Bikey the Skicycle and Other Tales of JimmieboyBangs, John Kendrick
General
Bikey the Skicycle and Other Tales of Jimmieboy
Bangs, John Kendrick
Boys -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories, American; Fantasy literature; Short stories, American
"No, indeed," said the little old man. "He came in through the pantry
door. He climbed into his mamma's pantry after some jam, and while he
was there I just turned the pantry around, and when he'd filled up on
jam he walked right through the door into the back of my shop, and
before he knew it I had him priced and sitting in the window. There was
a wax doll in here this afternoon who wanted to buy him for her daughter
Flaxilocks, but she only had $8, and I'm not going to let Whitty go for
less than $12, considering all the things he's brought with him."
Then Jimmieboy entered the shop, and it was indeed a curious place.
Instead of there being toys on the shelves waiting to be bought, there
were piles of children lying there, while the toys were to be seen
walking up and down the floor, pricing first a boy and then a baby and
then a little girl. The salesmen were all Brownies, and most obliging
ones. It didn't seem to be a bit of trouble to them to show goods, and
they were very kind to the little toys that had come in with their
mothers, punching the children they had to sell in the stomach to make
them say what they were made to say; and making them show how easily
and gracefully they could walk, and, in short, showing off their wares
to the very best advantage. Jimmieboy was too interested in what he saw
to feel very anxious, and so, when the bazaar door had closed behind
them, he asked the little old man very cheerfully what he should do.
"Step right into the window and sit down," said the little old man.
"Smile cheerfully and once in a while get up and twirl around on your
right leg. That will attract the attention of the toys passing on the
street, and maybe one of 'em will come in and buy you. Do you sing?"
"Yes," said Jimmieboy. "Why?"
"Nothing. I only wanted to know so that I could describe you properly on
the placard you are to wear," said the little old man. "How would you
like to be called the Automatic-Musical-Jimmieboy?"
"That would be first rate," said Jimmieboy. "Only I couldn't begin to
remember it, you know."
"You don't have to," said the little old man. "Nobody will ask
you what you are, because the placard will tell that. Only whenever
anybody wants to see you, and I take you out of the window, you must
sing of your own accord. That's what I mean by calling you an
Automatic-Musical-Jimmieboy. It means simply that you are a Jimmieboy
that sings of its own accord."
So the placard was made, and Jimmieboy put it on, and got into the
window, where, for hours, he was stared at by rag babies, tin soldiers,
lead firemen, woolen monkeys and all sorts of other toys, who lived in
this strange land, and who were walking in throngs on the sugared
sidewalk without. One woolen monkey called in to price him, and
Jimmieboy sang a German kindergarten song for him, but the monkey found
him too expensive, for, as you may already know, it rarely happens that
woolen monkeys have as much as $10 in their pockets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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