Once upon a time Dame Lazybones went to do a little spring-cleaning at Wizard Twinkle's castle. She was just like her name, and never did a thing unless she had to.
Now, when she got to the castle Wizard Twinkle was just going out. Good morning, Dame,' he said. 'Please scrub all the floors to-day - and do them well !'
He slammed the great door, and Dame Lazybones sighed and groaned. How dreadful to have to do so much work all at once ! Then she spied something that made her chuckle with delight. The wizard had left out his magic book of spells. The old dame ran to it ad turned up 'Scrubbbing brush.' She soon found what she wanted.
To make a brush scrub by magic; she read, 'take an ordinary brush, lay it down on it back, trip round it three time, cry, "Romany-ree" as you go, and then kick the brush in the air, saying "Scrub away, brush!'"
In great delight the old woman took the scrubbing-brush, laid it down on its back, and tripped round it three times, crying loudly 'Romany-ree!' Then up into the air she kicked the brush, shouting 'Scrub away, brush!'
The brush fell to the ground and then, to Dame Lazybones' great delight, it began to scrub the floor all by itself. You should have seen it! There was a large pail of soapy water just nearby, and the brush kept going to this and dipping itself in, and then scrubbing the floor with a fine, shishoo-shishoo-shishoo noise.
'Ah,' said Dame Lazybones, sitting herself down in the wizard's own armchair with a pleased smile. 'This is the best way to work - sitting down and watching something else!'
Well, it wasn't long before the old dame was fast asleep, and she snored gently whilst the scrubbing - brush went on working busily. It finished the floor of that room and went to the next. Then it went upstairs and did the bedroom floors. They were all of stone, and very dirty indeed, so the brush really did work hard.
At last all the floors were finished. The brush sat up on its end and looked round for something else to scrub. Ah yes! it would scrub the walls.
So it began. But it did't like the picture that hung here and there so it sent those down with a crash to the floor. That woke up Dame Lazybones, and she looked at the brush in horror.
'Stop! Stop!' she shouted. 'Whatever are you doing? Are you mad, brush?'
But the brush didn't stop. It began scrubbing the top of the stove and sent five saucepans, three kettles and a frying-pan flying off with great clangs and bags. Dame Lazybones rushed to the magic book and looked up the spell again - but to her great dismay there was nothing there about how to stop a magic brush from working. She didn't know what in the world to do. She rushed at the brush just as it was going into the larder, and tried to snatch it.
Crack ! It gave her such a rap on the knuckles that she cried out with pain.She tried to get hold of it again, and once more it tapped her smartly on the hand. Then it popped into the kitchen cupboard and began to scrub the shelves, sending everything flying out into the kitchen.
'Oof!' said the Dame Lazybones as a milk pudding landed on he shoulder.
'Ow!' she cried as a jelly slipped down her neck. Crash! Smash! Down went dishes of jam-tarts tins of cakes, joints of meat on the floor - and dear me, a large bottle of milk crashed down near the surprised kitchen cat, who at once began to lick it up with joy.
'Stop! Stop!' cried Dame Lazybones, in horror, to the excited brush. But nothing would make it stop! It went next to the windows and began to scrub those, and down came all the curtains on the floor.
And just at that moment the door opened and in came Wizard Twinkle! Oh my, how Dame Lazybones shivered and shook.
'oh, stop the brush, stop it!' she cried. But the wizard shook his head. 'It has one more job to do!' he said - and as he spoke, the brush flew over to poor Dame Lazybones and began to scrub her too! Oh, what a state she was in! How she ran, how it wasn't a bit of good, it gave her a good drubbing, rubbing and scrubbing!
Then the wizard clapped his hands and said, 'Romany-ree, come to me!' The brush hopped over to him, stood by his foot and did nothing more.
'See what your laziness has done!' said the wizard, looking all round with a frown at the dreadful mess everywhere. 'You will now clean up this where. "You will now clean up this place from top to bottom , Dame Lazybones - and never let me hear of your being Lazy again!'
'Oh, no sir, no sir!' wept Dame Lazybones as she hurried to pick up all the thing lying on the floor. 'Oh, I'll never be lazy again! Oh, that dreadful brush! Oh, deary, deary me!'
And you'll be glad to know that the old dame never was lazy again; she could't forget that magic brush!
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