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    American Fairy Tales
    American Fairy Tales
    American Fairy Tales
    Ebook125 pages1 hour

    American Fairy Tales

    By L. Frank Baum

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    American Fairy Tales is the title of a collection of twelve fantasy stories by L. Frank Baum, published in 1901 by the George M. Hill Company, the firm that issued The Wonderful Wizard of Oz the previous year.

    L. Frank Baum was doing well in 1901, better than ever before in his life. He had written two popular books, Father Goose: His Book and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and was determined to capitalize on this success. In addition to American Fairy Tales, Baum's Dot and Tot of Merryland and The Master Key appeared in 1901.

    Publisher George M. Hill sold the serialization rights to the twelve stories in AFT to five major newspapers, the Pittsburgh Dispatch, the Boston Post, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the St. Louis Republic, and The Chicago Chronicle. The stories appeared between March 3 and May 19, 1901; the book followed in October. The first three papers used or adapted the book's illustrations for their publications of the stories, while the Chronicle and the Republic had their own staff artists do separate pictures.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGood Folk
    Release dateMar 29, 2018
    ISBN9788827597453
    Author

    L. Frank Baum

    Lyman Frank Baum was born in 1856 in Chittenango in the state of New York. Educated mostly at home due to ill health, he was encouraged by his wealthy father to pursue his early interests in journalism and playwriting. He started his first magazine aged fifteen, had his own theatre at twenty-four and worked for many newspapers and periodicals before turning to children's fiction with stories he had made up for his own four sons. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, was his third bestselling book in as many years, and launched the series of Oz titles. Baum had moved with his family to Hollywood following the huge success of the books and stage adaptations. His own Oz Film Manufacturing Company failed to capitalize on the stories, and the hugely popular movie The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland, was not made until twenty years after Baum's death in 1939.

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      Book preview

      American Fairy Tales - L. Frank Baum

      AMERICAN FAIRY TALES

      ..................

      L. Frank Baum

      Thank you for reading. In the event that you appreciate this book, please consider sharing the good word(s) by leaving a review, or connect with the author.

      This book is a work of fiction; its contents are wholly imagined.

      All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.

      Copyright © 2018 www.deaddodopublishing.co.uk

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      THE BOX OF ROBBERS

      THE GLASS DOG

      THE QUEEN OF QUOK

      THE GIRL WHO OWNED A BEAR

      THE ENCHANTED TYPES

      THE LAUGHING HIPPOPOTAMUS

      THE MAGIC BON BONS

      THE CAPTURE OF FATHER TIME

      THE WONDERFUL PUMP

      THE DUMMY THAT LIVED

      THE KING OF THE POLAR BEARS

      THE MANDARIN AND THE BUTTERFLY

      THE BOX OF ROBBERS

      ..................

      NO ONE INTENDED TO LEAVE Martha alone that afternoon, but it happened that everyone was called away, for one reason or another. Mrs. McFarland was attending the weekly card party held by the Women’s Anti-Gambling League. Sister Nell’s young man had called quite unexpectedly to take her for a long drive. Papa was at the office, as usual. It was Mary Ann’s day out. As for Emeline, she certainly should have stayed in the house and looked after the little girl; but Emeline had a restless nature.

      Would you mind, miss, if I just crossed the alley to speak a word to Mrs. Carleton’s girl? she asked Martha.

      ‘Course not, replied the child. You’d better lock the back door, though, and take the key, for I shall be upstairs.

      Oh, I’ll do that, of course, miss, said the delighted maid, and ran away to spend the afternoon with her friend, leaving Martha quite alone in the big house, and locked in, into the bargain.

      The little girl read a few pages in her new book, sewed a few stitches in her embroidery and started to play visiting with her four favorite dolls. Then she remembered that in the attic was a doll’s playhouse that hadn’t been used for months, so she decided she would dust it and put it in order.

      Filled with this idea, the girl climbed the winding stairs to the big room under the roof. It was well lighted by three dormer windows and was warm and pleasant. Around the walls were rows of boxes and trunks, piles of old carpeting, pieces of damaged furniture, bundles of discarded clothing and other odds and ends of more or less value. Every well-regulated house has an attic of this sort, so I need not describe it.

      The doll’s house had been moved, but after a search Martha found it away over in a corner near the big chimney.

      She drew it out and noticed that behind it was a black wooden chest which Uncle Walter had sent over from Italy years and years ago—before Martha was born, in fact. Mamma had told her about it one day; how there was no key to it, because Uncle Walter wished it to remain unopened until he returned home; and how this wandering uncle, who was a mighty hunter, had gone into Africa to hunt elephants and had never been heard from afterwards.

      The little girl looked at the chest curiously, now that it had by accident attracted her attention.

      It was quite big—bigger even than mamma’s traveling trunk—and was studded all over with tarnished brassheaded nails. It was heavy, too, for when Martha tried to lift one end of it she found she could not stir it a bit. But there was a place in the side of the cover for a key. She stooped to examine the lock, and saw that it would take a rather big key to open it.

      Then, as you may suspect, the little girl longed to open Uncle Walter’s big box and see what was in it. For we are all curious, and little girls are just as curious as the rest of us.

      I don’t b’lieve Uncle Walter’ll ever come back, she thought. Papa said once that some elephant must have killed him. If I only had a key— She stopped and clapped her little hands together gayly as she remembered a big basket of keys on the shelf in the linen closet. They were of all sorts and sizes; perhaps one of them would unlock the mysterious chest!

      She flew down the stairs, found the basket and returned with it to the attic. Then she sat down before the brass-studded box and began trying one key after another in the curious old lock. Some were too large, but most were too small. One would go into the lock but would not turn; another stuck so fast that she feared for a time that she would never get it out again. But at last, when the basket was almost empty, an oddly-shaped, ancient brass key slipped easily into the lock. With a cry of joy Martha turned the key with both hands; then she heard a sharp click, and the next moment the heavy lid flew up of its own accord!

      The little girl leaned over the edge of the chest an instant, and the sight that met her eyes caused her to start back in amazement.

      Slowly and carefully a man unpacked himself from the chest, stepped out upon the floor, stretched his limbs and then took off his hat and bowed politely to the astonished child.

      He was tall and thin and his face seemed badly tanned or sunburnt.

      Then another man emerged from the chest, yawning and rubbing his eyes like a sleepy schoolboy. He was of middle size and his skin seemed as badly tanned as that of the first.

      While Martha stared open-mouthed at the remarkable sight a third man crawled from the chest. He had the same complexion as his fellows, but was short and fat.

      All three were dressed in a curious manner. They wore short jackets of red velvet braided with gold, and knee breeches of sky-blue satin with silver buttons. Over their stockings were laced wide ribbons of red and yellow and blue, while their hats had broad brims with high, peaked crowns, from which fluttered yards of bright-colored ribbons.

      They had big gold rings in their ears and rows of knives and pistols in their belts. Their eyes were black and glittering and they wore long, fierce mustaches, curling at the ends like a pig’s tail.

      My! but you were heavy, exclaimed the fat one, when he had pulled down his velvet jacket and brushed the dust from his sky-blue breeches. And you squeezed me all out of shape.

      It was unavoidable, Luigi, responded the thin man, lightly; the lid of the chest pressed me down upon you. Yet I tender you my regrets.

      As for me, said the middle-sized man, carelessly rolling a cigarette and lighting it, you must acknowledge I have been your nearest friend for years; so do not be disagreeable.

      You mustn’t smoke in the attic, said Martha, recovering herself at sight of the cigarette. You might set the house on fire.

      The middle-sized man, who had not noticed her before, at this speech turned to the girl and bowed.

      Since a lady requests it, said he, I shall abandon my cigarette, and he threw it on the floor and extinguished it with his foot.

      Who are you? asked Martha, who until now had been too astonished to be frightened.

      Permit us to introduce ourselves, said the thin man, flourishing his hat gracefully. This is Lugui, the fat man nodded; and this is Beni, the middle-sized man bowed; and I am Victor. We are three bandits—Italian bandits.

      Bandits! cried Martha, with a look of horror.

      Exactly. Perhaps in all the world there are not three other bandits so terrible and fierce as ourselves, said Victor, proudly.

      ‘Tis so, said the fat man, nodding gravely.

      But it’s wicked! exclaimed Martha.

      Yes, indeed, replied Victor. We are extremely and tremendously wicked. Perhaps in all the world you could not find three men more wicked than those who now stand before you.

      ‘Tis so, said the fat man, approvingly.

      But you shouldn’t be so wicked, said the girl; it’s—it’s—naughty!

      Victor cast down his eyes and blushed.

      Naughty! gasped Beni, with a horrified look.

      ‘Tis a hard word, said Luigi, sadly, and buried his face in his hands.

      I little thought, murmured Victor, in a voice broken by emotion, ever to be so reviled—and by a lady! Yet, perhaps you spoke thoughtlessly. You must consider, miss, that our wickedness has an excuse. For how are we to be bandits, let me ask, unless we are wicked?

      Martha was puzzled and shook her head, thoughtfully. Then she remembered something.

      You can’t remain bandits any longer, said she, because you are now in America.

      America! cried the three, together.

      Certainly. You are on Prairie avenue, in Chicago. Uncle Walter sent you here from Italy in this chest.

      The bandits seemed greatly bewildered by this announcement. Lugui sat down on an old chair with a broken rocker and wiped his forehead with a yellow silk handkerchief. Beni and Victor fell back upon the chest and looked at her with pale faces and staring eyes.

      When he had somewhat recovered himself Victor spoke.

      Your Uncle Walter has greatly wronged us, he said, reproachfully. "He has taken us from our beloved Italy, where bandits are highly respected, and brought

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