brown
path that led into the wood, came a little red man about a foot
high, dressed in green, and leading by a long yellow string a plump,
speckled guinea-hen! The little old man came whistling along until he
reached the Bantam, when he fastened the yellow string to her leg, and
went back again down the path, and disappeared among the trees.

Davie looked and wondered. Presently, the guinea stretched out her
neck and called to him in a funny voice:

"Why in the world don't you go on? Do you think I want to wait all day
for my turn to come?"

Davie began to sing again: "Guinea said----"

"Pot-rack! pot-rack!" instantly squeaked the speckled guinea-hen.

Davie jumped up. He was fairly frightened now. But his courage soon
came back. "I'm not afraid," he said to himself; "I'll see what the
end of this song will be!"--and he began to sing again:

"I bought a duck, and my duck pleased me;
I tied my duck behind a tree;
Duck said----"

"Quack! quack!" came from around the oak. But Davie went on:

[Illustration: The Dog.]

"I bought a dog, and the dog pleased me;
I tied my dog behind a tree;
Dog said----"

"Bow-wow!" said a little curly dog, as Davie came around the spreading
roots of the tree. There stood a little short-legged duck tied to the
guinea's leg, and to the duck's leg was fastened the wisest-looking
Scotch terrier, with spectacles on his nose and a walking-cane in his
paw.

The whole group looked up at Davie, who now felt perfectly confident
He sat down on a stone close by, and continued his song:

"I had a horse, and my horse pleased me;
I tied my horse behind a tree."

Davie stopped and looked down the little brown path. Then he clapped
his hands in great delight; for there came the little old man
leading by a golden bridle a snow-white pony, no bigger than Davie's
Newfoundland dog.

"Sure enough, it is a boy!" said the pony, as the old man tied his
bridle to the dog's hind leg, and then hurried away. "I thought so!
Boys are always bothering people."

[Illustration: The Horse.]

"Who are you, and where did you all come from?" asked delighted Davie.

"Why," said the pony, "we belong to the court of Her Majesty the Queen
of the Fairies. But, of course, when the song in which any of the
court voices are wanted, is sung, they all have to go."

"I'm sure I'm very sorry," said Davie. "But why haven't I ever seen
you all before?"

"Because," said the pony, "you have never sung t