The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-07-22
FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE.
What Fairy Prue Saw.


My dear child fairies, again I entreat
you cease watching sidewise that poor
little frightened white butterfly, and
come listen to the story of my journey.
(Alas! you will be cross,eyed in spite OF
all my painstaking,)
When I went to Tarrytown Prairie to-
day, to get that knot of fluffy threads
from the clothes line Elevated Road,
bethought me to call on some young
friends there-the Golden Hearts. When
last saw them, on "May day, they had
just begun house excepting, and so happy
were they that even the hearts of grim
giants passing were warmed from the
sunshine in their faces.
To-day l flew all down the grass alleys
and found them not; went up stairs
among the great, sweet, white horse
chestnut flowers, calling them, and looked
as far through the maple leaf blinds as
eye could see among the Plantain vii
lagos, and saw them not; and then went
to the very garnet even of "King Elm"
on the corner that overlooks all larry
town, and called as sweetly and as dear
ly as I could think to do: Golden
Hearts-Gold-e Hearts-an-swer to my
calls" and no answer came back to me.
And then bethought me to ask lit
tic wandering West Wind that was pat
ting around among the leaves in the tree
tops, where my golden-haired friends
had gomez And he whispcred-never
shall I forget how sadly-"Dear Fairy
Prue, two days ago Father Time came
this way in his cloud chariot, and told
all our golden-h haired young friends that
were-though now must admit they
are in middle life-they must make
ready to sail unto a far country, to the
land called Sunny Somewhere that
their souls might be made perfect, and
they return another springtime in all
their youth and beauty; and that
younger generation would soon awake in
all the grass valleys, and keep their
memories golden, and their hearth-stones
green"
And then he rode away on thunder
cloud calling to me as he passed King
Elm to see to it this day, when the sun
rides high, that the fairy ships set sail
with the Golden Hearts all aboard.
at is near the dread time now" he
shuddered; "come, Fairy Prue, come
you with me- And l descended, trcm
bling, by the side of West Wind, to bid
my friends goodbye; and found-ah,
woe to mc!-they had grown thin and
tall, and their once golden heads had
turned white-so white with grief-and
they all stood pale and mcekly still,
waiting for the fairy sail to come and
bear them away from sunny-lovcd larry
town.
That moment, then, wandering West
w lllNl "ulStlCu SO1tly ohSS"o"iSS "AN
with one universal sigh the white souls
-wavering one long minute in mid-air
when they heard many small sweet
voices calling from all among the grass
valleys, "Good- bye, dear Grandmama
Dandelio1, goo dbye"-rose and
aoated upwards and far away to the
land of Sunny Somewhere"
And-and-thank you dears, but I'll
not take even an apple blossom for my
dinner to-day, my heart is so sad With
thinking.
(And then, when Fairy Prue settled
herself YEARLY in her cozy new sitting
room, she thought she heard little fair
haired boy down among the lilac bushes
whisper: 81 dest would like to know
nhecrer that's Mr.. Robin Red breast or a
fairy, an what he's-she's-talkin' about
way up thereby
Mas ANNA D. MIDLER