The Real little Lucie
of NEWLANDS
Once upon a time there was a little girl called
Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
She was a good little girl—only she was
always losing her pocket-handkerchiefs!
One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying—
oh, she did cry so! “I’ve lost my
pocket-handkin! Three handkins and a pinny!
Have you seen them, Tabby Kitten?”
The Kitten went on washing her white paws; so
Lucie asked a speckled hen—
“Sally Henny-penny, have you found three pocket-handkins?”
But the speckled hen ran into a barn, clucking—
“I go barefoot, barefoot, barefoot!”
And then Lucie asked Cock
Robin sitting on a twig.
Cock Robin looked sideways at Lucie with his bright
black eye, and he flew over a stile and away.
Lucie climbed upon the stile and looked up at the
hill behind Little-town—a hill that goes
up-up—into the clouds as though it had
no top!
And a great way up the hillside she thought she saw
some white things spread upon the grass.
Lucie scrambled up the hill as fast as her stout
legs would carry her; she ran along a steep path-way—up
and up—until Little-town was right away
down below—she could have dropped a pebble
down the chimney!
Presently she came to a spring, bubbling out
from the hill-side.
Some one had stood a tin can upon a stone to catch
the water—but the water was already running
over, for the can was no bigger than an egg-cup!
And where the sand upon the path was wet—there
were foot-marks of a very small person.
Lucie ran on, and on.
The path ended under a big rock. The grass
was short and green, and there were clothes-props
cut from bracken stems, with lines of plaited rushes,
and a heap of tiny clothes pins—but no
pocket-handkerchiefs!
But there was something else—a door!
straight into the hill; and inside it some one was
singing—
“Lily-white and clean, oh!
With little frills between, oh!
Smooth and hot—red rusty spot
Never here be seen, oh!”
Lucie, knocked—once— twice,
and interrupted the song. A little frightened
voice called out “Who’s that?”
Lucie opened the door: and what do you think
there was inside the hill?—a nice clean
kitchen with a flagged floor and wooden beams—just
like any other farm kitchen. Only the ceiling
was so low that Lucie’s head nearly touched
it; and the pots and pans were small, and so was
everything there.
There was a nice hot singey smell; and at the
table, with an iron in her hand stood a very stout
short person staring anxiously at Lucie.
Her print gown was tucked up, and she was wearing
a large apron over her striped petticoat.
Her little black nose went sniffle, sniffle, snuffle,
and her eyes went twinkle, twinkle; and underneath
her cap—where Lucie had yellow curls—that
little person had prickles!
