The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-14

A raTRYT TALE FOR ALL AGES

FAIRY TALE FOR ALL AGES.
LITTLE Denis had lived all his life among
stayn GLOOMY people, in an ugly town. He |
was high-spirited boy, fond of fun and NOISY
games but for these he had little opp0rtnni-
ty. He was taught by grave stlict school,
master, who did not like children, and he was
expected TO make no noise even in play time.
He was a beauty-loviug boy, too, who cared
for sunlight, bright cOlors, and pretty faces
but he lived in a smoky, dull, street, in our JAR
house, with old and shabby furniture WIN" tnm
for companions he had his guardian. a . i,,
hard man, with features that look as . IL sn,,
had been cut out OF wood, ana an orn INV sharn
with a face inst like witch, and very shafp
scolding tongue. Therefore Denis was hoC
very hsnnv and he was always gettnS mtC
scrapes. lie had slid down the bausters and
scratched the last inch of paint OIL the bottom |
stair: or he had made an enchanted castle oil
fine clothes horse and rumpled all the sheets |
that were drying before the fire; or he had
filed the sugar basin with mould, and was
trying to use it as Hover pot, and grow a
geranium in it. Very mischievous things
perhaps to do, but he had SO little to amuse
him! Then he was punished more than he
quite deserved, and that put him in passion,
and SO he got the character of very bad boy
indeed. rs-.. ...
him that he was to go away into the country,
and stay with some friends there Denis was
glad, for he thought any change would De
pleasant but he did not know how deliSht'ul
he should find The country till he really got
there. 1t was evening when he arrived SO
that he could not see what the outside OF his
new home was like, but when the door was
opened kind people came to meet him, and
drew him into a pleasant cheerful room, ana
welcomed him as if he was boy OF their
own. With them there was little girl, with
bright eyes, that laughed and danced, and a
color that came and went, and came again
continually, when anything pleased or excited
her.
1 am glad you are come" she said ct
think 1 shall like you.'
81 know shall like you," Denis said, very
decidedly. You are pretty, and your eyes
shine"
Il am glad of that" she said; think it
must be because am SO happy" And per-
haps itwa
Then she told him her name was Ellie; and
she asked him what his name was, and where
he had lived all his life. When he had told
her all about it. she sad:-
81 am sorry for yod; L think you must have
been very unhappy. But you will forget all
that now. Tomorrow will take YOU into
Fairy Land and we will be so happy
Into Fairy Landw said Denis and he
opened his eyes quite wide with astonish-
ment.
Yes" said Ellie. i" go every day. You
don't know how delightful it is. Only wait
till to morrow
Then Denis went to bed, and dreamed
about Fairy Land.
In the morning Ellie opened the glass door
of the drawing-room, and they went out to-
gether. just before them was a broad turf
walk, with trees on either side; the branches
arched, and met overhead, and made cool
shadows on the grass, and the sunshine lay
between them, still and hot. Ellie took Den
ISIS hand and led him down. and at the end
was FAIRY Land. Denis did n ot know that it
was Fairy Land at first, but he thought it
was wonderfully beautiful. 81 never saw any,
thing like this" he said.
1t was glorious garden. There were no
cankers on the roses; there was no blight on
the apple tees; there was not such a thing as
plum TOO sour 70 be nice, or a peach that
tasted woolly; all the fruit was delicious all
the flowers were lovely. 1t was never too
hot too cold; the fairies kept the air Just
right children; the turf was never too damp
to play upon, and yet never burned up; and
you cannot imagine such beautiful colors as
the fairies had put upon all the wet stones in
the stream.
"Come," said Ellie, 81 will show YOU all
about the fairies"
She showed him the dandeon fairy clocks,
and the way the little fairies wnisked off the
down with their wings to mark the time
Then they looked at the fairy spears in the
PUSHES, and the magic butter cups, that tell |
whether children are fond of butter by throw
ing yellow shadows on the chin when they
are held underneath it. Next Ellie showed
the rings where the fairy dance had gone on
the night before she found the big daisy on
which the queen had sat, and all the mrsh-
rooms which she had made spring up for
tents: I'VE may eat these" Ellie said; sthe
queen will make more for tonight; she never
has the same tents twice." 'ar
Then they discovered the folded iris, in
which one little fairy had gone to sleep dur
ing the heat of the day, but they would not
look in, for fear of disturbing her, so they
went and drank honey out of the fairy bottles
in the clover
Day by day the children came and PLAYED
in Fairy Land. The fairies loved them very
much. and each day they made the garden
more beautiful for them. When they were
tired OF running about and seeing all the
lovely things around them they would lie
down on the grass and put their heads close
together till the brown hair mixed, and you
could scarcely tell where Denis's crisp curIs
ended and Ellie's wavy locks began. Lying
thus with their eyes shut they could hear
the fairy whispers all round them, and the
rustic of elhn wings as they flew past: and so !
life PASSED happily and quickly as long
summers day.
But after some months Denis was obliged |
TO go back to the cold work a-day world |
again. The childred parted with many tears |
as ii it was forever, and indeed it was long |
years before they met again. Denis went to !
school and worked hard, and gained prizes |
and had many proud, happy moments, but
saw no Fairy Land. He grew up, and then
he lived busy, harassed lie, for lie had his
own way to make in the world. Sometimes
he was successful, and reoiced sometimes he
had great troubles, and fretted and chafed
under them. But he never had time TO think
OF anything but the business of the moment:
and as Tor the fairies and Fairy Land he had |
come to disbeieve in them altogether, He |
had forgotten his childish experience of such |
things. Still he remembered sometimes his
old kind friends and little Ellie, and was very
glad when he was at last able to DO back for a
WISH 10 ms country home. The place seemed |
unchanged, he thought, as he approached ex-
cept that the house looked smaller than il
used to LOOK, and the drive up TO it less wide.
Inc rooms were the same, yet different, The
AtlnitIie hau not been changed, but stood
each thing IN its old place; but the Great CHI
ma vase OF pot-pourri had lost the wonderful
ar OF mystery there used to be about it. which
made IL seem as all sorts of things might he
hidden at the bottom OF iG The picture. too.
Oh tne smlllnS lady in riding habit looped |
up ana nat with long dropping feather,
NJ iohser seemed so beautiful, or put such
history, and whom she was going to ride with. |
she used to be. by turns, an enchanted prime |
ess; an ardent follower OF Prince Charles Ed |
ward, just going to warn him against his enc /
mics; naughty lady, who had bid her lover |
achieve some wonderful deed before he again l
appeared before her. and who was going out
hawklng in the meanwhile. Now she was /
merely a fantastic woman with sinirk. Den /
ISIS old friends, however, had not altered /
much, and they scarcely appeared to him old.
er than when he was boy. They welcomed
him gladly, and then he locked round for
Ellie, wondering what she would have become
now she was grown up. E -- Fra
She was very pretty indeed. Her wavy hair
was fastened up in coils round aud round her
head, and she walked now sometimes instead |
of running; but her step was as light as ever.
and her eyes were as bright, and they still |
shone because she was so happy.o 1t was |
easy to see that she knew great deal about |
the fairies just as she used to do. As she
looked at Denis, by his grave, sad face She
guessed that he did not remember them. This
time she did not say to him, Il will show Won
the falrles." But when they walked out of
doors their steps naturally turned down the
turf-walk, where the changing sun and shade
lay as they used TO lie ten years AGO. AZ tbev
went they talked of all that had banneneS
since they were last together. Denis talJ Of
his difficult struggling life-Ellie of her ouiet
hnFa L