THE BOX OF SMILES

(Little Boo-Hoo—Is it Y-O-U?)

“What shall I do
For Little Boo-Hoo?”

cried mother one day.

Her little boy cried when he had his face washed, and cried when he had to get up, and cried when he had to go to bed, and cried when he went to school, or stubbed his toe, or lost a game of ball.

Little Fairy Light-Heart whispered to mother,

“I can help you soon it seems,
I’ll take him to the land of dreams.”

Before you could wink an eye-lash little Boo-Hoo was nid-nid-nodding, and in the twinkling of an eye Fairy Light-Heart said,

“The desert country is new to you,
We’ll travel together, Little Boo-Hoo!”

Little Boo-Hoo rubbed his eyes.

He was standing on a sand pile sure enough, and there were fairies all around him.

They were not fairies with happy, smiling faces, but they frowned and scolded while Fairy Long-Face cried,

“Little Boo-Hoo has cried for years,
He soon will be dissolved in tears!”

Then the most surprising thing happened!

Four and twenty little fairies came running with four and twenty little empty gold-fish bowls and Fairy Growly-Voice said,

“Really we don’t mean to tease, Sir,
Will you cry each bowl full please, Sir?”

The Elves and Fairies were very short of water in their desert home!

Before Little Boo-Hoo could shed a tear, Elf Big-Frown led a whole bucket brigade and said,

“Come, cry our buckets full for fun,
Then we can get our washing done.”

All the fairies set up a chorus,

“A bucket full, come cry with pleasure,
Little Boo-Hoo give good measure.”

Then Fairy Contrary said,

“Come cry a pond full, for we think
We’ll freeze it for a skating rink.”

Just as Little Boo-Hoo began to feel a tiny little bit scared under his left hand vest coat pocket, Fairy Light-Heart, who had left only for a minute, skipped first on one foot then on the other singing,

“In a hole, high in the tree,
See the little Wishing Key!”

Little Boo-Hoo looked above him, on a branch hung a little key.

He took it in his chubby little fingers and read on the key,

“If you travel miles and miles,
Perhaps you’ll find the Box of Smiles.”

Then the dimples began to play about his mouth, and because the fairy verse mentioned “miles” he thought as likely as not, the Box of Smiles might be near, for the fairies enjoy a joke!

He put his hand in the hole in a hollow tree beside him, and out came the Box of Smiles.

On the box was written,

“The Box of Smiles before you see,
Open with your Wishing Key.”

He put the key in the lock.

It turned with a click, click, click.

Out flew the smiles!

Big smiles, little smiles, middle-sized smiles,

“Smiles to fit most any face,
Smiles for every time and place!”

The fairies formed a magic ring and danced around Little Boo-Hoo, and while he was with them he never shed a tear! Every one smiled, and smiled.

Fairy Light-Heart took Little Boo-Hoo’s hand and they danced away, away, away, and when he awoke it was the dawn of day, and there hung the Wishing Key on a little blue ribbon, round his neck.

Whether he ever found the Box of Smiles again or not I do not know, but he was always dimpling and smiling and speaking of fairy gold-fish bowls, and wondering if the fairies ever got their washing done, and talking about fairies skating on a pond.

HE WAS STANDING ON A SAND PILE SURE ENOUGH AND THERE WERE FAIRIES ALL AROUND HIM (See page 10)

Whatever happened after that,

“He couldn’t cry and wouldn’t cry,
But he never told the reason why.”

If you find the Box of Smiles be very careful when you unlock it for,

When you unlock the box of smiles,
They’re apt to travel miles and miles,
They sing. It is true, to Little Boo-Hoo,
“Ha, ha, and ho, ho, we’re looking for you
Fairy Light-Heart is full of wiles,
Just ask her for the Box of Smiles.”