FullReads

“Wasn’t that funny?” said Will, when they had tumbled over the wall, and lay laughing in the grass on the safe side.

“I’m glad I wore the old bonnet; for I suppose my best hat would have gone just the same,” said Polly thankfully.

“The calf doesn’t know its own mother with that thing on,” laughed Ned.

“How brave and kind you were to come back and save me! I’d have been deaded if you hadn’t,” said Will, looking at his brother and sister with his little face full of grateful admiration.

They turned towards home after this flurry, feeling quite like heroes. When they came to the corner where two roads met, Ned proposed they should take the river-road; for, though the longest, it was much the pleasantest.

“We shan’t be home at supper-time,” said Polly. “You won’t be able to do your jobs, Ned, nor I mine, and Will’s chickens will have to go to bed hungry.”

“Never mind: it’s a holiday, so let’s enjoy it, and not bother,” answered Ned.

“We promised mamma we’d come home early,” said Will.

They stood looking at the two roads,–one sandy, hot, and hilly; the other green and cool and level, along the river-side. They all chose the pleasant path, and walked on till Ned cried out, “Why, where are our shadows?”

They looked behind, before, and on either side; but nowhere could they see them.

“They were with us at the corner,” said Will.

“Let’s run back, and try to find them,” said Polly.

“No, let ’em go: I’m tired of minding mine, and don’t care if I never see it again,” said Ned.

“Don’t say so; for I remember hearing about a man who sold his shadow, and then got into lots of trouble because he had none. We promised to follow them, and we must,” said Polly.

“I wish,” began Ned in a pet; but Polly clapped her hand over his mouth, saying:

“Pray, don’t wish now; for it may come to pass as the man’s wish in the fairy tale did, and the black pudding flew up and stuck tight to his wife’s nose.”

This made Ned laugh, and they all turned back to the corner. Looking up the hilly road, they saw the three shadows trudging along, as if bent on getting home in good time. Without saying a word, the children followed; and, when they got to the garden gate, they all said at once:

“Aren’t you glad you came?”

Under the elm-tree stood a pretty tea-table, covered with bread and butter, custards, and berries, and in the middle a fine cake with sugar-roses on the top; and mamma and baby, all nicely dressed, were waiting to welcome them to the birthday feast. Polly crowned the little queen, Ned gave her a willow whistle he had made, and Will some pretty, bright pebbles he had found; and Miss Baby was as happy as a bird, with her treasures.

A pleasant supper-time; then the small duties for each one; and then the go-to-bed frolic. The nursery was a big room, and in the evening a bright wood fire always burned there for baby. Mamma sat before it, softly rubbing baby’s little rosy limbs before she went to bed, singing and telling stories meanwhile to the three children who pranced about in their long nightgowns. This evening they had a gay time; for the shadows amused them by all sorts of antics, and kept them laughing till they were tired. As they sat resting on the big sofa, they heard a soft, sweet voice singing. It wasn’t mamma; for she was only talking to baby, and this voice sang a real song. Presently they saw mamma’s shadow on the wall, and found it was the shadow-mother singing to the shadow-children. They listened intently, and this is what they heard:

“Little shadows, little shadows,
Dancing on the chamber wall,
While I sit beside the hearthstone
Where the red flames rise and fall.
Caps and nightgowns, caps and nightgowns,
My three antic shadows wear;
And no sound they make in playing,
For the six small feet are bare.