From the ebook THE VILLAGE OF HIDE AND SEEK
By B. T. WILSON
The hot sun was now standing directly over the tops of the
trees, and, as the moving shade had left the Vagabond with a part of his circle
of children out in its broiling rays, he was glad indeed to pause with his
story while they all rose at his request and formed a new circle farther in
under the sheltering branches. Four of the boys leaped from the ground and
scampered away to bring the water as the Vagabond had requested.
When the new circle was formed, one of the little girls,—a
sweet-faced darling of not more than five years, pushed herself away from the
others, and with a feeling of pride, took a seat by the side of the Vagabond,
where she sat looking into his face quite anxious for him to go on with his
story.
The boys were not slow in returning from the well; and in
order to assure themselves that the water would reach the parched lips of their
companions fresh and cool, they had unbound the old oaken bucket from the well
pole and were bearing it along, dripping full, between them. The water soon
arrived, and by order of the Vagabond it was passed around, he not even
forgetting to first wait upon the little lady who, so honored, sat proudly by
his side. When they were all comfortably seated in the shade at last, it was
thus he continued his interesting tale:
"After the two children had eaten all they possibly
could, just as many of you drank all the water you possibly could, the dwarfs
and brownies came hurrying up the stairs and were not long in removing the
dishes and table. The brownies, in a most winning manner, insisted upon their
eating more, for there was enough left to feed a dozen hungry children, but
they were forced to reluctantly decline.
"The sun-tanned brownie, who removed the dishes from in
front of Maud, looked too funny for anything with his long-peaked cap set
aslant on his little round head and roguishly pushed over to one side. On his
face appeared a broad grin as he took the dishes under his arm, and gazing
intently toward little Maud, said in a shy, half-whisper though sufficiently
loud for her to hear: "Pretty girl!"
"Then without waiting a reply, he made one wild,
hilarious plunge, dishes and all, down the balustrade. Nor did he stop when he
struck the ground, but hurried away toward the mountain, halting only for a
second when half way up its steep side to wave her an affectionate adieu with
his funny round cap. Thus waving he passed from sight under the sheltering
trees that grew along the mountain way, while the children turned to view other
parts of the beautiful valley.
"'What broad, golden stream is that, Aunt Twaddles?'
inquired little Arthur, as he pointed toward the Work Shops of Santa Claus.
"'Aunt Twaddles' glanced up as he spoke and looking in
the direction of the golden stream, she replied.
"'That, my darlings, is Taffy River.'
"'Taffy River!' exclaimed the children in one breath.
Then Arthur, in an excited tone, continued: 'You don't mean to tell us, Aunt
Twaddles, that taffy flows in a river like that!'
"The children stood anxiously awaiting her reply.
"'Yes, darlings! Oh, yes!' she replied. 'Taffy River
gets its start up at Honey Springs in the lower end of Ice Cream Valley and
flows, as you see, down between Ginger Bread Hills and Cake Mountain, then on
past the Work Shops of Santa Claus and empties into Lake Fudge, over beyond the
Pop-Corn Fields where you see the reindeer.'
"Arthur was so bewildered he did not know what to say;
while little Maud stood with her mouth open in such a manner that she was quite
amusing to look upon. Suddenly she exclaimed:
"'Mercy, Aunt Twaddles! Is that white field pop corn?
Why I thought it was snow!'
"'No! no! my children!' smilingly exclaimed the good
lady. 'That field is all pop corn. You see,' she continued, 'we never have
either rain or snow here. Not a particle of water is ever permitted to fall in
this enchanted valley, not even a drop of dew; for if it should, though it was
only a tear, something dreadful would surely happen. This is not our will, but
the will of Heaven; and if you watch, you will see for yourselves.'
"'Aunt Twaddles' touched another button in the arm of
her golden chair and gazed calmly over the valley.
"While they were waiting for something unusual to
happen, little Maud roused from a spell of deep thought and inquired:
"'Aunt Twaddles, does any of Taffy River ever empty
into the Shenandoah?' And her eyes sparkled at the thought.
"'Ah, no, darling,' replied the generous old woman with
a knowing smile. 'When the children of the earth are good, Santa Claus takes
most of it on his journey at Christmas time; but when they are naughty it
overflows Lake Fudge and is wasted among the surrounding hills.'
"'Aunt Twaddles' seemed somewhat impatient and again
pressing the button with a firm hand, the children were greatly surprised to
behold a heavy, dark cloud rising in the west. Leaping upward it came flying
angrily over the summit of Ginger Bread Hills; then dashing furiously against
the tall sides of Cake Mountain it rolled upward with the sound of deep,
muttering thunder and spread over the entire sky.
"The wind came howling bitterly down the beautiful
valley with a sudden dash and roar, and again turned the sign above the factory
of Santa Claus out of reasonable position.
"Strong trees bent low before the breath of the
on-coming storm, while the entire end of Beauty Valley grew suddenly dark. All
the dolls of the village hastened into their play-houses as fast as their
little legs could carry them. Santa Claus came out of his factory and, arching
his eyebrows with the palms of his wide-open hands, cast a sweeping glance over
the threatening sky and then disappeared within.
"The doors throughout this great factory were suddenly
closed. Windows came down with a bang. Louder and louder the shrill wind howled
with a wintry wail and in a few moments a blinding snowstorm of pop corn buried
the distant field in a spotless coverlet of white.
"'Aunt Twaddles' touched another button in the arm of
her chair. Suddenly the clouds melted away into a veil of thin mist and again
the sun poured down its wealth of golden glory.
"Up went the windows in the factory of Santa Claus. The
dolls rushed out of their play-houses and danced once more upon the green,
while a mighty host of brownies rushed from the factories into the field and
began to gather basket after basket of pop corn to be made into pop-corn balls
on the banks of Taffy River.
"'Aunt Twaddles' sat back in her chair, smiling
silently, for she had watched the expressions upon the faces of the children
during the wonderful storm.
"The scene was indeed most marvelous and it was a long
time before either of the children ventured to say a word, for the wonderful
workings of nature, all under control of the little, shining buttons, mystified
them beyond utterance.
"Suddenly they beheld a little brownie hurrying from
the factory toward the throne. 'Aunt Twaddles' arose when she saw him coming.
"'Here comes a messenger,' she said, 'and something
must be wrong.'
"In another second he bounded up the onyx steps and
soon afterward stood tremblingly before them.
"'What is it, Spit?' inquired 'Aunt Twaddles' as she
gazed down upon him.
"'Spit,' for that was the name of the brownie, looked
up into her face as he stood awed by her presence.
"'Twaddles!' he exclaimed, 'during the storm the
lightning struck a wooden doll in the village and hurt it mighty badly.'
"As this sad bit of news fell on the ears of 'Aunt
Twaddles,' she dismissed the brownie with a wave of her hand and sank back in
her chair, and the children could see that she was much distressed.
"'Come! come!' she said to herself at last, 'we must
not grieve so much over accidents, for they are often the will of Heaven.'
"She arose and greeted the children with a glad smile.
"'Aunt Twaddles,' inquired Arthur, 'does Santa Claus
always live here?'
"Instantly, 'Aunt Twaddles' stepped back from the
children and paused. She stood near the steps of the golden throne, her hand
resting upon the white polished onyx post that ornamented the end of the
beautiful balustrade, and turning to them, she said:
"'Yes, children, Santa Claus always lives here and I am
his sister.'
"As she spoke the last word, a magical change came over
her entire features.
"Instead of the fat, flabby, emotionless countenance
the children had long known and loved, each careworn line withered instantly
away, and in place came the bloom and smile of eternal youth and beauty; while
the ungainly and ponderous weight that had so encumbered her journeys,
disappeared all in a moment, until she now looked more like a beautiful fairy
than the dear, good 'Aunt Twaddles' of old.
"All the odd, ill-fitting garments, with the long,
heavy skirt to which they had so firmly clung for their lives while climbing
the face of the cliff, were changed before their very eyes into raiments of
rich lace and gold; and she stood before them in her true character, no longer
'Aunt Twaddles,' the herb woman, but the fairy sister of Santa Claus, more
lovely by far than any doll they had ever beheld.
"All the odd, ill-fitting garments were changed into raiments of gold."
"'You see me now, darlings, as no mortal eye has ever
beheld me. Amid the common walks of life, when gathering wintergreen, spices,
and herbs on the mountain, with which to flavor the candy for Santa Claus, I am
awkward and ugly, fat, and ungainly, and I care not; for the rarest of womanly
beauty on earth lies not in the looks, but the heart. But here, in this haven
of blissful repose, you now behold me as I truly am;—not Aunt Twaddles, the
herb woman, but Twaddles, the Queen of the Dolls, and the ruler who
reigns over the Village of Hide and Seek.'
"Awed beyond measure and wrapt in admiring silence, the
poor children stood trembling in the presence of the queen. Nor could they
reconcile themselves to the sudden change, for 'Aunt Twaddles,' the herb woman,
had always been so good and kind to them.
"Little Maud suddenly sank to her knees on the throne,
and cried aloud in a pitiful voice:
"'Oh, dear queen, how beautiful you are! But please be
your dear self again, for I love the Aunt Twaddles who has always been so good
to me.'
"Before she could finish her heart-rending plea, the
beautiful Doll Queen folded her to her bosom and covered the face of the child
with sweet, motherly caresses.
"'Come! come!' she said softly, at last. 'We will make
a tour of Beauty Valley, or, as the dolls of the village all love to call it,
'The Land of Santa Claus.' And she unclasped Maud from her arms.
"The Queen touched a bell on a silver stand and at the
faint sound a beautiful white-winged dove, with a pale blue ribbon about its
snowy neck, came flying from a near-by olive tree and lit upon the edge of the
throne before them.
"The children, much interested in the unusual sight,
drew back toward the opposite side of the throne as if fearing they might
frighten the bird away; but the Queen, smiling so sweetly that they felt like
falling to their knees and worshipping her, turned to them as she exclaimed:
"'Have no fear, my darlings, for you cannot frighten it
away. This bird is my private messenger that always finds Kimbo when I want
him.'
"The Queen waved her hands with a graceful, easy
motion, and the dove rose in the air on its snowy wings. Three times it circled
above the throne, and then took its course toward the buildings of Santa Claus
and passed out of sight.
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ISBN: 9788834175361
URL/DownLoad Link: https://bit.ly/2VAo8Mn
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Dreams, face, far, golden, great, Island, journey, magical, Maud, merry, happy, mountain, old, path, palace, prince, princess, pennyroyal, Queen, River,
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