Everychild

he entered a deep forest. It was evening and the wind was sighing in

le garment made of silk, with slippers to match. He wore a very fine skull-cap, also of silk, and a pig-tail hung down his back. His eyes were very peculiar. They w

d at him. "I am trying to think of your name," said Everych

," returned the boy.

down by Aladdin on the Oriental rug. "And t

about the lamp just then. He turned his eyes, which seemed a bit askew, upon Everychild. "You were marching bravely as you

art was troubled. "Isn't it a

It is called The Road

inly. "It seems a little lonely," he ventured, thinking tha

ere sometimes. You see, it is a very long road, so tha

, and there was no sound s

le longer perhaps you will not walk so bravely." The

y, "Oh, yes, I shall. You see

nds?" aske

I wish you could have s

m hoping he will be a frien

the Masked Lady," c

repeated Aladdin

t me her

s lamp. "I'd rather persons didn't wear masks-of any s

child asked him, "But you, Aladdin-why are you m

rise. "Why, because I am the

et," he said, "with your wonderful lamp you ha

re comfortably on the Oriental rug, and at last he sighed de

believe this; and Aladdin re

would envy you and hate you; and if you sought to relieve their distress they would hate you more than ever in their hearts, because you would have degraded them. You would have to be a spendthrift, which is vulgar, or you would have to be a miser, which is mean.

verychild, unconvinced, "

e. But when you've got everything it is a good deal worse than not having anything. Because there's n

d never to get them?" said

e comes back from Arabia, where he has gone with the camel train, perhaps he will bring you a kite!' And I was very happy all the spring and summer, thinking I should have a kite when my uncle came back fr

Everychild, "wer

ught from far away in the Himalaya mountains. And I dreamed by day and night of the time when I should own the little doves. No coi

u got the li

the yen than for the little doves

ould buy something else you

th many yen. And I was very happy, planning how some day

" murmured Everychild, "and never got them,

he said. "But my poor mother was always happy, and she never rea

" inquired

ase; and the last thing she wished

hrough the forest and

for is that in most cases when you get a thing you find that you didn't really want it

hat Everychild felt constrained to say, "Why shouldn

ere is only one way in which I can be rid of it,

be rid of the lamp save on one condition. When I have wished for the best thing of all th

g of all?" mus

what is the best thing of all? And so I mus

same," he said after a pause, "it must be very nice to have a la

id, placing the lamp in Everychild's hands. And there was a malicious gleam in his slanting

lamp with trembling fingers. He rubbed it, hoping that Aladdin would not laugh at hi

ance at Aladdin. "Won't you make a wish?" he begged.

t make a wish. It was you who summoned

genie really looked like a person who had come to bring evil rather than good. And Everychild felt his heart pound

ak as if he were thoroughly experienced in making wishes,

genie was gone. His hand was resting upon something very soft and cool. It seemed like a carpet, though finer than any c

cold me for lying

from home he slept on the beautiful green carp

which had been given him was the very thing which poor begga