 11: King blue Eyes blew upon his silver horn. In a
Speaker 11: short time, the little men of the wood stood before him.
Speaker 11: After learning what had taken place at the castle, they said,
Speaker 11: come and rule over us again. We see you have
Speaker 11: a tender heart and we fear you no longer. And
Speaker 11: I will marry the maid and she will be Queen
Speaker 11: blue Eyes. He said, that is impossible, said his friend,
Speaker 11: the little dwarf, for she is your sister. At this
Speaker 11: King blue Eyes was very much surprised, for till now
Speaker 11: he had not known that he had a sister. And
Speaker 11: while they all stood around wondering what would happen next,
Speaker 11: a woodcutter came by and asked what was the trouble,
Speaker 11: and when they told him, he said, this maid is
Speaker 11: not the daughter of the queen, but of a poor
Speaker 11: peasant woman, for when the queen lost her baby boy,
Speaker 11: she adopted this child for her own. This is why
Speaker 11: there is so much confusion at the castle, for they
Speaker 11: say she has no right to rule over the country.
Speaker 11: Therefore they all lay claim to the kingdom. Once King
Speaker 11: blue Eyes said he would marry her and make her
Speaker 11: queen over them, that is, if she would have him.
Speaker 11: Of course, the princess said yes, and they were married
Speaker 11: by a little dwarf priest, and lived happily ever after
Speaker 11: as king and queen as the little men of the wood.
Speaker 11: As Jimmy traveled on, he heard a voice from a
Speaker 11: treetop singing, Oh, I'm the king of the merry winds,
Speaker 11: and push the ships over the sea. I turn the
Speaker 11: sails of the big windmills that stand so tall on
Speaker 11: the lee. I fly the kites of the little boys
Speaker 11: and well around their pinwheel toys. I turned the weather
Speaker 11: cock to and fro, and stormy nights down the chimney blow.
Speaker 11: Come talk to me, called out Jimmy, wishing to see
Speaker 11: what kind of a king this windy monarch might be.
Speaker 11: Wait a minute, answered the voice, and pretty soon down
Speaker 11: came a little fairylike person with gaudy wings and carrying
Speaker 11: in his hand along silver horn. As soon as he
Speaker 11: was safer on the ground, he put the silver instrument
Speaker 11: to his lips. At once, all the leaves in the
Speaker 11: forest began to whisper, and the tall meadow grass to
Speaker 11: bend and sway, and a painted weathercock on a barn
Speaker 11: near by to turn back and forth on his toe
Speaker 11: like a dancer. As he finished blowing, he turned to
Speaker 11: Jimmy and said, what favor can I do for you?
Speaker 11: I see you are a traveler, And he looked at
Speaker 11: Jimmy's dusty boots and smiled. Haven't you a little silver
Speaker 11: horn to give me? Asked Jimmy, I would like one
Speaker 11: to blow away spirits and bats. Sometimes when I am traveling,
Speaker 11: I meet with strange enemies who would do me harm.
Speaker 11: Wait a moment, answered the King of the Merry Winds,
Speaker 11: and opening a little door in the tree, he went inside.
Speaker 11: Presently he came out with a little silver whistle hung
Speaker 11: on a silver chain. Here, Jimmy is it's a magic
Speaker 11: wind whistle. Blow upon it softly and you will stir
Speaker 11: a little breeze. Blow a blast upon it, and a
Speaker 11: whirlwind will arise that may scatter an army of men.
Speaker 11: Thank you, said Jimmy, fastening the chain to his waistcoat
Speaker 11: and placing the whistle in his pocket. I will use
Speaker 11: it the first time I am in trouble. And bowing
Speaker 11: to the King of the Merry Winds, he set out
Speaker 11: once more upon his travels, and by and by you
Speaker 11: shall hear to what use he puts this little silver whistle,
Speaker 11: For you may be sure that something will happen. One
Speaker 11: doesn't travel to strange countries without meeting with strange adventures,
Speaker 11: and it is well to be prepared when one is
Speaker 11: traveling alone. It's greatly pleased Jimmy to know that the
Speaker 11: little magic whistle would raise a hurricane, But of course
Speaker 11: he didn't want to make it do anything like that,
Speaker 11: unless perchance he was set upon by a band of
Speaker 11: robbers or a wild elephant. So he kept it in
Speaker 11: his pocket until such time as he might need it.
Speaker 11: End a Chapter.
Speaker 10: Nine, Chapter ten of The Magic Umbrella. This is a
Speaker 10: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
Speaker 10: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Speaker 10: The Magic Umbrella by David Cory, Chapter ten, The Magic
Speaker 10: Blade of Grass. After a while he came to a
Speaker 10: cottage in which lived a quarrelsome man and wife. Dear me,
Speaker 10: but they were making a dreadful noise, And it was
Speaker 10: all because she had sold their old black cow that
Speaker 10: very morning. The man had given a big price for
Speaker 10: the cow was a very wonderful animal. She gave thirty
Speaker 10: quarts of milk a day, and knew how to make
Speaker 10: butter and cheese as well. What's the matter, asked Jimmy.
Speaker 10: At once the man and his wife stopped quarreling. Come in, Jimmy,
Speaker 10: said the man, opening the gate. Perhaps you can tell
Speaker 10: me how to get back my black cow, which my
Speaker 10: foolish wife sold today. But his good woman ever said
Speaker 10: a word. All she wanted was the money with which
Speaker 10: to buy a new dress for husband was so stingy
Speaker 10: that he never gave her anything except calico aprons. Lemme think,
Speaker 10: said Jimmy, I doubt very much of the man who
Speaker 10: bought your cow will want to part with her. She
Speaker 10: must indeed be a wonderful animal. I won't reread about
Speaker 10: a cow that jumped over the moon, but she never
Speaker 10: made butter, although they do say that ever since she
Speaker 10: took that wonderful jump, the moon is full of green cheese.
Speaker 10: But what am I to do, asked the man, impatiently,
Speaker 10: as Jimmy pause. I have something of magic power in
Speaker 10: my pocket, Jimmy whispered. If you will take me to
Speaker 10: the place where your cow is kept, I'll promise that
Speaker 10: you shall buy her back. For half the price. The
Speaker 10: man then led Jimmie down the road for maybe a
Speaker 10: mile until they came to a great barn, through the
Speaker 10: doorway of which Jimmy saw a beautiful black cow moving
Speaker 10: and tossing her head till the silver bell at her
Speaker 10: neck tinkled like a telephone bell in an empty room.
Speaker 10: There she is, exclaimed the man, Sue Boss, sue boss.
Speaker 10: Hurrying into the barn, Jimmy took from his pocket a
Speaker 10: long blade of grass and gave it to her. No
Speaker 10: sooner had she eaten it than she whisked her tail, and,
Speaker 10: sitting down on a milking stool, gave a long sad moo.
Speaker 10: I hope she won't dip off the little milking stool
Speaker 10: and break one of her ivory horns. Presently she began
Speaker 10: to look very queer. Her horns changed to long ears,
Speaker 10: and her body became smaller, and before long she turned
Speaker 10: into a little donkey. What have you done to my cow,
Speaker 10: asked the man in an angry voice, running out of
Speaker 10: the barn. I didn't do anything, answered the farmer, which
Speaker 10: was perfectly true. And of course the man didn't test
Speaker 10: Jimmy because he never thought that a little boy could
Speaker 10: change a cow into a donkey. Why are you here,
Speaker 10: asked the man. I came to buy back my cow,
Speaker 10: but I don't want a donkey, the farmer replied as
Speaker 10: he turned away. Neither do, I replied the man. I
Speaker 10: think the animal is bewitched. I'll have nothing to do
Speaker 10: with such a creature. I need a seed to ride upon,
Speaker 10: said little Jimmy, speaking for the first time. I'll buy
Speaker 10: the donkey. Well, you may have this cow donkey for
Speaker 10: half what I paid for her, said the man in
Speaker 10: a disgusted voice. I'll not keep such an animal in
Speaker 10: my barn. Jimmy took out his purse and paid his money.
Speaker 10: Jumping on the donkey's back, he started to ride away
Speaker 10: when the farmer said, now change her into a cow. No,
Speaker 10: shouted the donkey. Then you should have seen how angry
Speaker 10: that farmer. Why he was twice as angry as he
Speaker 10: had been a short time before with his wife, and
Speaker 10: all of a sudden, picking up a stick, he hit
Speaker 10: the donkey a whack. Well, sir, that donkey just kicked
Speaker 10: up her heels and away she went, with Jimmy on
Speaker 10: her back, and by and by, after they had galloped
Speaker 10: for maybe a mile, Jimmy shouted, well, Jenny, be quiet,
Speaker 10: this'll never do. At once, the little donkey slowed down,
Speaker 10: and before long she was walking along as quietly as
Speaker 10: you please. Do you wish me to change you back
Speaker 10: into a cow, asked Jimmy. I have a little magic
Speaker 10: leaf in my pocket which you only have to eat.
Speaker 10: I'd rather be a donkey, the little animal replied. Let
Speaker 10: me carry you on your journey of adventure, for I
Speaker 10: would see strange sights and new faces. And a cow
Speaker 10: is a stay at home sort of person and never
Speaker 10: has any fun. As Jimmy rode along, he felt very
Speaker 10: much like a man named Sancha Pantha who wrote A
Speaker 10: Donkey long time ago in Spain. He was the comrade
Speaker 10: of a queer sort of night called don Quixote, And
Speaker 10: if you haven't read about him, you must get the
Speaker 10: book and tell me some day how you like it.
Speaker 10: I must get a saddle, said Jimmy presently, for it
Speaker 10: was very uncomfortable riding bareback, so as soon as they
Speaker 10: came to a town, Jimmy looked for a harness shop.
Speaker 10: Pretty soon he found one, and, choosing a saddle with
Speaker 10: red straps, he set off again on his little red
Speaker 10: saddle donkey. After a while, he came to a meadow
Speaker 10: covered with buttercups, when strange to say, all of a sudden,
Speaker 10: the buttercups changed into butterflies, and a patch of dandelions
Speaker 10: on the other side of the brook that ran through
Speaker 10: the meadow turned into little lions. But Jimmy wasn't afraid,
Speaker 10: for they weren't any larger than kittens, and purred like
Speaker 10: his grandmother's old cat. Just then, a little fresh water
Speaker 10: crab in the brook began to sing, Oh, I have
Speaker 10: a claw like a catcher's mitt, a great big snapping claw.
Speaker 10: And I taste the little silverfish that hide in the
Speaker 10: pools by the shore. And when I catch one by
Speaker 10: his silver tail, I put them away in my little
Speaker 10: tin pail. Haha, laughed Jimmy, remembering how he once loved
Speaker 10: to catch ten poles and frogs at home. And the
Speaker 10: little donkey began to bray, and all the tiny lions
Speaker 10: commenced to roar, and the butterflies to sing. And if
Speaker 10: you've never heard a butterfly song, just listen to this.
Speaker 10: Over the meadow went over the brook, from flower to far,
Speaker 10: we fly sipping the sweet and sugary dew and eating
Speaker 10: the buttercup.
Speaker 5: Ah.
Speaker 10: Well, after that, as Jimmy looked around, he saw a
Speaker 10: tiny house not far away, so he turned the little
Speaker 10: donkey toward it and knocked on the door. He just
Speaker 10: leaned out of the saddle and tapped with his knuckles.
Speaker 10: You know, in a moment, it was opened by the
Speaker 10: prettiest little fairy you ever saw. She was dressed in
Speaker 10: rose leaves, and on her head a crown of gold,
Speaker 10: all set with sparkling diamonds. What do you wish, she asked,
Speaker 10: ringing a little bluebell flower to summon three little fairies.
Speaker 10: But goodness me. As Jimmy turned, he saw a tremendous
Speaker 10: big giant stalking across the meadow. Ah oh, oh, my
Speaker 10: name is Gobo. I'm a giant, big and strong. See here,
Speaker 10: little boy, with your magic toil, you'll soon see a
Speaker 10: different song. For I'll eat you, my dear, with a
Speaker 10: gallon of beer, as soon as my wife makes the fire.
Speaker 10: And he called to his wife as he opened his knife,
Speaker 10: I something for supper, Maria. Strange as it may seem,
Speaker 10: Jimmy boldly shouted back at the giant. Don't you come
Speaker 10: a mile further? For every time the giants took a step,
Speaker 10: it was a mile more or less. At this, the
Speaker 10: giant laughed so loudly that he almost blew out the
Speaker 10: sun like a candle, and reaching force his big hand
Speaker 10: was about to pull Jimmy off the donkey when the
Speaker 10: Little Fairy waved a flaming gold feather, causing the big
Speaker 10: man's eyes to wink and blink. Walk hard of a feather?
Speaker 10: Or's that, he asked, passing his hand over his eyes.
Speaker 10: A magic feather, replied the little Fairy, and before the
Speaker 10: giant had time to think of another question, she uttered
Speaker 10: the magic words bristow, Jane, Joe, and he turned into
Speaker 10: a tiny mouse. Well that's the end of Giant Gobo,
Speaker 10: said Jimmy. But the little Fairy shivered, for they were
Speaker 10: dreadfully afraid of mice.
Speaker 12: End of chapter ten, Chapter eleven of The Magic Umbrella.
Speaker 12: This is a libertyvox recording. All liberyvox recordings are in
Speaker 12: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
Speaker 12: visit liberyvox dot org. Red by Ookie's rag Doll, The
Speaker 12: Magic Umbrella by David Cory, The Old Witch by and
Speaker 12: by as Jimmy rode away on his donkey. He came
Speaker 12: to a very strange sort of tree. It had little
Speaker 12: fans growing all over it instead of leaves, and when
Speaker 12: the wind blew, the fans opened and shut. Jimmy dismounted
Speaker 12: and broke off one of the little fans. But no
Speaker 12: sooner had he done this than a voice cried out,
Speaker 12: how dare you take a fan, you naughty little man,
Speaker 12: And an old witch crept out from behind a bush
Speaker 12: and grasped hold of the donkey's bridle. I'm very sorry,
Speaker 12: I didn't know it was your tree, said Jimmy, offering
Speaker 12: her a gold piece. I don't want your money, She answered,
Speaker 12: what would I do with money? And she glared at
Speaker 12: him with her wicked black eyes. All of a sudden
Speaker 12: she shook her old rich at him and shouted, I
Speaker 12: shall change you both into starks. Looking down, Jimmy saw
Speaker 12: he had turned into a bird with great long legs,
Speaker 12: and the donkey also. At once the tree began to
Speaker 12: wave its little fans, and great wind sprang up, and
Speaker 12: they were blown away. To save themselves from being rolled
Speaker 12: over and over on the ground, they spread their wings
Speaker 12: and they flew high up into the air. Dear me,
Speaker 12: cried Jimmy, this is the worst thing that has ever
Speaker 12: happened to me. That old witch got the better of
Speaker 12: us this time. You should have been quicker to make
Speaker 12: use of your magic charms, said the little donkey, who,
Speaker 12: though now a stork, I call a donkey, so you
Speaker 12: will understand whom I am talking about. By and by
Speaker 12: they came to a town where they settled on the
Speaker 12: roof of a big white house. As soon as the
Speaker 12: people saw them, they crowded into the streets, and, pointing
Speaker 12: up at them, cried, see, here are two storks come
Speaker 12: to live on a hands Brinker's house. I'm sure you've
Speaker 12: all read about little hands Brinker and his beautiful silver
Speaker 12: skates and the little Dutch town close by the zudrug Zi.
Speaker 12: As soon as Hans heard the people shouting, he came
Speaker 12: out out of the house and looked up to the roof. Then,
Speaker 12: placing a ladder against the wall, he climbed up, crying out, oh,
Speaker 12: you great big birds, why have you come to our house?
Speaker 12: But when Jimmy answered him, little Hans Brinker couldn't understand
Speaker 12: a word. It wasn't because Jimmy spoke in English, but
Speaker 12: because he used the stork language. Which, of course nobody understood.
Speaker 12: Oh dear me, sighed Jimmy, What am I to do?
Speaker 12: The donkey was just as puzzled, for neither could she
Speaker 12: make little Hans Brinker understand. After a while, Hans climbed
Speaker 12: down and went into the house, presently returning with a
Speaker 12: loaf of bread, which he tossed up to Jimmy. When
Speaker 12: the bread was eaten except two little pieces, Jimmy wiped
Speaker 12: his bill, and so did the donkey, For you must
Speaker 12: not forget that they were now really storks. Only I
Speaker 12: still called them by their own names. As Jimmy glanced
Speaker 12: at the two little pieces of bread, which had fallen
Speaker 12: into a crack in the roof, he noticed that a
Speaker 12: small blue marble lay half hidden in each Then, without
Speaker 12: knowing why, he and the donkey ate the bread marble,
Speaker 12: and all the next minute they both turned into their
Speaker 12: natural forms. Gracious me, how the people did shout?
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 12: I can't begin to tell you what a noise they made.
Speaker 12: And before long all the carpenters in the city were
Speaker 12: busy at work building a wooden roadway down from the
Speaker 12: roof to the street. As soon as it was finished,
Speaker 12: Jimmy climbed on the donkey's back and rode down as
Speaker 12: nicely as you please. Goodbye, Hans Brinker, shouted Jimmy. But
Speaker 12: before he rode away, he dropped into the little boy's
Speaker 12: hand a pretty ring set with a red stone, a
Speaker 12: gift from one of the fairies. Now what next, asked Jimmy.
Speaker 12: After he and the donkey had gone for many a mile.
Speaker 12: As if an answer to his question, a beautiful white
Speaker 12: swan flew down to the earth and said, oh, Jimmy,
Speaker 12: help me release my sister from an evil spell. What
Speaker 12: do you wish me to do, asked Jimmy. Seat yourself
Speaker 12: between my strong wings, replied the swan, and I will
Speaker 12: take you to a far country. Jimmy first took a
Speaker 12: magic maple leaf from his pocket and gave it to
Speaker 12: the donkey. Keep this leaf for maybe some day you
Speaker 12: may wish to be a cow again, he said. All
Speaker 12: you must do is eat it, and you will change
Speaker 12: into a cow. Then Jimmy seated himself on the swan's back.
Speaker 12: As they traveled swiftly onward, the swan sang, sister of mine,
Speaker 12: I bring you aid. Keep up your courage. Be not afraid,
Speaker 12: dear little Jimmy is coming with me with a magic
Speaker 12: charm that will set you free. Brotherly love in itself
Speaker 12: is a charm, So dear little sister, fear not harm.
Speaker 12: Then the great, big white swan made his wings go
Speaker 12: so fast that the wind whistling a by, almost carried
Speaker 12: away the magic feather in little Jimmy's hat. After a while,
Speaker 12: the swan and little Jimmy came to a beautiful island
Speaker 12: in the middle of the sea. While the swan rested
Speaker 12: his tired wings, Jimmy looked about for something to eat.
Speaker 12: After eating some ripe apples and little fish, which he
Speaker 12: caught in a shallow pool, they rested beneath a shady tree.
Speaker 12: We must not linger, said the swan, for if the
Speaker 12: sun goes down before I again reach land, misfortune will
Speaker 12: overtake us. Why, asked Jimmy, Because, answered the swan, it
Speaker 12: is written in the Book of Charms that my feet
Speaker 12: must be on dry land at sundown, or I shall
Speaker 12: lose the feathers from my wings. Then I would indeed
Speaker 12: be unable to rescue my sister. Without further delay. Jimmy
Speaker 12: climbed upon the back of the beautiful swan, who flew
Speaker 12: away through the sky. I ever on and on until
Speaker 12: the sun sank low in the west. Oh, wonderful sun
Speaker 12: sink not too soon in the western Crimson Sea. Spare
Speaker 12: me a little more time, I pray till the sandy
Speaker 12: shore and the grassy lay offer a refuge for me,
Speaker 12: sang the beautiful white swan as he hurried through the
Speaker 12: sky on his great strong wings. Pretty soon the sun
Speaker 12: came so close to the sea in the Crimson West
Speaker 12: that it was a question of only a few minutes
Speaker 12: before it would sink entirely out of sight. Hurry, hurry,
Speaker 12: cried little Jimmy. The big swan went faster than ever,
Speaker 12: knowing only too well the dreadful thing that would happen
Speaker 12: to him if he didn't set foot on land before
Speaker 12: the sun went down. At last, with beating heart and
Speaker 12: wary wings, the beautiful bird landed on the shore just
Speaker 12: as the sun disappeared into the sea at the western
Speaker 12: edge of the world. Now, let's find shelter for the night,
Speaker 12: said Jimmy. At that very moment, an enormous snail, with
Speaker 12: his house upon his back, crawled across the sand. Will
Speaker 12: you let us sleep in your house for the night,
Speaker 12: asked the swan. Come right in said the snail. Opening
Speaker 12: a little door in the side of the big shell,
Speaker 12: Jimmy and the swan found themselves in a beautiful room,
Speaker 12: inlaid with mother of pearl. In one corner were two
Speaker 12: little beds covered with swan down coverlets. And in less
Speaker 12: time than I can take to tell, Jimmy and the
Speaker 12: tired swan were sound asleep. As the snail crawled slowly
Speaker 12: up and down the sandy beach under the quiet moonlight,
Speaker 12: he kept a sharp look out. It was a lonely place,
Speaker 12: and he hoped no danger would befall them. At every
Speaker 12: strange sound, he pricked up his horns. But the night
Speaker 12: passed slowly on, and no rude disturbance broke the barren solitude.
Speaker 12: One by one, the stars to se peered till the
Speaker 12: rosy glow of dawn spread over the earth. End of
Speaker 12: chapter eleven.
Speaker 10: Chapter twelve of The Magic Umbrella. This is a LibriVox recording.
Speaker 10: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 10: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Speaker 10: Magic Umbrella by David Cory, Chapter twelve, The Swan Prince.
Speaker 10: The next morning, after breakfasting on those wonderful strawberries that
Speaker 10: grow in the sea, which we have often read about
Speaker 10: in Old Mother Goose and fresh milk from a big
Speaker 10: sea cow. This one again took Jimmy on his back
Speaker 10: and flew away. And after a long long time they
Speaker 10: came to a village of many queer houses. The people
Speaker 10: had been changed into animals and birds, and the mayor
Speaker 10: of the town was now a big red rooster, and
Speaker 10: the school teacher an old goose. The wife of the
Speaker 10: minister was a magpie, and the minister a crow. The
Speaker 10: messenger boys were ducks, the grocery man a pig, the
Speaker 10: baker a dog, the butcher a cat, and oh, dear me,
Speaker 10: I can't remember any more, except a poor washerwoman's baby
Speaker 10: who was a little white dove, and the old washerwoman
Speaker 10: herself a kind muley cow. This is Animalville, said this one.
Speaker 10: Some day, dear Jimmy, you and I will return and
Speaker 10: set all these poor creatures free. Then the little dove
Speaker 10: will be a baby, and its kind mother will once
Speaker 10: again lean over a tub to wash the clothes of
Speaker 10: the rich mayor's wife. That will be nice, said Jimmy.
Speaker 10: Well by, and by this one said, we are now
Speaker 10: nearing the country where my sister is imprisoned. Have your
Speaker 10: magic ring in readiness, Dear Jimmy, likewise your feather a
Speaker 10: flaming gold, for we will need all the magic charms
Speaker 10: you possess to overcome the wicked witch who rules this land. Suddenly,
Speaker 10: as he spoke, the wicked Witch herself was seen approaching
Speaker 10: on her broomstick, with her black cap behind her. Here
Speaker 10: she comes, cried this one fly straight ahead, said Jimmy.
Speaker 10: But when you are within a few feet of her,
Speaker 10: turn suddenly down, and I will pull away the broomstick.
Speaker 10: The beautiful swan flew swiftly on. When within a few
Speaker 10: feet of the witch, he dipped beneath her, and Jimmy,
Speaker 10: grasping the broomstick, pulled it from under her. Down tumbled
Speaker 10: the wicked witch to the earth, falling into a big
Speaker 10: barrel that cut the water from the roof of a
Speaker 10: poor man's cottage. And her black cat fell into a
Speaker 10: bramble bush and scratched out both her eyes. And now
Speaker 10: she sits upon the fence and cries and cries and cries,
Speaker 10: And when the moon is round and bright, she screeches
Speaker 10: through the livelong night. No sooner was the wicked witch
Speaker 10: dead than the beautiful swan flew down to the earth, and,
Speaker 10: dipping the tip of his wings in the water barrel,
Speaker 10: changed into a handsome prince. Come make haste, he said,
Speaker 10: leading Jimmy into the forest near by. Sometimes he had
Speaker 10: to run, for the prince was in a great hurry.
Speaker 10: After a while they came to a great castle, where
Speaker 10: the prince knocked loudly, one, two, three times on the
Speaker 10: gate with the hilt of his sword. It was opened
Speaker 10: by a little crooked man with a little crooked stick.
Speaker 10: What what you have, he asked in a cracked voice.
Speaker 10: But the prince pushed by him with never a word,
Speaker 10: and the little crooked man shut the gate with a bang.
Speaker 10: Then the handsome prince knocked upon the castle door, and
Speaker 10: as soon as it was opened, he ran up the
Speaker 10: stairs until he came to a little room in the turret.
Speaker 10: Sister mine, he shouted, and the next minute a beautiful
Speaker 10: white swan came to the door. Touch her with your
Speaker 10: magic ring, said the prince to Jimmy, and the lovely
Speaker 10: swan turned into a beautiful princess, who threw her arms
Speaker 10: about her brother's neck, weeping with joy. The next morning,
Speaker 10: as the lovely princess said. In her garden, she let
Speaker 10: fall from her lap three pigeon eggs, which she had
Speaker 10: just taken from a nest in the dove cot. Instantly
Speaker 10: up sprang a rose bush, on which blossomed three white roses.
Speaker 10: What's the meaning of this, she asked, turning to little Jimmy.
Speaker 10: But of course Jimmy didn't know. Then she called the Prince,
Speaker 10: but neither did he. Then they made a little fence
Speaker 10: around the rose bush, and that evening, just as the
Speaker 10: moon came up the sky, they sat by the window.
Speaker 10: By and by, when everything was very still, a nightingale
Speaker 10: began to sing. As her beautiful song ended, the three
Speaker 10: roses changed into three white doves, who flew away. Then
Speaker 10: the nightingales fluttered down to the rose bush, and saying,
Speaker 10: the three white roses have changed to night into three
Speaker 10: little doves, all snowy white, and the little rose bush
Speaker 10: will wither and die, for the three little doves have
Speaker 10: gone for eye. And after that the nightingale took wing
Speaker 10: and flew away. Strange tis very strange, said the prince.
Speaker 10: Whither I wonder have the doves flown? I'll follow them,
Speaker 10: thought little Jimmy, For see they have dropped some of
Speaker 10: their snowy feathers. Enough across the grass was a line
Speaker 10: of little white feathers. Jimmy followed the trail of the
Speaker 10: little white feathers until by and bye. After a while,
Speaker 10: he came to a little white house in the wood.
Speaker 10: As he peeked through the window, he saw three little
Speaker 10: girls sewing at a table, and the three dresses they
Speaker 10: were making were of white feathers. But no sooner had
Speaker 10: Jimmy knocked on the door than they hid away the
Speaker 10: dresses and busied themselves setting the table for supper. By
Speaker 10: and by, one of the girls said to Jimmy, did
Speaker 10: you ever hear of a wicked witch who lives in
Speaker 10: an old tree in the forest. No, replied Jimmy, but
Speaker 10: I've met many witches in my travels. Well, if you
Speaker 10: promise never to tell her what you see, I'll show
Speaker 10: you something. As soon as she had Jimmy's promise, the
Speaker 10: girl brought out a feather dress. Unless we finished these
Speaker 10: dresses by midnight, we shall turn into doves again, she explained,
Speaker 10: And then she and her two sisters set to work
Speaker 10: as fast as possible to finish the dresses. Pretty soon,
Speaker 10: the clock struck eleven, and the sleeves were not made.
Speaker 10: The three girls plied their needles faster than before, and
Speaker 10: when the clock struck the half hour, the still remained
Speaker 10: one sleeve unfinished. Mag Caye said Jimmy and the three
Speaker 10: girls worked even faster than before, and their needles flew
Speaker 10: in and out so fast that soon only a little
Speaker 10: remained to be done. But oh dear me, just as
Speaker 10: the great hand of the clock was almost a twelve,
Speaker 10: a noise was heard at the window. There stood the
Speaker 10: wicked Witch, waiting for the clock to strike the hour
Speaker 10: of midnight. At that moment, a little mouse ran across
Speaker 10: the floor, and before she could hide, Jimmy caught her.
Speaker 10: I won't hurt you, he whispered, if you'll prowess to
Speaker 10: run up to the clock and keep the hour hand
Speaker 10: from going to twelve. The little mouse promised, and, running
Speaker 10: along the floor close to the wall so that the
Speaker 10: wicked witch might not see her, she climbed up on
Speaker 10: the inside of the clock until she reached the top.
Speaker 10: Then with both her strong little four feet, she held
Speaker 10: the wheel behind the big hand until the last stitch
Speaker 10: was done, and the dresses finished. As soon as the
Speaker 10: three girls had put them on the clock struck twelve.
Speaker 10: For the little mouse let go of the big hand
Speaker 10: when Jimmy nodded to her. Then you should have seen
Speaker 10: how angry that old witch became with a bruise stick.
Speaker 10: She broke the glass window and jumped into the room.
Speaker 10: But she could do no harm, for the three girls
Speaker 10: had on their feather dresses and.
Speaker 6: The spell was broken.
Speaker 10: What are you doing here, asked the witch, turning to
Speaker 10: Jimmy with a dreadful scowl. Instead of answering, Jimmy blew
Speaker 10: upon his little hurricane whistle. Away went the witch through
Speaker 10: the wind window, like a bundle of thistle down in
Speaker 10: a high wind. And maybe she is going yet, for
Speaker 10: I've never heard of for since. As soon as the
Speaker 10: wicked witch was out of sight, the three girls thanked
Speaker 10: Jimmie for his kindness, and the little mouse came down
Speaker 10: from the clock and scampered into the hole in the floor.
Speaker 10: After that, the three girls explained to Jimmie that they
Speaker 10: must put on their feather dresses every night at twelve
Speaker 10: o'clock for a year and a day, or else they
Speaker 10: would be turned into duves again. But when the year
Speaker 10: and a day were up, they might throw away their
Speaker 10: feather dresses forever and ever. Then Jimmy said good bye
Speaker 10: and went upon his way, and by and by he
Speaker 10: met a horse and wagon on the highway. There was
Speaker 10: no driver on the wagon seat, and although Jimmy glanced
Speaker 10: up and down the road, there was no one in sight.
Speaker 10: All of a sudden a little voice shouted whoa, and
Speaker 10: to Jimmy's surprise, he saw the tiniest little person you
Speaker 10: could imagine, sitting just behind the horse's left ear. Whoa,
Speaker 10: shouted the little voice again, and the tiny little dwarf
Speaker 10: turned and laughed at Jimmy. I must sit close to
Speaker 10: my horse's ear, he explained. Nancy will not hear me.
Speaker 10: And again he shouted into the horse's ear whoa. And
Speaker 10: this time I guess the good steed heard him, for
Speaker 10: he stopped and whisked a fly off his side with
Speaker 10: his long flowing tail.
Speaker 2: Come climb upon my horse, or sit in.
Speaker 10: The wagon, said the tiny dwarf. Your legs must be
Speaker 10: weary with traveling. They are indeed, replied Jimmy, climbing up
Speaker 10: on the seat. Then the tiny dwarf souted into the
Speaker 10: horse's ear. Get up and away they went. After a
Speaker 10: while they had a robin singing in an apple tree.
Speaker 10: The yeldors goes strawding down the road, the little elf
Speaker 10: perched on his ear. The yellowheeled wagon comes rumbling along
Speaker 10: with a gay little boy Kevalier, sting and dong dung.
Speaker 10: As I warble my song, for the weather is fine
Speaker 10: and the journeys not long. What is the name of
Speaker 10: yonder town, asked Jimmy, when the little robin had finished
Speaker 10: his song. Kinjitville answered the friendly dwarf, we'll be there
Speaker 10: in a short time. Then again, he shouted into the
Speaker 10: horse's ear, Get up, and the good horse went faster
Speaker 10: than before, and pretty soon they reached the tiniest little
Speaker 10: town you could imagine. It was just like a toy village.
Speaker 10: It was so small, and all the people who lived
Speaker 10: there were no larger than the tiny dwarf himself. Jimmy
Speaker 10: was too astonished to ask the dwarf why he drove
Speaker 10: so large a horse, when all of a sudden, the
Speaker 10: little clock in the hall struck thirteen, and out of
Speaker 10: a tiny umbrella shof came a little old man. Stop, stop,
Speaker 10: shouted Jimmy, recognizing him as the little old man who
Speaker 10: had started him on his journey with the magic umbrella.
Speaker 3: What do you wish?
Speaker 10: Asked the little old man, with a merry twinkle in
Speaker 10: his eyes. Please wait, cried Jimmy, running toward him. I've
Speaker 10: just remembered something Mother sent me on an errand dear me,
Speaker 10: somehow I forgot all about it. Don't you remember? I
Speaker 10: was going for the eggs when it began to rain.
Speaker 10: You were there, of course you were. Dam looks so worried,
Speaker 10: answered the little old man. Follow me in a few minutes,
Speaker 10: Midgetville was left in the distance, and the road suddenly
Speaker 10: took on a familiar appearance. On the right lay the
Speaker 10: meadow and the pond to which Jimmy had often brought
Speaker 10: the captured frogs and lizards. A little further off, Uncle
Speaker 10: Spencer's big red barn stood upon a rise of ground.
Speaker 10: Where are you, suddenly asked Jimmy, looking about for the
Speaker 10: little old man, But all he could see was a
Speaker 10: tiny white tail of a brown rabbit scurrying away through
Speaker 10: the underbrush. Jimmy robbed his eyes. Phew, I'd better hurry
Speaker 10: and get the eggs from mother, and off he went
Speaker 10: to the grocery store. When homeward bound a little later,
Speaker 10: As he entered the gate, he saw his mother standing
Speaker 10: in the doorway.
Speaker 3: What took you so.
Speaker 10: Long, she asked, hurry, mother, dear with the baking. I
Speaker 10: want to tell you all about it. I've had such
Speaker 10: a wonderful time, and I'm not the least bit wet,
Speaker 10: even though it rained so hard, rained, exclaimed his mother.
Speaker 10: Why the sun's been shining brightly. You must be dreaming. Well,
Speaker 10: here we are, you and I a little reader. At
Speaker 10: the end of Jimmy's journey to happy Land. Many roads
Speaker 10: lead to it, as you probably know if you have
Speaker 10: read The wind Wagon and the other books in this series.
Speaker 10: But I have found a new way, and the next book,
Speaker 10: The Cloudship, will take us there. The end end of
Speaker 10: chapter twelve, end of The Magic Umbrella by David Cory