ding on one leg, not daring
to open his eyes, for fear the charm would be broken, and only wishing
that the little old woman were with him. At last the house stopped,
moving with another jerk, that sent the little old man toppling back in
his rocking chair, and a moment afterward the door was opened a little
bit, and a strange voice said, "Well, here we are at the village, old
gentleman, begging your pardon," and then all was silent.

Up jumped the little old man, opening his eyes very wide this time,
hobbled to the door, and looked out. There, sure enough, he was, in the
pleasant, shady village street, with the church directly opposite, so
nice for Sundays, and nothing to be seen but a drove of cows and oxen
going down the road at some distance!

"Well, was there ever anything known like this?" cried Mr. Timmy
Timmens. "If this isn't the most wonderful fairy doings I ever heard of!
I must go right off to find Polly, and tell her the happy news."

So saying, he went down the bright yellow steps, carefully shut the
bright blue door behind him, and toddled off as fast as he could to the
common.

Now the little old woman, before she had finished digging up the
potatuses, found the sun very warm and herself very sleepy, and thinking
her husband would be sure to call her when twelve o'clock came, she just
got under the shade of the tomatuses, and went off in a nice nap. When
she woke, she jumped up in a hurry, exclaiming, "Why, bless me--how
could I have forgotten about twelve o'clock? I must make haste into the
house this minute." But where was the house? The little old woman stared
all around until she nearly stared her eyes out, but it was nowhere to
be seen.

"Why, my goodness gracious, stars, and what's-his-names!" squealed the
little old woman, letting fall her knife and basket; "where has the
house runned to? Timmy must have tried the fairy charm without ever
telling me! I mean to go right to the village and see if it is there."

So she gathered up her basket and knife, stuffed the basket, and her
apron, and her pockets with all the vegetables she could carry, and
started off for the village. Before she was half way there, however, she
met her husband. "Where is it?" "There it is!" they called at the same
moment, and falling into each other's arms and a mud puddle, they stood
for a long time, saying by turns: "Did you ever?" "No, I never!" "Would
you believe it?" "Not 'less I see'd it!" and then they took hold o