wonder, and ticked out, merrily,

"Well, Caddy, Caddy, Caddy,
Tick-a-tock-tick-tock!
How's this for a clock?
Ha! ha! It's not so bad--eh?"

[Illustration: CADDY LEANED AGAINST HER TALL FRIEND.]

Caddy leaned against her tall friend, and asked, very comfortably, "Are
your little clocks coming?"

At this question the old clock ticked slowly off on her minute-finger,

"Inty-minty-cuty-corn,
Ap-ple seeds and ap-ple thorn,
Wire bri-er, lim-ber lock,
Three wheels in a clock!"

At that last word suddenly the curling wires all over the walls gave out
a curious tinkling, and letting themselves swiftly down in long slender
spirals, like the dandelion curls you make in the spring, each set a
tiny little clock on the floor. Then all the wires snapped back to their
places on the wall. There were as many as fifty of these little clocks,
beautifully made, and no two of them alike, though they all had little
brass hands reaching out of the sides of their cases, and they all had
little brass feet, on which they hopped about nimbly, and they all
ticked together in the funniest way.

"Tick-a-tock-tarty,
It's Caddy's party,"

said the old clock, and the little clocks instantly made a circle around
Caddy, and each bent one knee and slid back one little brass foot in the
most polite courtesy to Caddy. One of the oldest of the little clocks
then hopped off to a tiny wire harp that stood in a corner, and began to
play a sweet lively waltz with her queer brass fingers. The rest of the
clocks came one after another and led Caddy out and waltzed with her.
Caddy had never danced so much in all her life, and had never liked it
half so well.

"Tick-a-tock, stop feet,
Little Caddy must eat,"

said the old clock. And, oh! what a supper that was to hungry, happy
little Caddy! and how happy the little clocks were to have such a good
little girl as Caddy with them! They gave her the best of everything
upon the table, and waited to see that she had all she wished before
they even thought of eating for themselves. They told her all sorts of
droll stories, and one little clock astonished Caddy very much by
opening her little silver tunic and showing Caddy--who had not quite
believed it before--that the little wheels actually did eat up the juicy
fruits. "I wonder if _I_ am full of little wheels," said Caddy. Then
Caddy's little key sighed, for it was just the least bit tired, and
Caddy's "I wonder" meant work for th