Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-07-05

! pleasant shade in the heat Of noon. The
water In the spring was two or three feet deep
and clear cold stream wandered away from
1t, over white pebbly bed, TO tie Lake that
lay little way beyond. All around the
spring, and stretching away to the cottage
was s green lawn; aud Annie and her little
visitors Gsei to have pleasant tunes, sporting
| and playing and running about on il, like 50
maBy lambs. Annie would often look down
INTO the crystal spring, and wonder whe it was
down there, looking so swcetiy up and smiling
80 pleasantly upon her from the midst Of the
waters--.lEi BOW the trees could grow 20 bright
and green, standing, as it seemed to her, on
their tops, away down in the earth. Her
mother was sometimes alarmed lest her little
girl should fall into the snring and be drowned:
but good Providence that takes care Of little
children, seemed to be always watching over
her
The fairy talos Of Ter nurse would, some
times, corle to Annie i'm her dreams, and would
seem to be hot like the stories of the good
nurse. but realities; and che would see and
talk with the eliza things as though she were
awake and they all around her One day che
was out in the garden. 1t was a pleasant af-
ternoon IN June, and she was running about,
pulling blossom here, a pink there, a violet
from this tutt and rose from that bush, max
ing up bouquet, rs little girls are very apt TO
do, when they get loose in a garden where all
the sweet flowers grow.
All at once, she heard piercing little voice
crying in great distress:
Annie. dear Annie. Hasten to me,
Annie sweet Annie OH set me free!
Here in the tangie thorn,
Ever since break OF morn,
With plumase all sOied and torn,
Come, Annie. Come to me
Haste, Annie set ME free.
Help, or die.
Turning towards the place whence the voice
seemed 10 come, Annie saw a little bird. like
robin, with plumage white as snow that had
got fast in the clustering and tangled branches
OF a thoII-bush that grew in the hedge. She
parted the limbs and cut away the thorns un-
tli she could reach the poor little thing, and
then she took 1t carefully out of the bush and
held 1t to her bosom, and it seemed TO fondle
and nestle there as if it were SO happy,
We'll, after while. Annie sat the little bird
down on the ground, and it hoped gaily about,
and chlrped and sang 50 merrily, that Annie
was wonderfully delighted; and this WAS the
song OF the little bird, as it luttercd it, wings
and hoped along, now in the path and now
on the grass, all the time moving towards the
beautiful spring that came up from the roots
OF the maple trees that grew in the corner of
the lawn:
Come with me, Annie, dear,
ollow me, do not fear.
Down where the naples grow,
Down where the waters flow,
Come with me, there.
There, in the fairy ring,
There will We flowers bring
There VIII we dance and sing
Come with me, dear!
Annie had never heard a bird talk, and vet
she WAS neither surprised nor frightened, for
her nurse had told her thousand stories about
little birds talking, and there was something
30 loving III the Voice and the song, that she
followed without once thinking that there was
anything strange TO be afraid Of So the
little bird hoped along before Annie, all the
time talking aud sirsing, until they came to
the spring, where Annie sat down on the green
grass, and the little bird beside her. under the
shadow OF the naples that grew over the foun.
tain that came bubbling up by their roots
All at once there was a great shout-uot
great for its loudHess, like the shout of a great
many strOng-voiced mon, but of a thousand
tiny little VOICES not louder than tho cricket's.
but sweet and joyful as the music of harms, eli
among the spreading branches Of the trees
above her. 30 looking up, Annie saw thous.
ands OF little people, not larger than her thumb,
clustering and sT Tarnling like bees OH all the
branches, and among the leaves of the naples
They had little wings like the hummng- birds
and they were 80 beautiful, and sang So
swcetiy. Presently they all came down upon
the green grass, and danced and sang around
Annie and the little bird and it was pleas
cnt thing 10 see how lively and merry and
happy the elfn things were. After a while
they gathered around the spring, and one after
another dropped in until they were all gone,
and the little white bird followed themNand
Annie heard their sweet voices growing fainter
and fainter until they died away, down in the
depths of the fountain.
Annie was grieved to see these little people
and the beautiful white bird 60 down into the
faar ,,,h
she thought they were all drowned Presently
chorus of voices like the sounds of a music
box, came up from the fountain, faint and far
OF at first, but coming nearer and nearer, till
it seemed right 10 the spring, at her feet, and
she heard tie song Of thousands upon thous-
ands Of sweet little voices:
Dear Annie Dry your tears
Sweet Annie, Danish fears,
Down in the crystal spring
Hear how We fairies sing,
List to our Law.
Here meath the shady bowers
Fragrant with breath OF flowers,
Sport and play
Come with us, Annie, dear,
Come with Us, do not fear,
Come with us home.
Down In the crystal spring,
Down where we Fairies sing,
Come Annie Come.
Annie stepped to the fountain, and, looking |
down, saw away below her what seemed to be |
magnificent garden, filled with all kinds of |
beautiful flowers, and there were delightful |
paths and afbors, and summer houses and |
green lawns, and mounds covered with pinks |
and violets, and a hundred other sweet posies, |
and there were pleasant trees all covered with |
green foliage, and gay blossoms waving grace
fully in gentle breeze. Annie longed to 90 |
down to the Fairies Home, but she was afraid |
of the water. The little people, we said had |
wings like the humming bird 8, and they came
swarming up by thousands eut of the spring.
gathering around her, and some took hold Of |
her fingers, and some Of her feet, and some of |
her arms, and some Of her curis but gently |
and not SO as to hurt her; hundreds put their
little hands under her head, and they lifted
her thus from the ground and bore her gently
down into the fountain, the waters parting 20
that not thread Of her garments were wet; |
and down. down. softly and gently they bore |