The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1863-05-12
The Benevolent Fairy.

Once there was fairy that had more beneyo
lent and enlarged views than most Of her
species. She said her people had done very
wrong in confining all their gifts 10 mankind,
who had long since ceased to be worthy OF
their glass slippers, magic rings, wonderful
mirrors, and pretty little luckpence; her heart
burned to be of service to the brute creation i.
SO she stepped up to cow which was grazing
by the wayside. riarco 2 $3.50 ro5 ~ p
'"Cow," said she, "what do you wish for
most in the whole world? If you will tell
me you shall have it,"
I The fairy was not much bigger than the
grasshopper, and the old COW thought it was
very presumptious in her TO pretend to have
such power. ,s.rF
"However there's no telling" thought the
COW, "for those little misquitoes that do SO
much misbchief are great deal smaller than
she in.". Then the cow said: 5sd r5
qH"If might have my wish would be
bird leo not like to be tied up in the barn
every night, and never be allowed to GO but
into one pasture. Tho birds have no troubles;
they are free and happy. They can fly away
from danger, and in winter they can warm
themselves by the sun. Then they are at
liberty to 60 all around The world, and gather
information from every country. am weary
. When the fairy heard these words she
touched her with wand and the COW chang.
ed TO a bird, and few mer,ly away. Soon
after the fairy met robin, and she said: arait
Pretty robin what would you most like in
the world?"
! IL should like to be whale" said the
bird think it is very degrading to be such
a mite Of creature as am; L always look
on anything large with envy Besides /
should like to live under tho water, because
should be so safe there; hawks could not find
me, or the guns of cruel men reach me-" z.
The fairy thought she was foolish bird,
but she did as che wished her; and she plung-
ed into the water with mighty noise. AS
the fairy stood upon the seashore she saw
another whale afar off, and she jumped into
an argonaut shell and went to the whale to
ask him il he were happy. f q"
"No am not" replied the whale: but /
am sure / should be if had been made
horse instead Of being made whale. Those
beautiful creatures do not have TO wait on
themselves; they are fed and tended, and
their coats brushed to shine like the sun. No
harpooners pursue them; they live in plenty,
and die in peaceful old age"
at is very strange" said the fairy, that
every Que should bo unhappy where God has
placed them; how true it is that each one
knows his own sorrows better than another"
She granted the whale her wish end then
few away, well contented that she bad that
day done three benevolent actions. n s5tsan
81 The following year the kind hearted fairy
sought out the creatures she had changed and
asked them if they were very happy.
II was very silly" said the COW, when
changed the petty troubles / had known and
tried, for greater ones bad never heard Of
was fool to think there was more freedom
in the air than on the earth. / have lived in
perpetual terror Of the hawks and guns. Oh,
wish were a cow again"
The fairy changed her toa COW, and the
grass tasted sweeter to her than it ever did,
Upon iuquiring it was found that the others
were as unhappy as she bad been. The
whale wounded by sword fish and pursued
by harpoons, wss dying to breathe the sweet
air no more, aud to build its nest among tho
green summer bougbs; while the horse, whip
ped and goadcd during the day, and tied up
through the night, Iongcd for the freedom Of
tho waves again. i sa. Ni.H