Part 1

[Illustration: TINA ASLEEP.]

THE WONDERFUL FAN

BY AUNT ELLA

[Illustration: [Girl]]

NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 39 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET

COPYRIGHT, 1882, BY E. P. DUTTON & CO.

PRESS OF J. J. LITTLE & CO., NOS. 10 TO 20 ASTOR PLACE, NEW YORK.

[Illustration]

CONTENTS

PAGE The Solar Wave, 7 The Frog, 20 The Sunset Land, 24 The Rose Garden, 36 The Fairy’s Friends, 47 Flower Children, 58 A Magic Rose, 70 Cloud Country, 84

[Illustration: [Fleuron]]

THE WONDERFUL FAN.

THE SOLAR WAVE.

What a warm day it was! The sun beat down till everything was baking hot out of doors, and indoors it was nearly as bad.

Tina wandered about, up-stairs and down, and finally opened the parlor door.

“This is the coolest place yet,” she said. The shutters were closed, so the hot sun did not find its way in there. There was an odor of new matting and fresh flowers.

Tina picked up a fan that was lying on the table, threw herself down on the sofa, and began fanning herself.

“My, how warm I am!” she said. “I believe it’s just the hottest day that ever was. Maria said you could bake bread on the roof.”

She kept on fanning herself, once in a while opening and shutting the fan, which was quite a pretty one, and Tina found herself counting the slats and looking at the decorations on them, till suddenly a little face appeared, peeping at her from the center slat of the fan, and as the fan waved back and forth, the little white face seemed to be bowing and bowing.

“I wonder where that little girl came from?” thought Tina; “she wasn’t here a minute ago.”

“Yes, I was,” said a voice, “only you didn’t see me. I was folded up in the fan, and when you waved the fan, I came out with the breeze.”

“That’s queer,” said Tina.

By this time the little face had grown larger and larger, and presently a whole little girl stood beside her.

“Isn’t it warm?” said Tina.

“Not so very, in here,” said the little girl; “but I will take you to a warm place;” and before Tina could say a word, she was seized by the hand, and found herself running swiftly along. She looked up at the little girl, who grew taller and taller, and by the time they had stopped running, she was a tall young maiden.

“Come,” said she, as she opened a door.

Tina went in. There was a smell of bread-baking, and just as they entered Tina saw a baker taking loaves of bread out of an oven.

“I never was in a bake-shop before like this,” thought Tina. “I am glad I can see how they make bread, and bake it;” and she stood still to watch the baker.

He had a long shovel with which he was drawing the bread out of the oven; and just at that moment Tina saw him start back, and there, stepping on the shovel, was a little black imp. It grinned at the baker, and the baker stood still and stared back at it.

“Who are you?” said he. “Where did you come from?”

“I came from the oven,” said the imp. “I’ve been in there for a week.”

“No wonder he is so black,” thought Tina.

“Well, where are you going?” said the baker.

[Illustration: [Baker]]

“I am going to the king’s palace,” said the imp.

“Oho! I’d like to see you,” said the baker.

“Well, see me, then,” said the imp, as he jumped down and ran to the door, shouting, “Hurrah for King Caloric!”

“Come, come quickly! it is the king’s son,” said the maiden, seizing Tina by the hand.

Then they ran out of the door, and as they went, Tina saw the figure of the imp ahead of them grow larger and larger, until they came to an open field where the sun was shining brightly.

As soon as the first sunbeam struck the imp, he changed into a tall prince, with a golden crown on his head; but he looked thin and pale.

Presently a flock of twelve geese appeared, and one of them followed the prince, gently pulling his coat, till he turned round to look at it.

Then it ran on ahead until it came to a little brook, near to which a tree was growing.

The prince followed it, and taking off his crown, he hung it on the tree; then he lay down by the brook and went to sleep, while the goose crouched down beside him, and the eleven other geese stayed a little distance off, none of them allowing a soul to pass them.

Tina looked around, and saw in the distance what at first she thought was a pile of very bright clouds, but, as she looked, she saw that it was a palace, that glittered as if made of sunlight.

“That is where King Caloric lives,” said her companion.

Just then two men passed, going different ways. One was carrying a lamp that twinkled like a star, and the other had two or three vessels from which smoke seemed to come, as if there were fire inside.

They both looked in the direction of the sleeping prince, and one of them said to the other:

“What is heat?”

“The sensation of warmth,” was the reply.

“What is caloric?”

“A subtle, invisible fluid,” and his voice died away.

“What on earth do they say ‘Familiar Science’ for?” said Tina.

[Illustration: [Boy]]

“Hush!” said the maiden.

“The Solar Wave,” said the men, looking over at the prince; and they passed on.

“This is the oddest place I ever saw,” said Tina; but as she looked up at her companion, she saw that the tears were running down her cheeks, and she stooped down and kissed Tina on the forehead.

Then she said, “Keep fifty yards behind me, and you will be safe.” And leaving Tina, she went toward the sleeping prince.

The geese stood aside and let her pass on.

She knelt down by the brook, and taking some water up in the hollow of her hand, she dropped a drop on each of the prince’s eyelids.

He awoke with a start, and looked at her.

“It is time,” she said.

He took her by the hand, and they walked off together. The geese all marched to the brink of the brook, and stood there till they were out of sight.

Tina followed them till they came to a city.

She was careful to keep fifty yards behind them.

[Illustration: [Couple]]

As they went on, the streets became very narrow, the houses nearer together and crowded with people who looked from the windows and doors, and sat in the streets outside.

As the prince and the maiden came up to them, they seemed very much afraid and distressed, and once the pair stopped, and the maiden said:

“Do not be afraid, my good people; the prince is on his way to his father’s house, and he must come this way. It will only be for a little while.” But as she looked at a woman holding a little sick child, she began to sob, and hurried on.

Tina could not imagine what was the matter, until she noticed that it grew warmer and warmer, and the people could hardly breathe for the heat.

After a while they came to the gates of the palace, and, for the first time, Tina saw that the prince did not have on his crown. He must have left it hanging on the tree, she thought.

As they went through the gates there was a great noise of trumpets. Everything seemed to be blazing with light and heat.

They went on from hall to hall. Just before they were to go into the last one, some one handed the prince a harp.

He carried this with him into a large room. At the end of this room sat a king on a throne.

“Is that King Caloric?” asked Tina of the maiden, who had left the prince and was standing by her side.

“Yes,” she replied. “Listen!”

The prince went up to the foot of the throne, where a seat was ready for him.

Everything was as still as could be. There were a great many persons standing about, but it was as silent as noonday, and there was the same feeling in the air.

Presently in came the twelve geese, the first one with the prince’s crown on its head. They stopped some distance from the throne, and the prince began to play.

As he played, Tina saw the oven and the baker, the field and the brook, the narrow streets, and everything.

Everyone looked very grave, and the king listened. It seemed as if the prince were telling all that had happened, and yet he was only playing on his harp.

“It will do. It is not so bad,” said the king, when he had finished.

“It is all my good Breeze,” said the prince; “but for her, there would have been a sad tale to tell.”

“Where is she?” asked the king.

There was a little rustle, and Tina saw the maiden glide forward and stand by the prince.

“Go, my children,” said the king; “the world will be glad to see you together, and I hope your dear Breeze will grow stronger, for the world’s sake,” he said to the prince. “I see now that it would not do to part you.”

Then there was a sound of rushing wings. Tina felt a cool air blowing on her face; the palace, the prince, and all seemed to melt away, and she was looking around the parlor to find that a shutter on the shady side of the room had blown open, and quite a breeze was blowing. She picked up the fan, but the little girl’s face was gone, and it looked just as it did before.

[Illustration: [Couple]]

THE FROG.

She commenced fanning herself again, still wondering about the prince and King Caloric, and looking at the fan, in hopes the little face would appear again.

And in a few moments something did seem to be coming out on another slat; and as Tina looked, she saw it was a face, but not the same one she had seen before.

This one was laughing, and the more it laughed the wider the mouth became, and the broader the face.

“That is the funniest looking thing I ever saw,” thought Tina, as she watched it.

The face grew and grew, and in a few minutes a body appeared; that, too, swelled and swelled.

[Illustration: [Frogs]]

“It looks like a frog,” said Tina, and just as she said this, hop went the figure into the middle of the floor.

“It is a frog,” said Tina; and sure enough, there it stood on its hind legs.

“Well, I never,” said Tina.

“Knee-deep,” said the frog.

“What did you say?” asked Tina.

“Bottle o’ rum,” said the frog.

“That’s funny talk,” she said; and as she spoke the frog went hopping out of the door, and the first thing she knew, she was hopping after him.

“I believe I’m a frog, too,” she thought.

They went hopping along, till they came to a marshy stream.

The frog sat down, and said, “Knee-deep!” when up hopped another frog and almost knocked Tina over.

It laid its hand on its stomach, and began to sing:

“Come, come, come, Come to the marsh so green, Where reeds and rushes grow, And turtles gay are seen.”

The big frog pointed to Tina, and, making one leap, jumped into the water. The other frog jumped in after him, and Tina was left alone.

In a few moments the big frog came up to the surface and began to sing, in a hoarse voice:

“Down, down, down, Down in the water cold, Down in the water clear; Here is my hand, take hold, Come, come with me, my dear.”

“Oh! I don’t want to go,” said Tina. “I don’t like to be a frog.”

“But you must,” said the frog; and he reached up his hand and drew her down, “plump” into the water.

But just as she was going, she found it wasn’t the water at all, that she had only rolled off the sofa. So she got up and began to fan again.

THE SUNSET LAND.

“How stupid of me to roll off the sofa,” said Tina.

“Anyhow, I am glad I am not a frog. I do think this is the strangest fan I ever saw. I wouldn’t be surprised to see anything come out of it.”

The fan wafted a soft breeze back and forth, and Tina forgot to look for the little faces on it, she was so comfortable, till she heard a voice say:

“Come, go into the woods with me.”

“Who’s that?” said Tina, looking at the fan.

“It is I,” said the voice. “Don’t you see me? I won’t come out, unless you say you will go to the woods with me.”

“All right, I will go,” said Tina; “if we don’t have to go through the sun—it is so hot.”

[Illustration: [Couple]]

“It will be pleasant, where we are going,” said the voice; and then Tina saw a little boy’s face appear on the fan.

He was a very pretty little boy, and as he said “Come,” Tina put down the fan, and there was the boy standing by her side.

He took her by the hand, and suddenly she found herself with him on a broad terrace, in front of a beautiful house.

“How did we get here?” said Tina. “This isn’t my home.”

“No, but it is one of mine,” said the little boy.

Tina looked about her, as they walked down the steps of the marble terrace, and saw a lovely scene spread out before her.

All about were vases of flowers, and clumps of shrubbery. At the foot of the steps there was a garden with sparkling fountains, shady walks, statues peeping out here and there, and beyond a dense forest.

The air was mild, and everything looked well-cared for, but not a creature was to be seen; and it was as still as could be.

They went on toward the forest, and as they entered it, Tina saw flowers everywhere.

“Do let us get some,” she said.

“Very well,” said the boy. “I will get you a basket;” and, turning a little out of the path, he went to a tree, and Tina saw that from every limb baskets were hanging, as if they grew there.

He came back with one for Tina, and as she thanked him, she said: “You haven’t told me your name.”

“My name,” said he, “is Sunny Summer.”

“What a queer name!” said Tina, “but I rather like it.”

They went on, and Tina filled her basket with blossoms. They were the most beautiful she had ever seen.

Sunny climbed trees for her, and helped her find the finest colors.

Soon they came to a bridge.

“Take off your hat, and throw it in,” said Sunny.

“In the water?” said Tina. “What for?”

“You cannot go over, unless you do,” said he.

So Tina took off her hat, and threw it in the water. Sunny did the same with his, and they went bareheaded over the bridge.

“Now we can go to the Sunset Land,” said he; “but we couldn’t have gone in our old hats, for we never would have reached there alive. We will get new ones directly.”

As they reached the other side of the bridge, Sunny went to a big hollow tree, and tapped on the bark, saying:

“Sun, Sun, Sun, The day is not done, What have you for me, A bonnet or none?”

And at once a hand appeared, holding out a pink sunbonnet.

[Illustration: [Couple]]

Sunny took it, and gave it to Tina. She put it on, and they went along a little further till they came to another hollow tree. Sunny tapped again on that, saying:

“Sun, Sun, Sun, The day is not done; What have you for two, A hat old or new?”

And a hand appeared with a hat in it.

Sunny put it on, and they went on till they came to the foot of a hill.

Here they sat down and arranged the flowers.

“Must we go up that steep hill?” said Tina.

“Yes,” said Sunny; “we shall see the Sunset Land from the top of it. We had better start now, or we will not get there.”

So he put his arm around Tina, and they trudged up the hill. When they reached the top, he pointed to the sky, where the sun was going down.

“There is the Sunset Land!” said he—“the beautiful Sunset Land! See the rivers, and temples and the people in their rose-colored robes.”

[Illustration: [Chase]]

“I never knew it was really a place,” said Tina; “but now I see that it is. How beautiful the gold is, and the purple. Let us hurry; I want to see it nearer.”

So they started down hill, and the Sunset Land faded from their sight as they went on.

It grew chilly, and they came to another forest. This seemed full of life. There were whiskings to and fro, chatterings up in the trees, rustlings among the branches, and now and then Tina heard a laugh.

Tina clung close to Sunny, and said, “I am afraid.”

“Oh, you needn’t be,” he said. “You mustn’t be afraid of anything you see, for you are perfectly safe now that you have your sunbonnet on; as soon as they see that, they will know who you are.”

Just then two beasts came dashing along. The first was a deer, and after it came a wolf, while another started up from among some bushes. They all rushed along, but the deer was ahead; and in a moment all three were out of sight.

“What is the matter?” asked Tina.

“They are in a hurry to get to Sunset Land before the sun goes down. The deer has despatches for China, and the wolf wants to get them away from him, so they won’t go off,” said Sunny.

“Politics, I suppose,” said Tina.

“Yes,” said he.

“I haven’t the least idea what politics are,” said Tina, “but it sounds something like that, when papa talks to Mr. Wright, and mamma says it is politics.”

Presently they saw, not far off, what at first looked like the stump of a tree; but, on coming up to it, Tina saw it was an old woman, all huddled up. She had a quantity of leaves spread out before her, and she was saying, over and over:

“Turn to red and turn to gold, Though we’re young, we must be old.”

“What is she doing?” whispered Tina.

“Getting the leaves ready to turn,” said Sunny.

“I know what that means. It means I must be going.”

Tina couldn’t imagine what he meant, but she followed him.

“I am getting very tired,” she said. “When will we get to Sunset Land?”

“It will not be long, now,” said Sunny. “We will see the sentinel soon.”

“I don’t believe I can go any further,” said Tina, “unless I rest.”

“Just a few moments,” said Sunny, kindly. “When we come in sight of the sentinel, we will be all right, and can rest as long as we want to.”

They walked a few yards, and in among the bushes Tina spied a man standing.

“There he is,” said Sunny, and he sat down under a large tree.

Tina threw herself down beside him, and he drew her head down on his lap; she took hold of his hand, and in a few moments was fast asleep.

[Illustration: [Couple]]

THE ROSE GARDEN.

Tina thought she had slept some time when she heard a voice singing:

“I must go, I must go, To the Sunset Land; Where the golden rivers Roll on golden sand; And the purple mountains, With their peaks so bright, Tower up by mansions Built of clouds of light. Sleep, Tina, sleep, The rivers are deep! I’ll away, I’ll not stay! Fare you well!

“Fare you well! Fare you well! I must go, ’tis late; And I see opened wide, The sunlit gate Of that beautiful land, Where the cloud shapes stand, With their robes wind-blown, When the sun goes down. Dream, Tina, dreams Of those golden gleams. Think of me, When you see The Sunset Land.”

But it was some time before she could wake up at all, and then she saw that the little boy had gone, and she was lying with the fan in her hand.

“I don’t remember having this with me,” she said; “but I suppose I must have taken it, or it wouldn’t be here. I wonder where Sunny has gone; it is too bad I couldn’t get to the Sunset Land after all. That must have been he singing to me. But how this fan came here is a mystery to me. There is another face, of course. I knew it. I wonder how this is going to turn out? It looks like a girl, but I’m not so sure that it is. It has a ruffle around its neck—no it isn’t a ruffle. I believe it has wings.”

The wings fluttered, and something flew out.

“Why, you’re a butterfly,” said Tina.

“I know it,” said the creature. “You might as well say to a horse, you’re a horse. Everybody knows I am a butterfly. I don’t see anything so very peculiar in my being a butterfly.”

“Well, you needn’t be so snappish,” said Tina. “I didn’t suppose you were going to take my head off. I’m sorry I spoke.”

“Oh, well, come along,” said the butterfly; and Tina was amazed at finding herself flying through the air after the butterfly.

“I should like to know what I am,” she thought; “but I don’t dare ask any questions—the butterfly has such an unpleasant manner.”

[Illustration: [Birds]]

They went flying along, and presently Tina heard the rushing of wings behind, and she saw they were joined by four birds; one of them flew close by Tina. “I wonder if I am a bird?” thought she. “I believe I will ask. Am I a bird?” she said.

“What a question!” answered the bird; “as if you didn’t know. How could you fly, if you were not a bird?”

“I might be a butterfly,” said Tina.

“So you might,” said the bird. “I never thought of that; but you are not, all the same.”

“Then, I suppose I must be a bird,” thought Tina. “I am glad I know.”

It was delightful to go skimming along through the air, and Tina came to the conclusion that to be a bird was better than to be a little girl.

“Where are we going?” she asked the bird, who was flying by her side.

“No one but the butterfly knows,” said the bird.

Pretty soon they came to a forest. “I can go no further with you,” said the butterfly. “I must go find the rose before its petals drop. If you reach the snow in time, turn around and come back! I will be there.”

Then it flew away, and Tina and the other birds went on into the forest. As they went on, they heard sounds of distress, and they saw among the branches of a tree two birds whose nest had been overturned, and the eggs broken. They all gathered around, and asked the pair what had happened.

“He has been here,” said they, chirping pitifully.

“Come with us,” said the birds. “We are going to the North Country, and we can find him. After that we will all be happy in the Rose Garden.”