fine to have soldier shoes. They came to
David in time to save his faith in the business of being four
years old. It now began to have a glad feel about it, and he
walked perkily to the garden's edge, and like a new Columbus
about to discover a fresh world, climbed up experimentally and
sat on the gate-post.

He was not at all sure that this was a proper place to get
waylaid, but something monstrous fine would of course happen
before long; there could be no doubt about that. How people would
be astonished when they came along and found that he had grown to
be four years old!

Who would be the first, he wondered, to be shocked and surprised
at him? While he was thinking of that, his eyes suddenly
brightened with excitement. The street-sprinkler, the dear old
street-sprinkler, was coming! David's heart beat faster as he
listened to the slow creak and clacking oscillation of the heavy
wheels. Then came the damp, dusty, good smell which always
brought to him such a sense of mysterious romance! No prince out
of a fairy story could be more marvelous to him than the coatless
driver up there on the seat under his great canvas umbrella that
had advertisements printed on it. Always when the street-sprinkler
passed, David had watched it covetously, and now was his chance.
He would proclaim himself. He would not have to wish--and
wish--and wish any more about it. That proud place up there by the
driver was for him. He didn't doubt it in the least; he called; he
called lustily; he kicked his new shoes against the fence-post and
called:

"Here I am! See, right down here!"

But will you believe it, now? The driver didn't look at him.
Perhaps the lazy clamor of the wagon and the hissing sound of
the steadily gushing water made too big a noise for the voice of
such a little boy to be heard.

Do you call that any way for the street-sprinkler man to act? But
of course there might be some good reason for such criminal
behavior. David remembered that he hadn't consulted any fairy
godmother about it; long since he would have done so, only he
could never catch any fairy godmothers hanging around. They were
always busy somewhere else. Even Mother herself had failed to
introduce him to any competent, respectable fairy godmothers. She
was all right on telling about them; she was strong on that, but
somehow they never seemed to know when they were wanted. That is
their great fault; they are so unreliable. Once let them get
loose from a