Maida's Little Shop

Table of

self, had never been allowed to set her foot outdoors when the weather was damp, she expected that she would see no children that day. But long before t

long rain-capes and a baby umbrella

ne session, Maida,"

bel lisped. "Don't you

ut she puzzled over it the whole morning. If Rosie and Arthur had come in she would have asked them.

consult the big church clock. It agreed exactly with the tall grandfather's clock in the livi

, the sides of his old rusty raincoat fl

a," he said jubilantly,

ession, Dicky

n the afternoon the fire-bells ring twenty-two at quarter to

they don't come

showed for the rest of the day. The storm was too violent for even the big boys and girls to brave. A very long afternoon went by. Not a customer came into the shop. Maida felt very lonely. She wandered

ly bounced in-his face pink and wet, his eyes spark

o see you," Maida said. "It

ye's grand for sor

efore he came, the noise of the wind howling about the store made Maida sad. Now it seemed the

Granny, the two little g

ss lately that there's no living with her. She picks on me all the time. That's why I'm here. She sent me

ht home! Think how worried your mother would be if she went up into y

Her eyes had grown as black as thunder clouds. The scowl th

id longingly. "I guess I wouldn't say a w

what you'd do until yo

y quiet in the other room. Suddenl

ren," he said. "But we've got to play it

ter him. "What is it?

knitting and all, and placed it in front of the kitchen stove.

s," h

what ut's going to

him closely. Suddenly th

tch! Ho

searched among the coals in the hod

skly. "Your turn, first, Ros

ext and she failed on "threesy." Billy follow

that game, ould as Oi a

could," B

player Oi was when Oi

Granny," B

"Granny's going to play!" "Granny's going to play!" They made so much noise

She hopped about like a very activ

like the Dame in fai

ot Maida with all her new-found strength, not Rosie with all

land," Billy greeted the victor. "Granny, we'l

this breathless work

tell you a story

stories, Rosie-stories he's heard and stories he's read. But the

rth-rug at Billy's feet. Granny sat, not far off,

ld who is doing naughty things all the time? Particularly was she a great trial to her mother. That poor lady was not well and needed care and attention, herself. But instead of giving her these, Klara gave her only hard words and disobedient acts. The mother used so

The moment her mother left the room, Klara whipped over to the window. 'I'm going to dres

ara stood there in her nightgown the moon began to rise and come up out of the water. Now th

inly she had never seen it such a color-a soft deep orange. In fact, it might ha

ence she had never seen such a surprising thing. And while she watched, another remarkable thing happened. A great door in the moon opened suddenly and there on the threshold stood a little old lady. A strange little old lady she was-a little old lady with short red skirts and hi

ovement the little old lady threw it out of the door. It flew straight across the ocean, unrolling as swiftly as a ball of twine that you've flung across the room. It came nearer and neare

derful thing happened. The golden wake lifted itself gradually from the water until it was on a level with Klara's window. Ben

ld lady in the moon wants me to come and be her little girl. Well, I'll go. I guess they'll be

her window. She ran down the slope until she reached the edge of the sea. There she hesitated. For a moment it seemed a daring thing to walk straight out to the m

he went, the farther from her the doorway seemed to go. But she did not mind that the walk was so long because it was s

d the more beautiful they seemed. Pale-blue fishes with silver spots. Pale-pink ones with golden stripes. Gorgeous red ones with jewelled black horns. Brilliant yellow and green one

ter and tried to catch som

reaked with rainbow lightning. Swish! It was dull and clear agai

petals, beautiful seafans that waved with every ripple, high, thick shrubs and towering trees in which the fishes had built their nests. In and out among all this undergrowth, frisked tiny sea-horses, ridden by mischievous sea-urchins. They leaped and trotted and galloped as if they were so h

ge of mer-people. It was set so far down in the water that it seemed a million mile

highest she had ever seen, with all kinds of beautiful singing fish roosting in their branches. Little mer-boats of carved pink coral with purple seaweed sails or of mother-of-pearl with rosy, mer-flower-petal sails, were floating through the street

e and a long white beard sitting on a throne of gold. At his side reclined the mer-queen-a very beautiful lady with a skin as white as milk and eyes as green as emeralds. Little mer-princes and little me

he most enchanting place that she had ever seen

eatingly, 'and good mer-queen, please

se that the world contained had taken flight. Swish! It was perfe

hey shan't get me," Klara said.

oorway silvery paths stretched between hedges as high as a giant's head. Sometimes these paths ended in fountains whose spray twisted into all kinds of fairy-like shapes. Sometimes these paths seemed to stop flush against the clouds. Nearer stretched flower-beds so brilliant that you would have th

ramble through the

e had stepped out of a fairy-tale. And yet Klara had a strange feeling of discomfort when s

girl who's run away

Klara

live in the King

Ye

ter

old. She felt the door swinging to behind her. She heard a bang

hen-what do you

oment. Rosie and Maid

d?" they aske

. Gone were the trees and the flowers; gone were the fountains and

see into the distance. It seemed to her as if all the trash that the world

. She had not changed except

nt to go home,' she screamed.

n that door and let me go back to m

the old lady said. 'It's

the keys?'

endless heaps of rubbish. '

at door and run back to my home. You shan't kee

ady said. 'You came of your own accord

g. She began to search among the dump-heaps. She could find no keys. But the longer she h

had gone through a rubbish-pile as high as her head and, still, no keys. All kinds of venomous insects stung her. All kinds of vines and brambles scratched her. All kinds of stickers and thistles pricked her. Her little feet and hands bled al

irl she had been and how she had worried the kindest mother in the world. Her longing for her mother grew so great at tim

t at it for about these bushes the ashes were packed down hard. But finally she uncovered a pair of i

d two locks. She put one key in the upper lock, turned it-a great bolt jarred. She put

ispered to herself. 'I

as she said those magic words, e

ran. She turned back after a few moments and there was the old lady with her cat and her

e golden path, whispering, 'I'm sorry. I will never do so again. I'm

s at her. The little mer-boys played wonderful music on their harps. The mer-king gave her a jolly smile and the mer-queen blew her a ki

sembled in bobbing groups. And farther on all the little rainbow fishes gathered

elt and fall into the sea where it lay in a million gleaming spangles, saw the moon float up into the sky, growing smaller and smaller and paler and paler until it was no larger than a silver plate. And now

nly Rosie jumped to her feet. "That was a lovely story, Billy," she said