“Oh, I know!” said Crow Shay. “I can’t do what Fairly Flew can do for you, but I can do this much; I can tell you how to summon her.”
“Will you please tell me?” begged Mary Frances.
“Indeed he will,” spoke up the Yarn Baby, who forgave very quickly. “We all love you because you are so anxious to learn our lessons. Begin, Crow Shay.”
“All right,” said Crow Shay. “When you want the fairy Fairly Flew during our lessons, just whisper this little rhyme:
“‘Fairy Fairly Flew, Please come, for I need you.’”
“That’s easy!” cried Mary Frances, repeating the rhyme:
“Fairy Fairly Flew, Please come, for I need you.”
[Illustration: “Here I am, little girl.”]
She had scarcely finished speaking when there came the light rustle of wings; and a tiny voice of silvery sweetness said, “Here I am, little girl. I always come to help those who try to learn their lessons. They may not always see me, but I put magic into their needles after they practice what they learn. They may not be able to work quite as quickly as you do when I am with you, but they can work pretty fast—so fast that people may say that the needles fairly flew.”
“How glad I am that you help other little girls, too,” said Mary Frances, taking the magic needle which the fairy held out. “Thank you for coming to me, dear Fairly Flew!”
Then she started to make the slippers—and you know how quickly they were finished.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” cried Mary Frances. “Now my dolly’s feet will keep warm.” And she put them on Mary Marie’s little feet.
“Footies nice and warm,” gurgled Mary Marie; “footies hidin’ away from Jack Frost,” and went on playing with her ball.
[Illustration: “Won’t that be splendid?”]
AFTER everybody had admired the little slippers, the Yarn Baby said, “If Mary Marie goes to kindergarten, she should have a little school-bag to carry her pictures and books in, I think.”
“Wouldn’t that be splendid!” cried Mary Frances. “What kind of yarn shall I use?”
[Illustration: “Let me look into the box.”]
“Let me look into the box,” replied Wooley Ball, rolling over to the end of the sewing table and peeping over the edge of the chest, “Oh, there is the very thing to use—ecru crochet cotton. Cotton will wear much better than wool for a bag.” As Mary Frances picked up the ball, the Yarn Baby began to give the directions for making—
