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ALICE IN WONDERLAND
By LEWIS CARROLL ALICE sat nodding sleepily on a mossy bank beside her big sister, who was reading. Presently a pink-eyed white Rabbit ran by, looking at its watch and crying, "Oh dear-I shall be late!" Alice bounded after the Rabbit, across a field and into a hole under a hedge. After running through the hole a distance she suddenly stepped off into space and began to fall. She fell slowly, and it was a very pleasant sensation. Alice was wondering whether she would stop at the earth's center when, bump!-she landed on a heap of leaves, unhurt. The Rabbit was scampering down the passage. Springing to her feet, she pursued, but it disappeared around the next corner and Alice found herself in a long hall of many doors, all locked. On a table was a golden key which fitted the smallest door, only fifteen inches high. Unlocking this, she be-held a beautiful flower-garden, but could not squeeze through the door. On the table she found a bottle labeled "Drink Me." Alice tasted-it was delicious and she drank it all. Soon she shrank to only ten inches in height. "Now I can go into the garden!" cried Alice, running to the door, but, alas! she had relocked it and left the key on the table far beyond her reach. Beneath the table in a glass dish she found a cookie on which were the words, "Eat Me." She ate this and soon grew nine feet tall. Presently the Rabbit entered and, seeing Alice, fled in dismay, dropping his gloves and fan. Alice picked them up and began to fan herself. Soon she was only two feet high and dropped the fan in a fright. Thereupon she stopped growing smaller and knew it was a magic fan. Hearing footfalls, she turned to see the Rabbit standing near. It was nearly as tall as she and seemed very angry. "You go to my house and bring me a pair of gloves and a fan!" commanded the Rabbit, sternly. Alice, badly frightened, started to obey. Strangely enough, the hall vanished and she found her-self running through a deep wood. Soon she came to a little white house. The door-plate said "W. Rabbit." Entering, she hurried up-stairs to the Rabbit's bedroom and found, not gloves and a fan, but a bottle on the bureau. It was not labeled, but Alice drank the contents. She grew so rapidly that the room was hardly big enough to contain her, although she was lying on the floor with her head drawn up to her chin. While in this predicament some one threw a handful of pebbles through the window into the room. These turned into bits of candy. Alice ate several of them and soon shrank until she could escape from the house. Running into the wood, she sat down beside a mushroom to rest. "What can I do for you?" asked a voice. Alice looked up, and on top of the mushroom sat a blue Caterpillar, smoking a pipe. "Oh, please, sir," replied Alice, "make me larger!" "That's easy," said the Caterpillar; "one side of this mushroom will make you taller, and the other side shorter." Before Alice could ask more the Caterpillar disappeared. Alice broke off a piece from each side of the mushroom. After eating a bit of one she grew so short her chin struck her foot. Hastily eating some of the other, she grew so tall her head was among the tree-tops. "Oh dear, shall I never be my regular size again!" she cried, nibbling from the first piece and shrinking down to only nine inches. In despair she started to walk through the wood, and soon came to a little house about four feet high. Without knocking, Alice walked into the kitchen. The Duchess sat rocking a little pig in her lap, the Cook was sprinkling quantities of pepper into a kettle of soup, and a Cheshire Cat on the hearth grinned from ear to ear at her. All three sneezed violently from time to time. "Please go away-I don't like your grin," said Alice to the Cat. "All right," replied the Cat, and vanished, beginning with the tail and ending with the grin-but the grin remained after the rest had disappeared. To escape from this horrid grin Alice ran out of the house and into the wood, closely pursued by the grin. Seeing a little door open leading into a big tree. Alice slipped through and slammed the door behind her, shutting out the grin. Turning about, she at last found herself in the beautiful garden. Standing about a rose-tree near the entrance were three gardeners painting the white roses red. "Why are you doing that?" asked Alice. "Because," replied one, "the Queen does not fancy white roses." "Hush!" said another; "here comes the Queen now ! " Alice turned eagerly to behold the royal procession. There were soldiers with clubs, courtiers bedecked with diamonds, and the royal children were ornamented with hearts, while in and out among them hopped the White Rabbit. Last of all came the King and Queen of Hearts. When the Queen came to Alice she stopped and asked, "My child, do you play croquet?" "Y - y - y - yes," stammered Alice, much confused. "Then here is your mallet," replied the Queen, handing Alice a live flamingo. Then the game began, and such a crazy game of croquet Alice had never seen. The croquet balls were live hedgehogs and the soldiers bent over to make the arches. Besides, the ground was full of hummocks and ridges. All played at once. When Alice would get ready to hit her ball with the flamingo's head, either the hedgehog would walk off, or the soldier making the arch would stand up to rest his back. "How do you like the game?" asked a voice. Looking up, Alice beheld the grin of the Cheshire Cat. Before she could answer the Cat's head appeared, but no more of it. "I don't like it at all," replied Alice, drop-ping her mallet, which at once flew off. The Cat turned to look at the King, who did not like being grinned at, and complained to the Queen, who ordered the Cat beheaded on the spot. "That is all very well," said the King, "but I should like to know how it is possible to behead a cat which has no body?" While they were arguing the Cheshire Cat vanished, head, grin, and all. Alice went to look for her flamingo, but could not find it. When she returned, all the players had gone to the Palace. Alice followed and, entering, found a trial in progress. The King and Queen sat on their throne hearing the evidence. The Knave of Hearts was being tried for stealing some tarts the Queen had made. Several witnesses testified, but they talked of everything else except the stolen tarts. "What a silly trial ! " thought Alice, nibbling absent-mindedly at a piece of mush-room she had left. Almost before she knew it she grew so tall her head bumped against the ceiling. "Call the next witness!" commanded the King. "ALICE!" cried the White Rabbit. "But I don't know anything about the stolen tarts," protested Alice. "That's very important," remarked the King. "It's against the rules for a witness over a mile high to testify," said the Queen. "Leave this court at once!" ordered the King, addressing Alice. "I sha'n't leave until I hear the verdict," retorted Alice. "In that case," said the King, "let the jury consider the verdict." "Sentence first and verdict afterward," objected the Queen. "How absurd to have a sentence before a verdict!" said Alice, scornfully. "Off with that girl's head!" shouted the Queen, pointing at Alice. "Will you please stoop down so I can carry out the Queen's orders?" asked the Royal Executioner, politely. "No, I won't ! " cried Alice; "you are all nothing but a naughty pack of cards, anyhow, and I am not afraid of you!" Thereupon the whole pack rose up into the air and flew straight into Alice's face. "Come, Alice dear, wake up," said her big sister, shaking her gently; "you've been sleeping nearly an hour and it's time to go home." Then little Alice knew that her wonderful journey had been only a wonderful dream. |