The Surprise Pie The Magic Pots Polly and Betty were at the window watching for Grandmother.
Every year she came to see them on her birthday.
When Grandmother came, she had two packages.
The girls ran to help her.
Don't let them fall, she said.
They have magic in them, and the magic will not work if you let them fall.
What is in the packages? asked Polly and Betty.
Wait and see, said Grandmother.
After dinner, Grandmother said, Now we will open the packages.
Out of each package came a flower pot full of black dirt.
Each pot had three letters tied to it with strings.
Here is a magic pot for each of you, said Grandmother.
Each pot has three letters that tell you how to make the magic work.
Open the first letter now, the next one in four weeks, and the last one on Valentine Day.
Polly and Betty read their first letters.
Each letter said, Give your magic pot some water and put it in a dark place in the cellar.
Grandmother said Do just what the letters tell you, and some day your pots will give you a big surprise.
Thank you, Grandmother, said the girls.
Then they gave their flower pots some water and ran to put them in the cellar.
Four weeks after Grandmother had gone, each girl read her next letter.
It said, Give your pot another drink.
If you see any magic, put it in a north window and give it a little drink every day.
Betty found something in her magic pot that made her very happy.
A tiny plant was coming up.
Look, look, Polly, cried Betty.
My magic has started.
But Polly could not see anything in her own flower pot.
My magic is slower than yours, she said.
Betty put her flower pot upstairs in a north window.
Soon they could see little green leaves on the plant.
The two girls looked in a book about flowers and learned that Betty's plant was an Easter lily.
On Valentine Day, the girls read their last letters.
Each letter said, Put your pot in the sunshine and give it a drink every day.
So Betty put her lily in the sunshine.
When Easter came, Betty's plant had five pretty white flowers on it.
How beautiful they are, said Polly.
I am glad that your magic worked.
Polly's Surprise Poor Polly.
It looked as if there would never be anything in her flower pot.
Mine is a magic pot, too, she said.
I am sure that something will grow in it if I put it in the warm sunshine.
Mother whispered to Father.
The lily in Polly's flowerpot did not come up.
Something must have happened to it.
Don't you think we should get another plant for her?
Just then, Polly ran out of the room, and Father said to Mother, I'll tell you a secret.
I found some garden seeds and planted them in her flower pot.
Maybe something will come up.
Oh, look, Mother, cried Polly one day.
There is something green in my magic pot.
I'm going to have a lily, too.
Mother looked at the little plant and said It is not a lily, but your magic pot is going to give you a big surprise.
The little plant began to push out its green leaves very fast.
Soon it was too big for the flower pot. ìYour plant must have more room to grow,î said Father, and he took it out of the pot and planted it in the garden. ìWhat kind of plant is it?î Polly asked. ìThat is a secret,î answered Father. ìJust wait and see.î Pollyís little plant grew bigger and bigger.
Soon it had big yellow flowers.
After the flowers had gone, Polly found a little green ball on the plant.
She watched the little green ball every day.
First it was as big as her doll's head, then as big as her own head and soon bigger than father's head.
At last the big ball began to turn yellow.
Oh, now I know what it is, Polly cried one day.
It is a pumpkin.
It is a fine, big pumpkin, said her father, and it will be ripe soon.
Oh, Mother, said Polly, I know a good surprise for Grandmother's birthday this year.
Let's make her a pumpkin pie.
She still thinks my pumpkin was a lily.
When Grandmother came to visit them again, there was a fine birthday dinner.
When it was almost over, Polly ran to the kitchen and brought in a fine big pumpkin pie.
Here, Grandmother, she said, here is my Easter lily.
The magic pot turned it into a pumpkin pie.
After dinner, Grandmother laughed and said, That was the best Easter lily I ever ate.
