Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-01-14
An Tfish Legend.

row valley, into which the sun shon G
but six hours of long summers day.
Beautiful flowers and luxuriant trees
fiourished here. and mulitudes of musi-
cal birds built their tiny nests and
reared their young unmolested. Near
the centre of this lovely valley, beneath
a dropping willow, whose long, sweep
ing branches mingled with the rich
grass, was deep well. whose clear,
cold waters occasionally overfowed its
brink, .bubbling and boiling as il a
great fire were beneath them. Won
drous power and strange virtues were
ascribed to this well of the valley; and,
among other things, it was said to have
the gift of rendering perfectly beautiful
any maiden who would bathe her face
in its pure waters at twelve o'clock Oh
a midsummer night.
On the side of one of these noun
tains stood rustic cottage, the abiding
place of Kathleen Burns, young and
gay lass of some twenty summers.
Though weli-formed, 1.-the, and active,
Kathleen was very far from being
handsome +; her cheeks were thin pale
and her eyes, though blue as the bluest
had very little expression. Greatly she
mourned over her want of beauty and
many were the sleepless nights she
passed, after coming home from a fair,
of dance, were lovely maidens dazzled
the eyes of young men and received all
their attentions, leaving herself and
others, who had little claim to beauty,
alone and unnoticed.
But stronger reason than this caus-
ed Kathleen to long for the fatal gift
she loved. For two years her affec-
tions had been given to a youth who
dwelt near her, but who had never be-
slowed upon her a thought of more
than friendship.
Poor Kathleen Had beauty been
hers, Edwin McLane would perhaps
haYe returned her affection when he be-
came acquainted with the excellence of
her character and disposition but not
being attracted by personal appearance
his thoughts seldom rested upon her.
And so Kathleen loved on in silence
and in secret, no ray of hope brighten
ing her earthly path her greatest con-
ISOLATION being, unobserved, to gaze.
with her soul in her eyes, upon his
huasfs0ene faco and head, as he mingled
among other girls. gay and happy, the
favorite and admiration of them all.
Kathleen had from her earliest child
hood been aware of the reputed virtues
of the we'll of the valley; but up to the
present time she had felt sort of su-
pernatural dread of touching its magic
waters on the eve of midsummer, the
only time it was supposed to have the
power of conferring lasting beauty up
on her who bathed her face therein.
But loving and suffering as she now
did, she determined that the epoch
should not pass with out finding her
kneeling upon the brink of the we'll of
beauty.
The twenty-6rst of June had arrived.
The midnight hour was near at hand
when Kathleen silently left her cottage
home and wended her solitary way
down the side of the mountain towards
the quiet, moonlight valley. She was
dressed in pure white her fair hair
fell in curls around her shoulders, and
her blue eyes were filled with a light of
hope that almost rendered them beauti.
full. There lay the magic well, beneath
dropping willow-the thick soft grass
growing to its very edge-its cold,
bright waters boiling tumultuously.
Kathleen trembled as she stood gaz
ing, as if fascinated by the sight. just
then upon her ear fell the deep sound
of distant abbey bell, Ginning the
hour of midnight. She kneeled down
and was about to dip her hands and
face into the boiling waters, when a
voice, as if from another world, caused
her to start aud look upward.
"Pause ~ said the spirit voice, fol
such she imagined it to be. "Thou
need'st not bathe in the blessed waters
beauty may be thine without then
aid.
"How ?" escaped almost uncon
sciously from the maiden'S lips.
"True beauty" replied the voice
sis an emanation from the soul. Lool
inward. BE humble in mind, be pure
in thought, be upright in deed, ant
thou wilt grow beautiful. A pure SOU
shines from the eyes and radiates tht
whole countenance. Heed my words
maiden, and in time the desire of thy
heart will be granted thee 10
Kathleen listened, entranced. The
voice grew silent, the waters OF th'
well became suddenly calm. and tn
moon sailed peEsively behind cloud.
The maiden rose from her knees a
new being. Her blue eyes glowed will
a happy light, and her cheeks wer
mantled with beautiful crimson
She was no longer pale, listless, plain.
From that hour she was happy.
She strictly followed the dictates O
that spirit voice and, to the wonde
of all who knew her, became more an
more lovely. The light of purity an,