Chapter One Hundred Thirty Eight
So many people are rereading Rachel Field's book about Hitty, without whom we would not exist, that we decided to do the same. We didn't even get through the first chapter when we got into a discussion about mountain ash wood. I am carved of mountain ash so became quite interested in the subject.
According to the book, the Old Peddler who carved our ancestor had brought this tiny piece of wood with him from Ireland. He carried it in his back pack to bring good luck as it was believed to have power against witchcraft and evil. Mrs. Preble could not abide by such superstitions but Phoebe was totally convinced that Hitty would always be protected.
The deeper we got into the discussion, the more we wanted to know. Was this just something from the book or was it more widely known? Just about this time, Esther discovered a little book our size titled "The Mountain Ash Fairy". She was intrigued by the title and ordered one for us. We were so excited when it arrived and could hardly wait to read it.
Oh what a magnificent book! The book cover is a picture of a fairy sitting in a mountain ash tree and inside is a poem by Cicely Mary Barker. We particularly love the first verse.
"They thought me once, a magic tree
Of wondrous lucky charm.
And at the door they planted me
To keep the house from harm."
We were so fascinated by the whole thing that we went immediately to the computer and 'Googled' for more information. We discovered that the lady who wrote the poem and drew the picture had made a series of flower fairies. We thought they all were lovely in the pictures but loved the Mountain Ash Fairy the very best.
We showed Esther the web site and asked her to get us the fairy. That particular one is 'retired' so she had to improvise and we are satisfied with her efforts. We do not have a mountain ash tree in which for her to sit but we hope she is happy in this potted plant!
Hmmmm, do you suppose my being made of mountain ash will protect our whole Hitty family?
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