The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-01-02
The Queen of the Fairies.

The late Duchess of Gordon, says an
English paper, taking an. airing alone in
her carriage, in a remote part of the
Highlands, observed at some distance
from the road a neat cottage surrounded
by garden. Her Grace pulled the
check-string, and asked the servants to
20 round with the carriage to where she
desired them to stop, while she crossed
the moor to pay the cottage visit. The
Duchess happened to wear a pelisse
trimmed with gold lace, and her hat
was cornamented with golden spangles.
A girl about twelve years old, the only
person in the cottage, was spinning at
the wheel and singing merry strain.
As soon as her eyes caught the figure of
the Duchess approaching, the green
dress, the shining appearance of the
| hat, on which the sun shone, the sim
| gularity of such visitant in so lonely
a situation, all so worked on the imagina-
ton of the little girl that she verify be-
lieyed the queen of the fairies had come
to reveal to her some fearful mystery of
fate. In great terror she escaped to a
back closet, where, through small
aperture, she could see without being
seen. The supposed fairy queen en-
tered, surveyed the apartment with a
curious eye, and then seeing the whee
bethought herself of trying to spin.
She gave the wheel several turns, but
could not make tolerable thread,
though she twisted up all the carded
wool she could find. AS some compen-
sation for any injury her awkwardness
might have occasioned, Her Grace tied
a crown piece in handkerchief that lay
upon the table, fixed it to spoke of the
wheel, and then departed. The girl
could not summon courage to venture
frsm her hiding place before her father
and sister came in, nor till some. time
after could they extract from her ar
explanation of the extraordinary state
of perturbation in which they found her
Their surprise was scarcely less thar
hers when they were informed tha
somebody, who could be no other. thai
the queen of the fairies, for she was al
in green and gold, and shining bright a
, the sun, had come into the house, ant
seeing nobody there, had fallen to be
witching the wheel, which, as sure a
fairies were fairies, would never G,
again. .....
9"And see," continued the young en-
thusiast, pointing to the handkerchie
tied on the spoke, something whlcl
: she has left"
3 The father united the handkerchief
and the sight of the sterling piece Q
!, coin which it contained soon dispelle'
: from his mind all suspicion as to tn
: terrestrial attributes of the lady VIII
had been honoring his cottage with
visit.
J. The women of the cottage, however
: were of. very different opinion. Wit
0 them the lady could be mo other tina
!, the fairy queen, who must doubtles
: have come to tell poor Isabel her fol
$ tune; the spoiled thread was sign this
7 the first days of her life would /
u marked with disappointment and so
d row, and the crown piece, tied in
: handkerchief to the spoke of the whee
; betokened that she would in the en-
$ arrive by honest industry to wealth an
r comfort. Harmless delusion! 1t Taste
is but for a day. Sunday came, and II
n appearance of the queen of the fairie
q in the same dress at church as the Due
/ ess of the manor, convinced even lsab
y that she had been deceived. '''