"I will help you," said a sweet voice. He turned, and there stood beside him the very little girl he saw looking out of the window in the tower.

How she got there n.o.body knows; and what Mr. n.o.body knows he never tells; but the dear little maiden said, "I am called 'Little Goody.' The old cat shall have the fish, and you shall have the plant of life; but she shan't stay here to tease you."

So she clapped her hands and cried, scat!! so suddenly, that the cat, catching up the table cloth, shot up in the air like a sky rocket, screaming like forty steam whistles.

Then Goody stamped her little foot on the ground, and up started a bull frog, who said right away, "How do you do, Mr. Mark? I don't forget that you have saved my life, and I am not an ungrateful frog. I will catch the fish for you."

It took three times twenty-one days to catch all the fish, and twice twenty-one days to cook them. Then Mark called the cat, saying, "Come, Mrs. Cat, come and look at your dinner." Down came the cat, with the table cloth still on her shoulders, tasted the first and last fish, smacked her lips, flourished her whiskers and tail, and cried, "Catipal!

How many kinds you have caught! I must make a catalogue of them;" and then, to Mark's great amazement, she took the carving knife and cut off one of her paws, and handed it to him, saying, "Take this cat's paw: when you feel ill, weary, or are growing old, touch this paw to the end of your nose with the claws spread out, and all illness and weariness will disappear over your left shoulder."

Mark took it, and thanked the cat heartily. He thought he would try it then, and sure enough, he felt the fatigue walking over his left shoulder, just as he had been told. The little girl stood looking on with an amiable expression, and then the cat said, "Get on my tail."

Mark did not like to step on the cat's tail. He knew by experience that a cat is apt to claw anybody well who ventures on such a caper; but the little Goody laughed out, and stepping on it herself, invited Mark to her side.

Thus encouraged, the boy got on; and then the tail began to grow, till the top of it reached the garden gate, to which it fastened itself; and Mark and his pretty companion walked merrily over this new-fashioned bridge.

At the entrance, Goody took an affectionate leave of him, first pointing to a little clump of bushes with emerald green leaves, saying, "Never mind asking my father, the doctor. There is the plant of life, Mark; pluck it quickly, and off for home and your mother."

Oh, what joy he felt! He gathered several sprigs of the precious talisman, mounted the stick which the wolf had given him, and presto! in an instant was at the door of his mother's cottage.

Quickly he entered, and running up to her, pressed the plant to her lips. She brightened up immediately, hugged him to her heart, and exclaimed, "Oh, how rejoiced I am to have you again! You have been gone two years, seven months, and twenty-one days! How you have grown, and how rejoiced I am, my darling! my own boy!"

At this moment, the wall of the room opened, and the beautiful fairy Benevolence entered. She related to the happy mother all Mark's adventures, and the courage, patience, and goodness which he had shown.

Then she told the brave boy that he might make use of the presents given to him by the little old man and the giant.

Mark opened the snuff box, and out sprang a number of workmen about the size of bees, who set to work with such good will and diligence, that in an hour they had built a pretty little house, and furnished it completely, not forgetting a book case filled with excellent books, some fine engravings, and a few paintings on the walls. Mark was especially delighted at this, for he wanted of all things to learn to read and write; and the pictures charmed him even more, for he had a natural taste for such things.

Then he opened the thistle. Dear me! It was crammed full of clothes for himself and his mother, with sheets, tablecloths, and napkins, all of fine linen. Was there ever anything known like it!

While they were admiring these wonders, the busy-bee-men, who had popped out of the snuff box, had prepared an excellent dinner of roast beef and pumpkin pie; and while Mark and his mother were eating it, what should march past the pretty bay window, which opened to the floor, but two fine cows, one fine horse, a great rooster, and twenty hens; turkeys, geese, and ducks; all lowing and neighing, and crowing, and cackling, and gobbling, and hissing, and quacking, enough to take your head off; but Mark and his mother and the fairy seemed to like it, for they clapped their hands and laughed so loud that--

"Why, Mark!" cried a cheery, laughing voice, "do you mean to sleep a week?"

Mark started up wildly and looked about him. What did it mean? He was in his own little bed, in his own little room!

"Where is the fairy Benevolence?" he said, looking perfectly bewildered.

Harry shouted with laughter. "Why, Mark, are you cracked? What has made you sleep so soundly? Father and I came here last evening, about an hour after dark, and found you fast asleep, sitting at your mother's bedside.

"'Poor, tired little chap, he has watched with his mother, till he is worn out,' said father; and he took you gently in his arms and laid you down here. Then he sat by your mother's bedside some time, to watch the effect of some famous medicine he gave her; and when she was in a pleasant sleep, he and I went home.

"But we came here this morning early, and found your mother much better, and you, you little monkey, still as sound as a top.

"I've been making your mother's room more comfortable; and Betty, mamma's maid, has brought a great basket full of all sorts of nice things for her. Come and see her; she looks real bright! she is getting well already."

Little Mark had listened, with his senses getting clearer every minute, and at last he understood, with a sigh of disappointment, that his wonderful adventures and the fairy Benevolence _were only a dream_. He was almost crying as he said, "Oh, Mr. Harry, if you knew what I had been dreaming, you would be sorry for me. I was so sure it was all true about the fairy Benevolence."

"So it is," laughed Harry; "only the fairy has got whiskers. Come along."

Mark suffered Harry to lead him into the other room; and then, forgetting everything and everybody, he rushed up to his mother, and bursting into tears on her neck, sobbed out, "Oh, mother! if it only could have been true, you would have been cured, and we should have been living in such a nice house! with cows, and hens, and turkeys, and all--oh! oh--!"

His mother was sitting up in the bed, and Harry's father was mixing a pleasant drink for her. Mark looked up as Harry said: "Come, Mark, don't cry so: here is a fairy who will help you, and your mother too." When the little boy saw the genial, kindly smile of the doctor, he felt comforted; and sitting down on the side of the bed, he told his wonderful dream.

It was listened to with the deepest interest; and when he had finished, the doctor patted him on the head, and said, "Never mind, my fine little fellow! if we can't give you a grand house and a snuff box full of servants, and a thistle which drops out of it all the clothes you want, I think we can cure your mother; and when she is well, we will find her something better to do than making shirts at ten cents apiece; and you shall go to school, and learn to be a great scholar; and I don't see the first thing to prevent your having a good chance to become, one of these days, the President of the United States. So hurrah!"

The kind doctor was as good as his word. The poor widow recovered rapidly under his excellent care, which did her _heart_ more good than her body, for it was both sweet and strange to receive so much kindness.

Good Samaritans are very scarce nowadays.

When she was well enough to go out, she found that her rent was paid, a load of wood was piled away in the wood shed, half a barrel of flour was in the pantry, and some nice hams were hanging up. Plenty of work at good prices soon poured in. Little Mark was sent to the district school, for now he had comfortable clothes and shoes on his poor little feet; and really, as he told his mother one happy evening--"After all, dear mother, I like my _waking_ fairy Benevolence best--whiskers and all!"

A few evenings after the last story had been read, the little mother drew from her pocket quite a thick roll of paper, saying: "Here is something from Aunt f.a.n.n.y, with a proposal that will surprise you."

"What _can_ it be?" cried the children with eagerness.

"She wants you to act a play."

"_We_ act a play! Who ever heard of such a thing?"

"Yes; she has partly written, partly translated a little play, and here is her letter with it."

"MY DARLING CHILDREN;

"Don't you wish, you could get on faster than ever with your mittens? Well, here, is a plan that came into my head a few days ago, and I have been arranging it very industriously.

"You must go right to work to learn the parts in this little play. I do not approve of some parts of it, because a deceit was practised to bring one of the boys to a sense of his selfish and undutiful conduct. This was 'doing evil that good may come,' and was very wrong. If your mother were to punish you by deceiving you, you would doubt her ever after; and for a child to doubt a parent is, I should think, one of the most miserable feelings in the world.

"With this very important exception, the little play is pretty good. And this is what your mother and I will do: When you are perfect in your parts, we will have a private rehearsal. Then we will invite about fifty of our friends to witness this elegant entertainment, for which they must pay _one pair of mittens apiece_ for the brave soldiers. We will give them one week to make them, which will be abundance of time; and I have no doubt but what they will think it very cheap pay for so much pleasure."

A long pause took place when the letter was finished; the children were so astonished, as well as delighted, at the new work prepared for them.

"Well!" cried Harry at last, "what _would_ George say, if he knew the monkeys and crabs would turn actors next?"

"He would think it splendid," answered Anna. "You know the poor soldiers, who were made prisoners at that dreadful Bull Run battle, acted plays in their prisons, to keep themselves from dying of home-sickness."

"I want to act," said Willie.

"I want to act," echoed Bennie.

"Well," said the Little Mother, "let us see how many characters there are."

They all crowded round while she unrolled the paper. "Here is the mother, Mrs. Langdon. You must take that, Anna; and Harry will be Edward, your son."

"If he is the bad boy," said Anna, laughing, "I'll give him a thrashing every morning before breakfast."

"That will give you an excellent appet.i.te," returned Harry; "for I shall run away, and you will have to catch me, first."