The Sea Fairies. Baum Lyman Frank

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СКАЧАТЬ tell the tale," he added, nodding. "An' if we dives down, like they says, we won't live ourselves."

      All the mermaids laughed at this, and the brown haired one said:

      "Well, if you are afraid, don't come. You may row your boat out of this cave and never see us again, if you like. We merely thought it would please little Mayre, and were willing to show her the sights of our beautiful home."

      "I'd like to see 'em, all right," said Trot, her eyes glistening with pleasure.

      "So would I," admitted Cap'n Bill; "if we would live to tell the tale."

      "Don't you believe us?" asked the mermaid, fixing her lovely eyes on those of the old sailor and smiling prettily. "Are you afraid to trust us to bring you safely back?"

      "N – n – n-o," said Cap'n Bill; "'tain't that. I've got to look after Trot."

      "Then you'll have to come with me," said Trot, decidedly, "for I'm going to 'cept this inv'tation. If you don't care to come, Cap'n Bill, you go home and tell mother I'm visitin' the mermaids."

      "She'd scold me inter shivers!" moaned Cap'n Bill, with a shudder. "I guess I'd ruther take my chances down below."

      "All right; I'm ready, Miss Mermaid," said Trot. "What shall I do? Jump in, clothes an' all?"

      "Give me your hand, dear," answered the mermaid, lifting a lovely white arm from the water. Trot took the slender hand and found it warm and soft, and not a bit "fishy."

      "My name is Clia," continued the mermaid, "and I am a princess in our deep-sea kingdom."

      Just then Trot gave a flop and flopped right out of the boat into the water. Cap'n Bill caught a gleam of pink scales as his little friend went overboard, and the next moment there was Trot's face in the water, among those of the mermaids. She was laughing with glee as she looked up into Cap'n Bill's face and called:

      "Come on in, Cap'n! It didn't hurt a bit!"

      3

      The Depths of the Deep Blue Sea

      Cap'n Bill stood up in the boat as if undecided what to do. Never a sailorman was more bewildered than this old fellow by the strangeness of the adventure he had encountered. At first he could hardly believe it was all true, and that he was not dreaming; but there was Trot in the water, laughing with the mermaids and floating comfortably about, and he couldn't leave his dear little companion to make the trip to the depths of the ocean alone.

      "Take my hand, please, Cap'n Bill," said Princess Clia, reaching her dainty arm toward him; and suddenly the old man took courage and clasped the soft fingers in his own. He had to lean over the boat to do this, and then there came a queer lightness to his legs and he had a great longing to be in the water. So he gave a flop and flopped in beside Trot, where he found himself comfortable enough, but somewhat frightened.

      "Law sakes!" he gasped. "Here's me in the water with my rheumatics! I'll be that stiff termorrer I can't wiggle."

      "You're wigglin' all right now," observed Trot. "That's a fine tail you've got, Cap'n, an' its green scales is jus' beautiful."

      "Are they green, eh?" he asked, twisting around to try to see them.

      "Green as em'ralds, Cap'n. How do they feel?"

      "Feel, Trot – feel? Why, this tail beats that ol' wooden leg all holler! I kin do stunts now that I couldn't 'a' done in a thousand years with ol' peg."

      "And don't be afraid of the rheumatism," advised the Princess. "No mermaid ever catches cold or suffers pain in the water."

      "Is Cap'n Bill a mermaid now?" asked Trot.

      "Why, he's a merman, I suppose," laughed the pretty princess. "But when he gets home he will be just Cap'n Bill again."

      "Wooden leg an' all?" inquired the child.

      "To be sure, my dear."

      The sailor was now trying his newly-discovered powers of swimming, and became astonished at the feats he could accomplish. He could dart this way and that with wonderful speed, and turn and dive, and caper about in the water far better than he had ever been able to do on land – even before he got the wooden leg. And a curious thing about this present experience was that the water did not cling to him and wet him, as it had always done before. He still wore his flannel shirt and pea-jacket, and his sailor cap; but although he was in the water, and had been underneath the surface, the cloth still seemed dry and warm. As he dived down and came up again the drops flashed from his head and the fringe of beard, but he never needed to wipe his face or eyes at all.

      Trot, too, was having queer experiences and enjoying them. When she ducked under water she saw plainly everything around her, as easily and distinctly as she had ever seen anything above water. And by looking over her shoulder she could watch the motion of her new tail, all covered with pretty iridescent pink scales, which gleamed like jewels. She wore her dress, the same as before, and the water failed to affect it in the least.

      She now noticed that the mermaids were clothed, too, and their exquisite gowns were the loveliest things the little girl had ever beheld. They seemed made of a material that was like sheeny silk, cut low in the neck and with wide flowing sleeves that seldom covered the shapely white arms of her new friends. The gowns had trains that floated far behind the mermaids as they swam, but were so fleecy and transparent that the sparkle of their scales might be seen reaching back of their waists, where the human form ended and the fish part began. The sea fairies wore strings of splendid pearls twined around their throats, while more pearls were sewn upon their gowns for trimmings. They did not dress their beautiful hair at all, but let it float around them in clouds.

      The little girl had scarcely time to observe all this when the princess said:

      "Now, my dear, if you are ready we will begin our journey, for it is a long way to our palaces."

      "All right," answered Trot, and took the hand extended to her with a trustful smile.

      "Will you allow me to guide you, Cap'n Bill?" asked the blonde mermaid, extending her hand to the old sailor.

      "O' course, ma'am," he said, taking her fingers rather bashfully.

      "My name is Merla," she continued, "and I am cousin to Princess Clia. We must all keep together, you know, and I will hold your hand to prevent your missing the way."

      While she spoke they began to descend through the water, and it grew quite dark for a time because the cave shut out the light. But presently Trot, who was eagerly looking around her, began to notice the water lighten and saw they were coming into brighter parts of the sea.

      "We have left the cave now," said Clia, "and may swim straight home."

      "I s'pose there are no winding roads in the ocean," remarked the child, swimming swiftly beside her new friend.

      "Oh, yes, indeed. At the bottom the way is far from being straight or level," replied Clia. "But we are in mid-water now, where nothing will hinder our journey, unless – "

      She seemed to hesitate; so Trot asked: "Unless what?"

      "Unless we meet with disagreeable creatures," said the Princess. "The mid-water is not as safe as the very bottom, and that is the reason we are holding your hands."

      "What good would СКАЧАТЬ