“I had a guinea, and my guinea pleased me;
  I tied my guinea behind a tree——­”

[Illustration:  The Duck.]

But here he stopped, with his mouth wide open; for up a tiny 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 the song down here before.”  And then he added:  “Don’t you think, now that we are all here, you’d better sing the song right end first, and be done with it?”