Produced by Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) [Illustration: MERRIMEG] BY WILLIAM BOWEN THE ENCHANTED FOREST Illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP Illustrated by Reginald Birch SOLARIO THE TAILOR Illustrated by J. Ormsbee [Illustration: THE TWO GNOMES LED MERRIMEG AWAY.] _MERRIMEG_ BY WILLIAM BOWEN _Illustrated by_ EMMA BROCK [Illustration] New York _THE MACMILLAN COMPANY_ 1923 _All rights reserved_ PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published August, 1923. _To Marjorie Ann_ CONTENTS STORY PAGE (_1_) _MERRIMEG AND THE CHIMNEY IMPS_ 3 (_2_) _MERRIMEG AND THE CLOP-CLOP SHOES_ 29 (_3_) _MERRIMEG AND THE STARLIGHT FAIRIES_ 51 (_4_) _MERRIMEG AND THE ECHO DWARFS_ 75 (_5_) _MERRIMEG AND THE RAG-BONE MAN_ 95 (_6_) _MERRIMEG AND THE APPLE-SEED ELF_ 119 (_7_) _MERRIMEG AND THE MAY-DEW_ 141 ILLUSTRATIONS _The two gnomes led Merrimeg away._ _Frontispiece_ _“Bless my soul!” said one of the gnomes._ 13 _In front of them rose a great mountain of snow._ _Facing page_ 21 _The clop-clop shoes went on into the woods----_ _Facing page_ 34 _Around the walls was a row of gray owls._ 41 _“Look!” she cried._ 58 _Upward through the water----_ _Facing page_ 65 “_Oxtragob borgs, gooblik!_” 79 “_How dare you say such a thing? How dare you?_” _Facing page_ 82 _“Gimme a handkerchief, quick,” said the Rag-Bone Man._ _Facing page_ 98 “_I can see her peeking in through the door._” 106 _Merrimeg was sitting in an apple tree._ 121 _The two gnomes followed him out of the door._ _Facing page_ 134 “_Have you got the May-dew?_” 161 [Illustration: MERRIMEG AND THE CHIMNEY IMPS] MERRIMEG _MERRIMEG AND THE CHIMNEY IMPS_ Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her name was Merrimeg. Sometimes she was good, and sometimes she was naughty. But she was always merry. One morning her mother gave her a little broom and told her to sweep the kitchen floor and her mother said, “Now, Merrimeg, be sure to sweep all the dust neatly into the dustpan, and carry it out to the cabbage garden. Will you do that?” “Yes, mother,” said Merrimeg.