Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-06
The Pixies.

Among the superstitions still far
from being extirpated in Wales and
some parts of Devonshire, is belief in
exceedingly small beings known as
pixies. From anything We can learn,
the pixies resemble the fairies of old
English superstition, but with this diff.
ference, that pixies possess that love Of
fun and mischief which reminds us OF
the Puck of Shakespeare. When a
pixy has been successful in any trick
upon travellers, it il said to send forth
peal of laughter and to tumble head
over heels to show its delight; this has
become proverbial in Devonshire; SO
that if any one laughs immoderately,
he is said to laugh like pixy." The
following pixy story is still current:
! In q little country place in the pref
test part of Devonshire there lived a
miller's daughter, who was bstrothed
to o young farmer Of the neighbor-
hood. For some time their course ran
as smoothly as could be desired. But
the young man began to cast looks of
suspicion on another aimirer of his
betrothed, and to let "A jealous demon
rankle within him, whispering to him
that he no longer held the first place in
the damsels affections.
The miiler's daughter, besides pos
sessing considerable personal attrac-
tons, had the reputation OF being the
neatest and most industrious house
wife in the place; and so the pixies,
who invariably tried TO aid the indus
trious, took her under their especial
| ,r.,fDntinn Inhax, q, Ararx,th in
harmful from her patti, and were al
ways at hand to do Eer service; she
herself, meanwhile, being quite uncon-
scious OF the presence or the small
people. One pixy ueed 10 place flowers
on her window-slli every morning, and
the maiden innocently dreamt that they
were offerings. from her lover, and
priced them accordingly. One morn.
ing early about this tlme the young
man passed before her house, and no.
ticed the flowers upon the window-sill.
Jealousy Immediately took possession
of him, and he sIwin the simple flow
ers the offerings Of :. more favored adj
mirer. just then .ao window was
opened gently, and the uiller's daugh
ter appeared: aud unconscious OF the
watcher lurking behiud the hedge, she
took up the rosebuds which formed
her mornings gift and pressed them to
her lips. Then che withdrew, taking
the flowers with her, and leaving him
to rage inwardly ut what he considered
her periidy. g. ., .... 80 .
From that morning his behavior to-
wards Ter WAS changed, and he became
gloomy and morose, throwing out
hints OF his suspicious from time to
time, which troubled the gentle maid
en-, without her being able to oompre.
bend any reason FORT. But the pixies,
seeing how matters stood, determined
to convince the moody fellow Of her
truth, and at the same time to punish
him for his unreasonable jealousy. SO
one evening, when he was coming
home from q market-town (perhaps
top-heavy). no was pixy.led in a
meadow Just below the millers house,
through which he had to pass. Hosts
of pixies gathered for athe occasion,
armed with nettles, thistles, and small
bushes of thorn-trecs. With these
formidable weapons they pricked,
stung, and mercilessly belabored the
unfortunate young man, dancing
around him with knocking gestures,
and chased HIM from one end OF the
field to another.
Thus harassed. they kept him until
tho morning dawned, when one pixy
came forward with n beautiful bunch
of flowers, which he delivered to an
other pixy, who carried it Oft, anu
climbing up the vine that covered the
side of the miller's house, laid the
bouquet On the maiden's window-sill.
Then he disappeared, followed quickly
by the rest of the pixies, leaving the
young man (who now saw from what
quarter the flowers had Gomez to medi-
tate on the matter. The result of his
meditations was, that before another day
was gone, he went to his bctrothed and
told her the doubts he had gone
through, ard the manner in which the
pixies had freed him from those
doubts; and The whole affair was then
settled to the satisfaction OF everybody
concerned, including the pixies.