There was once a little girl named Ann; she was not quite big enough to go to school, but next week she was going to be six years old, and after that she was to begins. Her birthday was coming on Saturday, and her mother had promised to write and ask some little friends to come to tea with her.
Ann"s mother had written four letters the day before yesterday, but the answers had come that very morning to say that the March wind had given all her little friends such colds that their mummies feared they must not come out on Saturday.
This was very disappointing; but there was one more letter to write to a large family called the Thompsons, and, if they could come, it would be all right, because, as there were seven of them, they could make a party all by themselves.
Ann"s mother sat down and wrote: Dear Little People,Will you all come to tea with Ann on Saturday next?
We shall look for you early in the afternoon.
Yours affectionately,
Ann"s Mummy.
Ann pulled on her goloshes, and ran up the road to the post-box with the letter. There was a great wind blowing, and, when Ann reached the corner of the road, it snatched her letter out of her hand and blew it away.
Ann gave a scream and ran after it across a field, and then across another field. Sometimes it stopped and almost let her pick it up, and, just as she clutched at it, on it went again, turning over and over. At last it flew away altogether, and Ann stopped running and said, " It"s no use," and turned sadly home again.
Drawn by W.S. Wemyss
Writing the Letter
Of course her mother soon wrote another letter to the Thompsons. But Ann was certainly not lucky about this party: the Thompsons all had colds too, and none of them could come.
"I"m afraid I shall be the only one at your party, Ann," said her mummy. Ann gave her a hug and said, " I"d rather have you than anybody, only you can"t play "Hunt the Slipper" with two, or eat a whole birthday cake." And Ann could not help feeling very sorry indeed.
"Horrid old March wind!" she said. "He"s spoilt my party." Now old Mr. March Wind had not really meant to be unkind. He is always half in fun, only he is somehow the only person who sees the joke. And now that he had made all the children stay away from the party, he made up his mind tomake a jolly ending to it after all.
So he blew and blew the lost letter over many fields. Some- times it stuck in a hedge or pressed itself against a tree; then on it would go again, over and over. Once it flew right over a telegraph wire and heard the flying feet of the telegrams on their way.
But at last it stopped in a wood where goblins live, just outside their little house.
There was an old Goblin sitting in the front window. When he saw the letter he hobbled out and picked it up. He turned it over three times, and put it down again and hurried in to call the others. Very quickly they all came hurrying out; some hopped, some skipped, some danced; and they had thequeerest faces you ever saw, and red jackets. First they all had a good look at the envelope; but it had been in a puddle, and so they couldn"t see whom it was for, because the writing was blotted out; but the stamp was quite clean, and the first Goblin said very solemnly:
Drawn by W.S. Wemyss
The Goblins Find the Letter
"That is the picture of the King; this letter must be from His Majesty to us." Then, as there seemed nothing else to do, they laid it down on the grass again and danced round it hand in band in a ring, pointing their curious long toes at the stamp, but being very careful not to tread on it. Then they picked it up and opened it, and the old Goblin put on hisspectacles and read aloud:
Dear Little People,
Will you all come to tea with Ann on Saturday next? We shall look for you early in the afternoon.
Yours affectionately,
Ann"s Mummy.
When he had finished he noticed that all the goblins had blushed with pleasure, and they all began capering about and calling out:
Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! We"ll go-we"ll go.
And the old Goblin said in a whisper to his son: "Depend upon it, it"s Ann"s birthday !"Ann put on her party dress, although nobody could come, for she did not see why all the fun need be spoilt, and dressing for a party is one of the jolliest things about it. So she came into the nursery looking her very best, and sat down tidily to wait for her mummy, who was also dressing up. Yes! it would have been nice to have had a real party, and Ann gave a tiny little sigh which nobody could have heard.
Just at that minute strange noises began in the street downstairs. Ann got up and went to the window. Some one was driving up to the door! But, good gracious, what strange carriages! They all stopped. One was a sort of shell drawn by two birds, the next was a large bird"s-nest with a shade, drawn by a little furry animal. Next came a market-basket onwheels with a real coachman driving, and two mice standing up behind; and really there were so many, and it looked so grand, that Ann quickly ran back to her seat by the fire, and then her mummy came in.
Ann did not say a word; she had guessed that something queer was going to happen, and the next minute the door opened and in came seventeen goblins! They were all dressed and trimmed up in their very best clothes.
They all bowed low to Ann"s mummy, and then they sat down on the floor, while two coachmen brought in a hamper, which they put down in the ring. Then they set to work to unpack it. As each Goblin gave Ann his present he went down on one knee and said: "Many happy returns of the day ! "Ann looked at her mummy, and her mummy looked at her; but they were too good at giving parties to seem at all surprised, and so Ann"s mummy said : "We are delighted to see you, dear little fairy men: and now, what game shall we play? "First came " Hunt the Slipper," only the slipper jumped round the ring all by itself, and dodged and danced amid great shrieks and laughter from the party. Then came " Musical Chairs," only the chairs began to follow one another round the room too, and when the music stopped everybody sat down plump on the floor, because it was so difficult to catch the chairs.
Then came tea-time, and Ann cut the birthday cake, and the goblins ate it nearly all up. After tea the strange little people did wonderful tricks, hopping over one another"s heads, leaping up to the ceiling and knocking their noses. Then they called the mice and made them sing songs, while Ann and her mummy sat together and clapped.
When they had finished their antics the old Goblin said:
"I think it is time to go home now. I am not so young as I was, and the wind teases my throat.""Naughty old March wind!" said Ann; "he always does things like that.""Never mind," said the Goblin, cheerfully. "He brought us the letter from you. Here it is. So he is not such a bad old fellow after all !"Then they all said "Good-bye," and drove away in their carriages, while Ann undid her seventeen parcels.
-Natalie Joan Engleheart
Author.-Natalie Joan Engleheart. The authoress spent part of her childhood in Australia. She now lives in England. She wrote a book of verses-Lilts for Little People.
General Notes.-How did Ann lose the letter? Who found it? Whatare goblins? How do you play "Hunt the Slipper "? How do you play " Musical Chairs "? Talk about other indoor games.
