CHAPTER 9 THE THIRD VALLEY
Soft strains of sweet and soothing music fell upon the ears of thechildren as the boat glided silently through the arch that led intothe Third Valley. Then the jagged rocks surrounding them melted awayin the rear, and they passed into a country that lay peaceful andsmiling under the pleasant rays of the sun.
At first, Dot thought the entire Valley was carpeted with soft, whiteplush, but afterward she found it was a silken moss which grewthickly everywhere. There were a few trees, with wide-spreadingbranches, and upon these grew beautiful flowers that filled the airwith delicate perfume, but in most places the Valley, which wasshaped like a great cup with gently sloping sides, was open to thewarm rays of summer sunshine which flooded it.
The entire scene was pretty to look upon; but what made thechildren's eyes open wide with wonder was the sight of hundreds oflittle, naked babies lying about upon the soft moss. They were wavingtheir dimpled arms about, kicking out their chubby feet, or holdingtheir tiny, fat thumbs in their mouths, while they cooed and crowedin a very happy and contented way. The breeze that blew gentlythrough the trees made the music Dot and Tot heard; but the strainswere soft and low, and seemed like a lullaby to hush the babies tosleep.
Some of these little ones were sleeping as the boat drew near, andthey looked cozy and comfortable as they lay curled up on the moss;but others were wide awake and full of playfulness, while none ofthem cried or fretted or seemed a bit cross.
The babies were not the only inhabitants of this strange Valley,however. Walking among them were several long-legged, solemn-lookingStorks, pure white in color, with splashes of black upon their wings.They appeared to act as nurses or guardians of the babies, and everynow and then would fill a bottle with sweet milk from the fountain,and placed it beside a baby that acted as if it might be hungry. Thisfountain stood in about the center of the Valley and sent many spraysof new milk into the air, from whence it fell in graceful curves intoa big basin of pure white marble. The nursing bottles were kept on awide shelf at the edge of the fountain, where they were handy for theStorks to use.
While Dot and Tot were looking at the strange sights of this Valley,which was so different from the others they had seen, their boatdrifted close to the shore, and one or two of the Storks came down tothe river bank and looked at them curiously with their bright eyes.
Then one of the big, long-legged birds spoke to them in a voice thatwas soft and pleasing. "Why did you come to our Valley?" it asked."You are too old to become babies again."
"Oh, we're not babies," said Dot, earnestly. "We're quite grown up.And we came here because we could not help it. In a few minutes wewill go away again into the next Valley."
"Oh," said the Stork, "very well."
"Isn't that milk I see in the fountain?" asked the child, after alittle pause.
"Certainly it is," answered the Stork; "we feed the babies with it."
"Could--could I have a drink of it?" asked Dot, who was thirsty fromeating so much candy.
"Why, bless the child! Of course you can. We have plenty and tospare. Come on shore at once, but be careful not to step on thebabies."
"I want a drink, too!" cried Tot, who had been so much astonished tohear a bird speak that he had remained silent until now.
"You may both drink as much as you wish," replied the Stork, in akindly voice.
So the children stepped out upon the bank and fastened their boat,that it might not float away without them. Then, taking each other'shands, they followed the Stork over the silken moss to the fountain.There were no cups, so Dot and Tot drank from bottles; but theythought it the most delicious milk they had ever tasted.
While Dot was drinking she happened to look up into the sky, andsomething she saw there made her utter a cry of surprise. A fleecy,flower-like bud was floating, lightly as thistle-down, high in theair, and seemed to be slowly dropping into the Valley.
"What is that?" asked the girl, wonderingly.
"That?" answered the Stork, turning its head sideways so that itsround, black eye could look at the sky; "why, that's a baby-blossomto be sure."
"And what is a baby-blossom?" inquired Dot.
"Wait a moment and you will see," replied the Stork.
Slowly and gently the white object floated downward, and even as Dotand Tot watched it, the fleecy blossom sank upon the moss a few feetfrom where they stood. Then one white leaf unfolded, and another, andstill another, until they saw lying in the center of the flower abeautiful baby, fast asleep. While the children looked upon thissight, hushed and silent at the wonder of it, the leaves of theblossom faded away and disappeared, while the new baby rolled overand opened wide its big, blue eyes.
"It will be hungry after the long journey," said the old Stork, and,filling a bottle at the fountain, the bird carried it in its longbill to the baby and began to feed it, crooning at the same time thefollowing verse:
Hushaby, lullaby, Sweet flower from the sky; Glad be thy dreams, for thy Life lies before thee. Soon shalt thou be at rest, Soon fondled and caressed, Pressed to the mother's breast Who will adore thee.
The baby looked up at the Stork, smiled sweetly and then closed itseyes in sleep; while Tot, who had watched this scene with muchinterest, asked in a low voice, "Do all the babies come from thesky?"
The old Stork did not seem to hear him; but another bird, which wasbusily filling nursing bottles at the fountain, replied:
"Certainly, they do."
"I should think it would get crowded," said practical Dot, "for herecomes another blossom."
"Two of 'em!" added Tot, looking upwards.
Indeed, two more of the baby-blossoms were seen floating down fromthe clear, blue sky, and the children watched them until they settledupon the white moss and opened their leaves, setting free two morerosy, new-born babies.
The Stork at the fountain was now singing an odd little song in asoft, cooing voice, and as Dot listened she caught the followingwords:
Coo-oo-oo, Coo-oo-oo! Babies are born ev'ry minute, 'tis true Babies are best when they're chubby and new; 'Most anybody will want one or two; Some people willingly take quite a few. Here comes another! For babies are due To fall when they're fresh and tender and new. Coo-oo-oo, Coo-oo-oo! Babies are blossoms that fall like the dew.
Just then the older Stork, which seemed to be the chief of thenurses, came toward the fountain and said to another of the birds,"It is time to take one of the babies into the world. They are comingquite fast to-day, and we must make room for the new ones."
"Very well," answered the other. They walked among the babies untilthey came to one quite big and strong, who was lying fast asleep.This baby the Stork picked up very tenderly and placed upon the otherbird's back, twining its little arms around the long, soft neck, towhich it clung tightly.
Then, spreading its great wings, the Stork flew into the air, bearingthe baby gently, and sailed over the edge of the Valley into theworld beyond, where it disappeared from view.
"That is the way we keep our Valley from getting crowded," said theold Stork.
"Do you suppose," asked Dot, "that I lived here once, when I was ababy?"
"Probably," answered the bird. "But, of course, I cannot remember allthe babies, especially after they grow big."
"Oh, of course not," exclaimed the girl.
"Course not," said Tot; "too many of 'em."
"Now, if you will excuse me, I'll feed the two babies who have justarrived," said the motherly old Stork; and so the children watched itand the other Storks for some time, and admired the gentle way inwhich they tended the babies, and heard again and again the crooningsong:
Hushaby, lullaby, Sweet flower from the sky,
which always seemed to have the effect of sending the babies tosleep.
Having taken one more drink at the fountain and said goodbye to thekind Storks, Dot and Tot returned to their boat.
As they pushed it out into the stream, Dot asked a Stork that stoodwatching them:
br /> "What is in the next Valley?"
"Oh, the Queen of all Merryland lives there," answered the bird, "forthat is the Fourth Valley, and lies in the center of the Seven."
Then, with a feeling of awe at their approach to the Queen who ruledthis wonderful land, the children turned their eyes anxiously towardthe fourth archway. But as the boat drifted through its entrance, Totlooked back into the Valley they were leaving and noticed anotherbaby-blossom floating down from the sky, while the voice of a Storksang softly:
"Coo-oo-oo, Coo-oo-oo! Babies are born every minute, 'tis true."