The Seven Vagabonds (From "Twice Told Tales")

A wanderer on a sunny spring day finds himself at a three‑way fork, the dust‑caked road to Boston stretching ahead, a sea‑bound trail to the left, and a hillier path toward Canada on the right. While hesitating, he spots a curious wagon—a tiny house on wheels—parked beneath a darkening sky, its door ajar and faint music drifting outward. An elderly, dignified keeper greets him, offering a brief shelter and a glimpse into something far more extraordinary than a simple roadside show.

Inside, the wagon houses a miniature tableau of New England life: craftsmen at their trades, elegantly dressed couples poised to dance, and a regiment of tiny soldiers frozen in formation. When the wagon’s barrel‑organ begins to play, the scene awakens—needles thread, hammers strike, dancers whirl, and a mischievous Merry‑Andrew cavorts, turning the static display into a bustling, living world. The narrator’s curiosity is piqued, inviting listeners to explore how this enchanted microcosm reflects the larger choices and curiosities of the human journey.