The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-07-24
ANNIE AND THE ELVES.
A FAIRY STORY.


for her mother was sick, and the people
in the village said she would die. And the
child sat day and night at her mothers
bedside, and grieved for her mother and
wept a good deal. The poor woman
wanted to get up out of the bed and sit
before the door in the warm sun, or I'M
der the green trees in the little garden
behind the house, but she could not stir
for pain, and had to lie still in the mar
row chamber. Once when her mother
had gone to sleep, Annie thought she
would go out into the woods to gather
bunch of flowers to please her when she
woke up. So she went into the woods
and picked the most beautiful wild flow
ers, and was so much engaged in it that
she did not perceive till it was too late
that it was growing dark, and that she
had lost her way. She ran first in this
direction, and then in that, in great
anguish, but constantly got deeper and
deeper into the forest, and finally she
could not tell which way to turn. Atlast
she came to little brook that flowed
through the midst Of the woods, and sat
down all weary in the grass, under tree
on the bank, and began to lament: :" oh,
if had only stayed at home! How
mother will be worried about me, she
will die and will never give me another
kiss, and shall not see her again"
While Annie was lamenting in this
way, the moon rose, and the white star
flowers and the yellow daisies peeped out
around her, and the tall trees cast long,
dark shadows and made strange figures
on every side, and the child began to be
alarmed in the loneliness. She nestled
herself close together, wrapped her hands
in her little apron, and longed for the day
to come so that she might find the way
home. Now beside the brook where An
ME was sitting there stood great white
water lily, shining and glittering in the
moonlight, and as she was looking at the
flower, a little white figure rose out of its
cup. The figure was not more than
span high, and had pale but wonder
fully beautiful face, so beautiful indeed
that Annie thought she had never seen
anything like it. The figure wore long
shining bright dress with silver girdle,
and on her head was a silver crown. She
stood up in the lily cup little while and
looked around. Then she stepped from
the flower and moved SO softly over the
turf that it seemed as if she hardly touched
the ground at all. She went up to beau
tiful blue bell and took hold of its stem
and moved it gently backward and for
ward 80 that the bell began to ring with
low, sweet tones through the wood. At
once the silent forest became alive with
little figures in white robes and silver
girdles, which came froln under MOSES
and grasses, from the clefts of old trees,
and from among the rushes by the brook
side. In their hands they carried little
silver water pitchers, and ran about here
and there with them, watering the grass
and the flowers The one with silver
crown stood quietly leaning against the
stem of the blue bell looking at the labor
of the others, who had scattered them
selves in all directions through the wood.
Then Annie knew that it was the queen
of the fairies with Der subjects. They
sleep by day, for they cannot bear
the sun, but at night when it is warm
and the stars twinkle and the moon
shines, the little people come out Of their
hiding places and water the flowers and
grass with dew, and play and dance and
enjoy their life in the night time. Annie
had been looking at the elves from a dis
lance for some time, wondering at their
silent industry, when she saw the queen
again take hold of the blue bell and ring
it, and then the little creatures came
from the depths of the wood and gath
cred around their queen. She led them
to tall MULLEN, whose yellow blossoms
shone far and wide, and the little ones
made ring around the MULLEN and be-
gan to dance their nightly dance, and to
engage in all sorts of plays. Some
caught each other, some played hide and
seek, and others played see-saw on the
flowers and spiders webs.
Only the queen stood apart and took
no share in the games. But how was
Annie astonished when she saw the queen