Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-06-26
The Water.Kelpie.

The Water. Kelpie.
Once there lived under the earth a
race of fairies called gnomes. They
were strange little beings, with dull
eyes and harsh voices; but they did no
harm, and lived in peace.
They never saw the sun; but they
had lamps much brighter than our
gaslight, which burned night and day,
year after year.
They had music; but it was the tink-
ling of silver bells and golden harps-
not half SO sweet as the singing of birds
and the babbling of brooks.
Flowers they had none, but plenty of
gems-"the stars of earth. !" There
were green trees in the kingdom; but
the leaves were hard emeralds; and the
fruit, apples of gold or cherries of ruby;
and these precious gems the gnomes
ground to powder, and swallowed with
much satisfaction.
They heaped up piles of gold and dia-
monds as high as your head and never
was there gnome SO poor as to build
house of anything whit coarser than
jasper or onyx. You would have be-
lieved yourself dreaming, if you could
have walked through the streets of their
cities. They were paved with rosy al
mandine and snowy alabaster; and the
palaces glittered in the gay lamplight
like million stars.
These gnomes led, for the most part,
rather dull lives. Like their cousins,
the water-spirits, or undines, they were
roguish and shrewd, but had no higher
views of life than our katydids and
crickets. Indeed, they hardly cared for
anything but frisking about, eating and
sleeping. But, after all, what can be
expected of creatures without souls p
One sees, now and then, stupid human
beings, whose eyes2 have no thoughts in
them, and whose souls seem to be sound
asleep. Such Jumps of dizziness might
almost as well be gnomes, and slip into
the earth and have done with it.
These underground fold had great
horror of our world. They knew all
about it; for one of them had peeped
out and taken bird's-eye view. He
went up very bravely, but hurried back
with such strange accounts, that his
friends considered him little insane.
"ListenH' said the gnome, whose
name was Clod. "The earth has q soft
carpet, of a new kind of emerald; over
head is blue roof, made of turquoise
but am told that there is crack in it,
and sometimes water comes pouring
down in torrents. But the worst plague
of all is a great glaring eyeball Of fire,
which mOrtals call the sum-
When Clod told his stories of the
earth, he always ended by saying
believe me, it is bad luck to have the
sun shine on you. It nearly puts my
eyes out; and have had the headache
ever since"
Now, there was young girl named
Moneta, who listened very eagerly to
the old gnome's stories of the earth, and
thought she would like to see it for her
SELF She was kind little maiden, as
playful as a kitten; and her friends
were not willing she should go. But
MOneta had somewhere heard that fai-
ries who marry mortals receive the gift
OF human soul; SO, in spite of all OBJ
jections, she was resolved to take the
journey; for she had in her dark mind
some vague aspirations after a higher
state of being.
Then the gnome-family declared that,
if she once went away, they would new.
er allow her to return; for they highly
disapproved of running backward and
forward between the two worlds, Cos
slipping.
Law yOu uO lOVc VI COuuCry,' CflcU
they, that you would willingly cast
your lot among silly creatures who look
down upon your racer"
The old gnome, who had travelled,
took the romantic maiden one side. and
said:
"My dear Moneta, since you aOiU 90,
must tell you secret; for you remem.
Der l have seen the world, and know
all about it. Mortals are higher race
than ourselves, it is true; but that is
only because they live atop o. the earth,
while we are under their feet. They
make a great parade about their little
tickling jewel they call Conscience, but,
after all, they will any of them sell it
for one of our earrings assure you they
love money better than their own souls
and would advise you, as friend that
has seen the world, to load yourself with
as much gold as you can carry"
So Moneta donned heavy dress OF
spun gold, which was woven in such a
manner that, at every motion she made,
it let fall shower OF gold-dust. She
filled the sleeves with sardonyx, altman
dine, and amethyst: and hid in her
bosom diamonds and sapphires enough
to purchase kingdom.
Then she went up steep ladder, and
knocked on the alabaster ceiling, using
the charm which the gnome had given
her:
'Mother Earth, Mother Earth, set me
free!n
At her words there was sound as of
an earthquake, and a little space was
made, just large enough for her to crawl
through. When she had reached the
top, the earth closed again, and she was
left seated upon rock; and the light of
the sun was so dazzling that she hid her
face in her bands.
Thus she sat for a long time, not
knowing whittier to go, till young
man CHANGED to come that way, who
said, What do you here?"
She raised her face at his words, and
could not speak, so great was her sur
prlse at the beauty of the strange youth.
lie, Tor his part, could not help smiling
Tor she was as yellow as an orange; and
IN uglier little creature he had never
ieheld but he said in kind voice:
"Come with me to my mothers house.
and you shall be refreshed with cake
and wine."
She arose to follow him; and, as she
walked, q bright shower of gold. dust
sprinkled the earth at every step.
The young man held out his hands
eagerly to catch the shining spray,
thinking he would like such a rarely
gifted damsel for his wife; and, in
ruth, he smiled so sweetly, and dropped
such winning words, that in time he
won her heart and she became his bride.
"And when she cam into the kirk.
She shimmered like the sun:
The belt that was about her waist
Was a. with peerless bedone.'
So great was her love for him, that