The Bottle Neck

Far below lay the towers and roofs of the town; people were so tiny that they were hardly visible at all.

Now it fell, but it was a quite different fall from the rabbit's. The Bottle turned somersaults in the air, and felt itself so young, so wild! It was half full of wine, but not for long. What a voyage! The sun glittered on the Bottle, and all eyes followed it; the balloon itself was already a considerable distance aloft, and soon the Bottle was out of view. It fell on a roof, and broke in two, but there was such spirit in the pieces that they couldn't remain still! They leaped and rolled, downward, downward until they reached the courtyard, where they broke into still smaller pieces. Only the neck of the Bottle was left whole; it looked as if it had been cut off cleanly with a diamond.

"It can be used as a bird glass," said the man who lived in the cellar. But he himself had neither bird nor cage, and it would hardly have been worth while to get them just because he had a bottle neck that might be used as a bird glass. He knew, however, that the old maid up in the attic could use it. So the Bottle Neck was taken upstairs, a cork was put in, and the part that had always been the top was now at the bottom - as often happens in life's changes; it was filled with fresh water, and was hung on the cage for the little bird who sang so merrily.

"Yes, you may well sing," said the Bottle Neck. And it was indeed a remarkable bottle neck, for it had been up in a balloon; this, however, was all that was known of its story. Now, in hanging here as a bird glass, it could hear the hum and buzz of people in the street below and the voice of the old maid in her chamber. She had a visitor just now, a friend of her own age, and they were talking - not about the bird glass, but about the myrtle at the window.

"You certainly shan't waste two dollars for a bridal bouquet for your daughter!" said the old maid. "You shall have a charming one from me, full of flowers! See how lovely my myrtle is!