page 45

The Magic Island
Chapter III.
The Fairy Boat .

(By Nellie E. Donovan.)

When Barbara, Michael and June arrived home late that night and told their parents where they had been and about Peter's disappearance, they received a severe scolding. Every day after school they were told to come straight home and were forbidden to go outside their gardens. The search for Peter continued. When no answer could be got from the cottage, the door was broken open, but of Mr. William Wiggins there was no sign and nothing could be found in the cottage which told the searchers whom he was.

Peter's father and mother would not listen to the story told by the children that Peter had been captured by goblins. Instead, they notified the police, but though the police searched through the countryside, in each town, large and small, no trace of Peter could be found. The police put forward the idea that Mr. William Wiggins was a clever criminal who had captured Peter to hold him for ransom. They were quite confident that Peter would be soon found. The police could not find out the real name of the mysterious little man, so the name of “Wiggins” bestowed on him by the children was being used by the people in the neighbourhood, when they spoke of the disappearance of Peter.

Late one night after a fruitless search for Peter, Barbara and Michael were preparing to go to bed when Michael said, “There must be some way we can find Peter.”

“Couldn't we put a notice in the paper,” suggested Barbara, “You know like June's father does sometimes, asking Mr. Wiggins to please return Peter and say that he was awfully sorry and didn't mean to catch the goblin.”

“No, that's no good,” said Michael, and pulled the bedclothes round him.

“Why?” asked Barbara, jumping into bed.

“Because Mr. Wiggins is not here and so he wouldn't see the notice.”

“Where is he, then?”

“Oh, how should I know,” Michael replied rather rudely.

“Then, don't say such silly things!” retorted Barbara.

But before Michael could think of a suitable answer their Mother had entered the nursery. “Lights out, children. No more talking.” She bent over each bed. “Good-night, Barbara. Goodnight, Michael.”

“Good-night, Mummie,” they chorused. “Now, don't forget, no talking.” She closed the door softly and in a few minutes, the children were sound asleep.

The moon came up out of the sky and sent her silvery beams through the window. Barbara stirred in her sleep. Tap! Tap! came at the window. In an instant Barbara was wide awake.

“Michael! Michael! Wake up! There's someone tapping at the window!”

Michael sat up in bed, sleepy-eyed. “What did you say, Barbara?” he asked.

“I heard someone tapping at the window. Listen! There it is again! I'm going to see who it is.” Barbara jumped out of bed and went over to the window. Michael followed, her quickly. Barbara threw open the window and there on the window-sill was a fairy boat with white sails and in it were two elves dressed in red.

“Ooh! Look! Look!” exclaimed Barbara, her eyes alight with excitement. “It's two elves in a fairy boat.”

“Well,” said the first elf, “I'm glad you've come, we've, been here for ages.”

“What have you come for?” asked Michael.

“Before I tell you,” answered the first elf, “Let me introduce myself. I am Tiny Toes and this is my brother, Dimples.”

They both took off their tiny red caps with long white feathers at the side, and bowed low.

“We are awfully pleased to meet you,” said Barbara timidly. “Do tell us what you want?”

“May we come in?” and without waiting for an answer, Tiny Toes jumped out of the boat, onto the window-sill, from there to a chair and then to the floor.

“We can't talk to you from here, it's too low,” said Tiny Toes. He looked round the room. “I know!” he exclaimed. He jumped lightly onto Barbara's bed and then to the railing at the foot. Quickly Dimples followed him.

“Now, you can sit on the bed and we can see you,” he said, and he and Dimples sat on the railing and dangled their legs over the side. Barbara and Michael sat on the bed.

“Now,” said Tiny Toes, “I will tell you why we have come. There has recently been built here a yellow cottage—

“Why, yes!” broke in Barbara, “that's where Mr. William Wiggins lives!”

“Mr. William Wiggins?” Tiny Toes looked puzzled. “Why, you mean—” he stopped and then went on, “Mr. William Wiggins is not his name.”

“Then, what is his name?” asked Michael.

“I can't tell you,” answered Tiny page 46

page 47

Toes, “for if I once mentioned his name to a mortal, our Fairy Queen would die. All I can say is that he is a very wicked man and he has built that cottage to trap little elves and, fairies who may be flying over his way. That's why there is a window in the roof instead of in the side of the cottage and that funny shaped balloon on the long pole is put there so that our people will think it quite safe to fly there. We have them in different parts of our country. Yes, that horrible Mr. Wiggins, as you call him, has caught hundreds of our people.”

“But,” asked Michael, “what does he want with them?”

“He wants them for slaves in his own country,” answered Tiny Toes. “His people are very lazy, they won't work. Isn't that right, Dimples?”

Dimples nodded agreement.

“And that's not all he's done,” said Barbara, “he's stolen Peter, our friend, who lives next door.”

“Yes,” answered Tiny Toes, “our Queen heard about that and she said to us, ‘Tiny Toes and Dimples, I want you to return Peter safely to his home. This time that wicked man has gone too far.’ And we said, ‘Your Majesty, we will do our very best.’ So we've come to you for help.”

“We would be pleased to help you,” said Michael, “but we don't know where Peter is.”

“Oh, but we do,” put in Tiny Toes, “and we can take you straight there in our fairy boat.”

“Oh, goody!” Barbara clapped her hands excitedly, “Will it take very long? And can we go now?”

“No, it won't take very long,” answered Tiny Toes, “and you may come this very instant.”

“Can we bring June, Peter's sister?” asked Michael.

“No, I'm afraid not,” answered Tiny-Toes, “because her Mother might be angry with us if we took her, and it would rather overload the boat. Have you anything belonging to Peter that we can take, for you know we cannot rescue him without that.”

“Rather!” exclaimed Barbara, “We've got his, pen-knife that he left on the roof of the house when he was captured. I'll get it.”

She went over to the little dressing-table and opened a drawer. She came back with the knife in her hand.

“Take it with you,” said Tiny Toes, “and I think you had better get dressed, for you may be cold.”

“I forgot we were in our sleeping suits,” said Barbara.

The children dressed in their outdoor clothes, with warm woolly scarves and berets. Barbara placed the pen-knife carefully in her pocket.

“We are all ready now,” said Tiny Toes, “First of all, I must sprinkle Fairy Reducing Powder over you so that you will fit into our boat.”

He and Dimples jumped off the railing onto the floor, then to a chair and so to the window-sill.

The children came over to the window. Tiny Toes took the Fairy Reducing Powder out of his pocket. “Shut your eyes,” he said. He sprinkled the Fairy Powder over the children's heads and gradually they became smaller and smaller, until they were no larger than the elves.

The children found it quite easy to jump onto the window-sill and they stepped into the tiny boat where they sat on seats at the far end. “Pull up the sails, Dimples,” ordered Tiny Toes. The sails were hoisted and Dimples hauled in the tiny rope that had held the boat tied to the window-sill. They glided away into the sky.

“Isn't it fun, Michael!” exclaimed Barbara, as the cool breeze fanned her face. “Where are we going, Tiny Toes?” she asked.

“We are going,” answered Tiny Toes with a mysterious smile on his tiny face, “to the Magic Island!”

(To be continued.)

page 48