Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-01-29
Queen Of the Fairies

The late Duchess of Gordon, taking
an airing alone in her carriage, in re-
mote part of the Scottish Highlands,
observed at some distance from the
road neat cottage surrounded by a
garden. Her Grace pulled the check
string, and asked the servants to go
round with the carriage to a place
where she desired them to stop, while
she crossed the moor to pay the cottage
visit. The Duchess happened 20 wear
a green pelisse trimmed with gold
lace. and her hat was ornamented with
golden spangles. A girl about twelve
year old, the only person in the cot
tage, 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 shin
ing appearance of the hat, on which
the sun shone, the singularity of such
visitant in so lonely a situation, all so
worked on the Imagination OF the little
girl that she verify believed 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 a small aperture, she
could see without being seen. The sup
posed Fairy Queen entered, surveyed
the apartment with a curious eye, and
seeing the wheel bethought herself of
trying to spin. She gave the wheel
several turns but could not make toll
cradle thread, though she twisted up
all the carded wool she could find. AS
some compensation for any injury her
awkwardness might have Occasioned
Her Guace tied crown piece in a
handkerchief that lay upon the table,
fixed it to a spoke of the wheel, and de-
parted. The girl could not summon
courage to venture from her hiding
place before her father and sister came
in, nor for some time after could they
extract from her an explanation of the
extraordinary state of perturbation in
which they found her. Their surprise
was scarcely less than hers when they
were informed that somebody, who
could be no other than the Queen of the
FAIRIES, for she was all in green and
and gold, and shining bright as the sun
had come into the house and seeing no.
body there, had fallen to bewitching
the wheel which, as sure as fairies were
fairies, would never go again. "And,
see," continued the enthusiast, point
ing to the handkerchief tied on the
spoke, something which she had left"
The father united the handkerchief,
and the sight of the sterling piece of
coin which it contained soon dispelled
from his mind all suspicion as to the
terrestrial attributes of the lady who
had been honoring his cottage with
visit. Tho women Of the cottage. how
ever. were of very different opinion.
With them the lady could be no other
than the Fairy Queen. who must doubt
less have come to tell poor Isabel her
fortune; the spoiled thread was a sign
that the first days of her life would be
oc ui'i hcu WIN uisaPpoihtiHchs anu
sorrow, and the crown piece tied in a
handkerchief to the spoke of the wheel
betokened that she would in the end ar
rive by honest industry at wealth and
comfort. Harmless delusiOn, 1t lasted
but for day. Sunday came, and the
appearance of the Queen of the FAIRIES,
in the same dress at church "a the
Dachess of the Manor, convinced even
Isabel that she had been deceived.