1897: “My Trip to the Moon”
COLFAX — In the December 24, 1897, edition of the Colfax Messenger, the following story written by Helga Everson of Colfax was published. Helga was 12 years old.
“My Trip to the Moon”
One day when I was reading in a fairy story book named Mother Goose. As I sat there wishing to see that funny old woman when out of the fire there came a little man with a long beard and red face.
He said, “Do you really want to see Mother Goose?”
He told me that Mother Goose lived with the moon and his kingdom, and that he was one of the Moon’s servants.
The moon had sent him to get me to take a trip to the moon. I wanted to go very bad, so he took my hand and led me into the fire just where he had come out.
We went with the smoke up the chiminy. When we were out of the chiminy the little man or Little Dick as he said his name was set me comfortably on one of their whirling smokes.
We were near the clouds that was sailing in the air like great white ships. I thought I saw the moon’s large head peeping through the clouds. But we soon reached the moon’s kingdom as Little Dick called it. I was very hungry by the time we got there so Little Dick lead the way to a great castle made of only ice.
A servant met us at the door of the moon’s castle. But the moon’s head was so big he could not get it through the door so he stayed out all the time.
We wanted something to eat before visiting the moon. So we went to the big room where a large table in the center was spread with all kinds of delicious food. We sat down and ate and drank to our hearts content.
When were ready we went to visit the moon. His body was very small while his head was many times larger than his body. It was funny he could hold it up. He had small eyes, a clumsy nose, wide mouth and no hair.
He had on yellow pants that reached only to his knees, a green shirt without arms. He was sitting on a large cheese for cheese is plentiful there. There were great cheese mines in the ground.
Then I was ready to leave. Captain Nobody shouted after me until I was out of sight.
Helga Everson, Colfax, Wis., Age 12 years, 1897.
