The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-12-20
The Wishing Stone,

1t was so long ago that nobody is alive who
remembers anything about it. There was an;
old woman, 100 years old. Her grandmother
told her the story, and she wrote it down with
a heron's feather-a great white heron that
few over between dawn and daylight, and was
only gray speck against the gray sky. The
grandmother was a witch and understood
what the birds said, and that is how she came
to hear the sparows at Bilbury Abbey say to
each other it was a good thing the wishing
stone was lost, since SO much trouble came
of it.
This is the true story Of how it happened
the brown sparrow told it to the stone man on
the monu ment while his mate brooded her
eggs. The stone man held the nest in the
hollow OF his hand, and stood quite still night
and day not to disturb it.
They are sweeter than the sweetest, the
roses that grow in the garden, and all the
blossoms have tongues Of gold. When the
wind blows them they ring together and the
music is rare as the Christmas chimes up in
the steeple.
81 have heard it," said the mate, rufIling
her throat.
"There is a fountain. The water goes up,
up, high as the lark goes, and when Il comes
down il is all pearls and rubies, and bits of
rainbows. 1t sings, too, and no one can guess
what the music is like"
~ have heard it," said the mate, her
wings trembling with ecstacy.
The road to the mountain passes through
the garden, and the gates are always open,
because the princess will have it so. One is
called Morning Gate, and that is where the
people enter. They 60 in by rose walks until
they come TO the fountain. When one looks
through the spray, the mountain is very beau
hiul; all its roads lie in sunshine, and the city
seems near by. So the people hasten on,
and presently they cannot see the rose garden,
and they never come back. should come
back, Petra"
"And l." said the little mate; but the stone
man listened, and did not say word.
| Long ago the wishing stone lay by the
iountaln-a broad, white stone like those in
the abbey here. The stone was enchanted.
A troll put it there, and who
ever sat upon it had whatever he first
wished; but II he wished anything selfishly he
was turned into hard, smooth stone. and the
troll carried him away to build his palace I'M
derground. A great many people came into
the garden then who never went out; but the
princess could not undo the spell or take away
the stone. The last person who sat upon Il
was beggsE girl. She was poor, she was
lame, she was hunchbacked, and she was al
ways hungry. She sat down upon the stone
and laid her crutches on the grass beside her.
Two little birds sang in her ear, one on the
right and one on the left They were en-
chanted too One sang "Wishiwas wishi-
was!' and the other sang "Wishihad! wishi-
had!' So the beggar girl looked up at the
blue sky and the bright drops falling from the
fountain and began to wish.
81 wish all the sick folks, and the fred
folks, and the lonesome folks could come and
hear what the water sings about, and what
nice talk the trees make to the wind
"'Wishiwas! wishihad!' sang the little
birds, and she wished again.
81 wish all the poor children who work in
the mills, and pick up rags, and never have
good tiSes could come here and smell the
roses and feel the sun shine
"'Wishhad, wish, wishihad' sang the
birds, so soft she might have thought the song
was in her heart
wish all the poor babies, and the very
littlest children, and the old, old people could
come here and look at the fountain, and may