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Friendly Fairies

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<h2>THE WISHBONE</h2> The stove lifter lay upon his iron side and looked across the top of the shelf which stood above the stove. "Who is he?" he asked of the box of matches lying near him. The box of matches looked at the strange new object standing upon two thin white legs and leaning against the wall near the coffee pot. "I do not know!" the match box answered. Then they asked a number of other objects lying about if they knew who the newcomer was, but none of them had ever seen anything like him before. When the new two-legged object with the bald head heard everyone whispering he felt they were talking about him, and he stepped out where all might see him, and walked up and down the shelf at the back of the stove. <center> <ANTIMG alt="053 (47K)" src="images/053.jpg" height-obs="598" width-obs="694" /> </center> The stove lifter, the match box and all the other objects watched him with interest as he strutted back and forth. At last the new object stood still and with his head thrown back he said: "I am a wish-bone, but as none of you know what a wishbone is, I shall tell you! A wishbone is an object of great importance in this world. Some of us come from the breasts of chickens and some from the breasts of turkeys. When we are placed above a doorsill in a house, we bring good luck!" "Don't the people in the house here wish good luck?" asked the match box. "What a silly question!" replied the wishbone, "Anyone could easily see you do not know much!" "Then why didn't they place you above the door?" asked the stove lifter. "Because I have greater qualities than bringing good luck!" the wishbone answered. "The children placed me here to dry, for they have heard that I make wishes come true! And if you keep your eyes and ears open you will see just what a great object a wishbone really is!" <center> <ANTIMG alt="054 (43K)" src="images/054.jpg" height-obs="514" width-obs="924" /> </center> All the other objects upon the shelf on the back of the stove held their breaths to think such an important object deigned to talk to them. Then the children came romping into the kitchen. "Here they come!" cried the wishbone. "Now watch me make their wishes come true!" And all the other objects scarcely breathed while they watched the children as they took the wishbone from the shelf. They could see how proud he looked as the children each took one of the wishbone's legs between their fingers. "I wish that this kitchen were just filled with candy and cake, then we could eat all we wish to!" one of the children said. "And I wish for a million golden pennies piled high upon the kitchen table!" the other child cried. <center> <ANTIMG alt="055 (42K)" src="images/055.jpg" height-obs="613" width-obs="658" /> </center> "Now watch!" the wishbone winked to the objects upon the shelf behind the stove. The two children pulled upon the wishbone's legs. "Ouch!" he cried. There was a loud snap, and the wishbone broke in two. "I get my Wish!" cried the child with the longest part of the broken wishbone, "The room will be filled with candy!" "Watch the room fill with candy!" cried all the objects upon the shelf. "How wonderful it must be to be a wishbone!" But the room did not fill with candy. "That's another time the wish did not come true!" cried one child. "They never come true!" cried the other child as the broken wishbone was tossed in the coal scuttle. "Wishbones are just ordinary bones and do not make wishes come true!" And the children ran outside to romp and play. <center> <ANTIMG alt="056 (31K)" src="images/056.jpg" height-obs="414" width-obs="936" /> </center> "How much better it is to be a useful object!" said the stove lifter. "Yes indeed!" replied the match box. "And the more useful one is, usually, the less he brags about himself!" <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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