dorothy may had told her cousin ray about the talking chair, and the very next time he went to visit aunt polly, ray sat in the chair and asked for a story.
“won’t you please tell me about the enchanted horse?” said ray.
the talking chair gave a low laugh, saying:
“how would you like to have the enchanted horse yourself, ray?”
“o, that would be fine!” exclaimed ray.
“then do as i tell you and you will find it,” said the talking chair.
“first close your eyes, now take a deep breath; when i count ten open your eyes and go wherever you please.”
ray did exactly as the talking chair directed, and when he opened his eyes he found himself148 in a strange country. he started to walk across a field and met a beautiful little boy.
the boy smiled at ray and said, “my name is stanzill, i am the keeper of the enchanted horse.”
“are you?” exclaimed ray. “how i would like to see it!”
“you may see it and have it for your own if you can guess my riddle.”
“let me hear it,” said ray, and stanzill began:
“i waded in the brook one day
and saw a little boy at play.
i smiled at him, he smiled at me;
i clapped my hands, and so did he.
then out i ran, nor stopped until
i reached the round tower on the hill.
i called to him. ‘hello!’ i said;
‘hello!’ he answered overhead.
his name, pray tell what can it be,
the boy who looks and talks like me.”
ray had heard riddles before but he was not very good at guessing them.
“will you please say it once more?” said ray, and stanzill smiled and repeated the riddle.
“now be very careful,” said stanzill, “because you only have three guesses.”
“is it a fish?” asked ray. stanzill shook his head.
“is it a bird?”
again stanzill shook his head and said, “now you have just one more guess, if you wish i can tell you the right answer, but if i do, you can never see the enchanted horse.”
“then don’t tell me,” said ray. “i’ll try very hard to guess it this time.”
“you may have a day to guess it,” said stanzill. “i shall leave you now, but to-morrow meet me at this spot; if you have the answer, you shall have the enchanted horse; if not, you will never see me again.”
stanzill disappeared and ray sat on the grass to think of the answer to the riddle. he repeated the words of the riddle slowly.
“what can it be?” said ray to himself, and looking up he chanced to see a pond of water in the center of the field. he ran over to the pond and taking off his shoes and stockings he waded in the edge of the pond. the water was smooth as glass, and all of a sudden ray saw his own image reflected in the shining surface. ray smiled and his shadow smiled back, then he clapped his hands and the boy in the pond did the same.
“now i know,” said ray, and he jumped out of the water and put on his shoes and stockings. he started to run and never stopped till he reached a stone tower on a hill. ray ran into the tower and shouted “hello!” “hello!” shouted the echo, “i am ray,” shouted the boy “i am ray,” shouted the echo.
ray was delighted; he ran out of the tower and down the hill to wait for stanzill. in a few moments he saw the boy appear. stanzill approached and said:
“i waded in the pond one day
and saw a little boy at play.
i smiled at him, he smiled at me;
i clapped my hands, and so did he.
then out i ran, nor stopped until
i reached the round tower on the hill.
i called to him. ‘hello!’ i said.
‘hello!’ he shouted overhead.
his name, pray tell what can it be,
the boy who looks and talks like me.”
“your shadow and echo, his name is stanzill,” answered ray.
“you are right,” said the stranger, “and you shall have the wonderful enchanted horse.”
“shall i have it to keep for my own?” asked ray.
“it shall be yours forever if you remember one thing,” said stanzill.
“it is a fairy horse, as you know, and can do all things; but when once on its back, you must never look behind—if you do, it will be lost to you forever.”
so saying stanzill disappeared and in his152 place stood a beautiful white horse, just tall enough for ray. after stroking the handsome horse, he swung himself into the saddle. “away to fairyland,” said ray, waving his hand.
right up into the air rose the enchanted horse, with ray on his back, and swift as thought he flew through the air. over the fair land to the other end of the earth went the horse, and then came down so that ray could look about. it was midday in fairyland and many of the fairies were asleep on the bosom of the flowers. others were sailing past on silvery clouds, and on the leaves of an aspen tree near by ray saw several fairies playing see-saw. it was all very still and dreamy at midday in fairyland and ray was afraid he would fall asleep if he remained, so he jumped on the enchanted horse, and said, “away to the ice king’s country.”
again the horse rose in the air and followed the course of the north wind. the air was sharp and cold, and sometimes they passed153 through places where snow was falling. at last ray looked down and beheld a country of snow-fields and ice castles. he saw stretches of cold blue water where immense icebergs moved like floating mountains.
great white bears roamed over the snow-fields and seals and walrus floated on the icebergs. it was all very beautiful, but piercing cold, and ray did not dismount.
“i think we had better start for a warmer climate,” said ray, leaning forward and stroking the horse. “i would like to go to the end of the rainbow,” he whispered softly.
no sooner did he say the words than the enchanted horse turned and started south. it was a very wonderful ride, and ray saw many strange sights, but when he reached the country at the end of the rainbow he dismounted and was lost in admiration. he had always heard that there were bags full of gold at the end of the rainbow, but in reality he found that the streets were154 paved with gold and silver, inlaid with precious stones. the sun tinted the fields with the blue of the midday sky and the hills with the rose color of the twilight. the flowers looked like our own beautiful ones, the only difference being, that when you plucked them from the stem, they hardened into permanent shapes of beauty and the heart of each flower showed a beautiful gem.
in the center of every rose a drop of dew had crystallized into a sparkling diamond, while every lily contained a pearl of priceless beauty hidden in its bosom.
“the end of the rainbow is the loveliest place in the world,” exclaimed ray; “but now i must visit some other place. i think that i would like to visit the clouds,” he said, and in a second he was on the back of the horse and up he rose into the balmy air toward the clouds.
he passed a great gray cloud castle that was moving very rapidly. he watched its great domes and towers and suddenly a giant appeared155 on the castle wall. “i am the rain giant,” said he, but before ray could speak, the giant on the castle wall had passed, and ray remembered that he must not look behind.
suddenly another castle was seen approaching and over the great entrance it read, “castle of the thunder giant.” the noise around the castle was almost deafening, and ray saw two great giants in the castle garden fencing with golden swords. every time their swords clashed a streak of lightning went through the sky. ray moved so fast on the enchanted horse, that the thunder castle was soon far behind. away in the distance ray could see something that looked like a ball of fire. suddenly the horse stopped and ray jumped off, and stood on a cloud hill. just then he caught sight of a beautiful little girl who was hiding behind a soft white cloud. ray tried to catch her, but she ran in and out and he had to chase her a long time before he could get her.
“what is your name?” asked ray.
“they call me sunbeam,” replied the little girl.
“what do you do all day?” asked ray, and little sunbeam replied:
“all the good i can.”
“but were you not playing when i came along?” said ray.
“yes,” replied sunbeam, “but it was to make some one else happy. look down,” and she pointed to the earth.
ray looked and saw a little boy with a white face lying in a bed. he was watching with sad eyes a corner of his little room. suddenly a smile broke over his face, and ray saw sunbeam playing hide-and-seek in the very corner, and the sick boy’s face brightened and he forgot his pain.
“i steal into dark places to lighten them,” said sunbeam, “and sometimes i steal into people’s hearts that are darker than the places.”
“i think i would like to be a sunbeam!” exclaimed ray.
“but you are,” said his companion. “all little children are sunbeams, and when they show smiling faces and willing hands they bring happiness to everybody.”
when she said these words she darted off and ray mounted his horse and continued his journey.
“now i want to visit the country where all the bad giants live,” said ray, and once more the enchanted horse headed his course for a new journey.
this journey was very exciting, because they passed witches and goblins on the road and some of them attempted to follow ray. his horse went like the wind and ray was not afraid until all at once he saw an old woman mounted on a broomstick coming toward him. he quickly turned his horse’s head the other way and was soon ahead of the witch on the broomstick.
but ray could hear her laugh behind him and suddenly she called out in a cracked voice, “come, goblins; come, witches, let us all join in the merry chase.”
faster and faster flew the enchanted horse, but ray could hear the loud voices and laughter close behind. he grew frightened and forgot that he should not look behind. with his horse going like mad, he suddenly turned around and looked back. the old woman on the broomstick gave a loud laugh, and all at once disappeared. ray rubbed his eyes and looked around him. the enchanted horse was gone and his rider was sitting safe and sound in the talking chair.