Then he throws the sugar into the air and catches it.
DOLLY DIMPLE
BY F. TAPSELL
"Oh dear, I am so lonely, and it is so dark! I do want my dear Dolly Dimple. I think I will go and fetch her." And little four-year-old Babs got out of bed and felt her way to the door.
The door was just a wee crack open. As she peeped in, Babs saw that there was a light in the room, and the sight which met her eyes almost made her cry out.
On the floor stood Dolly Dimple in her very best frock, and Mr.
Jollyman was asking her to dance with him.
Teddy Bear was at work on the big drum, and the clown was turning the organ to make music for the dolls to dance to.
The tin soldiers, on the backs of cows, pigs, and sheep from the Noah"s Ark were having a sham fight.
The dolls from the dolls" house were going for a ride in the big horse and cart.
"It is too bad of them to go and have a good time like this when I am in bed," thought Babs, "and I am going to take Dolly Dimple away with me all the same."
But when she tried to pick up the doll and carry her off, Mr. Jollyman flew at her in a fury.
He began to kick her bare legs till Babs thought she would have no shins left at all; but she would not run away.
"I want Dolly Dimple," she said. "She is my doll, and you have no right to try to keep her away from me."
"She is yours in the day, but not at night," was the reply.
"How do you think we toys could live if we had no life but the one we endure at your hands? It is in the night that we live and have our good times, for we know you are safe in bed then."
"I don"t care what you say; I will have her," cried Babs, very angry now.
She tried once more to get hold of Dolly Dimple; but before she could do so, Mr. Jollyman turned to the soldiers, and said the one word, "Charge."
There was a great noise and a rush, and right down upon the little girl came camels, horses, lions, tigers, sheep, and pigs.
But just as she thought her last hour was come, she heard, the word "Halt," and then the sound of Dolly Dimple saying, "No, don"t kill her. She is very good to me most of the time."
The rest of the dolls had begun to dance once more, but Dolly Dimple came up to the little girl and took hold of her arm.
"I am queen here in the night," she said. "I will not hurt you, as you have been good to me, and I know you love me. If you like, I will come and stay with you till you go to sleep. Pick me up."
So Babs picked up the doll, and took it back to bed with her, and hugged it in her arms.
THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT
BY BEATRIX POTTER
Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were--Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sandbank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.
"Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit, one morning, "you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don"t go into Mr. McGregor"s garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs.
McGregor."
"Now run along, and don"t get into mischief. I am going out."
Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went through the wood to the baker"s. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries.
But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor"s garden, and squeezed under the gate!
First he ate some lettuces and some French beans, and then he ate some radishes; and then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.
But round the end of a cuc.u.mber frame, whom should he meet but Mr.
McGregor!
Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, "Stop, thief!"
Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.
After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large b.u.t.tons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with bra.s.s b.u.t.tons, quite new.
Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself.
Mr. McGregor came up with a sieve, which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter, but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind him; and rushed into the tool-shed, and jumped into a can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much water in it.
Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool-shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot. He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each.
Presently Peter sneezed--"Kerty-schoo!" Mr. McGregor was after him in no time, and tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of a window, upsetting three plants. The window was too small for Mr.
McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter. He went back to his work.
Peter sat down to rest; he was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go. Also he was very damp with sitting in that can.
After a time he began to wander about, going lippity-lippity--not very fast, and looking all around.
He found a door in a wall; but it was locked, and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.