four little pats,--one stamped
with a star for papa, one with a rose for mamma, a strawberry for Aunt
Wee, and a cow for herself. She skimmed a pitcher of cream with a
shallow shell, and liked the work so much she asked to have a little pan
of milk put by for her to take care of every day. Dolly promised, and
gave her a small shell and a low shelf all to herself. When she went in,
she carried her pretty pats in one hand, the cream-pot in the other, and
entered the breakfast room looking as brisk and rosy as a little
milkmaid.
It was a lovely morning when Daisy was next roused by the fairy music,
and the ponies were standing at the door. "Are we going far?" she
asked, as Wee put on her riding-skirt, and tied back her hair.
"Up to the mountain-top: it's only a mile; and we shall have time, if we
ride fast," answered Wee.
Away they went, through the green lane, over the bridge, and up the
steep hillside where the sheep fed and colts frisked as they passed by.
Higher and higher climbed Dandy and Prance, the ponies; and gayer and
gayer grew Daisy and Wee, as the fresh air blew over them, and the
morning-red glowed on their faces. When they reached the top, they sat
on a tall stone, and looked down into the valley on either side.
"This seems like a place to find giants, not fairies, it is so high and
big and splendid up here," said Daisy, as her eye roamed over river,
forest, town, and hill.
"There are giants here; and I brought you up to see them," answered Wee.
"Mercy, me! where are they?" cried Daisy, looking very curious and
rather frightened.
"There is one of them." And Wee pointed to the waterfall that went
dashing and foaming down into the valley. "That giant turns the wheels
of all the mills you see. Some of them grind grain for our bread, some
help to spin cloth for our clothes, some make paper, and others saw
trees into boards. That is a beautiful and busy giant, Daisy."
"So it is, and some day we'll go and see it work. Show me the others: I
like your giants 'most as well as those in the fairy-books."
"On this side you'll see another, called Steam. He is a very strong
fellow; for, with the help of gunpowder, he will break the granite
mountain in pieces, and carry it away. He works in the other mills, and
takes heavy loads of stone, cloth, paper, and wood all over the country.
Then, on the right of us is a third giant, called Electricity. He runs
along those wires, and carries messages from one en
|