Show SMITHS si S MAGIC PUMPKIN A FAIRY STORY STORT BY DICK SYLVES SYLVESTER SYL VES VESTER TER TElL All Smithville knew Jimmy Some folks said that thit they knew I ew no rio o good of him Perhaps thy th y were prejudiced Deacon Smith always ah said when hen he introduced him to the elders at meet meeting meetIng ing lug Sly Myson son James But then every everybody everybody everybody body knew he h was just j st Jimmy Jimmy believed in m fairies for I he had had an tn experience with the dried apple fairies and tho th wish vish apple Any body bod would believe belh in them after thaC It was wu 2 beautiful s day just the nd of oa a da a u real r tU boy feels rip e nough enough far for any of sport or mischief mis tUmmy jImmy haS haI been enjoying himself out in the corn field ever since dinner there Just hundreds of big orange yellow pumpkins out there and he engraved engrav d J S Jim Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy my and J Smith ton on their shining hides un until i the whole corn comfield field was like an autograph Dh album on a large scale That was was enough to jill flu to the brim any boys cup happiness Just JustI I 1 as he was ivas giving the fini touches and he jumped so 50 hard that his head b d 1 went bump through the th pumpkin and I he woke up He lie was tying h t J in the hay with his head II against the side of the tl barn His arm asin a n was asleep and felt queer and prick prickly ly jy but the pumpkin jack knife and andall andall andall all was gone g ne Jimmy shouted and shook himself to tomake tomake tomake make sure that he was all right and hearing the supper bell ben he grabbed his hatful of pt eggs ebbs slid down from fron the mow and ran for the house hous housOn On the table in the center sat at ata a great deep dish and in it nd d by bi crisp rI crusty cru ty S lp was some om to a m noth golden pumpkin he heI I heard his hf mother calling It t t Jimmy Jimmy Oh Ob Jimmy Ji nm He lie waited a few minutes to add some flourishes nourishes to his carving and not until the voice voce was heard calling him for forthe forthe forthe the third time and in a higher key did he respond res ond Im rma a comin And come he did stopping here and there thereto to alter the fresco on some of o othe othe the rallow t lIow fruit that seemed to his hi artistic eye to need retouching Now Nv w wand and then he poked at a with th the great eat toe of his bare foot Then he would w uld stop and measure me Sure the length of the toads jump Mrs Smith knew boys in jn general nd her own on in particular so she Said noth nothing nothIng nothIng ing about the tardy response to her call and nd not noted d with satisfaction that the filled with surprising rap rapidity rapIdity rapidity and that Jimmy was now devel developing developing developing a wonderful ability to find empty e pty water buckets among a row of ot apparently full fell ones Better hunt the eggs she said And nd Jimmy disappeared in the direction of ot the barn harn turning a handspring and nd cartwheel as a he went In the hencoop and under the barn harn eggs were ore plenty pl nty and putting utting them safely in a box oft 0 bran on the barn floor he scrambled into the har loft to look for hidden I nests Eggs fere tere ere scarce in the mow i and ho he had scarcely a hatful before he tired of the search besides this his new born bon spirit of industry was wan wanIng wanIng i Ing He tried skinning the cat from frogs the rafters and tumbled in a heap on the soft hay of the mow snow Then he tunneled into the hay bay and made caves c ves and forts forta It was hot in the mow and he crawled into a cool tunnel t in the hay to rest and hatch plans ians for the next day da Soon he thought he heard a soft mellow voice calling his name He I pinched to 10 make sure that he lie was awake then he heard the voice v ice calling again and Tas sure of it What do vou nu want said Jimmy Come down dOn here and h help helD ID me out said the mellow voice oice Who are ae you said sald Jimmy I was vas raised between two rows of o corn Cant you gu guss ss Punkin for fot certain said Jimmy y Then he looked about him and saw saw I buried in the hay at the bottom b tt m of the thC th tunnel a great golden gulden pumpkin Are re you in tn n the h e said he heYes heYes heYes Yes said the mellow voIce I r am the it ot o the th magic pumpkin Help me out boy bo Its very close in here How will wl I get bet you out Cut a hole around the stem said the fairy fair and Jimmy did as he was bidden As soon as the hole was cut out jumped a little man all dressed sed in yel yellow yellow low with great pumpkin seeds eeds on his clothes in place of buttons Thanks said he ie but you have been so 50 long about it I am sure to be late to the ball you have been so long find finding finding ing me Still I bear no malice you youcan youcan can have the magic pumpkin but mind I you dont cut pumpkins again And nd the fairy vanished before he fore Jimmy could c uld ask what ball it was and what the pumpkin was good for and lots of ot I other questions Perhaps the fairy was wasI wise in his day and generation and I knew boys bO Ts Jimmy examined examine the pumpkin and f found it just like lik any other except that the inside was Aas smooth and an the seeds were all gone As he felt about inside the pumpkin he felt very thirsty and wished for a glass lass of lemonade He no sooner wished than he felt some something something something thing cold slip into his hand inside the pumpkin Gee whiz said he as he drew out a sparkling glass of lemon lemonade lemonade lemonade ade Then he smacked his lips and wished for Ice cream and cake Out of the pumpkin came layer cake sponge cake and all an sorts sort cf of cake and a great dish of harlequin harl quin ice cream My eye ey But nut this is great said Jimmy I When he had feasted until he could hold no more he tried to think what he I would like best to have out of the pumpkin for f r he knew fairies seldom I granted more than thorn three wishes at one onetime onetime onetime time Think as hard as he could the only thing he could think of to wish for then was a bran new jack with four blades and a hook like Billy Barlows So lu h wished for tor it i and ands sure s re enough there lay a shining knife inside the pumpkin Now a new knife is useless to a boy unless he can cut something and the pumpkin was vas the only thing within reach Jimmy help thinking what a fine Jack it would make The thought was followed by action and the warning warn ing was forgotten The great pumpkin was hard and did not cut easily cas I He cut eyes and nose from the outside e but hut found he must cut from within to tomake tomake tomake I make the mouth for the lantern Soon after he put his arm into the pumpkin he felt a strange creepy pinching prickling feeling all through his arm Then he saw with horror that the pumpkin was closing about his arm The eyes ees nose and mouth were closing up and he was being slowly drawn wn into the pumpkin He tried to cry for help but he could only cry In a soft far away mellow voice like the pumpkin fairy The pumpkin kept kep t growing faster and faster and finally closed over his head with a snap He was inside the pumpkin He the smooth walls and the air seemed I close and suffocating The cramped quarters hurt dreadful dreadfully l lIy ly Iy and he was so frightened that he began to cry Why did I cut the pumpkin Ill never do it again I Id never cut any old pump pimp Pt mp kins Idas Then Thc something pricked him thing mottled with tints creamy gold golden en and brown Yum Yura said Jimmy Punkin pie for supper And he smacked his lips liDs 11 9 |