Transcriber’s Note: Table of Contents added.
THE CANDY COUNTRY
BY
LOUISA M. ALCOTT
AUTHOR OF “LITTLE WOMEN,” “LITTLE MEN,”
“AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL,” “AUNT JO’S SCRAP-BAG,”
“LULU’S LIBRARY,” ETC.
BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
Copyright, 1885,
By Louisa M. Alcott
Copyright, 1900,
By John S. P. Alcott
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A.
CONTENTS
“Hollo, what do you want?” he asked, staring at her.Page 10.
THE CANDY COUNTRY
“I shall take mamma’s red sun umbrella, it is so warm, and none of thechildren at school will have one like it,” said Lily, one day, as shewent through the hall.
“The wind is very high; I’m afraid you’ll be blown away if you carrythat big thing,” called Nurse from the window, as the red[Pg 2]umbrella wentbobbing down the garden walk with a small girl under it.
“I wish it would; I always wanted to go up in a balloon,” answered Lily,as she struggled out of the gate.
She got on very well till she came to the bridge and stopped to lookover the railing at the water running by so fast, and the turtlessunning themselves on the rocks. Lily was fond of throwing stones atthem; it was so funny to watch them tumble, heels over head, splash intothe water. Now, when she saw three big fellows close by, she stooped fora stone, and just at that minute a gale of wind nearly took the umbrellaout of her hand. She clutched it fast; and away she went like athistle-down, right up in the air, over river and hill, houses andtrees, faster and faster, till her head spun round, her breath was allgone, and she had to let go. The dear red umbrella flew away like aleaf; and Lily fell down, down, till she went crash into a tree whichgrew in such a curious place that she forgot her fright as she satlooking about her, wondering what part of the world it could be.
The tree looked as if made of glass or colored sugar; for she could seethrough the red[Pg 3]cherries, the green leaves, and the brown branches. Anagreeable smell met her nose; and she said at once, as any child would,“I smell candy!” She picked a cherry and ate it. Oh, how good itwas!—all sugar and no stone. The next discovery was such a delightfulone that she nearly fell off her perch;