Connecticut western news., 1873-05-02
VOL. IT.

| U,
 Elsie stared in amazement.
 "You must be mistaken" she an swered, "I have gone little too fa1 beyond the edge of the wood, and an tired"
 "No, mo-" interrupted the other "there is no mistake. I know you very well you are called Elsie. My com. panions and I have been waiting fol you very long time, and wishing you would come."
 As she spoke she drew Elsie into the hall-a beautiful place, full of marble statues that seemed to grow out of beds of flowers and ferns. Elsie was so daz- zled by all the loveliness she could not speak, and let the other child lead her on.
 They entered large room, where sat a beautiful lady. Her long golden hair rippled in waves to her knees she was dressed in white robe on her arms and neck shone crystal jewels and her face wore fascinating smile. She sat on raised throne of ivory. The whole room was inlaid with gold, silver, and mother f-pearl, and on the floor lay wrought str1ffs of Indian design.
 When the beautiful lady saw Elsie she rose, and smiling still more sweetly, l held out her arms toward her.
 Welcome, dear child"
 Elsie hardly knew what was happen ing to her but after the beautiful lady had embraced her, and kissed her on brow and eyes, she seemed to have for gotten every thing about her lost way and her home.
 "You must call me Winnabelle," said the lady ''all your little companions call me so. But I forget i; you have not seen them yet"
 She clapped her hands three times, and one of the ivory doors opened, ad- mitting whole troop of boys and girls. The girls were all dressed in white, with blue sashes and crystal beads the boys in blue velvet, with white leathern bands and boots. Elsie glanced first at them, then at her own plain gray frock and dirty shoes.
 'It does notmatter," said Winnabelle, divining her thoughts 'you shall have | just the same."
 She had hardly said so than Elsie's clothes had disappeared, and she was dressed.just like the others.
 The children all crowded round to welcome her. Elsie thought they did not look quite happy still that might be fancy: only they always looked so anxiously at Winnabelle after they had said anything, as though they feared her disapproyal.
 "Show your new friend her room, girls" said Winnabelle at last What beautiful room it was! all ivory and light blue velvet. Each child slept in an ivory bed with light blue hangings, and had an ivory dressing table with silver ornaments. Then the little girls instructed Elsie in her duties, and told her that she would have to wait upon their fairy mistress, but that was easy work and the rest of the day they might play about and do what they liked.
 "You must lead happy life," said Elsie, who had forgotten everything in the dazzling excitement.
 A cloud fell over the girls faces, but they did not answer, and looked nerv- ous when Elsie repeated the remark. .
 .'Hush!' they said, Cor she will be angry. She will punish us if we tell.''
 ''TeH what p asked Elsie. "You puz- gle me-"
 At that moment Winnabelle entered, frowning.
 s'You must not ask questions, Elsie,' she said 'sittle girls who ask questions or rebel are made miserable here. And you would not like to be made miser- able in this lovely house, would you?" she asked, once more smiling her old sweet smile.
 "Oh no," said Elsie; Cit is too beau tiful for that
 She had forgotten all her misgivings at the sight of that wonderful smile.
 So the days went on, Elsie did not know how, she had lost all count of them, but she was by no means happy. The fairy was not so kind as she ap- peared to be; the services she demand ed were exacting she was often hard to satisfy, and, worse than all, if dis pleased she would punish the children by showing them their distant homes, making all appear so real that they strove vainly to get there. Many 8 one had attempted to escape out of the fairy's grounds, but though they might run long while, their homes remained ever distant. When at last, utterly ex- hausted, they sank in despair upon the ground, they always found themselves at Winnabelle's porch, and she would stand on the doorstep, smiling that smile which made them forget everything again.
 Meanwhile, what had Elsie's parents been doing?
 When the sun began to lower in the west, and the child did not come home, they grew uneasy; and when it set, and still Elsie had not returned, their anxiety knew no bounds. They search ed the garden and hamlet, they secured the wood. In vain no Elsie was there, no voice answered their calls. They had to abandon the search in despair when night closed in. The next day had hardly dawned before the count set out into the wood to look for his miss ing child. He ran hither and thither, he explored every path and by-path, in vain.
 Now you will wonder how it came about that, searching the wood in this manner, the count did not chance upon Winnabelle's kingdom. I can tell you how that was.
 W1nnabelle was very clever, and al- ways knew who was in the wood. When 1t was child she wished to entice, she made everything look beautiful, let the birds sing more sweetly, the flowers look gayer, the nearer they came to her abode, as she had done with Elsie. But Wuen any one entered who W1Sned to rescue child from her, or to discover her habitation, she made the forest that surrounded it so dense, dark, and i'm penetrable that no one dreamed of en- tering there. And if any person, more courageous or desperate than the rest, attempted this, she caused noxious ami malls to meet them, and the ground to become marshy, and sink beneath their feet.
 Several days the count sought his lit tie girl, till he had to give up in des- pair. Long and bitterly the parents