you would never have thought that the chair could talk if you had seen it, and perhaps it would not have said a word for you and me, but it certainly did for dorothy. it was a solid wooden chair and very old-fashioned. it had a face quaintly carved on its straight back, and aunt polly thought a great deal of this old chair because it had belonged to her great-grandmother. one day dorothy was visiting aunt polly with her best doll, susan ida. the little girl sat on a hassock and put susan ida in the old chair in front of her.
“how do you do, susan?” said a voice. “i’m real glad to see you; make yourself comfortable.”
dorothy looked all around to see who had been talking, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. then she saw the carved face on the chair smiling at her.
“were you talking just now?” asked dorothy.
“yes,” answered the chair, “i like to talk to little children.”
“do you really,” said dorothy; “then perhaps you could tell me a story?”
“nothing easier,” replied the chair, “which would you prefer to hear; ‘the enchanted horse,’ ‘the three boxes,’ or ‘the beautiful princess isabelle’?”
“o,” said dorothy, “tell me about the beautiful princess isabelle.”
“very well,” said the chair, “you shall hear.”
“excuse me,” said dorothy, “before you begin. do you mind susan ida sitting on you? she’ll be very quiet.”
“not at all,” was the answer, “i don’t mind being sat on,” and the chair began the story:—
once upon a time there lived a beautiful little princess whose name was isabelle. she had exquisite dolls, wonderful toys and lived in a most beautiful castle. but she was not quite134 happy because she had no little brother or sister or cousin to play with. she did not have even a little friend to visit. she lived quite alone in the great castle with the servants and sometimes she felt very lonely. every day she walked in the castle garden and longed for a playmate. one day as she sat in her little summer-house she said aloud, “o, how i would like somebody to play with.” she tapped her foot on the ground and sighed.
all at once as she sat there a little old woman appeared before her.
she wore a pointed hat and carried a crooked staff, and said in a squeaky voice:
“well, my dear, you tapped for me; what would you like? think a long time before you speak, because i cannot come again for seven years.”
but little isabelle did not wait a moment. she said eagerly, “give me a playmate.”
“you shall have one,” said the old woman,135 and she struck the floor three times with her crooked stick, saying:
“a nick, a knock, a knack.
a beak, a beck, a back.
o blow a crow to isabelle!
and here it comes, so now farewell.”
the old woman disappeared with a loud laugh and immediately a great black crow flew into the summer-house. poor little isabelle, she felt so disappointed that she could have cried. she had asked for a playmate, and the wicked old woman had given her a crow. but she was a kind good little girl as well as a beautiful princess, and she felt sorry for the poor black crow. it looked so lonesome as it perched on the back of a chair that isabelle said sweetly:
“poor crow, i wonder what name i had better call you?”
“call me thalia,” said the crow.
“thalia,” repeated isabelle. “what a pretty name, where did you hear it?”
“it is my right name,” answered the crow, “and that wicked old woman calls me a crow.”
“but, thalia,” said isabelle, “you look just like a crow.”
“alas! i know it,” replied the bird; “but i was once a little princess like yourself. that old woman turned me into a crow and kept me in her enchanted castle, until to-day, when she called me here.”
isabelle was very much surprised to hear thalia’s story and said, “i wish i could turn you back into a princess again.”
“o, how i wish you could!” exclaimed the crow; “but as there is only one way to do it, i fear that i can never be changed.”
“tell me,” said isabelle, “the way that it can be done.”
“if you could get the old woman’s crooked stick you could change me back into my right shape, but you never could get the stick,” said the crow.
“but why not?” asked isabelle. “couldn’t i go to the old woman’s enchanted castle and take the stick while she was asleep?”
“but she never sleeps,” said the crow, “and she never lets the stick out of her hand.”
“then i don’t see how we could ever get it,” cried isabelle sorrowfully. the poor crow looked very sad, and isabelle was quiet for a long time thinking hard. “i am going to try,” she cried all at once. “i shall go to the enchanted castle and see if i can get the crooked staff.”
the crow shook her head saying, “i’m afraid you’ll never find the castle, and even if you did, you could never get the crooked staff.”
“there is nothing like trying, you know,” replied the brave little girl; and the next morning, bright and early, the beautiful princess isabelle started out on a long journey to find the old woman’s enchanted castle.
she walked a long distance, then she came138 to a little red house. isabelle knocked on the door and a fox with a bushy tail opened it.
“will you please tell me how to find the enchanted castle of the old woman with the pointed hat and crooked staff?” asked the princess.
“if i tell you,” said the fox, “will you promise to come back?”
“i promise,” answered isabelle.
“turn to your right,” said the fox, “and climb the first hill you see.”
“thank you,” replied isabelle, and she did just as the fox told her to do.
when she climbed to the top of the hill she came to another little red house, and on knocking at the door a goat appeared.
“will you please tell me how to find the enchanted castle of the old woman with the pointed hat and the crooked staff?”
“if i tell you,” said the goat, “will you promise to come back to me?”
“i promise,” was the answer, and the goat said:
“turn to your right and go up the first hill you see.”
isabelle thanked the goat, and followed his directions. when the top of the second hill was reached she stood before another little red house.
she knocked, and a green parrot came to the door.
“will you please tell me how to get to the enchanted castle of the old woman with the pointed hat and the crooked staff?” asked the little girl.
“if i tell you, will you promise to come back?” said the parrot.
“i promise,” said isabelle.
“then be very careful,” cried the parrot, “for you are almost there. walk until you come to a dense woods, take the narrow path and you will find the enchanted castle.”
“thank you,” returned isabelle, and she started off in the direction of the woods. she found the narrow path, and after walking a long way she came to the old woman’s castle.
at first she hid behind some bushes and looked around, but after a while she decided to walk boldly up to the castle. she had gone but a few steps when somebody touched her on the shoulder, and turning around she found herself face to face with the wicked old woman of the pointed hat and crooked staff.
“how do you do, isabelle?” said the old woman in a cracked voice; “and how do you like your new playmate? ha! ha! ha!” and she laughed aloud and struck the ground with her crooked staff.
isabelle greeted the old woman politely and said, “i have heard that you are a very powerful fairy, is it true?”
“indeed it is,” said the old woman very much pleased. “i can do wonderful things.”
“so i have heard,” replied isabelle, “that you can even turn people into different shapes and animals, but i don’t believe it.”
“it is all true,” cried the old woman, “i can prove it to you; just ask me to change something and you will see for yourself.”
“well,” said isabelle, “if you are a powerful fairy, turn your crooked staff into a little bird.”
“o, that is very easy,” said the old woman, and she swung her staff around her head three times saying:—
“o crooked staff, become a bird,
and let thy tuneful voice be heard;
fly all about the trees and land,
then light on isabelle’s fair hand.”
in the twinkling of an eye the crooked staff had disappeared and a little yellow bird began to fly over their heads, singing all the time.
isabelle watched it as it flew over the trees and all at once it came right down into her hand.
“now,” said the old woman, “do you believe my power?”
“it is wonderful,” replied isabelle, “but can you turn the bird back to the crooked staff?”
“certainly, i have but to wet my fingers and touch the bird; see——”
now isabelle was on the alert and the minute the old woman touched the bird the little princess held on to it with all her might. the bird changed to the crooked staff in her hand and she had it at last.
“you see that i am a powerful fairy,” said the old woman, “and now give me my crooked staff.”
“not so fast,” replied isabelle, “i have it and i mean to do some good with it.”
the old woman was terribly angry when she saw how foolishly she had lost her crooked staff, and promised everything to isabelle if she would give it up. but the little princess would not let go of the crooked staff for anything.
then the wicked old woman began to threaten and isabelle waved the wonderful staff and said:
“i want this old woman to return to her castle and stay there forever.”
instantly the old woman disappeared and was never seen again.
isabelle walked out of the woods and retraced her steps as fast as she could to the green parrot’s house.
the parrot was waiting at the door and the minute isabelle appeared said, “touch me with the crooked staff.”
isabelle touched the green parrot lightly and all at once the bird had disappeared and in its place stood a beautiful queen.
“thank you, isabelle,” said the lovely lady. “you have saved me from a terrible fate.”
“i am very glad to be able to do so,” replied the princess. “tell me how this dreadful thing happened.”
“i was a queen beloved of all my people, but one day the wicked old woman with the pointed hat and the crooked staff turned me into a parrot. i was then transported to this little red house, and i have never seen my husband the king or my two children since.”
“come with me,” said isabelle; “perhaps we can find them.”
they hurried to the next little red house and the goat was already waiting for them. without a word isabelle touched the goat with the crooked staff and it changed into a handsome man.
“my husband the king,” said the happy queen, and they embraced each other with tears of joy.
“now we have one more little red house to visit,” cried isabelle, and they all walked rapidly until they reached the third little red house.
the instant they appeared the fox came out of the house, and in a shorter time than i can tell you isabelle, by means of the crooked staff,145 had turned the fox into a beautiful little boy who ran to the king and queen, calling them “papa” and “mamma.”
“our dear child,” cried the queen, “how glad we are to have you with us again! if we could only see our lovely thalia once more!”
“‘thalia,’ did you say?” asked isabelle.
“yes,” replied the king, “she was our little daughter. but, alas! we do not even know of her existence.”
isabelle smiled when she thought of the pleasant surprise she had in store for her new friends. she waved the crooked staff and wished that she, with the king, queen, and boy might be transported to the summer-house in her own garden. in a second they were all there, and the very first thing they saw was the black crow perched on the chair.
“dearest thalia,” said isabelle, at the same time waving the crooked staff, “become thy beautiful self again.”
o what a wonderful change! in place of the poor black crow stood a lovely little girl. she kissed her father and mother and threw her arms around her brother’s neck.
words would fail to tell how much they all loved the beautiful little princess isabelle.
but she was very happy, because she had gained two little playmates, thalia and her brother.
the king and queen decided to live in isabelle’s castle, so you see she was never lonely again.
“thank you,” said dorothy, when the talking chair had finished the story.
“will you tell me another story some time?”
“with pleasure, my dear,” said the chair, and the carved face smiled at dorothy.
