The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-11-01
ELISE,S VANITY.
The Story OF the Miller. Daughter.

ELISE'S VANITY.
The Story OF the MiIler's Daughter.
The vanity of the fair sex, 1t Is said,
is of the same age rs the sex itself. A
clever writer, in defending this trait of
The feminine character, has said that
it constitutes its greatest charm that,
without it, the sex would lose half its
attraction; and in support of this
theory there is the old quaint story of
the German maiden-a history which
is so tender and pretty, that it is worth
rescuing from the forgotten legends of
the Fatherland.
A maiden lived on the banks of the
Rhine with her father, the miller
Now, the maiden, whose name was
Elise, was not pretty, and she was
cross and fretful, for she grieved for
her own lack of beauty, and thought
that no one would ever care for her on
account of the few graces Nature had
given to her; so she did not even try
to please, and yet her heart was very
large and very Kindly. She spent half
of her time in front of her looking
glass, lamenting her plainness, and
thinking how impossible it was that
Carl would ever learn to love her.
while Gretchen, who was SO fair and
pretty that she was called "The
Daughter of Spring." dwelt hear her.
Elise was not loved, for she never tried
to gain love. She always fancied that
it would be in vain to endeavor to
please, In vain to be kind and thought.
ful and loving. When Nature had so
sighted her. who could care for her,
or thi;;k of her, or be interested i'm her?
"Ah ~ she sighed one day, "if could
have but Gretchen's beauty, L should
he the happiest girl in the Fatherlard,
for then l should not fear any rival !;
and Carl, sunny-haired Carl, might
love me-"
But Carl never came near her now,
and only thought of her as cross and
fretful Elise, and wished Gretchen had
had less vanity with her pretty face,
and rather larger heart in her slim
body
One day-it was in the time of the
vintage-Elise went down. to the
Rhine to bring in water, and, as she
dipped her pail in the clear ripples,
she saw her own face reflected, and
turhed away, wretched and discon-
tented. She sat down on rocky
stone, and watched the sunlight play
ing on the castle-crowned hills, and
listened to the far-of song of the work.
ers in the vineyards; and she thought
of Carl, who was there, and of Gret-
chen, who was there also. "Ah me-
she sighed, 'what gift is beauty |"
Elise" said a voice; and, looking
up, she saw an old woman, very old,
deformed woman, standing near to
hcr. "Elise," she said, II will tell
you the secret of beauty, and you shall
obtain all that you long for SO much.
Go home, and never look In a glass,
never see the reflection of your own
face in the water, never once again
gaze on your own features, and you
will grow pretty-so pretty that all
will wonder at the change; and Carl
Carl will learn to love you."
"Ah, L will never see my face again
as long as L live-never, never W said
Elise. "But are you sure, quite sure 81
"Quite sure" replied the dame "but
remember, if you once see your own
face, your uglIness will return. Now
~ huiue, anu bC liSHb vi HtttIl, dIlu
every day more love will hover round
your
'iBut how shall know it is true, if
| may not see my fice?" asked Elise.
"Can you not tell by the altered
manner of those around you?" asked
the dame.
"Oh, YES" said Elise; chow 1 will
watch them. ="
Elise went home with a new and
strange happiness at her heart, a hap
piness that changed her nature, and
influenced every day Of her life, and
made her amiable, and soft, and low
ing, and kind, and considerate, and
anxious TO please, and ready to serve
and help others.
Presently people began to remark
the alteration in the miller's daughter,
and to tell her how different she was
from formerly, aud the maidens sought
her out and talked to her about Their
lovers, and the youths declared that
Elise, the miller's daughter, was the
incest girl that side of the Rhine, and
Carl learned to think how different
she was from Gretchen, and he learnt
TO love her, and through the Father
land there was not so happy girl as
Elise. And all this time she never
once saw her own face, but turned
away her head when she dipped her
pals in the stream, and through all
the miller's house there was not to be
found looking y ass. She lOnged
(ah, how mueh! 10 see herself in her
new garb of beauty; but she remem-
bered the old wOman's warning and
conquered her wish.
In the spring time came the we'd
ding day, and early in the sweet, fresh
morning she was married to Carl, and
the young flowers peeped out to see her
face as she passed by, and TIE tender
grass kissed her feet as she went along,
and the birds sang out a greeting, and
even the light feathery clouds seemed
to stoop over her head, as if with their
shadowy hands they blessed her on her
bridal day. Ah, happy EliseT
''Thou art so changed !" said Carl.
"Thy face is so different from what il
formerly was, 1t does not seem to me
that it is possible thou art the same
Elise. l used 10 pass without even
looking back to gaze on thee; but To-
day in the bridal-veil thou art a sweet
picture, which memory will paint on
my heart forever"
Elise felt herself thrilled with happi.
ness, but never once told the secret OF
that change, though she herself did
not know that the real secret lay in
her own changed nature.
So presently they were all feasting
and Elise, longing to be alone for
few minutes with her wonderful hap
| piness, crept down to the side of the
Rhine, and thought over the past.
| "Ah, and he said am so altered too
Happy Elise, thou art indeed altered
aud he said how pretty looked i'm my
bridal-veil. Do IL wonder? What
would l not give to. see myself"
Elise was forgetting, ss she longeG
To see herself, how strict had been the
cd woman's wsrning. She stood or
| the edge of the water with her face
turned away; but her vanity kep
saying TO her, "Look once, for singl,
I nioment, Elise, and see thyself on tb,
bridal-dsy;;n but she hesitated anc
louged, and wondered if punishment
would really follow if she looked. 81
cannot make any difference" sh
thought, and she msved her head
little way-a very little way round
ill she could just see the shape of he
head reflected in the water, aud saw
what? the same plain face she remem
bered long ago; the same, the yer
same, without one feature altered!