across
the strings and played a tune so lively and full of sweet happiness the
childhood friends caught hands and danced in a circle, and the little
sprites, elves, gnomes and fairies caught hands and danced around the
children, and as they passed before the brother he caught a mischievous
glance from the eyes of one of the little fairies, and he knew in a
moment she was the one who had played the old woman, and who had given
him the iron ring....

The people who lived in the room below the attic room missed the little
old man's shuffling step, and, not hearing it for two days, they told
the landlady, a kindly soul who had let the brother and sister have the
attic room free of charge, and all went up to investigate....

They rapped upon the attic door. All was quiet within. Timidly they
opened the door and looked in. There upon the floor lay an old rusty
iron ring. It was the Fairy Ring.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

MR. AND MRS. THUMBKINS

Thumbkins ran beneath the bushes and down the tiny path until he came
to where Tommy Grasshopper sat upon a blade of grass swinging in the
breeze.

"Have you seen Mrs. Thumbkins, Tommy Grasshopper?" Thumbkins called.

"I have been asleep," replied Tommy Grasshopper, "And I haven't seen
her!"

"Oh dear! Oh dear!" cried Thumbkins. "She has not been home all day!"

"Perhaps she went over to see Granpa Tobackyworm!" suggested Tommy
Grasshopper, as he flicked his wings and made the blade of grass swing
up and down.

[Illustration]

So Thumbkins thanked Tommy Grasshopper and ran over to Granpa
Tobacyworm's house.

Granpa Tobackyworm was sitting upon a blade of grass, swinging in the
breeze and smoking his old clay pipe.

"Oh, Granpa Tobackyworm! Have you seen Mrs. Thumbkins? She has not been
at home all day and I can not find her!" cried Thumbkins.

"Yes, I saw her early this morning going down the path with her acorn
basket," said Granpa Tobackyworm as he blew a few rings of smoke in
the air. "Perhaps she has gone to the Katydid grocery store to buy
something," Granpa Tobackyworm added as he bounced up and down on his
blade of grass.

So Thumbkins thanked Granpa Tobackyworm and went on down the tiny path.

"Hello, Thumbkins!" cried a cheery voice as Thumbkins ran under a bunch
of flowers. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Thumbkins saw Billy Bumblebee sitting upon one of the flowers, swinging
in the breeze.

"Mrs. Thumbkins has not been home