Now the king was a shrewd old gentleman, and the true state of
affairs suddenly flashed upon him. "They are impostors!" he cried,
rising to his feet, "turn the deceitful minxes out."
At that the maidens rose and fled. They never stopped for shoes or
stockings, but ran like hunted hares out of the tent across the
fields; and when the people saw their little green feet a great
shout of laughter went up, in which the king and the princes
joined. As for the daffodils, they ran and ran and ran, not daring
even to look behind them, till they suddenly stopped for want of
breath; and where do you think they were? Why in their old home
under the oak tree. Most of the daffodils had gone to sleep, but a
few were left, and among them their little sister. At her side
stood the fairy.
"Well, my dears, do you like being girls?" and there was a twinkle
in her eye as she spoke.
But the daffodils were sobbing too bitterly to answer, and the
fairy had a kind heart and did not press the question. "Would you
be content to be daffodils again?" she asked, and smiled at them
sweetly.
They murmured a thankful "Yes"; the fairy waved her wand, and in a
trice the maidens were gone and there were three more flowers, very
pale faded ones, growing under the gnarled oak tree. Poor
discontented daffodils! They had to pay a heavy price for their
folly.
The cuckoo came back time after time, and never wearied of teasing
them; and their little sister made many very true but disagreeable
remarks on the extreme silliness of being discontented with one's
surroundings.
Pages:
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61