Seven OClock Stories

Seven O'Clock Stories

Project Gutenberg's Seven O'Clock Stories, by Robert Gordon Anderson Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****
Title: Seven O'Clock Stories
Author: Robert Gordon Anderson
Release Date: April, 2005 [EBook #7802] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on May 18, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEVEN O'CLOCK STORIES ***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, William Flis, Ted Garvin and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

SEVEN O'CLOCK STORIES
BY
ROBERT GORDON ANDERSON

TO JEAN AND MALCOLM
TO WHOM THESE STORIES WERE FIRST TOLD

CONTENTS
FIRST NIGHT THE THREE HAPPY CHILDREN
SECOND NIGHT THE PLAYMATES OF THE THREE HAPPY CHILDREN
THIRD NIGHT NOISY FOLKS
FOURTH NIGHT JUST BEFORE SUPPER
FIFTH NIGHT THE TOYMAN
SIXTH NIGHT THE WILLOW WHISTLE
SEVENTH NIGHT MR. SCARECROW
EIGHTH NIGHT THE PRETTIEST FAIRY STORY IN THE WORLD
NINTH NIGHT ANOTHER TRUE FAIRY STORY
TENTH NIGHT THE HAPPY ENDING OF THE ORIOLE'S STORY
ELEVENTH NIGHT MOTHER HEN AND ROBBER HAWK
TWELFTH NIGHT ABOUT DUCKIE THE STEPCHILD AND THE LITTLE SHIP
THIRTEENTH NIGHT THE TALL ENEMY
FOURTEENTH NIGHT THE SLEIGH AND THE TINY REINDEER
FIFTEENTH NIGHT JACK FROST AND THE MAN-IN-THE-MOON
SIXTEENTH NIGHT SLOSHIN'
SEVENTEENTH NIGHT THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN
EIGHTEENTH NIGHT THE JOLLY CLOWN
NINETEENTH NIGHT WIENERWURST'S BRAVE BATTLE
TWENTIETH NIGHT THE LIONS OF THE NORTH WIND

ILLUSTRATIONS
"AND THERE ON THE HILL SAT A JOLLY OLD MAN, ROUND AND FAT, WITH A PIPE IN HIS MOUTH AND A SACK ON HIS BACK"
"THE THREE HAPPY CHILDREN LIVE IN THE COUNTRY"
"WIENERWURST CAUGHT A PRETTY PIGEON BY ITS TAIL AND BIT IT"
"THE DUCKS, THE SWANS, AND THE GEESE ARE VERY FOND OF THE POND, BUT THEIR COUSINS THINK IT A DREADFUL PLACE"
"PRIMROSE, DAISY, BUTTERCUP, AND OLD BLACK-EYED SUSAN WALKED INTO THE BIG BARN"
"ON THE LINE SOMETHING WRIGGLED. IT WAS ROUND AND SHINY AND GOLD"
"THE TOYMAN WORKED WITH HIS KNIFE VERY CAREFULLY"
"'THERE, OLD WOODEN TOP,' THE TOYMAN SPOKE TO MR. SCARECROW STERNLY"
"THE THREE HAPPY CHILDREN SET TO WORK WITH THE THREE SHINY RAKES"
"THE ORIOLES WERE VERY HAPPY BIRDS"
"FATHER AND MOTHER ORIOLE TAUGHT THEM TO FLY"
"THE EVIL EYE OF ROBBER HAWK LOOKED DOWN AT THE FRIGHTENED WHITE WYANDOTTES"
"THE WIND FILLED THE SAILS OF THE LITTLE SHIP AND OFF SHE WENT"
"ON THROUGH THE SNOW THE TALL ENEMY MARCHED"
"HITCHED TO THE SLEIGH WERE TWO TINY BROWN REINDEER WITH YELLOW HORNS"
"HE HAD ONE FRIEND LEFT, LITTLE WIENERWURST"
"THE TIGER LOOKED AT ALL THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WINDOWS AND DOORS"
"THE TOYMAN SAW MARMADUKE WAY UP ON THE BACK OF THE BIG ELEPHANT"
"QUICK AS A FLASH THE BIG DOG JUMPED AT LITTLE WIENERWURST"
"HE WASN'T AFRAID OF ANYTHING WHEN HE WAS SAFE IN THE TOYMAN'S ARMS"

FIRST NIGHT
THE THREE HAPPY CHILDREN
Not once upon a time but just now, in a white house by the side of a road, live three happy children.
Their mother and father gave them very odd names, for two old uncles and one aunt, which pleased the old people very much. Their names are all written in the big family Bible,--Jehosophat Green, Marmaduke Green, and Hepzebiah Green.
Jehosophat is just seven years old. His birthday comes on Thanksgiving Day this year. It does not come on Thanksgiving Day every year, of course. See if you can guess why.
Marmaduke is five, "going on six," he always says. Little Hepzebiah, who toddles after her brothers, tells everyone who comes to visit that she is "half-past three." She heard her brother say this once and she imitates all he does and says. Perhaps that is why her father calls her a "little monkey."
These happy children all live in the country. They do not know much about elevated trains and subways and automobiles and moving pictures but they do know a great deal about flowers and birds and chestnuts and picnics and lots of things which you would like too, if you lived in the country.
Each place you see has its advantages. All good is not found in the country, nor all in the city. If we keep both eyes open we will see lots of enjoyable and beautiful things wherever we are.
The house in which Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah live is large. It has many rooms to sleep in and eat in and play in.