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The Box of Smiles, and Other Stories

Chapter 10: LITTLE DWARF COURAGE
By Laura Rountree Smith
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About This Book

A collection of brief, whimsical stories for children in which youngsters encounter fairies, enchanted objects, and tiny helpers who solve ordinary troubles with magic and playful mischief. Episodes include a tearful child carried to a dreamland where a wishing key unleashes smiles, a girl aided by shoemaker fairies who provide perfect slippers, and a Halloween tale about tattling and consequences. Each vignette mixes gentle moral lessons with jaunty verse, light humor, and colorful illustrations, emphasizing imagination, kindness, and courage while wrapping everyday worries in fantastical, reassuring resolutions.

LITTLE DWARF COURAGE

Once upon a time when Dot went to visit the Little Dwarfs that live in the woods she stayed all night.

She overslept, and woke at last when they were all at breakfast downstairs. She heard the “Click, click” of their silver spoons.

She knew the Dwarfs would soon go out on their travels so she dressed quickly and came downstairs and said, “Oh Dwarf Courage, please take me with you tonight.”

Then Dwarf Courage held his head on one side and Dwarf Laughter chuckled.

Dwarf Courage replied,

“You may follow up and down,
If you will wear a cap and gown.”

Dot said, “I can hardly wait for night, I want to see how you give children courage.”

Dwarf Courage said,

“Miss Dorothy Delia Drusilla Dot,
Night time will come as like as not.”

At last evening came, and they started out in cap and gown, Dwarf Courage saying,

“We’ll have to hurry, for it’s said,
Some children fear to go to bed.”

What fun they had when they came to town, running up one staircase, after another, helping the children to go happily to bed.

One little boy was afraid after he had gotten to bed and Dwarf Courage pulled aside the curtain and showed him the friendly moon and he went happily to sleep.

One little girl was afraid to stay alone in the dark and Dwarf Courage cried,

“The clock is company for you,
Just hear it sing “Cuckoo, cuckoo.”

Dot said, “I never thought before what little ’fraid cats some children are.”

At this, Dwarf Courage turned a backward somersault down the stairs and said,

“Honestly Dot, I will tell you,
There are some grown folks scarey too.”

They had hardly gotten outside when they saw an old man walking in the moon-light, “See,” said Dot. “He is really afraid of falling.”

Dot took one hand and Dwarf Courage the other and soon the old man was safe at home.

As they ran along giving every one courage, Dwarf Courage sang,

“They’re scared of rats and scared of mice
And often scared of things quite nice,
They’re scared at morning, night and noon,
They’re scared of faces in the moon,
Oh tell me, what would people do,
If Little Dwarf Courage were scarey too?”

They ran along through the woods and some one was singing,

“Umbrellas to lend, but none to sell,
Umbrellas to mend, come ring my bell.”

The rain was falling, “patter, patter, patter,” and they surely needed an umbrella.

Dot said, “Where is the house?”

Dwarf Courage answered,

“Look for the house, look in the tree,
There, a funny old man should be.”

They looked up and saw a cute little house in a tree and an old man stood at the door with umbrellas in each hand.

Dwarf Courage cried,

“See, old, man, we’ve come to borrow,
We’ll return them both to-morrow.”

Without a word in reply down sailed two little fairy umbrellas, and as Dot took one and Dwarf Courage took the other, they sailed right through the air to the little wee house in the woods, and Dwarf Laughter had a merry ha, ha, as they sailed in the open window.