Story Hour Readers, book 3 | Page 7

one gently.
There stood her Fairy Godmother.
"I wish I could--I wish I could--" sobbed Cinderella.
"You wish that you could go to the prince's ball," said the Fairy Godmother.
"Yes," nodded Cinderella.
"Stop crying and you may go," said the Fairy Godmother. "Run into the garden and bring me the largest pumpkin that you can find."
Cinderella could not think how a pumpkin would help her to go, but she obeyed.
The Fairy Godmother scooped out the inside of the pumpkin, leaving only the rind. She carried it to the kitchen door. Then she touched the rind with her wand. Instantly there stood a great coach covered with gold.
"Where shall we find horses for such a great coach?" cried Cinderella.
"Bring the mouse trap from the cellar," the Fairy Godmother replied.
"Here are six live mice in the trap," said Cinderella breathlessly.
The Fairy Godmother lifted the door of the trap. She touched each of the mice with her wand as it ran out. The mice became six beautiful white horses standing before the coach.
"Where shall we find a coachman to drive the horses?" asked Cinderella.
"Bring the rat trap to me," replied the Fairy Godmother.
Cinderella brought the rat trap, and in it was a large gray rat.
At a touch of the wand, the rat was changed into a coachman. He sat in state upon the coach.
"Now run into the garden again. You will find two lizards behind the watering pot. Bring them to me."
The Fairy Godmother touched the lizards with her wand. In their place stood two footmen in splendid livery.
They stepped to the back of the coach as if they had been footmen all their lives.
Then the kind Fairy Godmother touched Cinderella's clothes with her wand. The rags became a beautiful costume of satin, covered with pearls. In place of her old shoes were glass slippers that had been made by the fairies. They were the very prettiest little slippers in the world.
Never had Cinderella been so happy!
"Now you may go to the ball, but do not fail to leave before midnight," said the Fairy Godmother.
"If you stay until the clock strikes twelve," added the Fairy Godmother, "your coach will again become a pumpkin; your horses will be mice; your coachman will be a rat; your footmen will be lizards, and your beautiful dress will become rags."
Cinderella stepped into the coach. A few minutes later, the white horses dashed into the royal courtyard.
The door of the coach was flung open, and Cinderella stepped out.
As Cinderella entered the ball room, the prince hastened to meet her.
"Never," said he to himself, "have I seen anyone so lovely!"
Cinderella was so beautiful, so elegantly dressed, and she danced so well, that the prince fell in love with her. He would dance with no one else.
The evening passed away like a dream. Suddenly Cinderella heard a clock chime three quarters past eleven.
She bade the prince good-night and was soon on her way home in the pumpkin coach.
When Cinderella reached home, she found her Fairy Godmother waiting to hear about the ball.
"It was fine!" said Cinderella. "The prince has invited me to attend the ball to be given to-morrow night. Oh, how I wish that I might go!"
"You may certainly go to the prince's ball to-morrow night. I wish to make you very happy, dear child," said the Fairy Godmother.
By the time the mother and sisters had returned home from the ball, the Fairy Godmother had disappeared.
Cinderella was sitting by the kitchen fire in her rags.
"Do you not wish that you had been to the ball?" asked the sisters. "There was a wonderful princess there. The prince would dance with no one else."
"Who was she?" asked Cinderella.
"That we cannot say," answered the two sisters. "She would not tell her name, though the prince, on bended knee, begged her to do so."
The next night, as soon as the mother and sisters had started in their carriage to attend the ball, the Fairy Godmother appeared once more.
Again, at the touch of her wand, the pumpkin became a coach; the mice became horses; the rat became a coachman, and the lizards became footmen.
The Fairy Godmother touched Cinderella's clothes with her wand, and this time her rags became a beautiful costume of silver cloth, covered with rubies. In place of the worn-out shoes were the wonderful glass slippers.
"Whatever you do, remember to leave before the clock strikes twelve," said the Fairy Godmother, as Cinderella drove away.
When Cinderella arrived at the king's palace, the prince met her at the door. He would dance with no one else.
Cinderella was very happy. The hours passed swiftly away, but she left the palace before the clock struck twelve.
The king gave another ball the third night. This time Cinderella wore a costume of gold cloth, covered with sparkling diamonds; and on her feet were the wonderful glass slippers.
The prince met her at the