The Iceberg Express

by David Cory

  Toy Land

  Now, when Mary Louise and the little white sailor duck woke up in theland of Nod, they both rubbed their eyes to make sure who stood theredressed in pink pajamas and little starry crown.

  It was the little Dream God. In his hand he carried a silver wand, inthe handle of which was a little whistle which made a soft sound whenhe blew upon it.

  "Did you have a good sleep?" he asked, and with a laugh, he took offhis crown and sat down on the grass. And oh, what a sweet laugh itwas. Just like the tinkle of a far-away bell or the ripple of a littlebrook.

  Well, after a little talk, the big Dream Bird came out of his wickercage and said: "I'm going to take Mary Louise for a ride," and away heflew, while the little white sailor duck went back to his boat andsailed away, too, over the ocean big and blue.

  "Where would you like to go?" asked the Dream Bird. "I'm the bird whobrings dreams to people. Dreams of doing great big wonderful things,you know. Not sleepy dreams."

  "Take me to some place that is different from anything I've ever seen,"answered Mary Louise.

  So the big Dream Bird scratched his head with his foot, but for a longtime he couldn't tell where to go.

  Well, anyway, by and by, not so very long, for the big Dream Bird keptflying on as he scratched his head with his foot, they came to Toy Landwhere all the toys of the world are made by little dwarfs and fairies.

  "Now I'll leave you," said the big Dream Bird, and he flew away,leaving little Mary Louise in front of a pretty shop full of LittleJack Rabbits, and, would you believe it, there was a toy Puss in Boots,Junior, with red top boots and a hat with a gold feather and a sword.And the workman who made these toys was a funny little dwarf with agreen suit and a red cap and a long white beard.

  "This is the land of wonderful toys That are made for good little girls and boys, Talking dolls and horses that run, Everything here is made for fun, But only good little girls and boys Can have our wonderful, beautiful toys."

  "Heigh ho," said Mary Louise, "what next, I wonder," and she looked ata toy regiment of wooden soldiers marching down the street.

  Just then an old hand organ began to play,

  "Oh, where are the songs of yesterday, And the songs we used to sing, When you and I in the days gone by Danced in the Fairy's Ring?"

  And up ran a little monkey dressed in a red coat and cap. Mary Louisegave him a penny, to hand to the old man who had stopped to set anothertune to the organ.

  "Over the hills and far away, I've tramped all my life till I am gray, And now with my organ and monkey clown I find myself in little Toy Town,"

  sang the old organ grinder as he sat down to rest with the littlemonkey on his lap.

  "Are you very tired?" asked Mary Louise.

  "Pretty tired," answered the old man. "All these years I've trampedand played, and now I find myself in a town where they make toys forchildren. But I see no children. Only playthings which I have no usefor," and the old man sighed and patted the monkey and then he closedhis eyes and fell asleep. And I guess he was very, very tired.

  Then Mary Louise slipped away, out of Toy Town where the dwarfs and thefairies made all the toys in little workshops, only they had the shadespulled down so that nobody could see them, for they are queer littlepeople and don't like to be watched.

  "Oh, dear," sighed Mary Louise, "I wish I were home. Mother will bedreadfully worried about me.

  "Oh, if I had a Wishing Stone I know what I would do I'd wish for lots of lovely things, And give a lot to you. But, Oh, dear me. I've never known Where is this wonder Wishing Stone."

  "I know," cried a little voice, and then, of course, Mary Louise lookedall around to see who had spoken, but she couldn't see anybody.

  "Who are you?" she asked, halting Dapple Gray on the edge of a bigforest.

  "Here I am," cried the same little voice, and then, quick as a wink, atiny fairy jumped out from behind a bush.

  "Don't frighten my pony," said Mary Louise, as Dapple Gray stood upstraight on his hind legs, "he isn't used to fairies."

  "No, indeed," whinnied the pony, for that is the way a horse talks, youknow. "I've met lots of people in dear Old Mother Goose Land, butnever a fairy."

  "If you come into this forest you will meet many little people likeme," answered the fairy.

  "Will they object if I travel through it?" asked little Mary Louiseanxiously. "You see, I'm on my way home."

  "You have my permission," answered the fairy. "I'm queen of the ForestFays. But I thought you were looking for the Wishing Stone?"

  "Maybe I was," answered Mary Louise. "You see, I thought if I couldfind it, I'd wish I was home with my dear mother."

  "It is not very far from here," said the little fairy. "Follow thispath through the trees and by and by you'll come to it. But let megive you some advice. Be sure before you make your wish to say,

  "Rose red, rose white, I will try to do what's right."

  "Thank you, I'll remember," answered little Mary Louise, and she turnedDapple Gray down the path to the woody glen.

  Well, by and by, after a while, she saw a big white stone. It lookedvery like a rude stone chair, only of course, it didn't have any nicesoft cushion in it like the one my grandmother used.

  With a cry of joy little Mary Louise jumped from the saddle. "Now I'llmake my wish!" And she sat down in the big stone chair and closed hereyes.

  But, oh dear me. She had been in such a hurry that she forgot to saythe little fairy verse and when she opened her eyes, there she was inthe very same spot.

  And, oh, dear me! again. Instead of the Dapple Gray, a little graysquirrel stood in the very spot where the little pony had been.

  "If you would have what you would wish You must obey each rule, No matter whether in your home Or in your Grammar School,"

  sang a little yellow bird, as Mary Louise stared in amazement at thelittle gray squirrel.

  "Oh, dear me," she sighed, "where is Dapple Gray?"

  "I was your little pony, And my name was Dapple Gray. But now I am a squirrel Because you did not say; 'Rose red, rose white, I will try to do what's right,'"

  answered the little squirrel.

  And then Mary Louise remembered what the little fairy had told her tosay when she made the wish. Oh, dear me. How sad she felt! But itwas too late, and pretty soon the little squirrel ran away, and poorMary Louise was left alone in the big Wishing Stone chair.

  "Oh dear me," she sighed again, "now what shall I do?" But nobodyanswered, not even the little yellow bird, so she jumped down andstarted off through the wood, and by and by, after a mile, but never asmile, she heard somebody laughing. And, oh my, it was a great big,tremendous hearty laugh. Why, it made all the leaves tremble and thedry twigs fall to the ground. And then, all of a sudden, a giantwalked by, carrying on his big finger the prettiest yellow bird youever saw.

  "Why bless my big leather belt," he exclaimed, "it's little MaryLouise."

  "Oh, Mr. Giant," said Mary Louise, "I've disobeyed the Fairy Queen andlost my pony Dapple Gray."

  "Bless my big hob-nailed club," said Mr. Merry Laugh, for this was thegiant's name, "how did you come to do that?"

  So Mary Louise told him how the Fairy Queen had directed her to theWishing Stone, but that she had forgotten to say when making her wish,

  "Rose red, rose white, I will try to do what's right."

  "Well, I'll give you another chance," said the big kind giant. "Nowlet me see," and he took off his big leather cap and scratched hishead, and then he whispered something to the little yellow bird, buthis whisper was so loud that of course Mary Louise heard it, for when agiant whispers it sounds like a man shouting, so I've been told.

  "Come with me," said the giant after the little yellow bird had noddedher head, and pretty soon, not so very long, they came to his castle,where the giant made Mary Louise very comfortable in a little chairwhich had once belonged to his son.

  "Now you rest here whil
e I go and get out my big Gold Book," said Mr.Merry Laugh.

  "Mr. Merry Laugh, the Giant, Has a big Gold Book, Bound with leather hinges And a big brass hook,"

  sang the little yellow bird.

  "Now let me see," said the good, kind giant, opening the book andturning over the pages with his great immense thumb. "Ah, here it is,"but before he began to read he took off his spectacles which were asbig as automobile lamps and wiped them carefully on his red silkhandkerchief which was bigger than a sail.

  "Whoever disobeys the queen Can for his guilt atone By making a little whistle Out of a turkey's bone."

  "Ha, ha, ha!" roared the giant till the crystal chandelier tinkled likea million little bells and the portrait of his mother-in-law fell offthe wall with a dreadful crash, "I never heard anything so funnybefore," and he picked up the portrait and laughed again, only thistime even louder, for his mother-in-law's picture was all smashed tosmithereens!

  "Well, that's easy," he said after wiping his eyes. "Tomorrow will beThanksgiving and you shall dine with me. And after dinner I'll giveyou a magic knife and if you can't make a whistle out of the drumstickbone, I'll have another portrait made of my mother-in-law."

  "That's very good of you," said little Mary Louise.

  "Don't mention it," replied the giant. "I have a book that oncebelonged to my boy when he was a little fellow. It's called theIceberg Express, and you look so like the little girl on the cover thatI'd almost believe you were she."

  "I am, I am," shouted Mary Louise, jumping out of her chair. "Andthat's the reason I wanted to sit in the big Wishing Stone chair. I wasgoing to wish I was home with mother."

  "You don't say so," exclaimed Mr. Merry Laugh. "Well, well, well. Ittakes me back to the time when my boy was a little fellow and sat on myknee to hear me read Little Journeys to Happyland. How time flies!"And the big kind giant took his pocket handkerchief out again to wipehis blue eyes, and after that he went over to the piano and sang:

  "If I had my little boy again How happy I should be, I'd piggy-back him all around And trundle him on my knee.

  "But oh, dear me. It's so long ago, And he's been away so long, That all I can do is to wish and wish That he could hear this song."

  "Dear me," said little Mary Louise, when the giant had finished. "Youwant your little boy and I want my mother."

  Well pretty soon when Mary Louise walked into the dining room she sawthe most wonderful turkey that ever graced a Thanksgiving table. Why,it weighed upty'leven pounds and was stuffed with a bushel of chestnuts.

  "Now eat slowly and tuck your napkin under your chin," said Mr. MerryLaugh, "for we don't have Thanksgiving every day, although we ought tobe thankful every day, just the same." And he stuck in the fork whichwas as big as a pitch-fork and began to carve with a knife that waseven larger than General Pershing's sword.

  Well, after a while, a mince pie was brought in, so large that it wouldhave taken Mary Louise thirteen minutes to walk around it if the gianthad placed it on the floor. But of course he didn't. No sireemam. Hefirst cut a little piece for her and then a great big tremendous piecefor himself, and would you believe he ate two pieces while she waseating one!

  At last, when the dinner was over, and the giant had dried the wishbone on the steam heater till it was nice and dry, he handed littleMary Louise the magic knife and told her to make it into a whistle. Andwould you believe it if I didn't say so, in less than five hundredshort seconds she had carved out the prettiest little whistle you eversaw.

  "Now, little girl," said Mr. Merry Laugh, "blow on it and make a wish.But don't make the same wish you did before."

  "Oh dear me," sighed the little girl. "I only wish one thing, and thatis to be home with mother."

  "Get your pony back and I'll help you," said Mr. Merry Laugh kindly.

  So Mary Louise blew on her whistle and made a wish, when, all of asudden, quicker than a wink, they heard a neigh in the courtyard, andlooking out of the window, saw Dapple Gray.

  "Here, take this little ring," said the giant, "and if ever you are introuble, turn it around your finger three times and a half."

  Just then the little yellow bird began to sing:

  "'Tis a little golden ring, Such a tiny, pretty thing. But be careful lest you lose it, For you may have need to use it, It possesses such a charm It will keep you from all harm."

  "Good luck," said Mr. Merry Laugh as he opened the castle door."Good-by and good luck. Drop in the next time you're in town, anddon't forget Castle Merry Laugh, Forest City, U.S.A."

  "Thank you," answered Mary Louise.

  Just then down flew the beautiful Dream Bird.

  "I'll take you home," he said. "Climb up between my wings!"

  Then away he went through the air so softly that maybe the little girlfell asleep, for when she woke up, there she was on the beach where shehad first met the little Mermaid Princess.

  "Oh, oh," yawned Mary Louise, "am I really here?" But nobody answered,so she jumped to her feet and ran home to her mother.

  Well, well, have we come to the end of the story, you and I, littlereader? I'm sorry I've nothing more to tell you in this book, butlisten--lean over to me and listen--I've written another book for the"Little Journeys to Happyland" series--it is called "The Wind Wagon."Isn't that a strange title? But I know you'll like it--yes, I'm sureyou will.

  So don't forget. It will be published next year.

  Yours for a story,

  David Cory.