Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-05-06
THE PERI-M0THER.
A PERSIAN LEGEND.

A Persian mother sat watching her child.
Her face was very beautiful and her clothes
were rich and elegant. She wore costly
Jewels on her neck and arms, and her fin
gers glittered with diamonds. But hel
hands were clasped idly in her lap, and she
looked very, very sad.
Mamma said The boy, "tell me what
is the matter. You always look as if you
were just going to cry, You never laugh
like the Other mammas."
She smiled and stroked his head, and
after looking in Il strange way toward the
sky for moment she answered: 'Abow,
will tell you story. Do you want to
hear it?''
He looked well pleased and nestled near
her.
'tA long time ago." she began, "a rich
merchant in our country Of Hindoostan,
drove his son away from his home because
he had done wrong. The sons name was
Siaunsh. He went out, dressed himself in
clothes that made him look like beggar,
and sat down under tree near the liver"
She stopped here moment and thought
"Why don't you go on?' said the boy,
with childish Impotence.
child?" she said
me Of them. They are beautiful great
fairies with wings, good, and more lovely
than anything else IN the world
'Did she tell you SO, my boy? 1t is true,
and you never saw such beautiful clothes
as they wear. By means of these clothes
they can change into any form they please
"Well, while SiaunsE sat by the water
four white doves fell down to the edge,
While he watched them he saw them be-
come beautiful women, more lovely than
he had ever seen before They took off
their garments and laid them down, while
they went into the water to battle With a
wicked thought in his heart, Siaunsh stole
the clothing and hid it,
"How unkind,' said the boy. "But
what did the women do? They were PERKS,
were they not?"
eyes," she answered, ''they were Peris,
and when they saw their wonderful gar
ments gone, they did not know What to do, for
without this clothing they had no power to
turn into any other form, and could not
fly back again to their fairy home in the
sky. But seeing Siaunsh and supposing
that he had taken the garments, they asked
him to return them.
''But he had begun TO lore the beautiful
creatures, and to long for one of them to
be his wife, SO he told them that if they
would promise to live with him, he would
give back their clothing. They did not
know what to do. Siaunsh told wonderful
stories about how happy they would be,
and at last one of them consented. He
gave back the garments, and three of them
dressed and flew away like great angels
in the blue sky, but the other went sadly
to her earthly home.
"Siaunsh believed that be could make
the Peri happy. He bought for her silks
and satins and velvets, gold and pearls and
diamonds. He loved her very dearly, and
his friends loved her, but every day she
grew more sad. At last she had lovely
child, and sometimes she would forget, but
not often"
"Where were the other clothes, mamma?r
asked the boy.
s'The husband hid them, my child" an
swer the mother. f'The Peri never saw
them again after she came to her husbands
home
"The man was wicked to keep her,
said Allow.
''But she could not help loving him. -
said the mother, her eyes filling with tears.
He was very, very kind to her, and her
boy was beautiful, oh, more beautiful than
the sun!'' and her eyes were full of tears
when they rested on Allow.
"Yes, she loved him, and she loved his
friends, and she loved her boy, but she
longed, oh, she longed to go back to her
sisters"
''Poor Perir' said the boy. If had
been the son that she loved so much l
would have hunted and hunted and hunted
till I found those magic clothes, and then |
would have given them back to her, and
she should have gone home to her slsters.''
''Dear child, she said, and began look
ing out the window once more toward the
sky. which sunset was just tinging with
the golden glory of evening.
SIS that alp" asked Allow.
eyes, that is all; you must leave me
now, for must battle and Dress
sSDidn't she get homer" asked Allow.
'sNo, my dear, no?' she answered.
"Then l wish you had not told me the