Show h 6 P IN QI M i D jones T WAS the night before thanksgiving on the pantry windowsill window sill a long row of pumpkin pies lay rich and mellow waiting the next days feast the well picked turkey lay on his platter in silent majesty and from the cookie jars ars certain spicy odors wafred wafted prophecies of happy satisfaction for keen appetites all was still for everyone had gone to bed through the ills window presently the golden rays of the autumn moon stole pausing gently to rest on the pumpkin ples pies ali ah me sighed a R plump jolly looking pie how often we have watched that same moon from our place in the fields now how I 1 wish we were back there again I 1 As he be spoke they all heard a soft fluttering of 0 wings and when ahen he be had bad finished there alighted alight ea on the Z sill elu the prettiest little fairy they the y had ever seen been iier her eyes were its as blue as aa the lake on a sunny morning and her hair as lovely as the silken loss of the corn on her head was a crown studded with frost sparkles and her dress was trimmed with lace from the loom of the black witch known as the spider all right jolly pies you yoa may have your wish slie she said so saying she touched the pies with her wand and up they jumped the queerest little persons with fat laughing faces and long thin legs you may brolle wherever you yon wish she said but you must come back as soon as the cock blows his big silver trumpet then she drew aside the screen and away went the pumpkin pie people As aa they ran down through the garden the cabbages and carrots and par snips stared in surprise then they started to laugh and how they did laugh in fact one cabbage laughed so hard bard that he burst which was very careless of him and have bare happened if he be had bad been holding his tides sides but the pumpkin pie people care on and on they ran through the orchard and past the barns the pig eyed them N w ith a sleepy grunt but they were going so fast that he be think it worth his while to try to catch them finally they came to the w 41 P tep OZ aca acv the th pig eyed them with a sleepy grunt broad field where all summer they had bad hidden under the broad leaves from the hot rays of the tha sun and where they had been so happy till that dreadful day when they had bad been taken away and put into pies then the pumpkin pie people took hands and danced and sang so happy were they and their music had so much magic in it that even the frozen leaves of the pumpkin vines turned green again and waved in time with their dancing the rabbits and field mice came from far and near and stood about with their arms folded gravely watching the joyous scene all too soon the sound of the silver trumpet came over the field ile id the pumpkin vines withered up and lay stiff and lifeless as before and nd the mice and rabbits scampered away away scurried the pumpkin pie people back through the barnyard the orchard and the garden and very very quietly crept through the pantry window thank you kind fairy they said to the thanksgiving fairy who was waiting tor for them for answer she touched them with her wand and they sank to their places on oil the window sill as before then she disappeared but no one would have dreamed next day what a spice of mischief and adventure was in those pies which the cook bad never put there at all |