Part 9 (1/2)
”Tom answered bravely that he thought he was, and the man said he would give him a trial anyhow, and sent him off on a sample errand, telling him that if he did that one properly, he would pay him fifty cents a day for as many days as he kept him, giving him a half holiday on all circus-days. Tom was delighted, and started off gleefully to perform the sample errand, which was to take a basketful of china plates to the house of a rich merchant who lived four miles back in the country.
Bravely the little fellow plodded along until he came to the gate-way of the rich man's place, when so overcome was he with happiness at getting something to do that he could not wait to get the gate open, but leaped like a deer clear over the topmost pickets. But, alas! his very happiness was his ruin, for as he landed on the other side the china plates flew out of the basket in every direction, and falling on the hard gravel path were broken every one.”
”Dear me!” cried Jimmieboy, sympathetically. ”Poor little Tom.”
”Whereat the cow Remarked, 'Pray how-- If what you say is true-- How should the child, However mild, Become so wildly blue?'”
snored the corporal.
”What's the matter with you?” asked Jimmieboy, very much surprised at the rhyme, which, so far as he could see, had nothing to do with the fairy story.
”What's the matter with me?” returned the corporal. ”Nothing. Why?”
”There wasn't anything about a cow in the fairy story you were telling about Tom,” said Jimmieboy.
”Was I telling that story about Tom?” asked the sleeping soldier.
”Certainly,” replied Jimmieboy.
”Then you must have interrupted me,” snored the corporal. ”You must never interrupt a person who is snoring until he gets through, because the chances are nine out of ten that, being asleep, he won't remember what he has been snoring about, and will go off on something else entirely. Where was I when you interrupted?”
”You had got to where Tom jumped over the gate and broke all the china plates,” answered Jimmieboy.
”Very well, then. I'll go on, but don't you say another thing until I have finished,” said the corporal. Then resuming his story, he snored away as follows: ”And falling on the hard gravel path the plates were broken every one, which was awfully sad, as any one could understand who could see how the poor little fellow threw himself down on the gra.s.s and wept. Dear me, how he wept! He wept so long and such great tears, that the gra.s.s about him for yards and yards looked as fresh and green as though there had been a rain-storm.
”'Oh, dear! what shall I do?' cried Tom, ruefully regarding the shattered plates. 'They'll beat me if I go back to the shop, and I'll never get to see the circus after all.'
”'No,' said a voice. 'They will not beat you, and I will see that you get to the circus.'
”'Who are you?' asked Tom, looking up and seeing before him a beautiful lady, who looked as if she might be a part of the circus herself. 'Are you the lady with the iron jaw or the horseback lady that jumps through hoops of fire?'
”'Neither,' replied the lady. 'I am your Fairy G.o.dmother, and I have come to tell you that if you will gather up the broken plates and take them up to the great house yonder, I will fix it so that you can go to the circus.'
”'Won't they scold me for breaking the plates?' asked Tom, his eyes brightening and his tears drying.
”'Take them and see,' said the Fairy G.o.dmother, and Tom, who was always an obedient lad, did as he was told. He gathered up the broken plates, put them in his basket, and went up to the house.
”'Here are your plates,' he said, all of a tremble as he entered.
”'Let's see if any of them are broken,' said the merchant in a voice so gruff that Tom trembled all the harder. Surely he was now in worse trouble than ever.
”'H'm!' said the rich man taking one out and looking at it. 'That seems to be all right.'
”'Yes,' said Tom, meekly, surprised to note that the plate was as good as ever. 'It has been very neatly mended.'
”'Very what?' roared the rich man, who didn't want mended plates. 'Did you say mended?'
”'Oh, no, sir!' stammered Tom, who saw that he had made a bad mistake.
'That is, I didn't mean to say mended. I meant to say that they'd been very highly recommended.'