the magic wand (1905) by tudor jenks

8/8/2019 The Magic Wand (1905) by Tudor Jenks

1/120

\^,J^\m. MAGIC

k9t

^^di

TUT)OR JENK5


2/120

v*A*

Belon|s

ux


3/120


4/120


5/120

The Magic Wand


6/120


7/120


8/120


9/120

ALTEMUS' MAGIC WAND SERIESTHEMAGIC WANDBYTUDOR JENKS

With Illustrations By JOHN R. NEILL

PHILADELPHIAHENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY


10/120

6 The Magic Wand SeriesPriceFifty CentsEach

BY TUDOR JENKSThe Magic WandRomero and JuliettaA Magician for One DayThe Prince and the DragonsTimothy's Magical AfternoonThe Rescue Syndicate

Copyright1905, byHenryAltemus


11/120

The Magic Wand

THE MAGIC WAND

THE SULTAN'S VERSES

THE BOY AND DRAGON

Contents


12/120

%


13/120

The Magic Wand

Illus-trations

W^^^^^^Ai


14/120

lo The Magic" Had fallen fast asleep "*' Hannah Maria lost her temper "

THE SULTAN'S VERSESFrontispiece" He arrived at his

capital "*'Becoming clothes

"*' Your will is the people's law "*' His turban fell off"*' The page on duty ""The old Vizier wore a broad grin"*' I prefer to remain Treasurer "*' The Minister of Justice "*' ' Have you been there all day? ' "" Appointed the page his Chief

Councillor "

THE BOY AND DRAGONFrontispiece" I noticed an adver-

tisement "*' ' I'm not a mister ' "" ' Lend me a quarter, will you ? ' "*' We walked along together "

Illus-trations


15/120

Wand** ' How is the ice-cream to-day ' "*' You help me the first week ' ""Two dozen swans were set afloat"*' They were drawing him in triumph "" ' I have brought you her photo-

graph ' "

II

i

Illus-trations


16/120


17/120

The Magic Wand


18/120


19/120

The Magic Wand 15The BellRang

HILE the Kingand the Magi-cian were talk-ing very ear-nestly togetherabout a big

giant who was reported to becoming from the sea-coast, thetelephone-bell rang." Excuse me for one mo-ment," remarked the King, get-ting up so quickly that he almostdropped his crown,

" but that ismy ring."He stepped to the telephone,and the Magician heard himsay:"Yes. The Palace. Yes.

I'm the Kingthe King. No ;not ring. Kingmonarch.Yes. The Magician? He ishere yet." Then the King

AMessai^e


20/120

i6 The MagicMagician seemed to be listening intently,Wanted and suddenly his face put on a

scared expression. *'My good-ness, gracious me!" he ex-claimed ; and, turning to theMagician, he said hurriedly," You are wanted at home, andat once. >>

thenything wrong?'Magician asked."Wrong? I should sayso," the King replied, jump-ing up and down in hisexcitement."Anybody sickor dead?""Sick? No-nordead. Not

yet. But don't wait! Hurry!Run, rideno, you're an en-chanterfly !"" For pity's sake, what is it?"demanded the Magician, trot-ling along the palace corridor,

Hurry!feV'


21/120

Wand 17with the King running along They Runbeside him."Why, it's your baby."" What can it be ?" exclaimed

the Magician, who was nowactually running." What can't it be ?" groanedthe King. "The baby has gotyour magic wand and they

BabyHas It


22/120

i8 The MagicAlas! for can't get it away from him, andthe Nurse there's no telling what he maydo with it. He has already

changed his old nurse into anelephant, and but hurry, man,hurry !"And the Magician ran as ifhe wore roller-skates. None

knew so well as he what mighthappen before he could reachhome. He ran so hard thathe lost his breath, and wasforced to halt on top of a hill,from which he could see thecastle in which he lived. Ashe sank panting beside theroad he saw one of the turretsof his castle go sailing up intothe air and burst like a rocket.Too breathless to speak, thepoor Magician rose to his feetand struggled on.

LivelyTimes


23/120

Wand 19Half-way down the hill hewas met by a fat but kindly

elephant, whose face seemedstrangely familiar. The wordsof the King came to the Ma-

He MeetsHer

gician's mind, and he at onceguessed this to be the nurse.As the nurse-elephant met hermaster she seized him with

She HelpsHim


24/120

20 The Magic WandBy her trunk, lifted him to a corn-Express fortable seat behind her ears,wheeled sharply around, and

ran toward the castle."Is it very bad, Hannah

Maria ?" the Magician asked, assoon as he could speak. Butthe poor elephant could onlygroan as she charged onward.When they reached the gateof the courtyard the Magiciancould see for himself that itwas very bad indeed. Nearthe middle of the great openspace stood the Magician's son.He looked much as usual, ex-cept that instead of being theright size for a boy of four andone-half yearsabout as highas a tablehe was now abouttwenty feet high. The Ma-gician learned afterward that

A GiantBoy


25/120


26/120


27/120

The Magic Wand 23his son had wished to be"mor'n three times as big aspapa!" and, having the magicwand in his hand, the wish hadbeen granted.

"Reginald!" exclaimed theMagician, "what does thismean?"" Oh," replied the giant-boy,

Bigger'nPapa

SuchFun


28/120

24 The MagicLook Out! "lam having such fun! Didyou see what a splendid ele-

phant Hannah Maria made ?What would you like to be,papa?"" Reginald, you are a naughtyboy!" the poor Magician ex-claimed. *' Give me the wand."" Reginald wants it," said thebaby, frowning. "Reginaldlikes the wand. It does suchfunny things ! See the cows !Reginald can make them fly.Fly, cows, fly !"At once the cows in the

meadow all sprouted out greatwings, and, flapping them witha noise like a thousand pigeons,they flew up into the air andaway they went."Reginald," said the Ma-

gician, " you are doing very

A Reproof


29/120

Wand 25wrong. What will mamma say Mammawhen she comes home ?" Defied" Little mamma won't say

anything at all to a great bigboy like me !" replied Reginald,laughing. "You don't know

PapaDerided


30/120

26 The MagicCrafty what a little papa you are !Idea Why, you look like a little,

teeny-weeny silly mousie!"Then the Magician had anidea."Can you make yourselfsmall too?" he asked." Course I can," the babyanswered. " I can do what-ever I like."" Let papa see you makeyourself small like a mousie,"said the Magician."All right." Reginald said

the words, " I wish I wassmall, like a mousie," and atonce his wish came true.The Magician lost sight of

the baby now, for they hadbeen standing far apart ; but hewent forward, hoping to reachthe child in time to take the

WhereIs He?


31/120

Wand 27wand from him ; but just as hecame near enough to find thelittle boy, the small creaturedisappeared entirely.The Magician stopped in dis-may."Where are you, my son?"he called in a sweet tone."Here I am, papa!" came

the reply from over his head,and, looking up, he saw his sonflying about in the form of afairy.

"I thought I'd be a

fairy. Don't you like me to bea fairy ?"The Magician didn't knowwhat to do. So long as thebaby was good-humored therewas little danger of his doingany harm, but if the little fellowshould lose his temper therewas no knowing what he might

FoundAgain

CautionNecessary


32/120

28 The Magic WandPapa's do. The best thing the fatherPlan could think of was to keep the

child amused and busy, in thehope that he might be led togive up the wand or might for-get it." Reginald," he said,

" papacan't fly. I wish you wouldcome down here where we canplay together."" No," said Reginald, shak-ing his head as he flew gentlyabout. " Reginald doesn't liketo come down. But I'll tell you,papa, what will be just splendidfun. You shall fly, tooonlynot so fast as I can."The Magician tried in vain to

say no, but in an instant he wasfluttering in the air with hisson, also turned into a fairy-like creature.

It Doesn'tWork


33/120


34/120


35/120

The Magic Wand 31"Isn't this good fun?" ex- A Flyingclaimed Reginald. "Come, Trip

papa, let's take a fly over thetrees."Not daring to let the child

out of his sight or to anger himby a refusal, the Magician wasforced to go with him. Awayboth went through the air untilthey had left the castle far be-hind them and were out in theopen country." Reginald," said the Ma-gician at last, " papa is tired.Don't you want to go homenow? And papa will tell youa nice story about choo-choocars, and then you can go tosleep all nicey."But Reginald was nottempted.

No, papa; Reginald isn't

Toys atWill

n


36/120

32 The MagicEngines sleepy. And 'sides, Reginaldto Order can have real choo-choos right

here I See!"The child waved the wand,and behold, there were three

railroads in the fields belowthem, along which locomotiveswent with a great pufFing ofsteam and clanging of bells." Nice ?" said Reginald, smil-ing very joyously. " Reginaldlikes papa's magic stick ! Nowsee choos all go smash !"Before the Magician couldsay a word all the locomotiveswent crashing into one another,and their boilers blew up witha tremendous explosion.

Reginald was so startled thathe dropped the wand. TheMagician made a dive for it,but, not being able to fly so fast

No, YouDon't


37/120

Wand 33as Reginald, he did not succeed Whatin securing the prize. Next?

Reginald laughed when the

wand was once more in hishand." I'm tired of playing fairies,"said he. " I wish we were"

AnOstrich


38/120

34

LeVs GoHome

The Magic"Reginald!" shouted hisfather in an agony of fear. "Do

be careful, my son !""I am, papa," he said. "Whatdo you like to be ! ShallReginald make papa a realpretty ostrich?""Goodness, no! Pleasedon't!" exclaimed the Ma-gician. "And, Reginald, wemust go home. Papa is so tiredof flying. Let us go home.""AH right," said Reginald." I wish we were home rightnow !"And they were ; so quickly

that the Magician's breath lefthim again. They found them-selves in Reginald's nursery,where his Noah's-ark animalswere scattered over the floor.As soon as Reginald saw the

AMenagerie


39/120

Wand 35wooden animals he had a new Dangeridea. Ahead!"Oh, papa! Wouldn't it be

nice if they were all alive?""But, Reginald," cried the

poor Magician, "what could wedo with them all? Just think,there are lions and tigers andand alligators""Well, I won't," said Regi-

nald, with a sigh. " But I wantto play something nice !"

" But we can't play anythingwhile we are so little," said thefather. "Won't you wish weare ourselves once more ? Idon't like to be a fairy.""All right," Reginald an-

swered. " I wish we were justourselves!"

It was much pleasanter to bethemselves, and the Magician

Sly Papa!


40/120

36 The MagicA Drum began to think he might recoverhis wand now that Reginaldwas once more a little boy and

that he was a full-sized man."Reginald," said he, "while

you have papa's magic stickwhy don't you wish for some-thing amusing to play with?Wouldn't you like a drum?"" Drum makes a big noise,"answered the baby. " Doespapa want to be a drummer?"

" No, no !" said the Magicianhastily. " Papa doesn't care fordrums ; papa would rather seeReginald drum. You wish fora drum, and then while youplay, papa will hold the magicstick."" No !" said Reginald, frown-ing. " Reginald wants the stick ;papa can't have it."

APerverseBoy


41/120

Wand 37" Very well," answered thepuzzled Magician. " But please

be very careful.""Reginald will be careful,"

ACaution

said the child, nodding hishead. "Where's HannahMaria?""You changed her into an

Where'sHannah ?


42/120

33 The MagicHannah elephant," said his father, "andArrives she can't cook your supper.""I can change her back

again," said Reginald, "and Iwill. I wish she was changedback, and was here !"Hannah Maria appeared inthe room, about as angry as

she could be. Without a word,she came rushing in at the door,descended upon the small boy,seized the wand and threw itto the other side of the room.In an instant the Magician hadit in his hands and once morefelt safe.

It took all the rest of theafternoon to restore things totheir usual condition, andmeanwhile Reginald, tired outby his busy day, had fallen fastasleep. He was too little to be

Settingto Rights


43/120

Wand 39punished for the mischief hehad done, and so no more wassaid about it. But the magicwand was thereafter kept out ofhis reach. Reginald oftenbegged for "papa's magicstick," but it was thought bestnot to let him have it.

Altogether it was a fortunatething that Hannah Maria losther temper just when she did.

NeverAgain

All EndsWell


44/120


45/120

The Sultan's Verses


46/120


47/120

The Sultan's Verses 43One Sul- ^^f^"g^>]N a land so fartan Dies ^^ ^M ^o ^^e east that^ it is very warmwhen the sun

rises and quitechilly at sun-set, a great

Sultan died. His successorhappened to be a nephew v/holived at some distance so faraway, even from that distantland, that he v/asn't at all inti-mate with the late Sultan. Infact, they had met only half adozen times, at Thanksgivingdinners or similar occasions;and consequently the new Sul-tan shed no tears to quenchhis joy upon coming to thethrone.He decided to rule wiselyand justly, and therefore was

AnotherSucceeds


48/120

44 The Sultan's VersesFirst eager to choose the most trust-Steps worthy advisers.When he arrived at his capi-

tal he was conducted at onceto the palace, and spent thefirst day or two in resting fromhis journey, and malting theacquaintance of his courtiers,and buying becoming clothes.Among these courtiers wasthe Vizier of the late Sultan, avery gentlemanly old fellow,whose turban and beard werenevermore impressive than onfirst meeting."When the Sultan arose late

on the third day, he had de-cided to begin his reign. Sohe sent for the old Vizier, tohave a private conversationwith him in the throne-room.Both sat down cross-legged,

ThePowwow


49/120


50/120


51/120

The Sultan's Verses 47in an attitude that would give How itAmerican citizens the cramps, Beganand the Sultan opened the littlepowwow thus :

_Q


52/120

48 The Sultan'sHis Own Rifraf, with the ease and indif-Way ference of an old courtier." And it strikes me us," the

Sultan went on, "that it is anexcellent opportunity for me tohave our own way about sev-eral little matters that have longbeen in my mind.""Your will is the people'slaw," was Rifraf 's safe answer,as he bowed like a china image."So I understand," the Sul-tan assented.

"Of course weshall for a while carry on busi-ness upon the usual lines, so

far as public affairs are con-cerned. But it is not to publicbusiness that we are referringjust now.""Why, indeed?" remarkedRifraf, a little vaguely, as theSultan paused, for he was

RifrafWanders


53/120

Verses 49

thinking of something else. A FeelerBut so was the young Suhan."So I say," the Sultan re-plied. " Now, so far as myown private affairs are con-cerned, I mean to have myown way about them.""Yes?"" Yes. For instance, I havelong desired to be a poet," saidthe Sultan, looking aimlessly atthe ceiling.The Vizier started soabruptly that his turban felloff, and then he, too, looked atthe ceiling, until the Suhanshould choose to go on.

It was a very embarrassingsituation. In all the Vizier'sexperience nothing just likethis had ever presented itself.The old Sultan had been a

PoetryThreatened


54/120

50 The Sultan'sA Long very sensible man, accordingPause to the Vizier's opinion, and had

considered poetrywell, hehadn't considered it at all.There was a silence that lasteduntil the bulbul in the blueroom had finished a long ditty.Then the Vizier saw it v/ashis move, so to speak, and hetook refuge in a proverbthefirst that occurred to him :'"Cheerfulness is perfectlyconsistent with piety,' " he said,shaking his head thoughtfully." So we think," said the Sul-tan, " and we shall thereforeallow you to conduct the realmabout as usual for a short time,while we devote ourselves topoetry."" Ugh ! " exclaimed the Viz-ier, for he couldn't help it.

An Inter-jection


55/120

Verses 51

"Excuse me?" said theSultan, inquiringly."'Every condition sits well

SafePlay

upon a wise man,' " remarkedRifraf, who was fond ofproverbs, especially when hedidn't care to commit himself.

SultanPuzzled


56/120

52 The Sultan's

An Offer "But, though that is all plainMade sailing," the Sultan went onagain, after trying a moment invain to see what the proverbhad to do with the subject,"there, is yet some difficulty.That is, to find a competentcritic who will show me myfaults and point out any littleerrors that may creep into myhasty lines. Now, if you your-self, Ben Rifraf, should preferto undertake this responsiblepost, you can do so."" My sovereign master," saidRifraf hastily, " I am an oldman. Let me care for therealm, for that trade I havelong studied. I would preferthat another should becomeyour Critic and Poetical Ad-viser a younger man."

AndDeclined


57/120

Verses 53"So be it," answered theyoung Sultan ; " but let me at

least read to you one set ofverses which I happen to findin my caftan. I would like yourjudgment upon these lines be-fore you betake yourself to yourproper duties. Shall it be so?"The Vizier saw by the lookin the Sultan's eye that the re-quest was a command, and hereplied in Oriental phrase thathe was most honored by theSultan's condescension.So the young Sultan drew

out a roll of manuscript, andread as follows :

WhoCouldRefuse ?

*'Youth is the season for hope ;Hope befitteth the young.Youth has the vigor to copeWith the woes that the singers

have sung.

The Poem


58/120

54 The Sultan's

A Critic " Youth has the sparkle of mirth ;Wanted Laughter delighteth the soul ;Spring is the youth of the earth.Merrily let carols roll ! "

The Sultan rolled up hismanuscript, and looked expect-antly at Ben Rifraf."What do you think ofthat?" asked the Sultan. "Giveme your candid opinionasone private gentleman might toanother."Now, the Vizier thought the

lines were very poor indeed ;but he had often heard thatpoets were sensitive, and he,therefore, believed he wasdoing a very wise thing whenhe replied :" Oh, your Highness, whatthought! what music! Howexquisite your rhymes ! Souland rollwhy, it's a perfect

A Whopper


59/120

Verses 55

rhyme! I think you havechosen wisely indeed, if I maybe permitted to praise withoutthe suspicion of flattery."

" Then you really like thelittle lines?" asked the Sultan,with a smile a peculiar smile."Like them? Why, they

TheSultanSmiles

A TruePoet


60/120

56 The SultarCs VersesRifraf should be embroidered withGoes Out gold thread on silken scarfs !Your Highness is right. You

are a Poet. Let me attend tothe petty business of govern-ing, and you can give yourselfentirely to the sublime art ofcomposition."" So be it," said the Sultan." Until I notify you to the con-trary, I will leave the reins inyour hands. Now, as you willhave plenty to attend to, willyou kindly summon the ChiefTreasurer as you go out?Thank you. Good morning! "The Vizier salaamed, andvanished through the curtaineddoorway ; and the page on dutyoutside noticed that the oldVizier wore a broad grin as hewalked down the arched cor-ridor.

Enter theTreasurer


61/120

m::^^:^^^=s:^


62/120

T


63/120

The Sultan's Verses 59

In a few minutes the Sultanheard the jingling of the goldencurtain-rings, and beheld theface of the Chief Treasurer, asedate and dignified man ofmiddle age." Enter Adhem el Shekels,"said the Sultan kindly, " andbe seated. I would confer withyou.""My lord, the treasury iswell supplied, and the accountsstraight "" No doubt," interrupted theSultan; "but I have more im-portant matters ""More important " theTreasurer began, so amazedthat he forgot his manners.

"Verily," said the Sultan,overlooking the little breachof etiquette. "As the Vizier

A GoodOfficial

MorePoetry


64/120

6o The Sultan'sCaution has no doubt informed you, Iof Shekels intend to devote my own time,

for the present, to poetry. Hetold you so, did he not?"" Something of the sort, yourHighness," replied El Shekelsuneasily, hoping that the Sul-tan wouldn't ask him to repeatthe Vizier's joking remarks. Infact, the Vizier had hinted thatthe young Sultan thought him-self a genius."I suspected as much," saidthe Sultan. "And you were

surprised, perhaps?""Your Highness is theruler," responded the Trea-surer politely ; " but I was sur-prised, I admit. And, to tellthe truth, if you will pardon mefor saying so, I must say that,as a rule, there isn't much

No Moneyin Poetry


65/120

Verses 6i

money to be made in poetry.I speak simply as a treasurer,your Highness, not as a critic."" But I wish your opinion asa critic," the Sultan answered."The question of providingfunds I shall leave to you, forthe present, unless I should ap-point you to the new office Imean to createthat of ChiefCritic and Poetical Adviser."The face of El Shekels had

brightened when the new officewas mentioned, but the bright-ness faded as the sentenceended." Your Highness is most gra-cious ; but, if it be your will, Iprefer to remain Treasurer."" As you please," the Sul-tan replied. " But meanwhile Ihappen to have in my caftan a

A NewOffice

The PoemAgain


66/120

The Sultan's

Bored copy of verses that I have justcompleted. If you can sparethe time, we shall be glad tohave your opinion of them.""Most certainly, gracioussovereign," was the answer ofEl Shekels, while his face as-sumed a weary expression, andhe began to do sums in mentalarithmetic.

So, drawing forth the pre-cious manuscript, the Sultanbegan," Youth is the season for hope,"

and on he went, reading in afine declamatory voice, as iftrying to bring out the bestpoints in the verses.When he concluded helooked at the Chief Treasurer.Your Highness, the lines

A SlyReply

((


67/120

Verses 63

are above praise," said theTreasurer. " I hardly knowwhich part to praise most."(And that was true, for he

AnotherWhopper

hadn't paid very close atten-tion.) "But I am sure yourwisdom has led you aright.Your talents are far beyond

No,Thank You


68/120

64 The Sultan's

Next! my poor criticism. Let anotherbe your Chief Critic; I amcontent to remain Treasurer."" It shall be as you say," theSultan agreed ; " at least, forthe present. And, as you goout, will you be kind enough tosend us theah, what officercomes next to you in rank?""The Minister of Justice,"answered the Treasurer ; " yes,I will see that he comes atonce.""Well," remarked the page

at the door, "the new Sultancertainly makes the officershappy ! How they do grinwhen they come back ! "

Later in the afternoon thepage had reason to repeat thisremark with added emphasis;for meanwhile he had admitted

Why DoThey Smile?


69/120

Verses 65

the greatest officers of the A Grandrealm, and all, as they came Officialfrom their interview with the

young sovereign, were adornedby the same self-satisfied grim-ace.

Stronger and stronger be-

TheSecret


70/120

66 The Sultan'sHow to came the page's curiosity toPlease know what it was that made all

the courtiers so well satisfiedwith themselves. For after thefirst two or three had explainedto the rest that "the young Sul-tan thinks he's a genius in thepoetry line, and all you've gotto do is to praise his versesand you're sure to keep yourplace," it was as easy as roll-ing off a log to go in, hear theverses and express your rap-tures, and come out in clover.But no one told the pageabout all this, and his curiosityabout the interviews becamevery keen. He thought theremust be something worth see-ing in the throne-room, for, notlong after each great officialentered, he could hear a mur-

ShrewdCritics


71/120

Verses 67

mur of voices, and then such The Lastexpressions as "Exquisite! PageBeau-ti-ful ! " or, "Perfectcouldn't be better!" "Well,well, I never did ! " " Neverwas anything like it ! "

Strangely enough, the page'scuriosity was gratified mostunexpectedly.

It was getting late, and theSultan had seen all the promi-nent officials of the palace. Atlength he came to the doorway,and found the page sitting inattendance on rather a thin andhard cushion."Why, my boy," said the

Sultan kindly, " you must beworn out. Have you beenthere all day?"" All day, your Majesty," thepage replied respectfully;

A KindlySovereign


72/120

68 The Sultan's Verses

A Page " and since your Majesty asksSurprised me I am a little tired."" Come in," said the Sultan,holding aside the curtain. "Youshall rest awhile."" What ! with your Majesty,in the throne-room?" the boyexclaimed in amazement.

"Certainly. No one needknow," answered the Sultankindly. "Are you afraid ofme?"" No, your Majesty," saidthe page, for the Sultan smiledvery cordially ; and the pageentered the throne-room." Be seated," said the Sultan ;" I command it! " he added, asthe boy hesitated. So the pagesat down upon a soft silkcushion." I have been writing some

The PoemAgain


73/120


74/120


75/120

The Sultan's Verses)>verses,' said the Sultan, as hebade the boy help himself to

the delicious fruits and ices," and while you refresh your-self I should like to read themto you."" Your Majesty is very kind,"said the page. " But supposesome one should come?"" No one will come," saidthe Sultan decidedly, and heclapped his hands, summoneda slave, and bade him standsentinel to keep out all intrud-ers.

So, while the boy enjoyedthe fruits and ices, the Sultan,for the twentieth time at least,read aloud his precious Hneson youth."When he had finished, heturned to the page, saying:

In Clover

ARequest


76/120

72 The Sultan'sPrayExcuseMe!

ADesperateResolution

"Now I should like your opin-ion of the poem.""But, your Highness, I am

too young to criticize yourverses," replied the page un-easily."All nonsense," answeredthe Sultan, but pleasantly

enough. " I see you have anopinion. I desire you to ex-press it freely. Nay, morethan that, I command you todo so.""I must obey, then," saidthe page, looking very serious." But if I should incur yourMajesty's displeasure, may Ibeg that you will visit yourwrath upon me alone? I havea mother and sister who aredependent upon me"

They shall be cared for,"(4


77/120

Verses 73

said the Sultan in a solemntone, " if the need arises. Butyou make me suspect that mylines do not meet with yourapproval.""On your own head be it,Commander of the Faithful! "exclaimed the unhappy page."By the Prophet, as I prom-ised my mother that I wouldtell truth, the lines are theveriest bosh and nonsense!They mean nothing. They donot even sound sensible. Theyare as unmusical as the bray-ing of a lost donkey! There!I have said the truth. A mandies but once ! Remember,then, your words.""Allah be praised!" criedthe Sultan, " I have found apearl ! And all the men of my

The Truthat Last

An HonestMan


78/120

74 The Sultan'sReward ofHonesty court declared the lines perfect,beyond praise ! Now have I

found the honest man I sought."" But, your Majesty," stam-mered the astonished page, " Iam no more than a boy ! ""Enough !

"said the Sultan." The years will find you wis-dom as well as age ; but hon-

esty comes not even with longages if the seed be not alreadyplanted. Say not a word."The Sultan clapped hishands, directed all the court-

iers to be summoned, and intheir presence appointed thepage Chief Councillor andGrand High Vizier of theRealm for life, at the sametime investing him with theorder of the Golden Sunburstof the East, and a whole row

A FullCourt


79/120

Verses 75

of smaller decorations of dif-ferent colors.When this ceremony wasover, Silleh ben Rifraf pros-

trated himself before thethrone."Speak, Ben Rifraf," saidthe Sultan.

Would your Majesty deign

Deco-rated

((

ExplanationDesired


80/120


81/120

Verses 77(( And courage to tell this Truetruth was found only in my Courage

page, whom I have made ChiefCouncillor. Enough! Theaudience is at an end ! "Then, just before the band

struck up an inspiring march,the voice of Ben Rifraf washeard reciting a well-knownproverb, which in its originalArabic looks like a processionof earthworms, but whichmeans in plain English, " After-wit is everybody's wit."

tA ProverbAgain


82/120


83/120

The Boy and Dragon


84/120


85/120

The Boy and Dragon 8iAn I^^S^^SSSI ^ ^^^ by theAccident ^^^ ^^^ merest acci-

dent that I hap-pened to readthat copy of theDaily Elec-triser. A smallboy was flying a kite, and it

caught in the telephone-wirethat ran by my window. Intrying to disentangle it, Inoticed an advertisement head-ed: "Wanted, a young man ofnoble lineage to release a dis-tressed Princess who is nowheld captive by a medium-sized, but ferocious, dragon.""Johnny," I called to the

small boy." My name isn't Johnny," hereplied ; " and I don't want tobe called Johnny, mister."

NotJohnny


86/120

82 The BoyAuburn His hair was red and heHair seemed to have a quick temper."I'm not a mister," I an-

swered in kindly but dignifiedtones; "and I don't Hke thetitle. What is your name, myrosy-scalped friend?"He looked around for a stoneto throw, but the street waspaved with Belgian blocks, eachweighing about ten pounds, andhe made up his mind to becivil." My nam.e's Roderick Adol-phus Peterson Stubbs, Jr.," heanswered, putting on his capand pulling it down hard." Now, what's yours?"" I am the disinherited Dukeof Marabout, Count of Mackin-tosh," I said."Whe-e-ew!" he whistled.

ANobleman


87/120

and Dragon 83"Your name is as bad asmine!""Your name is not bad," I

said soothingly.

(( Oh, isn't it?" he returned,with an up-and-down-stairs in-flection. "The boys call meRoddy, Reddy, and Raps. Whatdo they call you?"

Compli-ments

Nick-names


88/120


89/120


90/120

86 The BoySub- town last weekdid you see it?traction and I am a quarter short ! "" You're very welcome," I

answered. So I threw him aquarter, cut out the advertise-ment, and shut my window.

I found on reading the notice,that the Princess had beencarried away some threemonths before, and that shewas held in captivity in a cavernupon a lofty mountain-peak.I made up my mind that it wasa worthy case of genuine dis-tress well suited to a modernknight-errant's enterprise.

I consulted a time-table, andfound that a train left for hernative land at 7:45. I had justabout time to pack my valisebefore the train started. Uponmy way to the station, I met

QuickTime


91/120


92/120


93/120

and Dragon 89"How do you doit?" Rod-erick asked with curiosity." Come with me and you

Curiosity

shall see," I suggested, smil-ing." It's all right for you," saidRoderick after a moment's re-flection, " for you will get the

Caution


94/120

go The BoyRewards Princess and the reward. But

what good will that do me?"" Very true," I replied. "Youwill deserve some reward also.How would you like a gold-plated bicycle? "

"With a bell and a lantern?"he asked eagerly." Certainly," I answered ;"with all the modern improve-ments."

"I'll do it! "he said.We walked along together,and when I came to a telegraph-

office, I sent a dispatch to Mr.and Mrs. Stubbs informingthem that Roderick had agreedto spend two weeks with me ona dragon-hunt. Roderickseemed relieved when the mes-sage had gone.We caught the train, and,

In Time


95/120

and Dragon 91after a pleasant journey, arrived At thein the land of the captive Prin- Palacecess. We went boldly up thefront steps of the palace, andrang the bell. To the attendantwho answered the summons, Iexplained my errand. Heasked me to come in and sitdown in the reception-room.After a few moments, the Kingcame in." I'm sorry to keep you wait-ing," he said pleasantly, "butI am just back from the funeralof the last dragon-fighter. Hewas the twelfth, so you are thethirteenth."" Don't mention it," I saidpolitely. " We waited only amoment. Your Majesty, let meintroduce my assistant, Mr.Stubbs Rodolphus AderickPeterson Stubbs ! "

AMix-up


96/120

92 The BoyShocking! "Well, you have made a mixof it! " said Roderick with in-

dignation." Never mind," said his Ma-jesty. " I am happy to meetyou, Mr. Stubbs. I hope youwill succeed in your work."" Thank you, sir," said Rod-erick."Won't you have some re-

freshment ? " was his Majesty'snext remark." How is the ice-cream to-day ? " Roderick asked, with anease that surprised me."The vanilla is good," an-swered the King, " but thechocolate is a little flat.""The vanilla will do verywell," said Roderick gra-

ciously.So the King rang the bell,

Refresh-ments


97/120


98/120

94 The BoyAll slew him I was to marry theSettled Princess. Roderick was, in case

of success, to have his bicycle;in case of failure, to learn byheart all the pieces of verse inthe Fourth Reader."There," said the King,"I'm glad it's settled. The

Princess Amelia Ann is greatlymissed at home, and the dragonis a public nuisance. He feedson rocks ; flies over the city atnight, rattling his scales, andwakes all the children ; turnsall the milk sour with his roar-ings ; eats the pet swans in thepublic parks; and altogethermakes himself as unpleasant ashe can.""Why hasn't he beenkilled?" I asked." The dozen who tried it have

ANuisance


99/120

and Dragon 95all failed,"his Majesty answered A Queerwith a sigh. " He spouts fire, Creaturehas quills of pure steel like aporcupine, flies like an express-train, strikes like a pile-driver,has armor of solid iron a footthick, and is difficult to talkto, as he understands onlyArabic."" Does he ever fly by day ? "I asked." Sometimes, but very rarely.Here he comes now ! " sud-denly shrieked the King, get-ting under the sofa.There was a clatter like thatmade by a truck-load of steelrails being carried over a cob-blestone pavement, a dark ob-ject whisked by the window,and the noise died away in thedistance.

The DragonPasses


100/120

96 The BoyA " He's gone down to the sta-Blunder tion to get his mail," said the

King, as he crawled out anddusted his robes." Does he get letters ? " Rod-erick asked in amazement."Oh, no," the King answered,

smiling politely at the boy's mis-take. " I mean his coat of mail.He makes it out of steel rails.He chews them up, melts themin his fiery jaws, and addsa new coating every week ortwo. You must excuse me," hewent on ; "I have business toattend to. Farewell. I trustyou will succeed."We bowed ourselves out, andI went and secured the use of

a modest set of apartments dur-ing our stay, and also leased aboiler-factory for two weeks.

MakingReady


101/120

and Dragon 97((

There is no use in disguising Perplexedthe fact," I said to my assistant,Mr. Stubbs, " that this is rathera difficult dragon to overcome.It is my first experience with asteel-clad dragon ; and I havebeen told that they are noteasy to manage. Still, I think Isee my way clear in this case."" What are you going to do ?"asked Roderick."I thought I would make a

knight out of iron, put a phono-graph in him, set him up some-where near the cavern wherethe Princess is, make him defythe dragon, have him loadedup with dynamite, and thenwhen the dragon comes downon him, there will be an explo-sionand away will go knight,dynamite and all. "What do youthink of my plan?"

An Idea


102/120

98 The BoyThe Plan

" I^'s too much trouble, andCon- costs too much," said Roderickdemned promptly.

I was hurt. The boy was tooforward." Do you think you can doany better?" I asked irritably." Why, of course I can, "saidRoderick. "And I'll tell youwhat I'll do. You help me thefirst week, and if I don't suc-ceed, I'll help you the secondweek."

Really, the boy's self-con-fidence was amazing. I madeup my mind to let him have hisown way, merely to cure himof self-confidence."Very well," I said. "Itshall be as you say.""All right," said Roderick.The next day, by his direc-

Confidenceof Youth


103/120

and Dragon 99tion, we bought hundreds ofbales of cotton batting, and en-gaged a lot of men to make itup in the shape of swans. Be-

Stubbs'sPlan

low each swan was fastened alight board. About two dozenof these swans were set afloateach day for four or five days.

SwanDecoys


104/120

lOO The Boy and DragonWhere Strange to say, they all disap-Did They peared during the night.Go? Then a terrible roaring was

heard from the distant moun-tain where the dragon dwelt.The next night Roderickbought a great number of elec-tric lights in glass bulbs, andafter a consultation with thecourt interpreter went into theboiler-factory and climbed upto its roof. He arranged thelights on the roof in a curiouspattern, and then came homeand slept soundly.During the next day, Rod-

erick rigged himself up in along robe, a high hat, a largepair of spectacles without glass,and a cotton batting wig andbeard ; and when evening camehe went to spend the night onthe roof of the boiler-factory.

A StrangeCostume


105/120


106/120

f


107/120

The Boy and Dragon 103There was a terrible rattle

and clatter and roar that night,that woke all the children formiles around. Next morningRoderick was nowhere to befound." I thought so," I said bitterly

to myself. " This comes of let-ting a foolish boy have his ownway! Evidently, the dragonhas made mince-meatof that un-fortunate Roderick AdolphusPeterson Stubbs, Jr., with allhis tomfool costumes ! "Then I sat down to compose a

fitting telegram to the Stubbses.I had written as far as :" Roderick missing. Prob-ably dragon has " whenthere was a sound of cheeringin the street, and I ran to thewindow.

Roderickis Gone

A JoyfulSound


108/120

I04 The Boy and DragonThe Con- I saw Roderick, dressed in aqiiering magnificent court suit threeHero sizes too large for him, being

escorted to our lodgings by anenthusiastic crowd of citizens.They had taken the horses fromthe royal coach and were draw-ing him in triumph amid wildcries of:" Stubbs, the Dragon Doc-tor I""Stubbs forever!""Stubbs, the saver of

princesses ! " and similar ex-pressions.Soon he entered the room." Roderick, my dear boy," Iasked, " explain the scene, willyou?"" It's easy enough to explainit," said Roderick. " I rescuedthe Princess."

Success !


109/120


110/120

k


111/120

The Boy and Dragon 107"What! You res" Modest" I rescued the Princess," he Merit

repeated." And how did you do it?"

" The Dragon ate the cottonbatting swans.""Yes."" They made him sick."

To beSure!


112/120

io8 The BoyAll is Ex-plained

"Yes."" I put up a sign in electriclights on top of the factory.""Yes.""The court interpreter

helped me, and I put it up inArabic saying ' dragon doctor.'Then when the dragon read it,I fixed myself up like an olddoctor, and he carried me offto prescribe for him.""And you prescribed ""I prescribed an entirechange of scene and air. I ad-vised and ordered him to go tothe North Pole. I offered totake care of the Princess whilehe was away. He went earlythis morning, and I brought thePrincess home before dinner."" You did wonderfully well!"I said heartily. " And was thePrincess beautiful?"

Is SheBeautiful ?


113/120

and Dragon 109" I have brought you her Her

photograph," and Roderick Portraitdrew the portrait from hispocket and handed it to me.

I looked at it eagerly, andturned to Roderick." Let us go home ! " I said.

A SuddenResolve


114/120

no The Boy and DragonNo " All right ! " he answered.Beauty " Amelia Ann may be lovely

in character," I observed, aswe hurried toward the station," but I wonder the dragon eversurvived the sight of her face ! "As we parted at the gate lead-ing to Roderick's house, I said:" Farewell. You are young,but in time you'll do good workin dragon-slaying.""

Farewell," said Roderick ;" then you'll send the bicycle ?""I will," I said. Then, as Igrasped his hand in parting, Iadded: "Never mind thatquarter. You can keep it."But when the dragon getsback from the North Pole

there's going to be trouble.

WhatThen?


115/120


116/120

T^


117/120


118/120


119/120

UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY

g AAFACILITY

000 334 807


120/120

the magic wand (1905) by tudor jenks

Documents