“Now if you’d like to hear them talk, Come out with me and take a walk; You’ll find them standing in a row, These funny people made of snow!” CHAPTER VI THE MAGIC SPOON In February as you know, Stormy winds will often blow, And sometimes on a Saturday, In the house the children stay, Playing pleasant games, you see, They are happy as can be. The Ink-Bottle Babies said, “Heart of mine, Come now, and make a valentine!” One Saturday morning it began to storm and it snowed and the wind blew harder and harder. The Ink-Bottle Babies said, “Oh Ma! what shall we do?” The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “What month is this?” Molly and Polly said, “It is February.” Then the twenty-three other Ink-Bottle Babies set up a shout. They cried, “Valentines! Valentines!” [Illustration: “_Polly set up a cry_”] The Ink-Bottle Mamma said, “You have guessed right; we are going to make valentines.” Then the Ink-Bottle Babies got some tables and scissors and paste. The Ink-Bottle Mamma brought paper and some pictures, and she said, “You may cut out some hearts.” Then the Ink-Bottle Babies went to work. They got paste on the table and on their hands and faces. Then suddenly Polly set up a cry, and soon all the Ink-Bottle Babies shouted, “Oh Ma! Polly has cut her finger! Oh Ma! Come quickly!” Sure enough, Polly had cut her finger. The Ink-Bottle Mamma came and tied it up and said, “Every one of you wash your hands. I can’t have all my Babies cut their fingers!” So the Ink-Bottle Babies got out twenty-five little basins and filled them with water, and they washed their hands. Then they said, “Read us a fine fairy tale, Ma, please do.” So Mamma got out the fairy tale book and read this story of The Magic Spoon: Once upon a time there was a merry little dwarf. He sang all day, “Who is so merry, heigho! heigho! As a dwarf who lives in the woods, heigho! He may dance away by the light of the moon, But happy is he with his magic spoon!” Then the little dwarf sat down by the table. He had a great yellow bowl, and a silver spoon in front of him. He stirred some flour around in the bowl, and what do you suppose he took out of the bowl? He took out a beautiful gold necklace! Then he stirred again, and he took out a blue necklace; then he stirred again, and he took out a red one. All the time as he worked he sang over and over, “Who is so merry, heigho! heigho! As a dwarf who lives in the woods, heigho? He may dance away by the light of the moon, But happy is he with his magic spoon!” At last the spoon got tired working and it said, “Little dwarf, upon my word, What would you do if that song were heard?” The little dwarf was so surprised to hear the spoon speak that he stopped stirring the flour in the bowl, and just at that very minute there was heard a rap at the door.