Hazel Squirrel and Other Stories Part 7

"Please come over here under the shade of this tree, where we can look at you all we wish and then tell us how you came to be in that tree."

CHAPTER VI

The Tree-Fairy danced over and sat down under the tree with Uncle Whiskers, Winkle, Twinkle and Sammy Woodchuck. Billy Jay did not care to sit down. He just hopped around and around the Tree-Fairy and stared at her.

In the meantime Pinkie Whiskers had caught his breath and was rested. He tried to get up, but found that a branch of the tree held him down. He wiggled and twisted but he could not rise.

"Help! help!" called Pinkie Whiskers.

"My goodness!" cried Uncle Whiskers. "We forgot all about that blessed Pinkie Whiskers. Come we must help him."

They all rushed over to the tree and there was Pinkie Whiskers lying on his back and kicking as hard as he could.

"Now just keep perfectly still and we will break the branches away, then you can get up," said Uncle Whiskers.

Pinkie Whiskers was so glad to see Winkle, Twinkle, Uncle Whiskers, Sammy Woodchuck and Billy Jay that he cried.

"Now, now!" said Uncle Whiskers. "You eat one of those big apples that are just waiting right by your hand for you and you will feel better."

"When I woke up, it was all so still that I thought you had all gone home and left me," sobbed Pinkie Whiskers.

"We are here," cried Twinkle.

"We are here," cried Winkle, "and we will have you out of that tree in a moment."

Already Sammy Woodchuck and Uncle Whiskers had broken the branches away and now they lifted Pinkie Whiskers to his feet.

Pinkie Whiskers was all smiles as he stood in the green meadow again, but he said:

"I shall never cut down a tree again. This one nearly killed me."

"You owe your life to Billy Jay. It was Billy who caught your tail and pulled you out from under the falling tree trunk just in time or you surely would have been crushed," said Uncle Whiskers.

"All is well that ends well and really, Pinkie Whiskers, you never did such a wonderful thing before and you probably will never do such a wonderful deed in your life again, for you have set the Tree-Fairy free.

Look over there and you will see her," said Sammy Woodchuck.

Pinkie Whiskers looked and he was so surprised that his little mouth flew open, and I am ashamed to say that he stared too. Yes, he actually stared at the Tree-Fairy.

The Tree-Fairy smiled and came dancing over to him. She bowed and said, "I want to thank you for saving my life. If it had not been for you, I would not be standing here in this beautiful sunshine."

"Do tell us how you came to be in the tree trunk, won't you please?"

begged Twinkle.

"To be sure, I will tell you," laughed the Tree-Fairy. This is the story she told:

"In Fairyland there are Witches as well as Fairies, just as on Earth there are bad people as well as good people.

"I had always been very friendly with the Witches and they were as kind to me as they could be until one day I went to visit the Witch Discontent. She was never satisfied with anything and never smiled or laughed.

"You know I love everybody and everything. I am happy all the day long and I never fret or worry. On this day I was so happy over the beautiful sunshine and flowers that I was singing and dancing.

"The Witch Discontent could not help but feel my happiness and bye and bye she forgot to whine and scold and actually began to sing with me.

She had never been known to sing a note before.

"Then I told her a joke and she laughed. My, how she laughed! We were having the best kind of a time when one of the other Witches entered and found the Witch Discontent enjoying herself.

"The Witch Discontent was so angry to be caught having a good time that she flew into a terrible rage, and drove me from the house."

CHAPTER VII

When the Tree-Fairy told of the Witch Discontent's rage, she shuddered, then she continued:

"The Witch Discontent not only drove me from her house, but she chased me and she screamed at me every step of the way. I could run faster than she and I reached my home first. I ran into the house, closed and bolted the door.

"I was just in time for I had only finished locking the door when the Witch Discontent threw herself against it.

"When she found that the door was locked she was more angry than ever.

She tore her hair and jumped wildly about. She put her mouth to the key hole and screamed:

"'I will punish you yet, you just wait. I will sit here in front of your door until you come out.'

"Now, I knew that she could not harm me unless she looked me in the eye and made certain pa.s.ses with her hands, so I decided right then and there that I would stay in the house and keep the door locked.

"All day long the Witch Discontent sat in front of the door and all the while her rage grew and grew until she was a terrible sight. I peeped out of the window at her several times and each time I was glad she did not see me.

"Night came and she was still there. I went quietly to bed and soon fell asleep. It was bright daylight when I awakened. My first thought was one of happiness and then I remembered about the Witch Discontent and I was eager to see if she was still sitting outside of my door.

"I tip-toed over to the window and looked out. I could not see her so I leaned further out and almost instantly a rough hand grabbed me and dragged me right out of the window and dropped me on the ground.

"I found myself facing the Witch Discontent. She had been waiting under my window for this very chance. She shook me and then held me very tight while she looked me in the eye, made pa.s.ses and hissed:

"'You wicked Tree-Fairy! I will drive you from Fairyland. I will send you to Earth and imprison you in a tree forever. You shall never come forth into the sunshine again or dance, laugh or sing unless I will it.

Now go,' she screamed as she flung me from her and made more strange pa.s.ses with both hands.

"That is all I can remember until I found myself imprisoned in the heart of yonder tree. I could not stir. I was fitted into the tree as if I had grown there.

"I do not know how long I have been in the tree, for I slept a great deal, but always when I was awake I sang little songs of joy to myself and kept a merry heart. But best of all, I never ceased to love the Witch Discontent in spite of what she had done to me.

"You know that love always conquers hate and it was love that sent the man to cut down the tree and when he was called away, it was love that sent Pinkie Whiskers and you, my dear friends, to finish the work and free me."

As the Tree-Fairy stopped talking there were tears of grat.i.tude and happiness in her eyes. She looked so sweet and beautiful that her new friends wondered how anyone could ever have been unkind to her.