ch·aracter Paul Jennings Felicity's Terrible Day ..... 18 A play in one act by Tara McCarthy The...

ch·aracter

.JSCHOLASTIC

Character

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I

Acknowledgments

"Smart Ice Cream" from UNREAL! EIGHT SURPRISING STORIES by Paul Jennings. Copyright© 1994 by Paul Jennings. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Australia Ltd.

FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY by Tara McCarthy. Copyright© 2004 by Tara McCarthy. All rights reserved.

"Peddler of Swaffham" by Tara McCarthy. Copyright© 2004 by Tara McCarthy. All rights reserved.

"The Old Field" by from RHYME TIMES RHYME by D.J. Enright. Copyright ©1974 by D.J. Enright. Reprinted by permission of Watson,

Little, Ltd ..

"Alligator on the Escalator" from CATCH A LITTLE RHYME by Eve Merriam. Copyright© 1966 by Eve Merriam, renewed 1994 by Dee Michel and Guy Michel. Reprinted by permission of Marian Reiner for

the author.

ISBN 0-439-65980-9

Copyright© 2004 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Materials in unit may be used for

classroom use by purchaser. All other permission must be obtained from publisher.

Contents

The Open Window ............. 4 By Saki

Smart Ice Cream .............. 10 By Paul Jennings

Felicity's Terrible Day .......... 18 A play in one act by Tara McCarthy

The Peddler of Swaffham ....... 3 6 A British folk tale

Alligator on the Escalator ....... 44 A poem by Eve Merriam

A Bird came down the Walk .... 45 A poem by Emily Dickinson

The Old Field ................. 46 A poem by D. ]. Enright

The Mouse .................. 48 A poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth

The Open Window

BY SAKI

"M y aunt will be down soon," said the 15-year-old girl. "While you wait, you

must put up with me."

Framton Nuttel tried to find the right thing to

say. He should be polite, of course, but he should

seem to want to meet the aunt very much.

Framton was in the country to cure his nerves.

His sister had wanted him to meet some people she

knew there. "If you don't speak to anyone, your

nerves will be worse than ever," she had told him,

"and some of these people are very nice." Framton

didn't think that visits to strangers would help him

much. He hoped that Mrs. Sappleton, the aunt, was

one of the "nice" ones.

I

THE OPEN WINDOW

"Do you know very many people around here?"

the niece asked. "Hardly anybody," said Framton. "My sister stayed

with friends here about four years ago. She wanted

me to meet some people she liked."

"Then you know almost nothing about my aunt,"

said the girl. "Only her name and address," said Framton. He

wondered if Mrs. Sappleton was married or a widow.

Something about the room made him think that a

man lived there.

"The most terrible thing happened to her three

years ago," said the girl. "It was not long after your

sister was here." "A terrible thing?" asked Framton. Terrible things

seemed unlikely in this quiet country spot.

"You may be wondering why we keep that window

wide open on an October afternoon," said the niece.

She pointed to a large French window that opened

onto a rolling green lawn.

"It's warm for this time of year," said Framton,

"but does that window have anything to do with the

terrible thing?"

"It all started when they went out through that

window, three years ago today," the girl said

T I

• I

THE OPEN WINDOW

mysteriously. "My aunt's husband and her two young

brothers were going hunting with their little brown

dog. None of them ever came back. They must have

slipped into a swamp and drowned. The worst part

was that their bodies were never found." Here the

girl's voice started to crack. "My poor aunt! She

believes that they will walk in through that window,

just like they used to. That's why she keeps the

window open. "My poor, dear aunt. She always talks about the

way they went out. Her husband had his red coat

over his arm. Ronnie, her younger brother, was

singing an old song, 'My Bonnie Lies Over the

Ocean.' He did that to tease her-it got on her

nerves. You know, sometimes, on a still, quiet evening

like this, I get a creepy feeling. I almost think they will

all walk in through that window .... "

She broke off, shaking her head. Framton was glad

when the aunt came into the room, saying how sorry

she was to be late. "I hope you have enjoyed talking to Vera,"

she said. "She has been very interesting," said Framton.

"I hope you don't mind the open window," said

Mrs. Sappleton. "My husband and brothers will be

Ill!

II

I'

THE OPEN WINDOW

home soon. They've been hunting, and they always

come in this way. They'll have shot some birds, so

they'll mess up the rug, but that's the way men are,

isn't it?"

She chattered on cheerfully. She talked about

hunting, and how it might be better next winter. To

Framton, it was awful. He saw that Vera's aunt was

not paying much attention to him. Her eyes were on

the open window and the lawn. He was sorry that he

had come to visit on this, of all days.

"The doctors say I should do nothing exciting and

get lots of rest," Framton said, trying to change the

subject. He had not yet learned that few people are

interested in other people's health. "Of course, none

of them agree about what I should eat."

"No?" said Mrs. Sappleton. Then her face grew

brighter, but it was not because of their conversation.

"Here they are at last!" she cried. "They're just in

time for tea. They look as if they were muddy right

up to their eyeballs!"

Framton turned toward the niece, to give her an

understanding look, but the girl was staring out through

the open window. Her eyes widened with fear.

In the gray light, three figures were walking across

the lawn toward the window. They were carrying

I

THE OPEN WINDOW

guns under their arms. One of them had a red coat

over his shoulders. A tired brown dog followed close

behind. They drew near the house without making a

sound, but suddenly a young voice began to sing,

"My Bonnie lies over the ocean ... "

Framton jumped to his feet and ran for the door.

Out in the road, a man on a bicycle had to run into a

hedge to keep from running into him.

"Here we are, dear," said the man with the red

coat, coming in through the window. "We're muddy,

but most of it's dry. Who was that who ran out as we

came up?"

"A very strange man, a Mr. Nuttel," said Mrs.

Sappleton. "He only talked about being ill. Then he

ran off without saying good-bye. You'd think he had

seen a ghost."

"It was probably the dog," said Vera. "He told me

he was afraid of dogs and that once he was chased

into a graveyard in India by a pack of wild dogs. He

had to spend the night in a grave that had just been

dug, and the dogs barked and howled and snapped

right above him all night. I'm sure it was enough to

make anyone lose their nerve."

Making up exciting stories on short notice was

Vera's specialty.

'' I

Smart Ice Cream BY PAUL]ENNINGS

W ell, I came top of the class again. One

hundred out of one hundred for Maths.

And one hundred out of one hundred for

English. I'm just a natural brain, the best there is .

There isn't one kid in the class who can come near

me. Next to me they are all dumb.

Even when I was a baby I was smart. The day that

I was born my mother started tickling me. "Bub, bub,

bub," she said.

"Cut it out, Mum," I told her. "That tickles." She

nearly fell out of bed when I said that. I was very

advanced for my age.

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SMART ICE CREAM

Every year I win a lot of prizes: top of the class,

top of the school, stuff like that. I won a prize for

spelling when I was only three years old. I am a

terrific speller. If you can say it, I can spell it.

Nobody can trick me on spelling. I can spell every

word there is.

Some kids don't like me; I know that for a fact.

They say I'm a show-off. I don't care. They are just

jealous because they are not as clever as me. I'm

good-looking too. That's another reason why they

are jealous. Last week something bad happened. Another kid

got one hundred out of one hundred for Maths too.

That never happened before-no one has ever done

as well as me. I am always first on my own. A kid

called Jerome Dadian beat me. He must have

cheated. I was sure he cheated. It had something to

do with that ice cream. I was sure of it. I decided to

find out what was going on; I wasn't going to let

anyone pull a fast one on me.

It all started with the ice cream man. Mr. Peppi.

The old fool had a van which he parked outside the

school. He sold ice cream, all different types. He had

every flavor there is, and some that I had never

heard of before.

@

T SMART ICE CREAM

He didn't like me very much. He told me off once.

"Go to the back of the queue," he said. "You pushed in."

"Mind your own business, Pop," I told him. "Just

hand over the ice cream."

"No," he said. "I won't serve you unless you go to

the back."

I went round to the back of the van, but I didn't

get in the queue. I took out a nail and made a long

scratch on his rotten old van. He had just had it

painted. Peppi came and had a look. Tears came into

his eyes. "You are a bad boy," he said. "One day you

will get into trouble. You think you are smart. One

day you will be too smart."

I just laughed and walked off. I knew he wouldn't

do anything. He was too soft-hearted. He was always

giving free ice creams to kids that had no money. He

felt sorry for poor people. The silly fool.

There were a lot of stories going round about that

ice cream. People said that it was good for you. Some

kids said it made you better when you were sick. One

of the teachers called it "Happy Ice Cream." I didn't

believe it, it never made me happy.

All the same, there was something strange about

it. Take Pimples Peterson for example. That wasn't

his real name-I just called him that because he had

@

SMART ICE CREAM

a lot of pimples. Anyway, Peppi heard me call

Peterson "Pimples." "You are a real mean boy," he

said. "You are always picking on someone else, just

because they are not like you."

"Get lost, Peppi," I said. "Go and flog your ice

cream somewhere else."

Peppi didn't answer me. Instead he spoke to

Pimples. "Here, eat this," he told him. He handed

Peterson an ice cream. It was the biggest ice cream I

had ever seen. It was colored purple. Peterson wasn't

too sure about it. He didn't think he had enough

money for such a big ice cream.

"Go on," said Mr. Peppi. "Eat it. I am giving it to

you for nothing. It will get rid of your pimples."

I laughed and laughed. Ice cream doesn't get rid of

pimples, it gives you pimples. Anyway, the next day

when Peterson came to school he had no pimples.

Not one. I couldn't believe it. The ice cream had

cured his pimples.

There were some other strange things that

happened too. There was a kid at the school who had

a long nose. Boy, was it long. He looked like

Finocchio. When he blew it you could hear it a mile

way. I called him "Snozzle." He didn't like being

called Snozzle. He used to go red in the face when I

®

SMART IcE CREAM

said it, and that was every time that I saw him. He

didn't say anything back-he was scared that I would

punch him up.

Peppi felt sorry for Snozzle too. He gave him a

small green ice cream every morning, for nothing.

What a jerk. He never gave me a free ice cream.

You won't believe what happened but I swear it's

true. Snozzle's nose began to grow smaller. Every day

it grew a bit smaller. In the end it was just a normal

nose. When it was the right size Peppi stopped giving

him the green ice creams.

I made up my mind to put a stop to this ice cream

business. Jerome Dad ian had been eating ice cream

the day he got one hundred for Maths. It must have

been the ice cream making him smart. I wasn't going

to have anyone doing as well as me. I was the

smartest kid in the school, and that's the way I

wanted it to stay. I wanted to get a look inside that

ice cream van to find out what was going on.

I knew where Peppi kept his van at night-he left it

in a small lane behind his house. I waited until about

eleven o'clock at night. Then I crept out of the house

and down to Peppi's van. I took a crowbar, a bucket of

sand, a flashlight, and some bolt cutters with me.

There was no one around when I reached the van.

@

n.l SMART IcE CREAM

I sprang the door open with the crowbar and shone

my torch around inside. I had never seen so many

tubs of ice cream before. There was every flavor you

could think of: there was apple and banana, cherry

and mango, blackberry and watermelon, and about

fifty other flavors. Right at the end of the van were

four bins with locks on them. I went over and had a

look. It was just as I thought-these were his special

flavors. Each one had writing on the top. This is

what they said:

HAPPY ICE CREAM for cheering people up

NOSE ICE CREAM for long noses

PIMPLE ICE CREAM for removing pimples

SMART ICE CREAM for smart alecs

Now I knew his secret. That rat Dadian had been

eating Smart Ice Cream; that's how he got one

hundred for Maths. I knew there couldn't be anyone

SMART ICE CREAM

as clever as me. I decided to fix Peppi up once and

for all. I took out the bolt cutters and cut the locks

off the four bins; then I put sand into every bin in

the van. Except for the Smart Ice Cream. I didn't put

any sand in that.

I laughed to myself. Peppi wouldn't sell much ice

cream now. Not unless he started a new flavor-Sand

Ice Cream. I looked at the Smart Ice Cream. I

decided to eat some; it couldn't do any harm. Not

that I needed it-I was already about as smart as you

could get. Anyway, I gave it a try. I ate the lot. Once

I started I couldn't stop. It tasted good. It was

delicious.

I left the van and went home to bed, but I

couldn't sleep. To tell the truth, I didn't feel too

good. So I decide to write this. Then if any funny

business has been going on you people will know

what happened. I think I have made a mistake. I

don't think Dadian did get any Smart Ice Cream.

It iz the nekst day now. Somefing iz happening to

me. I don't feal quite az smart. I have bean trying to

do a reel hard sum. It iz wun and wun. Wot duz wun

and wun make? Iz it free or iz I for?

@

I I

Felicity's Terrible Day

A play in one act

BY TARA McCARTHY

Characters:

Felicity, a cat

Madge and Henry, Felicity's people

Thing, a stray dog

Mrs. Cradel, neighbor of Madge and Henry

Grisel, a fierce dog belonging to Mrs. Cradel

Bat, a bat

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I

I

FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY

NOTE: The actors portraying Felicity, Thing, Grisel,

and Bat can practice moving around like the

nonhumans they portray. All four animals talk just

like people, and indeed talk to people, as you'll see

from the play dialogue.

c ___ s_c_en_e_ 1 __ )

The setting is Madge and Henry's living room, a very comfortable~looking place . Madge and Henry are standing in the doorway, putting on their coats. Felicity is sitting on

the couch, licking her beautiful fur.

Madge:

Henry:

Felicity:

Felicity, we're going for a little walk in

the park.

Maybe you'd like to come with us. We

could put you on your nice long leash,

and you could say "Hi" to the other

little kitties and doggies in the play

area, and ...

(interrupting) No, thank you! I've told

you over and over: I don't like to

Madge:

Felicity:

Henry:


socialize with other "pets," as some

people call us. I'm quite happy staying

here alone.

Okay, little cutie! We'll be back in an

hour or so.

Don't forget to stop at PETSFURYOU

to pick up a toy mouse for me. I feel

like swatting something around.

Will do, sweetie pie!

(Madge and Henry exit.)

Felicity:

(Lights fade.)

(to the audience) Actually ... confidentially ... I don't

like being alone TOO long. But I

wouldn't tell Madge and Henry that.

We cats have to maintain our image as

independent beings, after all. So, I'll

just take a brief nap while my people

are wandering around outside. Then I

won't miss them so much. (Lies down

and closes her eyes) I hope they

remember the mouse.

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I

!I


( ___ sc_e_n_e_2 __ )

Later that same day. Felicity is pacing back and forth.

Felicity: Where are they, where ARE they,

WHERE ARE THEY?? They've been

gone for hours! Leaving me all alone!

Breaking their promise! I'll never

speak to them again!

Enter Madge, Henry, and Thing. Thing is jumping

around with delight.

Thing:

Felicity:

Madge:

Henry:

Oh, I love it, I love it. What a great

house! Oh, I wanna live here forever!

Hi, kitty. Hi! Hi! Hi! (Licks Felicity's

nose.)

(to Madge and Henry) Good grief!

Where have you been? And what is

this THING you've brought in?

THING? This is a dog, Felicity!

We found him on our way home,

Felicity. And come to think of it,

Madge, THING is actually a sort of

cute name for a dog.

@


@

FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY

,I Thing: They found me, me, me! Kiss! Kiss! Felicity: The feeling is definitely NOT mutual,

(Licks noses of Madge and Henry. Until buddy!

the end of the scene, he continues to jump Madge: Now Felicity darling, you'll soon love around trying to kiss Felicity as well as

Thing just as much as Henry and I Madge and Henry.) [ already do. (off stage, sound of phone

Madge: Yes, this adorable dog was tied to a ringing) Henry, would you get the lamppost outside PETSFURYOU! phone, please? (Henry exits.) Abandoned there for two days, the Thing: BONE? Getting a BONE? Yum! Yum! manager said! Can you imagine?

Yum! Oh, thank you! I love bones! Felicity: Yes, I CAN imagine! You should have Felicity: Not a BONE, stupid! A PHONE. (to

left him there! (to Thing) Yuck! Get Madge) Madge, how could you and

AWAY from me! (to Henry) Did you Henry possibly even consider bringing

get my toy mouse? a dummy like this into our home,

Henry: Oops! I completely forgot it, Felicity. which I've worked so hard to organize?

We were so absorbed in rescuing this Henry: (reentering) Madge, our neighbor, Mrs. doggie! I'm sure you understand.

Cradel, is on the phone! She's very Felicity: (pouting) Oh, I understand all right! upset because a bat is flying around in

Never mind me, ol' faithful, tried-and- her apartment. She asked if we could

true me. Just cast me aside for a come over right away and help her get

1:

THING like that! (She swings her paw rid of it.

and scratches Thing's nose.) Madge: Well, I guess so, though I'm a little shy

Thing: Ow! Ow! Ow! But I know you didn't of bats myself.

mean to hit me, because I love, love, Thing: MATS? MATS? I love mats. They're love you!

@ @

r I

Felicity:

Henry:

Thing:

Felicity:


so soft and comfy! I wish I had one

right now!

A BAT, not a MAT, you impossible

ignoramus! A BAT is a mammal that

flies through the air. Some humans are

afraid of them, but personally I don't

find them nearly as objectionable as I

do DOGS!

I'm sure we'll be back in a little while,

my adorable cuties! You two try to

have fun while we're gone. (Henry and

Madge exit.)

(to Felicity) Let's play something! I

know! Let's play "Chase Each Other in

a Circle Until We're Exhausted." I

love that game!

Now get this and get it straight! I am

never going to play with you, and I am

never going to like you. So leave me

alone!

(Thing lies down and sighs sadly.)

(Lights fade.)

@


c ___ s_c_en_e_ 1 ___ )

Later that day. Madge, Henry, Mrs. Cradel, and Grisel

enter. Grisel is on a leash.

Note: Throughout this scene, Grisel does a lot of

jumping and snarling at Felicity and Thing, acting

like a really mean dog. Each time, Mrs. Cradel is just

barely able to hold him back by his leash.

Henry:

Madge:

Felicity:

Grisel:

Thing:

Hi, there, little sweeties.

We couldn't capture the bat, so we

brought Mrs. Cradel and Grisel over

here to escape it, while we call the

superintendent. Surely he can get rid

of that little flying critter!

(running to corner of room) Oh, no! Not

Grisel! He has the worst reputation of

any dog in town. Rumor is that his goal

in life is to gobble up every cat alive!

(jumping and growling at Thing) And

every dog, too, for that matter!

Eek! Help! (Thing joins Felicity in the

corner.)

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~~ ~

II

Grisel:

Madge:


Ha, ha, ha, you silly little creeps!

Good idea to run away, 'cause I'm the

meanest, fiercest dog that ever was!

Goodness, Mrs. Cradel! Grisel is

scaring Felicity and Thing to death!

Can't you convince him to quiet down

a bit?

Mrs. Cradel: Oh, I don't think Grisel will actually

hurt them. He just wants to play with

your cat and get acquainted with your

new dog.

Felicity: Play? PLAY? More like SLAY!

Henry: (to Felicity and Thing) Did you hear

that, little honeys? Grisel won't

actually hurt you.

Felicity and Thing: (in unison) We don't believe it!

Madge: I'm going to call the superintendent

right now and get this business over

with! (leaves the room)

(While Madge is briefly gone, there's much growling and

shrieking as Grisel continues to lunge at Felicity and Thing.

@


Mrs. Cradel just barely manages to hold him back. Felicity and Thing begin to act protectively toward one another.)

Thing: (to Grisel) Don't you hurt her! She's

my very best friend!

, I

Felicity:

Henry:

Madge:


(to Grisel) Don't you hurt Thing. I sort

of like him! At least, I like him better

than I like YOU!

(to Madge, as she reenters) Is the

superintendent on his way?

I couldn't reach him! The phone rang

and rang, but there was no answer.

Mrs. Cradel: Well, I guess Grisel and I will just have

to stay here for a while.

Felicity:

Thing:

Stay? STAY? SLAY is what this awful

beast will do, if he stays here!

Awful, awful, awful! He's awful!

Puh~leese take him home!

Mrs. Cradel: I am not going home to a BAT! And

as you see, I have my darling doggie

completely under control. As long as I

hold on to his leash, everything will be

just fine. (then, as Grisel breaks away)

Whoops!


®

'I


(Felicity and Thing yell and scream as Grisel chases them around the room. The humans, too, yell at Grisel to

stop, but of course he doesn't.)

Bat: (entering, moving slowly, wings flapping, stopping now and then to look around) Wow! Nice house!

(At the sight of the bat, everyone stops chasing and screaming for a moment. Grisel runs to a comer and begins

to quiver with fear.)

Mrs. Cradel: (terrified) Eek! The bat, the bat!

Bat:

Madge:

Bat:

Henry:

What IS the matter, lady?

(upset, to Bat) How did you get in

here?

Simple. Two open windows. One out

of her house (points to Mrs. Cradel),

and one into yours.

Well, we'd like you to leave right now!

®

Felicity:

Thing:

Grisel:

Bat:


No, no, let him stay! I wanna play

chase with him!

Me, too. I wanna play chase with him,

too!

(very scared) No, no, get him out! Bats

are scary!

(frowns at Grisel) Scary, are we? Why,

you big, mean, cowardly yuck of a dog! I

heard you through the window. I heard

you scaring Felicity and Thing. Now

you'll find out what it is to be scared!

(Bat dives at Grisel, who yelps and hollers as he runs

offstage, with Bat chasing him.)

Mrs. Cradel: (running offstage after Bat) Help, help!

Help me save Grisel from the bat.

Help! Help ...

(Madge, Henry,Thing, and Felicity laugh and laugh.)

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I

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c __ s_c_e_n_e_4 __ )

Late that night. The lights are dim. Only Felicity and Thing are in the room. They are lying on the couch together.

Thing:

Felicity:

. . . so tell me again what happened,

about Bat chasing Grisel.

I am not going to tell you this story

again. Well, okay, just one more time.

Bat chased Grisel, and Mrs. Cradel

chased Bat, right out our door, and

down the hall into her apartment.

Then Bat turned around and chased

Grisel and Mrs. Cradel out of the

apartment again, and into the

elevator. The elevator went to the

ground floor, they all ran out, and

when last seen they were skittering

and screaming down Main Street, Bat

in hot pursuit, Grisel with his ears laid

back and his tail between his legs.

Thing:

Felicity

Thing:

Felicity:

Thing:

Felicity:


(laughing) Tell it again, please, please,

please!

NO! You are the biggest pest I ever

met. No, wait a minute, I take that

back. Grisel is the biggest pest I ever

met. You're only the second biggest .

So, does that mean you like me a little

bit?

Yeah, I guess so. As they say, the

enemy of my enemy is my friend.

What does that mean?

Never mind. Just snuggle up and go to

sleep.

(Thing and Felicity snuggle up. The lights dim.)

THE END

1

The Peddler of Swaffham

A British folk tale

I n the town of Swaffham, there once lived a poor

man who worked as a peddler to support his

family. Day after day, year after year, the peddler

stood on the streets of the town or at the fair,

begging for money or trying to sell tattered-looking

cast-offs he'd found. That sort of life brought in

hardly any money at all. So the peddler, his wife, and

his children were usually hungry and often sad. And

after such a day of trying fruitlessly to sell enough to

buy his family a meal, the peddler was so exhausted by

bedtime that he would fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

®

THE PEDDLER OF SWAFFHAM

But then suddenly this pattern of sleep was

broken: one night the peddler had a vivid dream in

which he was standing on a bridge in the city of

London (a strange thing, since he had never in his

real life been to London!). In the dream, he was

waiting and waiting on the bridge with high hopes,

because he knew he was soon going to hear joyful

news. But then the dream ended, and the peddler

woke up, not knowing what the "joyful news" was.

In the morning, the poor man told his wife and

children about the dream. What could the "joyful

news" possibly be? The meaning of it was beyond

them, too. So off the peddler went as usual, to the

town's main street and then to the Swaffham fair,

hoping to sell a bag of leaves and some pots of water.

No such luck, of course. The peddler did not make

one sale, and went home as penniless, sad, and tired

as usual. His children and wife had to eat the leaves

for supper.

That night, the peddler lay awake for a while,

wondering mournfully what would ever become of

him and his family. But when he fell asleep, he

cheered up, for the very same dream came to him

again. There he was on London Bridge, feeling

happy, waiting for joyful news-joyful news that,

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THE PEDDLER OF SwAFFHAM

once again, was never revealed.

Again and again, night after night, the peddler

had the same dream and talked about it in the

morning, until finally his family was tired of it.

"Listen," said his wife. "P~rhaps this dream of

yours may have some meaning to it. Why not find

out? Certainly your days here are of no value. I think

you should go to London, find the bridge, and see

what happens when you stand there."

At first the peddler thought it was a terrible idea,

for he had never traveled far from home and knew

nothing about London, except that it was very large.

But his wife continued to urge him, and finally he

gave in. Who knows? He might even find a job there

and be able to take money home to his family. Off he

went, waving good-bye to his children and trying to

look cheerful for their sakes.

It was a long journey, with many nights in dark

woods and much searching about for wild things to

eat. But once reaching London, the peddler had no

trouble finding the bridge, for all the world seemed to

be headed there. So there he stood for three days,

waiting for "joyful news." But all that came along were

people who looked at him strangely and moved on.

On the fourth day, a shopkeeper came out of his


store and walked over to him.

"I've been watching you for all these days,

standing here by yourself and looking expectant,"

said the shopkeeper. "Now, do tell me please what

you want here!" "Well," said the peddler, "it's like this: I've been

having the same dream over and over again. In it, I

receive joyful news as I stand here on this bridge,

though in the dream it's never revealed to me what the

joyful news actually is. I'm hoping that if I wait here

long enough, on the very bridge itself, I'll find out."

The shopkeeper began to laugh. "You silly fellow,

to stand on a bridge for days and days because of a

dream! Why, I had a dream the other night about

going all the way to Swaffham to an orchard on

which a poor peddler lived with his family. In the

dream, I dug a hole under an old oak tree and found a

vast treasure. Now do you think l-or any other

sensible person-would be such a fool as to make the

long trip to Swaffham on the basis of a dream? So, get

on away with you and find something useful to do."

"That I shall!" said the peddler. It will not come as

a surprise to learn that the peddler made the trip back

home much more quickly than he had made the one

to London!

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As his wife and children ran out to greet him,

they cried, "And did you bring us a bit of money, or

at least something to eat?"

"Better than that!" exclaimed the peddler. "One

of you get me a shovel, and meet me under the old

oak tree in the orchard."

His family thought he had quite lost his mind in

London to say such a thing, but one of his daughters

ran and got the shovel anyway. The peddler did not

have to dig very far at all before he came to a huge

iron box, which of course turned out to be filled with

a vast treasure: a prodigious amount of gold. The

peddler and his wife wept with joy. Now they and

their children would never again be hungry.

Then, just as the family was about to head back to

their falling-down house with the gold, the daughter

who had fetched the shovel saw a beautiful book in

the hole, just under the place where the iron box had

been. She opened it up. Then she called out,

"Mother! Father! Listen to this!"

Her parents stopped and turned toward her. This

is what the girl read to them:

"Under the iron box doth lie

Another much richer."

Back the family rushed, and dug some more, and

@

--THE PEDDLER OF SWAFFHAM

shortly found

another iron

box. This one

was filled with

even more

gold than the

first one. In

fact, the

second box

was so heavy

with gold that

it took several trips to carry the .. ~~~~~~~~~~~~;:: entire contents to the

falling-down house. "The shopkeeper didn't mention this second box

to me," said the peddler. "Perhaps I am not meant to

have it." So, in the end he divided all the contents of

the second box among the other poor families of

Swaffham. And as you might imagine, the peddler is

remembered most fondly to this very day by all those

who live in the village.

Alligator on the Escalator BY EVE MERRIAM

Through the revolving door Of a department store There slithered an alligator.

When he came to the escalator, He stepped upon the track with great dexterity; His tail draped over the railing, And he clicked his teeth in glee:

"Yo, I'm off on the escalator, Excited as I can be! It's a moving experience, As you can plainly see. On the moving stair I go anywhere, I rise to the top Past outerwear, innerwear, Dinnerwear, thinnerwear Then down to the basement with bargains galore, Then back on the track to the top once more! Oh, I may ride the escalator Until closing time or later, So tell the telephone operator To call Mrs. Albert Q Alligator And tell her to take a hot mud bath And not to wait up for me!"

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A Bird came down the Walk

BY EMILY DICKINSON

A Bird came down the WalkHe did not know I saw-He bit an angle-worm in halves And ate the fellow, raw,

And then he drank a Dew From a convenient Grass, And then hopped sidewise to the Wall To let a Beetle pass-

He glanced with rapid eyes That hurried all around,-They looked like frightened Beads, I thoughtHe stirred his Velvet Head

Like one in danger, Cautious, I offered him a Crumb, And he unrolled his feathers And rowed him softer home-

Than Oars divide the Ocean, Too silver for a seam-Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon, Leap, splashless as they swim.

@

The Old Field BY D. } . ENRIGHT

The old field is sad Now the children have gone home.

They have played with him all afternoon,

Kicking the ball to him, and him

Kicking it back.

But now it is growing cold and dark.

He thinks of their warm breath, and their

Feet like little hot-water bottles.

A bit rough, some of them, but still ...

And now, he thinks, there's not even a dog

To tickle me.

The gates are locked. The birds don't like this nasty sneaking wind,

And nor does he.

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The Mouse BY ELIZABETH

COATSWORTH

I hear a mouse

Bitterly complaining

In a crack of moonlight

Aslant on the floor-

'Little I ask

And that little is not granted. There are few crumbs

In this world any more.

'The breadbox is tin

And I cannot get in.

The jam's in a jar

My teeth cannot mar.

'The cheese sits by itself

On the pantry shelf.

All night I run

Searching and seeking.

All night I run

About on the floor.

'Moonlight is there

And a bare place for dancing,

But no little feast

Is spread any more.'

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J r" • • " • • • • • • " .. • .. • • • • "" • • • •

Iii • " • • • • • • il • • • • • • • • • •

"II .. • • • • • • • il • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • ''Every year I win a lot of

prizes: top of the class, top of the school, stuff like that. I

won a prize for spelling when

I was only three years old. I

am a terrific speller. If you can

say it, I can spell it. Nobody

can trick me on spelling. I can

spell every word there is. ' '

- Smart Ice Cream

by Paul Jennmgs

• •

ISBN: 0-439-65980-9

•

!1!-• • ~"~''. ~ -· ••••••••

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