Chapter I: KNOW you have all heard of the little man who lived inside a pumpkin (3)

There, across the neglected road, at the edge of the wild grown heath, they found the sorrowful family of those who first had told the tale of woe to Peterkin. Their clothes were more wretched than ever; their house was crumbling to the point of falling apart. And they wept bitterly when they heard Peterkin’s voice again.

“But cheerily ho!” laughed Peterkin. “For I have brought you another stranger—well, not exactly a stranger, either. For, like me, he came to visit you once before. He brought you sorrow then—but this time he is sworn to bring you joy. When once you have eyes to see him——”

They rushed about in a close circle, surrounding the spot whence came to them the sound of Peterkin’s voice. “Who is he? What is his name?” they demanded in a stormy chorus.

“He is known as the toothless farmer——”

At that, the hubbub swelled to a tempest of curses and wailing. The old villain had scarcely time to fall to his knees when the avenging blind men, groping in the dark, clutched him, plucked at his clothes, at his hair, at his eyes. Peterkin alone could save him from their vengeance. He screamed aloud, as he tore them from their prey.

“He has come to give you back your eyes! From now on you will see! Aye, see everything—the sunlight and the summer night sky, the fields, the smiles upon your little children’s faces. Oh, do not touch him lest he keep not to his promise!”

Therewith the blind folk fell back, waiting in a hushed and nervous circle. “Aye, we shall not touch him,” they promised.

Then the old villain, trembling and repentant, made a hurried sign in the air—a mystic, magic sign—and the sunlight streamed into the eyes of all the valley folk. Everyone could see! Yes, could see each other—could see the rags in which they were dressed, the ruins of the houses, the wild heaths, the broken, rutted roads—and planned at once to build anew a happy valley. Their eyes were returned—and so should their laughter. Henceforth, the years of misery and darkness should be forgotten—and theirs should be what, long years before, it had been: The Valley of Bright Eyes!

Thus was the first errand done—and Peterkin smiled to think of what an easy, happy one it had been. And now they must go on, over the mountain boundaries, from one valley to the other, bringing the same gift of happiness and hope.

“Come,” he whispered to the toothless villain, “you and I are not through yet. Now, don’t look cross and think of rebelling—for you are in my power, and there is no escape for you, unless you will obey my every order as nobly as you have this first one. Besides, think of those brand-new teeth which you shall have as a reward!”

Even this was not enough to persuade the old man to go along peacefully; he sulked and gnashed his red gums and tried all sorts of magic tricks, but all in vain. For Peterkin’s life was a charmed one, now that he had the love of a Princess Royal to guard him!

And, at last, when the old fellow saw that the people of the Valley of Bright Eyes were glancing at him angrily, as if they meant to lose their tempers after all, he took Peterkin upon his shoulders and flew dutifully away with him, over the boundary mountains.

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“He jumped upon his shoulders”
]

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XXX

VALLEY TO VALLEY

IT was the Valley of the Deaf they came to next. And presto! by a twitch of his lean fingers and a mumbling of strange words, the old man had given back the hearing to each of its people.

What joy was theirs, now! For they could hear the song of the birds and the chatter of their own glad voices and—oh, yes! the laughter of the thousand brooks, which once had played so great a part in their sad history. But all that was over now, and they had only smiles and thanks for Peterkin and forgiveness for the toothless villain who had done them so much wrong.

They were all listening to the chirp of a little sparrow’s young, high in the nest, when Peterkin and his captive flew away. Peterkin looked back a moment, to watch the joyous smiles upon their faces—and he, too, was happy in their new-found happiness.

And so he and his companion came to the Valley of Dancing Legs, where all the folk were racing hither, thither, everywhere, and all about, in weary, dreary, jigging, jogging flocks. Uphill, downhill, over fields and woods they went, never halting, never resting—on, on, lungs almost bursting and legs ready to drop off with weariness.

“Halt!” cried the toothless one. And then, with a moment or two of whispering and winking, he brought them all to a happy halt. Poor folk! It was the first rest they had had for so many years! They fell down, each of them, panting, groaning, utterly motionless. Ah, they would be happy now! Already, as their legs grew rested, they seemed to be smiling more peacefully.... Peterkin and his companion might go forward now into the next and last valley. For all would be joy in this one from this time forth.

So on they flew, these rescuing two, to the Valley of Up-in-the-Air. And only a few mystic symbols and commands, when down came all those floating, flying people, down to the ground they loved! And down came their beds, their chairs and tables after them—and all was set to rights!

Thus, in all the Four Kingdoms did happiness succeed grim sorrow and smiles broke through the tears. Thus was the whole domain made joyful through the brave work of the little stranger, Peterkin!

“Where now?” cried the old villain, rubbing his sore shoulders. “I am tired of carrying you wherever you ordered. My back is well-nigh broken with the load of you.”

“We shall make one more flight,” said Peterkin, “and that shall be to the window of the palace, just beneath the gilded dome. Come, away with us—to the Royal Princess’s window.”

“But—but, oh, no!” screamed the old fellow, quaking with fear. “That palace is in the city—don’t you understand, in the city of my bitter enemies! And they’ll kill me if ever they catch me there.”

Peterkin laughed. “And they’ve sworn to kill me, too,” he chuckled bravely. “But never you mind—we’re going back anyhow.”

And in spite of the old villain’s terror, Peterkin jumped upon his shoulders and whipped him up, over the marshes and the sea, toward the faint gray glimpse of towers and steeples in the far distance.

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XXXI

THE PATIENT PRINCESS

OH, little Princess Clem! Think what a sad thing it was for her to be left alone in the deserted dining hall, while her royal father and all his guards rushed out to kill her brave returning hero!

She had tried so hard not to cry—but the tears _would_ come. They flooded the table-cloth and plates and set the omelets and the jam pots floating. It was only when her prying nurse came in to fetch her that Her Little Royal Highness could dry her eyes.

But, all day long, she walked up and down, up and down, in the wide Throne Room. With nervous step she marched from one gilded corner to the other, her heart in a flutter of fear.

“But haven’t you heard?” cried the nurse. “They found his Pumperkin—but it was empty. The poor Peterkin must have been drowned!”

That only made the princess weep the harder. Yet she never lost hope—oh, no; she was not that sort of little lady to lose hope! And gradually she came to realize that Peterkin must have escaped, somehow, from his boat, and was safe upon some new adventure. But when would he return?

All day she paced the marble floors, her blue eyes lighted with a gleam of tears. Once she stopped to look out of the window, and she saw a great commotion at the outer gate of the court-yard. A messenger was there, seeking admission: a ragged, dusty man, who asked with eager face to see the King. The little princess recognized him at once: he was a subject of the Valley of the Blind.... Only, had he recovered the sight of his eyes? She wondered how.

And while he spoke, there came up behind him on the road another messenger—and this one was from the Valley of the Deaf. And then another from the Valley of the Dancing Legs. And, lastly, one from the Valley of Up-in-the-Air. Why, here were messengers from each of the stricken Four Kingdoms—and each of them was smiling happily!

Aye, true! For a little while later, the four of them had audience with His Majesty in this very same throne room, where the princess could hide behind a curtain of cloth of gold, and could hear each word they said.

“We are saved!” cried he of the Valley of the Blind.

“And so are we!” cried he of the Valley of the Deaf.

“And so are we!” cried each of the others.

“Our sorrow is gone. The curse of the toothless villain has been lifted away from our valley. We are the happiest folk in all the Four Kingdoms!” declared he of the Valley of the Blind.

“And so are we!” declared the other three in chorus.

“But—but I don’t understand,” stammered the King, mopping his royal brow in wonder. “All in a day, here is my whole domain changed from one of sorrow to one of joy. Tell me, who has wrought this splendid change?”

And with one accord they answered, “Peterkin!”

His Majesty’s scepter crashed to the floor, but he took no notice of it. He stared at them as if he thought them mad.

“What? That same little scalawag of a Peterkin who fled from our dungeon and who escaped us so neatly but yesterday?”

’Twas then that little Princess Clem came darting out from behind her curtain, dancing and laughing roguishly.

“The very same, my royal father! The very same Peterkin! And look!” she cried, stopping short at the window, “here he comes now!”

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XXXII

THE VILLAIN SATISFIED

NO mistake, either! For Peterkin it truly was, coming toward the palace! Peterkin, astride the shoulders of his old companion, flying through the clouds. At first they were only two specks, dark and tiny; then, coming nearer, they grew larger and larger, until the courtiers, crowding at the windows, could see the eager look in Peterkin’s bright eyes and could catch a glimpse of the red gums of the old villain under him.

Nearer, nearer—then swooping down from the clouds and in at the window came the two travelers, into the midst of those who thronged the golden throne room.

The toothless villain ran and cowered in a corner, trembling with fear. But Peterkin stood forth boldly, his head thrown back with pride.

“Here am I, Your Majesty!” he cried. “Here am I, returned whence I once fled. You may thrust me back into that pitchy dungeon—you may kill me, but——”

Great cheers drowned the rest of his words. One and all, the courtiers, the nobles, the King himself, were waving jeweled hands and making a joyous thunder of his name.

“Peterkin! Peterkin, our hero! Peterkin, our saviour! Brave, mighty, magic Peterkin!”

He fell back and rubbed his eyes. What did it all mean? Could he be dreaming?

No, for the King had risen from his throne now and was coming down its golden steps straight toward him, with arms outstretched.

“You have swept the shadows from my domain!” he cried. “You have brought laughter into faces which once were bathed in tears. You have given joy for sorrow—and joy—aye, untold joy!—shall be your reward! Ask of me now whatever you most wish, and I promise it shall be yours! But first of all, we must take our proper revenge upon the villain you have so neatly brought into our power.”

“Ah, that’s just it, Your Majesty!” interrupted Peterkin. “Here’s my dearest wish—and surely you’ll not have the heart to refuse it. I ask for mercy for your noble cousin, the toothless farmer. Indeed, if only you provide him with a new set of teeth, I’m sure he will make a very loyal and faithful subject evermore.”

The King grew red in the face, at this reminder. But he had given his word—and not even a king can go back on that!

“How now, my villainous cousin?” he roared, turning to the old fellow. “Will you cease your wicked magic all the days of your life, if I forgive you for the sake of generous Peterkin? And, if I do provide you a new set of teeth, will you try very hard not to bite me?”

“Oh, yes—indeed, yes! I am so sick of soups and jellies: I am longing for the crunch of a good beefsteak. And oh! my royal cousin, what a feast I shall be able to eat if only you give me a brand-new set of teeth! And I shall be so proud of them I’ll do nothing more than sit in a corner and grin the whole day long!”

So, when the little princess had joined her prayer for forgiveness to those of Peterkin and the rest of the courtiers, the King could do naught but order his royal dentist to appear upon the scene. And the dentist took very good pains to make an exact measure of the mouth of the old fellow, who went on mumbling in a most delighted way:

“Hee, hee! New teeth! A brand-new set of teeth! Well, now I am satisfied! No more villainy for me! the crunch of a good beefsteak. And I shall be the happiest, most satisfied nobleman in the land!”

Which set the whole court to cheering and clapping their hands louder than ever!

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XXXIII

THE GLORIOUS ENDING

“SO, now,” said the King, “you shall have your true reward.” And to make it the more impressive, he nudged our Peterkin in the ribs with the end of his golden scepter and winked his royal eye at the Princess Clem, who stood nearby in blushing joy.

Straightway the courtiers gathered about their new hero, lifted him high upon their shoulders and bore him away, out of the throne room, out of the pillared halls, into the center of that very same market square which flanked the sunny palace. And there they cheered him, long and loud:

“All hail to Peterkin, Prince of the Realm! All hail to Peterkin, beloved of a Princess Royal! All hail to Peterkin, hero of heroes and King-to-be!”

“Where was it bound? Haven’t you guessed?”
]

It was only then that modest Peterkin could guess how great were the honors and rewards which had befallen him. For a golden coronet they placed upon his head—and a purple robe upon his shoulders. And a golden sword upon a jeweled belt went ’round his waist to mark, from this time forth, that he was chief commander of all the King’s guards.

And, the very next day, at the hour of ruddy sunset, when all the windows of the palace burned with a bright reflection, and the moon was sailing high up, white and wan, into the clouds, there began the celebration of the most magnificent marriage that e’er was held or will be held in all the Four Kingdoms. And you know well enough who were the bride and bridegroom!

The banquet which followed was so splendid an affair that for three days thereafter the court doctor and all his chemists were kept busy at compounding cures for indigestion. For there were twenty different soups to taste—and each one thicker than the other. There were fish from the sea, the river and the brook; roast peacocks, with their tails still spread in blue and shimmering beauty; stuffed pigs with brown and crackling skin; all sorts of jellies, jams and ices; bonbons heaped in silver dishes, and—ah, yes, a wedding cake which towered so high that it touched the gilded ceiling. Think what a time the princess must have had cutting it to pieces—as all thoughtful brides do—with Peterkin’s sharp sword!

Of course, you are curious to learn how beautiful the bride appeared. But that’s beyond my power to describe. I can only tell you that she was more lovely than ever she had been before; and that her golden hair was twined with precious rubies, with a rivulet of diamonds on her forehead. Her gown was of silver white brocade; but on it were embroidered, in fine gold, a complete set of pictures of the marvelous history of her heroic husband. The Pumperkin, the adventure with the whale, the meeting with the old villain, the flight from the dungeon, the rescue of each of the four joyless valleys, ... all were depicted there. Everyone wondered, to be sure, how such a handsome work of art could have been made so hastily—but ah, they did not know that, in her long hours of lonely waiting, the little Princess Clem had nearly ruined her dainty fingers with the needle and threads of the loom. For happiness is always born of toiling; and love grows greater for a little patient hardship.

The villainous cousin, now very peaceful, was very proud of a set of false teeth; and munched and munched in hungry bliss upon a plate of his favorite beefsteak. The King, at his end of the table, smiled down upon his feasting friends in joy and perfect bliss. Here was his whole domain reborn into happiness and hard at work and play again. Here was his only daughter wed to the nation’s hero. And—this is what made him smile the broadest—here was a chance to climb down from his royal throne, within a year or two, and place his heavy crown on Peterkin’s own forehead. For, if the truth must be told, the King was growing a little tired of playing King and wearing velvet robes the whole day long; he longed, as old men always do, for the comfort of his big clay pipe, his shirt sleeves and his slippers. And here were a new King and a Queen, all ready made, to rule his land with virtue and with wisdom.

Then, while the banquet was at its jolliest, the bride and bridegroom stole away in a coach that was drawn by six white steeds, and clattered down the festooned streets to the steps of the royal wharf. And there, in the moonlit harbor, the Pumperkin lay waiting. But oh! what a different Pumperkin! For plates of gold were on it now, and a hundred gay flags, and a sail of blue satin. There were sailors to tend it, too, and a great fleet of skiffs to bear it company across the sea.

There was music on the waters and the soft and tender strains played by the royal harpists were caught up by the breezes and carried straight to the Pumperkin. It seemed to sway gently up and down, up and down, as if the waves kept time with the music.

Inside his snug and comfortable boat-house, Peterkin was telling his dear little bride the many wonderful adventures that befell him from the time they had parted in the dungeon to the happy hour of his return. And while they were thus in sweet converse, the Pumperkin was gliding on....

Where was it bound? Haven’t you guessed? Why, for brave Peterkin’s old home, the Pumpkin Patch! That’s where the honeymoon would be—and then.... Then back to the Four Kingdoms, to reign for years in peace and power and glory.

And some day, when you, too, have grown up and have wed a Princess Clem, and have come into a kingdom of your own, you will live—as they lived—happily ever after.

THE END.

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Tom Tit Tales By GILLY BEAR

_Bed-time Stories for Children_

Contains 156 Pages, 12 Color Plates and numerous Black and White Illustrations

Bound in Cloth Gold and Color Stamping

Price $1.25

“If you are favored and can still stand under the barred Gate of the Years to the twelfth notch or so, you will not yet have mislaid the key to your Imagination, and you will see—as probably your elders will not be able to do clearly—that this book has the familiar look in its pages of the places you know so well when you are asleep or just dozing before the fire. Some people write stories for children which remind one of the man on the city roof-top looking through the skylight at what the people are doing in the room below. But Gilly Bear, when he wrote these stories, sat at the desk within the room and possessed himself of an intimate knowledge of all that happened there. The entire book deals with Bobby and a funny old elf, evidently numberless hundreds of years old, who lures the former to Slumberland every night. The old elf is vividly portrayed by Helen E. Ohrenschall, to whom the author is indebted for the delightful pictorial features of the book.”—_The New York Evening Sun._

“Saml. Gabriel Sons & Company have recently published three attractively bound children’s books for the holiday season, written by Gilly Bear. ‘TOM TIT TALES’ tells of a most convenient fairy, who comes to comfort children at Tired-time—Bobby is delightfully entertained by Tom Tit and is taken on most fascinating excursions into Candy Land, to the Clock in the Sky, to the Rainbow and other equally interesting places, if he has been good all day. The illustrations in color are by Helen E. Ohrenschall.”—_News Press, St. Joseph._

“The Gilly Bear books, which have been published on the eve of the holiday season, have come out at an opportune moment, inasmuch as the book-buying habit becomes intense at this particular time. ‘TOM TIT TALES,’ ‘THE GREEN TULIP’ and ‘FUN IN THE FOREST’ are ideal stories for children. They contain an immense amount of wholesome sentiment and clean humor, and there are no keener humorists than the little people.”—_The Times Star, Cincinnati._

“‘TOM TIT TALES,’ ‘FUN IN THE FOREST’ and ‘THE GREEN TULIP’ by Gilly Bear are all attractive children’s books. Gilly Bear has made himself known to a large section of the child world by the creation of Tom Tit, whom Bobby met and who introduced the little boy to a host of marvelous people, with some surprising adventures.

“‘FUN IN THE FOREST’ describes, in a way to please any normal child, the adventures of a score of animals and fowl.

“Two little Dutch children, Katrina and Jan, in search of a fairy tulip, are the figures in ‘THE GREEN TULIP,’ and the experiences they go through are attractively described and pictured.”—_The Standard Union, Brooklyn._

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Fun in the Forest

By Gilly Bear

Contains 64 Pages, Profusely Illustrated in Color and Black and White.

Bound in Cloth, with
Colored Insert on Cover

Price 75 Cents

“‘FUN IN THE FOREST’ is a story that cannot fail to hold the attention of children, instruct them, too, and develop sympathy and affection for the small animals.”—_The Evening Star, Newark._

“‘FUN IN THE FOREST’ by Gilly Bear contains little stories of animals and their family and social life in a ‘wood at the top of the big green hill.’ It is seen that the Squirrel Family are generous entertainers and that all the wood folk are glad to come to their party. There is no hint of either fable or moral in the tales, but just the play of a pleasant imagination in the telling of animal stories.”—_The Post, Hartford, Conn._

“‘FUN IN THE FOREST’ by Gilly Bear is an instructive and amusing tale of animals, which should delight children from six to ten years. It is profusely illustrated.”—_The Bulletin, San Francisco._

“Parents or aunts or uncles, looking for picture books for the little ones, with some element of cleverness in them, will be glad to pick up any of a group of handsomely got up books published by Saml. Gabriel Sons & Company. They are the Gilly Bear books and the contents were originally published in the New York _Evening Sun_ ‘Bedtime Stories’ and were immensely popular. They stimulate the child’s imagination and delight him by their whimsical humor.

“‘TOM TIT TALES’—Entrancing stories of adventure, inspiring, entertaining and amusing and full of life, action and interest ‘just before the Sandman comes.’

“‘THE GREEN TULIP’—A splendid fairy tale, describing the exciting adventures of two little Dutch children in search of a fairy tulip.

“‘FUN IN THE FOREST’—A charming story of absorbing interest, which tells an amusing tale of animals and their doings in field and forest.

“The illustrations and general make-up of the books are very attractive.”—_Herald-Telegraph, Montreal._

“‘THE GREEN TULIP’ and ‘FUN IN THE FOREST,’ from the press of Saml. Gabriel Sons & Company, New York, are two delightful children’s books illustrated by Frances Brundage. The illustrations are in black and white and in color, the color pages being beautifully done. The stories are printed in large type and are nicely bound.”—_The Journal, Milwaukee._

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The Green Tulip

By Gilly Bear

Contains 64 Pages, Profusely Illustrated in Color and Black and White.
Bound in Cloth, with Colored Insert on Cover

Price 75 Cents

“Katrina and Jan are two quaint Dutch children living in Holland, described in ‘THE GREEN TULIP’ as ‘the loveliest, strangest, pleasantest land on earth.’ They first meet a green fairy who is crying for a green tulip. So Katrina and Jan start out to find the green tulip for the grieving fairy. In their search, the pair have some funny adventures. The illustrations are as delightfully Dutch as a windmill or one of Franz Hals’s pictures.”—_Post Express, Rochester, N.Y._

“‘THE GREEN TULIP’—A fairy tale of Holland by Gilly Bear and published by Saml. Gabriel Sons & Company. Another clever and attractive bit of reading for the quite young juvenile. The illustrations done by Frances Brundage are in themselves ample commendation for this charming book for the Christmas list. The world of fairyland is put under tribute to furnish the theme. Holland is made the setting and the talented co-workers in author and artist offer one of the most pleasing numbers in the Gilly Bear series, as a result of their deft workmanship. There is a world of diversion in following the fortunes of Katrina and Jan in sailing down ‘the Laziest Canal’ and in stopping, ‘but not too long,’ in the village of None-May-Care, in which ‘nobody thinks very hard.’”—_The Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio._

“The vogue of bed-time stories is continually broadening and the demand for new books of this character naturally increases as the holiday season approaches. To meet it, Saml. Gabriel Sons & Company have just issued three attractive new works calculated to fire the imagination of ‘Youngest America.’ The first of this series, ‘TOM TIT TALES,’ contains a series of entertaining stories to be told ‘just before the Sandman comes.’ The second, ‘THE GREEN TULIP,’ is a fairy tale built around the adventures of two little Dutch children in search of a fairy tulip. The third, entitled ‘FUN IN THE FOREST,’ tells in a charming way the life and adventure of animals in the field and forest. All three books are embellished with attractive colored plates.”—_The Examiner, Chicago._

“Three attractive books for the little children, which will interest the early Christmas shopper, are ‘TOM TIT TALES,’ ‘THE GREEN TULIP’ and ‘FUN IN THE FOREST.’ The stories are by Gilly Bear and originally appeared in a New York newspaper. The books are freely illustrated and the tales are just what children enjoy.”—_The Call, San Francisco._

“‘THE GREEN TULIP’ and ‘FUN IN THE FOREST’ are two very good stories and very long, as stories for the little people go, with excellent pictures running through the text. They are both by Gilly Bear, illustrated by Frances Brundage and published by Saml. Gabriel Sons & Company, New York.”—_The Times, New York._

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● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only
when a predominant form was found in this book.
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).