Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-04-13
THE QUEEN OF THE RYE FAIRIES.
a STORY FOR THE LITTLE FOLKS.

STORY FOR THE LITTLE FOLKS
Franz, said mother to her bow. Who
MAS lazlly walking into the garden, to pick a
handful OF berries, . have something for
YOU TO do. just see how high the peas are
You viii find some rods in the sumrner-house
take them and stick them for the peas TO
grow upon. They will then become a great
deal larger, and our garden viii look much
more handsome"
. But can't get some one else 10 do that
for me = asked the idle bov.
: Shame on you, Franz-vou seem 10 slirE,
the very slightet labor"
. But, mother replied the bow, TO excuse
himself, " we are lot so poor that we are
compelled to work for our bread What are
all the poor people for You could benefit
them by giving them work One moment
: you must make me do one thing, and the next
must do another. The sun Is hot TODAY.
too, and would rather 20 and sit under our
shady elm"
. # man she answered, would neither
labor with his mind nor hands, he would then
be no better than the dumb beast"
Franz Went reluctantly to his assiguedtasEz.
Tor lao dioiilsed 20 put his hands to any work.
His sister Emma had heard all that was said
though some distance of, and she came with
Der work basket and sat down on the grass
near were he began TO stiel the rods along
tie rows OF peas She took her knittIur-
work from her basket, though she liked labor
about little rs her brother Tbiurs did
not continue long in this way: and Franz
came dnt sat down beside Euma-to rest out
as he said, and wipe the Precipitation from his
lace. Meanwhile Hls sister let "a number of
stitches drop, and did not take the slightest
interest III her knitting
:" II mother she said q had not apnelr,.l
so serious, | would have asked her permits
sion Tor Is 70 take j walk along the meadow"
Franz answered, - Oh! would IL NOT is
more quiet and shady out youdcr in the rye
held? We cannot get a moments rest here
III the garden. | would like 20 slecp hero "a
little while, but the birds would 20 to singing
around nc, and the bees woald be buzZiug
about my ears. enIy think, those trouble
some bees are the same l.t.ie animals that
mother SAYS arg useful example to us of i'm
dustry. Now, you VAL not lind one Of these
pests IN the tall rye Indeed, l never saw or
heard OF one there. Let Us 60 out there a
little while. Fortunately for Us. the garden
gate is not locked
Oh , that would be fine | would be I'm
the greatest glee IN the rye-dcld for there
could catch the glisuening beetles, and pluck
the bright flowers"
And | could have a little while for sIeep.v
SAID Franz. Come ou-mothcr will not be
here again till afternoon, and we viii be back
long before that. Any time OF the day is
ia nobody can ever make me believe there
: any enjoyment IN work, for [ invariably get
tired Of it as soon as / get at il p"
DO YOU know what | would rather be
above everything else ?" said Emma II
would love 10 be a fairy, for 1t Is about the
fairies that our mother has told Us 50 many
nice Stories They ALWAYS live ike Queens
in the greatest happiness; and they dwell in
splendid castles built of gold and diamonds
and surrounded by gardens, where spring
never ends That would be the right kind of
life for me. Then l would have no stockings
10 knit, or dictionary-lesSons TO learn"
W hlIe this conversation was passing, the
two children We're going ont of the garden
gate into the meadow. Emma skipped about
after the great drag0n-tiies and uluckcG
many flowers of the lovehcst hue and sweet
est fragrance But Franz, after an hour or
more, climbed over the fence into the we
neld aud, when he had found a cool place I'M
the high grain, he lay down without troubling
himself as 10 whether or not he was breaking,
aft some fine stalks. Although it was only
midday, he was soon fast 4sleep
By and by, after Emma was tired of her cx-
ercise, she went into the rve-feld. and SAT.
resting her head upon her hand. near her
sleeping brother. All at once she saw, but
few steps from her, a beautiful little figure,
hardly rs long As her anger 4 wore dress
OF brlsht-red poppy blossom " hicn had a belt
around II on single blade of ribbon grass.
The hat that it wore was q snow-whire flower
which, on closer Inspection proved 10 be a
lilly of the valley Such a fascinating object
Emma had never beheld before. and al
though she had good many little porcelain
people on her table al home, the best of them
could not compare with this living figure
She rubbed her eyes very hard, for She thought
II must be q dream But the little form did
not vanish, and She pulled away the grass, 50
that she could see all its motions Then she
touched her brother very softly, who took it
very hard 70 be disturbed in such n refreshing
slumber. But when he saw the little lady
which his sister quietly pointed At. he was
just as much delighted At her as She vas
how quickly She stretched out her diu,iuutive
hands how lightly moved those little feet
that were clad in slippers of the smallest
muscle shells Now she took her rake of a
rose-twig, whose thorns served for teeth. ami
pulled all1the weeds up into a pile Then
she laid her rake down and directed her wac
on up through the high stalks OF rye to where
the weeds were. And such wagon "a il was A.,
1t was drawn by two ag-beetes, the reins
and halters made of cob-web, and the driver
so small that his blouse was "A blue-beIL \
host of such little figures, men and women
they were, surrounded the wagon. They