OOOT-TOOT-TO-HOO! ​ ​A dear old brown owl sat on a branch in the soft moonlight crooning that cry quietly to herself. She was a warm, soft old thing, with great big deep eyes that could see even through the dark, and though many people were rather afraid of her she was really quite harmless, full of kindliness and also full of fun. She could see a joke, and her “Oot-toot-to-hoo” often rippled away in gurgling laughter. ***************************​ ​Once upon a time, many, many years ago, a poor man and his wife lived with their two children, Tommy and Betty, in a small cottage on the edge of a wood. The mother loved both the children but she was always having to find fault with them because they were lazy and forgetful and untidy. ​ They used to rush about the place yelling and playing their games, upsetting the furniture, breaking the crockery, spoiling their clothes and generally making themselves a nuisance.​ As long as they had a good time they never thought what a bother they were to other people.​ One evening at the end of a particularly busy day, the Mother sighed and said, "Oh dear, how different things were when we had a Brownie!"​ ​"What is a Brownie?" asked the children.​ "The Brownie," answered their Mother, "was a small creature who came to the house before anyone was up and swept the hearth and lit the fire, drew the water and got the breakfast ready. He tidied up the rooms, weeded the garden, he cleaned the shoes and put the children’s clothes away. He did every kind of useful work, but nobody ever saw him. He always slipped away before the people of the house got up, but he was the greatest blessing to everyone. All were happy and the home was bright and clean."​ "My word, I wish we had a Brownie!" exclaimed Tommy "He could do all our odd jobs for us."​ "Yes," agreed Betty, "and we should never have to tidy up after ourselves. Mother, do tell us how we can find a Brownie."​ "There's only one person who can tell you that," replied their Mother, "and that’s the wise brown owl in the woods. She knows all about the Brownies."​ So, after dark the two children went out into the wood to see the brown owl. Tommy led the way very bravely at first, but as the path got darker and darker in the silent woods he began to hang back and to feel sorry that he had started on the adventure. ​ But Betty was eager to find out about the Brownie, and though she felt nervous, she would not allow herself to turn back, and she pushed on, leading her brother after her. Presently they heard the uncanny hoo-hooting of the owl among the trees. It sounded so weird that for a moment they stood still and felt inclined to turn and run back home.​ But again Betty thought of their chance of learning about the Brownies and she stood her ground, and hearing once more the voice of the owl, which sounded more friendly as they got accustomed to it, they went forward and presently came to the tree in whose branches the owl was sitting.​ "Mrs. Owl, Mrs. Owl, we have come to see you," Betty whispered. Oo-hoo-hoo, I am glad to hear it. Climb up the tree, my dears, and sit by me on this branch." ​ They did so, and snuggled up closely against the soft, warm feathers of the bird. Then they told her their trouble, how they were always being bothered to work when they wanted to play, and how they had heard of the Brownies and wanted to get one to come and live in the house and do the odd jobs for them.​ "Oo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" chuckled the Owl. ​ "You see that pool down there. Go to the north side of it when the moon is bright and then turn round three times and say:​ "Twist me and turn me and show me the elf, I looked in the water and there saw …"​ "To get the finishing word of the rhyme look down into the water and there you will see the Brownie, and her name will fill in the rhyme that you want."​ So, when the moon was up, Betty went to the pool and turned herself round three times and cried:​ "Twist me and turn me and show me the elf.​ I looked in the water and there saw..... " ​ But she saw nothing at all except her own reflection. So she went back to the Owl and told her how she had seen no one there, but only her own reflection on the water, when she had been hoping to find a Brownie who would come to the house to do all the work.​ Then the Owl said, "Did you see no one whose name would make up the rhyme that I gave you?" ​ Betty said, "No one." ​ Mrs. Owl asked: "Whom did you see in the water?" ​ Betty replied, "Only myself".​ Then Mrs. Owl said, "Would not the word myself make the rhyme? ​ Betty thought of the rhyme.​ "Twist me and turn me and show me the elf, I looked in the water and there saw .... myself" "But I’m not a Brownie" said Betty.​ Mrs. Owl replied, "No, but you can be one if you try. ​You are a strong and active little girl. You could sweep the floor. You are clever enough to lay the fire and light it. You could fill the kettle and put it on to boil. You could tidy up the room and lay the breakfast things. You could make your bed and clean your shoes and fold up your clothes. You could do all these things before anyone else was up, so that when your Father and Mother came down they would think that the Brownies had been at work in the house" Betty and Tommy said goodnight to the Wise Owl and then went thoughtfully home. ​ Early next morning they slipped out of their beds before anyone was up. They cleaned up the place and lit the fire, put the breakfast all ready, and crept quietly back to their rooms, so that when their Father and Mother came down, expecting to have to do all the work themselves, they were astonished to find everything already done for them, and they thought the Brownies must have been there.​ Day after day this went on, and the children got more fun and happiness out of being helpful than they had ever got out of playing rowdy games or being lazy. ​ It was only a long time afterwards that their parents discovered that their own children were the Brownies who had helped them and then they were even more pleased!​ ​​OOOT-TOOT-TO-HOO! ... did you enjoy the story?