  OVER the front door of Peter Poodle’s shop there now hangs a big and comical sign on which is painted a chubby little soldier with a red coat and a black hat. Right over the soldier, in black letters with curly red capitals, appears the name Peter Poodle, and beneath the soldier are the words, Toy Maker to the King. This is how it happened: One day a big wagon drove up in front of Peter Poodle’s shop; in it there was a large, flat, wooden box, sealed with the Royal Coat of Arms. “Does Mr. Poodle live here?” asked the driver. “Yes,” answered the toy maker. The next minute, much to the surprise of the little man, he saw the big box being deposited right in the middle of the floor of his shop. Mr. Poodle unscrewed the lid with trembling fingers. Inside, packed carefully, so it would not receive a single scratch, was the beautiful sign. With the sign also came a great parchment, signed and sealed with the Royal Arms. On this parchment were letters telling how Mr. Poodle had been made Toy Maker to the King. While Mr. Poodle was folding up the papers and wrappings that had come about the sign, so as to put them all away neatly, a little envelope dropped to the floor. This likewise bore the Royal Seal, and when Mr. Poodle had it open, he found a very kind note from the Queen ordering ever and ever so many toys for the Prince. It also contained an invitation for Mr. Poodle to come and visit at the Castle, together with a kind message from the Prince. {164} And now my story is at an end. I hope you will agree with me that Peter Poodle received what really was no more than he deserved, which, indeed, is but the very truth; for a finer little man it would be hard to find, as you surely would say could you know him as well as I do. What became of Rolie Polie? Did the little clown make a good King? Did Helen go to visit the Prince? And did they ever return to Toyville? Lucky those questions were asked so quickly, for the ink upon my pen was almost dry and I had drawn my chair to the fire for a little snooze before dinner. Yes, Helen visited the Prince, and with Mr. Poodle the two made many more trips to Toyville, and to the Realm of Mother Goose. Of course, after the Prince had been away for so long a time the King and Queen wanted to have him in the Castle near them always, but bye and bye, when Mr. Poodle came with the toys the Queen had ordered, and brought Helen with him, the Queen very kindly gave her consent to another trip to Toyville. Much to their surprise, upon again entering the Valley of Happiness, they found the Realm to be ruled not by Rolie Polie, but by King Hans the First, called by some King Hans the Happy, and by others Happy Hans. However, their surprise and wonder were soon dispelled by the Mayor, who told Mr. Poodle how, at the first meeting of the councillors following the departure of King Tommy and Queen Helen, it had been suggested that the name Rolie Polie, while being a fine one for a clown, really seemed too frivolous for a King, so by an act of Parliament it was changed to Hans the First. {165} Mr. Poodle highly commended this action, and then asked if the rule of Hans the First had been a happy one. The Mayor laughed merrily at that question. “Indeed it has,” said he; “but you may see for yourself, as the Court Historian has recorded it all in a big book.” Sure enough, when they reached the Castle there was the big book and on the cover were letters spelling words which read: A Most Marvellous History, Wherein is Recorded the Strange and Wonderous Happenings of Happy Hans. Mr. Poodle has often, since then, read all of that history to Helen and Tommy, and with them has had many a good laugh over its merry tales. I, too, have enjoyed a laugh over those quaint pages, for Mr. Poodle brought the book back with him from Toyville, and now keeps it in his shop, where anybody may read the words as easily as can be, for they are not at all big or hard to spell. Sometime, I think I will ask Mr. Poodle to allow me to send that History to the Printer Man and have more copies made, so that other little boys and girls can read all about Hans and his strange and wonderful adventures, of which there is no room to tell anything here, as anyone can see quite plainly, for there is only space enough left to print this one little picture. THE END. Original spelling and grammar have been generally retained, with some exceptions noted below. The transcriber produced the cover image from the original, and hereby assigns it to the public domain. Several illustrations were moved from within paragraphs to between nearby paragraphs. This results in some slight inaccuracy in the page references given in the “The Pictures”—the List of Illustrations—for the images originally facing pages 68 and 94. The illustration originally printed across facing pages 70 and 71 is marked herein as two illustrations, with a caption divided between the two. Original page images are available from archive.org—search for “peterpoodletoyma00brad”. Scanned images of two pages, including the frontispiece Page 16. Right quotation mark was inserted after ‘knew about Toyville.’. Page 17. Left quotation mark inserted before ‘Sometimes boys and girls’. Page 26. Left quotation mark was removed from the paragraph starting: ‘Tommy assisted’. Page 31. Right quotation mark was inserted after ‘name of Grumbletown.’. Page 32. Right quotation mark was inserted after ‘brigands or bandits.’. Page 36. Right quotation mark was inserted after ‘city of Toyville.’. Page 44. Right quotation mark was inserted after ‘least until eight.’. Page 62. Right quotation mark was inserted after ‘plans topsy turvy.’. Page 71. Right quotation mark was inserted after ‘be thought comical.’. Page 101. Left quotation mark was removed from ‘I tell you “I am a clever one’. Page 113. “cannon no the deck” to “cannon on the deck”. Page 135. “about no enter” to “about to enter”. Page 136. Left quotation mark inserted before “We” in “shouted the King. We must”. Page 159. ‘bringing Captain Pinkle and Captain Poddle.” Why, this’ to ‘bringing Captain Pinkle and Captain Poddle. Why, this’. |
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