Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-04-14

pull i; and they struggled manfully without
even SO much as injuring a single stalk of
grain. The people who remained behind did
not lie down to sleep, but divided their time
between playing hide and seek behind a peb-
BILE, and game of ball with grain of sand.
would give anything if you could have seen
how happy they were while at play. They
never lost their temper, lesson to US never
TO get angry with playmate
The little woman In the red dress now ap-
peared among them, and took off her hat to
make aspeech to them They Immediately
collected around her, to hear what she might
say. She pointed toward the wagon, and in
formed them that in crossing a furrow, it be-
came SO deeply buried in the sand it was i'm
possible for the horses to draw it out
Thereupon they all started off to the scene of
the difficulty, and, after great exertion sue
ceeded in laying bridge over the chasm.
The trouble overcome, the wagon went safely
over, and all the workers joined hands and
had a Joy-dance; just as happy were they as
II they had never worked a moment in all
their life. They danced and played until the
wagon came back empty again, which they
soon loaded with more weeds. When it re-
turned the third time, a singular Circumstance
took place. Two little children came, with a
bucket of water for the tired laborers. Did
[ say bucket of water? Yes, den drop on
q cloUer leaf?
They were all very glad to get such re-
freshing drink, and, after everybody had
drank, the two children took the dishes out
of half nutshell, which served for their
cupboard, and after spreading the tablecloth
it was white rose-leaf-on the ground,
they made the dinner ready. The queen of
the company-for the little lady in the red
| dress was the queen-together with all the
fairies, who were her subjects, ate heartily
after their labor Their soup dish was an
| acorn-shell; and how sweetly did the food
smell to them still sweeter was the eating of
it. | know ouwould have been delighted to
see that repast. Not a dish was left IN
touched. Everybody had sharp appetite,
and no food was dropped on the table-cloth.
1t was just as clean when they finished as
when they commenced. And no one took up
any unnecessary room at the table, or in
fringed upon his neighbors rights, or talked
too loud, or too fast, or too much The
Queen sat on sprig of moss that the fairies
had taken from an old beech-tree. 1t was
the size of a canary birds bill, and all per-
sons called it the Queens throne. No other
fairy had such seat as this-they all sat on
| the ground.
Emma touched her brothers hand and said
These must certainly be the fairies that
| live in the rye-feld, and that loveliest of lit
| tie beings is Roggenmuhme, Queen of the
Rye Fairies. Mother has frequently told us
about them, you know; but [ never thought
| they were so beautiful and industrious as thew
really are"
81 supposed mother was only in Jest when
! she spoke of them. But it is a fact-these
little people, with their good Queen, work
just as earnestly as the very poorest peasants.
And after all their hard labor, they are as
| happy as mortals can be- Such a thing as
that had never dreamed Of"
"What beautiful games they played, and
not one of the fairies got angry Neither
did | see any of their clothing soied or torn
when they came to the table. They all look
ed as if they had just sprung out of band
| box. Their food was so sweet to them, too,
though there was but very little of it."
" 1t cannot be possible that labor makes a
good appetite ?"
"Well, let us try it, Franz, when we Get
home"
Dinner was all over, the dishes washed and
put away in the cupboard. Then the fairies
started off to their work. and on the way
sang the most beautiful song that [ ever
heard 1t was not so loud as birds sing, but
Franz did not follow them to their labor, but
were anxious, by this time, to return home
AS they arose, the fairies saw them and they
all ran away. They did not know that there
had been any spectators at their business
duties, dinner and play.
| Suddenly storm arose, and Franz declar-
ed it would catch them before they could get
home The lightning flashed so much that
| they were much frightened, and from the
bottom of their hearts did they regret that
they had left the garden. The storm came
on violently, and almost an hour passed by
before they reached home. They were wet
through and stood trembling with cold. Then
mother, all pale from anxiety, met them. She
did not reprove them when she saw their i'll
condition, but, lest they should be sick, di,
rected them to go to bed at once.
| That same night, Franz became very sick,
and a long, severe fever came on in conse-
quence of the cold he had caught from being
wet Many weeks he had to lie in his bed
and often he was heard to say: "Oh if
were only well again it is so tedious to lie in
the bed sick. do wish l could go out and
do some little work, for as often as think OF
the little fairies, and that they are not com
PEELED to do it, 1 must think there is real
pleasure in activity and toll. Now I can lie
here and sleep the whole day, but don't en-
| JOY it in the least; and just as soon as am
well again, will be as industrious and happy
as the Fairies of the Rye-feld."
Emma had told her mother all that had
happened to Franz and herself, and promised
| to take the fairies for an example of industry
and contentment. From that day forth she
could sit quietly and attend to whatever du-
! ties her mother assigned her and never had
she been so happy in all her former life
! When Franz had recovered and went out
into the garden for the first time, he found
the peas had been bearing, and he sorrowful-
| ly reflected that they had been cared for by
other hands than his. Afterward, he labored
every day in the garden, and took the great
est pleasure in training the fower-beds, and
| keeping the walks free from grass In the
evening he would sit, in company with his
mother and Emma, and read aloud to them,
instead of sleeping on the sofa, as he used to
do. Nobody would have taken either him Or
his sister for the same children that were so
disconnected and idle. 1t was a lovely scene
to see them at their work and, would you
| believe it, they never forgot word of the
| song the fairies sang after dinner and often
sang it themselves. They lived to be of
| great age. Emma became a distinguished
authoress, and Franz became an honored SEN
ator.-Fronl the German.
Perhaps you did not know that had
corns," SAID good natured man, as a stran-
ger set his carpet bag down on the end of his
toes in crowded car. "Much obliged to
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