Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-31
SOULA: A FANTASY.
BY FANNY DRISCOLL.

SOULA: A FANTASY.
BY FANNY DRlsCoLL.
| There were fields and fields Of roses,
red, red roses, that made the air so mar
velously sweet and languld that one
could do nothing but dream all the long
summer days; and down by the brooks,
where the maiden-hair waved, were great
purple violets that rivaled the June
heavens; and all the hedges were gold
with buttercups; the tall trees threw long
shadows on the grass; the silver rills
FLASHED and gurgled; the warm, loving
sun made glorious sunrises and sunsets
above the mystic hills, and the moon
hung low at night like great lustrous,
milky pearl. 4.
bees went booming, carrying homeward
at night stores of honey; the humming
birds flashed among the blossoms like
restless gems; the butterflies, blue, and
gold, and purple, sailed and sailed; and
a bright breasted bird now and then sent
out long, sweet, thrilling note from its
happy heart.
Nowhere else in the world were such
tranquility, and peace, and loneliness
tor this was the court of the fa1ies, and
all night long they danced and reveled
beneath the stars.
Mortals seldom found this Elysian, for
then it would not have been Elysian
they would soon have made it battle
| fol 0f md ho%o
jealousy, and scorn, and envy. The flow
ers would be trampled, and the bees and
binds dead with fright; the sun would
not be so bright and shining, nor the
moon so fair and peaceful; this quiet spot
would be blood-stained and filed with
turmoil. All, moi the mortals seldom
| came.
The butterflies sailed through the long,
sweet, languid hours, chasing each other
in the blue ether, dancing in the sun
light, slumbering in the fragrant heart Of
some tender bloom, with none to mar
the extatic delight of every perfect mo-
ment, for storms and droughts never
touched this spot
But nowhere, not even in Fairyland,
do things remain long the same. Change
is the invisible giant that conquors all
| the earth.
There were two butterflies here, so
dainty so exquisitely graceful, that the
| fairies delighted in them more than all
others. One with broad wings and royal
raiment Of purple and gold; the other
white and unreal as dream. These two
were seldom far apart; always floating
together across the fields Of burning.
passionate roses, and down through the
cool, silent, shadowy valley. The pale.
straw tinted butterflies, the black and
brawny ones, the fragile blue ones flying
in the sunshine, would always rest to
watch these two when they drifted slow
ly down on the wings of some rhythemic,
moving zehpyr. The fairies clapped their
tiny hands in delight, and their gleeful
laughter rang out far and wide.
One day a mortal came slowly into the
enchanted spot,-a mortal so beautiful
that even the fairies paused in wonder.
Her limbs were white and flawless as the
lilies, her mouth was like scarlet flow
er, her eyes were purple as the dewey
violets in the hollows, her hair, yellow
and silken as the tassels of the corn, fell
down to her feet.
| She went straight to the pool that was
hidden among the brakes, and, throwing
off her white, tilmy robes, she plunged IN,
FLASHING, and laughing, and throwing
the water around like naughty, frolic-
some child, and her laugh was like mu-
| sic.
She came forth more beautiful than
Aphrodite. with the water dripping from
her barred carved limbs that cleaned like
ivory. And the timid fairies hid their
faces when their Queen said sternly:
"a beautiful wanton. Come away.
children.'
The two butterflies came floating down
through the sunshine as the strange NOR
tai went slowly along the path trailing
her white garments after her, her beauty
filling all the day. The roses looked pal
lid and old, all the sunshine seemed to
| have fallen IN her hair, and left the world
cold and pale. There were smiles on her
lips and in her eyes. Her movements
were like the swaying of the lily-buds in
the wind. Her eyes were so sweet and
imperious that men had lost their souls for
them. The white aower-like hands were
more cruel than death; the red lips more
ruthless than hate. She was soulless.
this beautiful creature, but who could
know? Men only saw the ssrcery Of her
face, and were willing to die tor it.
The gold and purple wings futtercd
weakly for moment, and then, with a
swift sweep forward, lit on the golden
hair. The white wings sailed SLOWLY
back toward the sea. And the fairies
looked and wondered.
Every day the mortal with the glorious
face wandered down the enchanted paths.
Sometimes she plucked blossoms by the
handful, buried her face in them a mo-
ment, and flung them beneath her feet
UNDECIDED. Sometimes she decked her
self with them, only to tear them to pie
ces carelessly in while. One dav she
caught pale-greea phantom-fy in her
soft, white hand, and crushed It, laugh
ing.
The fairies were wroth at this, and
stormed and menaced with angry faces.
but the Queen said, gently:
Waltz
And wherever the mortal strayed, there
tloated the gold and purple wings Giro
| ling about the far yellow head, like a
Narcissus-hower, nesting in the folds of
her scented robes, and even when she
lay down and slept like tired child on
the ground, softly resting on the fringed
lids, or the scarlet blossom of her mouth.
while the white wings drifted away in
the distance, weary aud alone. And the
fairies looked and wondered.
| One court-day when all the fairies were
assembled, in sudden pause the gold
and purple wings were waited to the
throan.