From The Wish Fairy of the Sunshine and Shadow Forest by Alice Ross Colver; Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia, 1919; pp. 19-22.
“COME,” the Wish Fairy said to all the birds one day. “It’s time for our Spring cleaning.”
Now what do you suppose she meant by that? Well, she meant that all the birds must fly to her home in the rose bower, and there she shined them all up for the summer. She brushed their feathers and polished their backs and painted the faded spots, and when they flew away they were all clean and lovely for the rest of the year.
Some birds loved the Spring cleaning. Others hated it. Poll Parrot hated it. She fussed and wiggled every Spring, and to punish 20 her the Fairy always made her wait until the last one.
This year Miss Poll Parrot was crankier and more impatient than ever.
“You don’t have to paint me,” she began. “I’m just green all over — like the leaves and the grass. So what difference does it make?” (In those days all Poll Parrots were green all over.)
“Not another word!” scolded the Fairy. “It has to be done and you know it. You go and sit down under that bush and keep still.”
Poll Parrot wobbled to the bush and looked up at it. From dozens of branches hung cans of paint of all colors. There was red for the scarlet tanager; yellow for the oriole; black for the crow; blue for the bluebird — and a lot of others beside.
“I just wish her old paints 21
would upset,” she growled crossly. “Then there wouldn’t be any more Spring Cleaning.”
The Wish Fairy, who was busy dusting off little Miss Sparrow, heard.
She lifted her head and looked at sulky Miss Poll. Quick as a flash, she picked up her wand and waved it and Splash! All those paint cans turned themselves upside down and spilled their colors on Miss Poll’s head and back.
My! She was wet! And my! She was angry! And my! She was a messy sight! The colors ran together, and the other birds twittered and tittered. The Wish Fairy wouldn’t help her a bit, so she had to let herself dry in the sun, and she’s been streaked with all colors from that day to this.