Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-27
Adapted from the German for The METHODIST.
A STORY FOR THE LITTLE FOLKS.
The FaIry's Gift.

The mother smiled. She loved dearl
to see the little faces full of interest, an
the bright eyes opening in wonder, Will
she led their young imaginations throug
the marvellous regions of dream-land
though she loved far more to tell then
stories of the gentle kindness Of God
and the ways in which bis holy Son heal
and blesses the very people that wer
trying to injure and kill him-for sh'
was good and pious woman, and fel
that she had to train these young hearts
for eternity. But now they begged for a
fairy tale, so she smiled, and began thus
There was once-Rot truly, my dar
lings; but this is the way in which stories
generally begin-there was once young
peasant to whom the mereiful God had
given every thing necessary for happy
life-health, courage, strength IN his
arms, good sense in his mind, little
house in the town and in the house a
coed and thrifty wife-but money or
property he had not. He never rose any
higher than night Waterman and the
village herdsman, and died very early.
His true-hearted wife soon followed, and
they left their son-the little nine>year-
old Anton--to get along as he could.
The town magistrate called meeting
afer the peasants burial, and it was
agreed that Aaton should be left in the
possession of his fathers hut, and have
the care of the village geese. So Anton
became the town goose boy.
"While his geese wandered among the
soft green grass and bright flowers of the
common, and ate the young stems and
nibble the white and yellow goose-weed,
Cabling all the time to their heart
content, Anton had nothing to do, and
might have filed his pockets with the
peass and apples from the trees that
grew on the green without even being
seen or even suspected. But, then, the
thought came into his mind: The holy
God will see it, and shall be no better
than theft so he turned away from the
temtation, and looked about under the
nine trees for the twigs and broken
branches blown down by the wind, and
of these he made churn-quills and spools
end cotton-reels, which he sold to the
wives and maidens of the town. With
the money thus earned he bought himself
a suit of holiday clothes, SO that when
there was a merry dance under the lin
dens on the green, the village maidens
would not be ashamed of him for part
ner But dancing was not all he thought
of: sometimes, while the geese fed, he sat
and read the books the schoolmaster had
lent him, and learned in this way so
many good and sensible things that, as
soon as he was old enough, the magi-
strate took him into his service.
"Anton grew to be q strong, healthy
man, and began to look about him for q
wife. Of all the village maidens, not
one seemed, in his eyes, 80 neat and
handy as Lisbeth, the rosy checked girl
that served the magistrates wife. But
there was no use in asking her to marry
him until he had home for her, and he
had sold the old log hut long before-all
he could do was to try and save up his
wages to buy or build q cottage; while
Lisbeth saved hers orfurniture to putt in
II. While all this was going on, where
was there so happy a fellow as our An
toni
"Just about this time it happened that
two powerful FAIRIES, who were sisters,
took fancy to take a journey round the
world, and, unseen themselves, to observe
mankind. So, in their tiny chariots,
they fioated off into the air, and stopped
fora while over the little lot of ground
that Anton had Iaetly beught, and which,
after his masters work was done each
day, he busted himself in cultivating for
a garden against he got hut built on it.
The eldest sister, whose name was Geld
reich, was dressed in a flowing robe of
tissue decked with diamonds, and dia
monds glittered also in her soft black
hair. She was seated in car which her
servants, the gnomes (or earth fsiries,)
had carved for her out of single ruby,
and its purple rays tinted the clouds as
she passed along. Thig car was drawn
by a pair of stately peacocks, whose
necks eIittered with purple and green
and gold. as she held them in with a
golden cord set with gems.
Her sister chariot was close beside
her. 1t was made of glittering snow,
and drawn by pair of silvery swans.
Lichtreich, as abe was called, was ever
more beautiful than Goldreich. Her
golden hair and pure fair brow were dec
Grated with stars formed by the rays Of
the sun; and, holding in her graceful
birds with q rein of silver set with pearls
she leaned over the side of her car to lis
ten to the song Anton was so merrily
trilling below her. 1t was this:
"swhat care for gold and storeI
You in the palce, what have they more
Than In my humble cotH
With health and strength and never a care
sing / work In the pure fresh air,
And bless my happy lot"
"'Wellr said Lichtreich, at last
There is one happy mortal, at last
One that does not make life misery
though he has but littlep
AYES, replied the beautiful Gold
reich. But he would DE far happier i
he were not obliged to work go hard ever
day
Lichtreich. Not if, by his work, he car
supply his want and fulfil his duties
Gold seldom makes people happy
"'I ask yonr pardon, said Coldreich
Gold, we'll used, is the source of tn,
greatest earthly happiness
"tYes; that is true, said Liehtreich
shat is true, if you mean the happiness
of doing good and making others happy
But, sister, there are very few .peopil
who have the wisdom to use it in thi
way. Ii seems 10 nave INC Gu "a SAA
ting up the heart and stopping up q
the warm feelings that would gush out
while honest labor acts in a way direct
contrary.
Nonsense, thou light dispensing
spriteI said Goldreich, merrily. Dos
thou thiak thou canst make people hap
by by putting them to shiver over thei
toll in some cold, open-roof room, or i
some damp, chilly cellarl Stuff | .Leav
this youth to mel ] can make him rio
and happy, and I'll do it too; and the
see if he is not a thousand times happie
than he can be in his present state.
"With these words she stretche
toward him her golden rod. Lichtreie
cast down upon him look of pitt
watched him one moment as he bent owe
his plough, still singing merrily, an
then guided her swans through the so
clouds and sailed off"
"AlI this time Anton fancied he ha
heard some bird over his head singin
yery sweetly, and thought it must be