It was dark when we stopped at the Fairy-Land bars,
And over our heads there were millions of stars;
And I was quite frightened, but Jimmy looked bold,
And Alice just shivered—she said it was cold.
We timidly knocked, and then, just as I feared
They would not let us in, lo! the bars disappeared,
And the stars dropped right down from the sky, and behold!
Each one was a lamp for a fairy to hold.
And the fairies went dancing like leaves in the wind,
And beckoned to us as we crept on behind;
And queer little faces, brimful of surprise,
Looked out of the darkness with queer little eyes.
But O the sweet fairies! I never could tell
Of the rose-hues we saw in that wonderful dell—
The daffodil-yellow, the purple and green,
But the sweetest of all was the lily-white Queen.
They sang of the land of the Sugary Dews,
Where children may eat a whole pie, if they choose;
A wonderful land, which some day we shall see,
If the Shining Way leads us—Jim, Alice and me.
O we shouted with glee! and then to our surprise
The stars drifted back again into the skies,
The fairies all vanished, I covered my head,—
And when I looked up, we were all three in bed.