Identifier: littletom00till (find matches)
Title: Little Tom
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Tillie, V
Subjects:
Publisher: Prague :
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
is little altar, which ismost precious to us. Our kingdom lies in the corridors under the old castle and ex-tends to the well by the little chapel, and even to your hut. Our forefathers weretrue servants of your ancestors, the knights of the castle, and guarded for them theirtreasure. In this little altar are pictured the faces of our former kings.« The old lady was pleased that the gnomes wished thus to honor her little altarand readily gave her consent, that they might come to it in order to celebrate thechristening of their prince. The messenger bowed and, running quickly down her dressto the floor, disappeared through a little hole by the hearth. Immediately, frombehind the great hearth, came the most wonderful procession she had ever seen. First, came the pipers and the band of musicians, playing on strange, curvedtrumpets and beating drums that sounded like the hum of many flying insects. Be-hind them walked the old king and the young queen in long robes of spotted butterfly 12
Text Appearing After Image:
wings and wearing golden crowns that glistened with precious stones; then thenurse, bearing a little baby upon a cushion of silver cobweb, tied with a hair of gold.Following them were many dignitaries in gorgeous cloaks and, last of all, came menand women of the people, hurrying across the floor like little insects, for they werehardly any larger. When the procession of tiny folk reached the old ladys shoe, they fearlesslyclimbed up her skirt to her lap and on across her arms which rested on the press.She laughed to see the great crowd walk over her and was careful not to move -indeed, she hardly breathed - - lest she might hurt one of them. When all had gathered around the tree, one old man took the little prince in hisarms and, as the others knelt before him, he made them a long speech. The old ladycould not understand it at all, for it sounded to her like a fly buzzing on the windowpane; but, when the old man had finished, all shouted together: Long live our prince,Tom! May he reig

Note About Images