River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-09-16
A Tale of Two Kingdoms.

WO AaukuOnSs
Below this great circular plain on
which we live, aud extending just as
far on every side, lies the kingdom OF
Fairy Land.
In the old, old days, when people had
leisure to do as they liked, and when
time went slowly because he felt in no
hurry to finish up the worlds work. the
inhabitants Of these two kingdoms
We're on the Most intimate terms. The
fairy people often came up in the sun
shiny morningf to spend long days
with their friends, the children; while
the children, on their part, we're never
weary of talking about them and watch
ing for them. The older people en-
couraged this friendship, and some
times the fairies came to see them too.
Now everything is changed. The
world has become SO crowded with
truths and realities that it has no room
for fancies. Time hurries on, with
long strides, for fear the Millennium
will overtake him before he has got the
world ready for it. Severe, uncom-
promising truth long ago banished the
fairies from their haunts by woods and
streams, leaving the places bare and
desolate. But even now there are a
few good children who love the fairy
folk just as well, and believe in them
Just as firmly as ever. Only little
while ago one of Theses saw real live
fairy, who told her long story about
himself
Down in the Fairy Land, though
everything is perfectly beautiful, and
though nothing ever decays and no.
body ever dies, strange as it may seem.
everybody is not happy. The fairy
folk have trials just as great for them
as ours are for US. In the first place,
there is work to be done and as soon
as one of them has broken any of the
Queens laws, or done anything con.
trary to their code of morals, he is
obliged to go to work.
The sun climbs in the morning from
FAIRY Land, and, after he has rested
for moment on the mountains, be
gins to ascend the sky. ALI over the
sky are filmy ladders, so fine and so far
off that they cannot be seen by mortal
eyes, and on some one of these the
sun climbs up. When he reaches the
middle of the ladder he stops to rest
again and look around him, and then
begins to go down to the other side of
the world. He is very glad to get
through his long days work, and slips
quietly down to Fairy Land again. He
is usually so tired that he goes directly
to sleep in his chair; and million or
more of fairies, who have been sen.
fenced by the Queens Prime Minister,
harness themselves 10 his chair by cob
web traces, and draw him across Fairy
Land to the place where he wants to
be the next morning. When the sun
is climbing up the sky the fairies have
their night, although it is never very
dark there; but when we have night
the sun makes glorious day for them.
since Fairy Land is as large as this
world, and the fairies are so much
smaller than we are, there must be a
vast number more in order to fill up
their world; SO there are always a
plenty to be found to draw the sun,
although it is pretty hard work, and
they would gladly escape it il they
could.
They always try 10 have everything
ready for the sun when he comes, and
a little fairy had been set to watch fol-
him one day. He seemed a long time
In coming, and the poor little fellows
eyes were very heavy, for he had been
awake all night singing songs under
his LADY, love's window and, the first
thing he knew, there was the sun with
very red face, stamping on the
ground before him, demanding furi.
ously if nobody expected him, and why
his chair was not ready.
The whole kingdom was soon in con-
fusion and dismay. Not one wink OF
sleep would the angry old sun take
that night, but kept the whole million
running hither aud thither, to bring
him his pipe, or his coffee, or his slip
pers, or Whatever he wanted, scolding
soundly all the time.
Tt was rather the worse for the world
the next day, too for he was sleepy,
as'you may imagine, and kept nodding
lower and lower, till at last the moon,
with sly wink at the stars, crept
round and held both her hands be-
fore his face. He was sound asleep by
this time, so il did not disturb him
and after the moon had grown tired OF
strDding still, she threw n fine, thick
veil of woven moonbeams FOYER his
head and left him. IL was two OF
three hours before he was wide awake
enough TO take it of, so at high noon
the earth was all darkness the birds
flew 10 and fro in distress, and the
people came out 10 look up at the sky
end give wise explanations of the suns
singular appearance-these good peo
ple, who we're too wise 10 believe il
fsiries
Well, as soon as the sun was fairl,
out OF sight, our poor little fairy wa
taken before the Prime Minister an,