Seven Little People and their FriendsScudder, Horace Elisha
Science
Seven Little People and their Friends
Scudder, Horace Elisha
Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Fairies -- Juvenile fiction; Magic -- Juvenile fiction
The fire-flies made it very light and there was no difficulty in finding
the Bush. There they halted, and when the Queen alighted she found a
delicious cushion for her to step upon; it was the messenger Cherry
Blossom which had dropped upon the ground for that purpose. The Queen's
throne was a dandelion flower and a regal throne it was. The Spider spun
a winding staircase to the top, and stretched a canopy over it that
glittered with diamonds of dew. While she was taking her seat the
cricket band played the Throning of the Queen--one of their finest
pieces, and composed for the occasion by the largest cricket in the
band.
It was now the part of all, and permitted as well to the inhabitants of
the Garden, to come up in order and be presented to the Queen, and to
offer any gifts they might wish to bring. Two of the insects commonly
called Walking-Sticks were in attendance, and were the ushers to
announce each as they came up. It was proper that the Faeries should
have the first place.
These came up in companies, according to their place in the procession.
They where duly ushered into the presence of the Queen, and there was a
spokesman for each party, who made a little address and offered a gift.
The Faeries from the woods brought an anemone flower, set in dead forest
leaf, and the spokesman explained that the flower was the anticipation
of summer, and that it was fitting it should have such a back-ground.
The Faeries from the streams were obliged to come sitting in shells
filled with water and drawn by dragon-flies. They made a fine appearance
and brought the scale of a trout; it was more beautiful than mother of
pearl. The Faeries from the flags in the marshes brought a carpet made
of leaves of the white violet; the central figure was a marsh mallow.
The Faeries from the tops of the Firs brought a complete dinner service
made of scales of the cone. The Faeries from the sea came upon the
sea-foam, and the East Wind brought them. It made the place exceedingly
chilly, and the Queen shivered. One could smell the saltness all over
the Garden, and one of the Faeries was so overpowered by it that she
fainted. They left their present, however, which was a necklace of
crystal salt, and were off again. The Queen could not wear the necklace,
however, for it made her head ache. The Faeries from the inside of caves
came riding upon bats, and brought a stalactite made in the form of a
horse of dandelion-down, for there is a favourite story among the
Faeries in which such a horse figures. This was a very pretty piece of
sculpture. The house Faeries brought a beautiful shawl made of the
interwoven golden hair of the youngest child and the silver hair of her
old grandfather. The church Faeries brought a sound from the organ; it
was very solemn, and every one was quiet when it was offered. As for the
gypsy Faeries they said they had nothing to give, and so would sing a
song, which they did to the great delight of all, though the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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