Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-08-01
THE MAGIC RING.
How the Wizard Aided in Gus
tavus' Choice of a Wife.

tavuS' Choice of a Wife.
In a pretty chalet that nestled high
against the shaggy breast OF Mount
Obgadin. lived the Widow Neur and
her daughter Marie. A lonely home
you would have thought it, but the fir
trees that walled so in your ears whis-
pered good cheer to Marie. When
fierce winds came rushing down the
mountain side she knew the trees
would bend their tall heads together
and Irvine their strong arms around
her home, until robbed of his victim,
the baffled storm rushed by.
When morning broke the same
friends stood erect and stately, draw
ing aside their leaves and branches
that the sunbeams might not linger in
their soft embraces, but hasten down to
waken their favorite, Marie
Very lovely was our little Swiss
maid. with violet eyes that now danced
and sparkled and then grew soft and
tender as little child's. Two rose-red
lips shut in her pearly teeth. and
when che smiled a tiny dimple danced
for a moment on her peachy cheek.
Her hair chung in caressing curls
around her low, white forehead and
fell in ripples of golden sunshine far
below her slender waist. And her
voice! All! that was Marie's greatest
charm. SOFT and clear, not discord-
WI on
mony. Sometimes as she sang at her
evening devotions the herdsmen far
below in the valley, catching faint
notes of her song, looked up and
crossed themselves, half believing they
heard the echo of an angel choir.
But very few knew of Marie's
beauty, for when she went with her
mother on one Of her rare visits to
the hamlet below she brushed her
wavy hair straight and smooth back
from her forehead. and braided it in
long, stiff plaits which fell down her
back. Her eyelids. with their curtains
of long. silky lashes dropped over her
dancing eyes until one looked in vain
for a glimpse of their beauty. Her
red lips shut firmly over the pearly
teeth, while the dimple hid itself reso-
lutely away from sight. and her sweet
voice. frightened at its own sound so
far from home. grew faint and husky,
until in this shrinking. sober damsel
walking so timidly beside the Widow
Neur you would have found. it hard
to recognize the beautiful Marie of the
mountains.
So it happened that only her mother
and one other person knew how good
and sweet and how fair Marie was.
This other was stranger who came
from far-away country and spent his
summers in little house on the
mountains very top. The simple viii
layers called him the wizard" and
told strange tales of how he spent
whole nights gazing at the heavens
through long tube; that he could
foretell to an hour when the sun would
cover itself with darkness; but. strang-
est of all, he had little wire stretched
for miles over hills and valleys to the
great city. This wire talked to him
in queer language which no one else
could understand. Tick. tick, tick
ETY. tick" it said, and told him things
that happened miles and miles away.
Marie did not know how wise the
wizard was when he came to her home
one morning and asked for drink of
water. He followed her to the spring
when she went for it, and stopped by
the way to break open a curious stone.
He showed Marie how queerly marked
1t was inside, and then told her a story
about it The usually timid maiden
was so interested that she forgot to be
frightened, and thus a strong friend
ship between the two was begun.
After this the wizard often came to
the widows chalet for rest and re-
freshment on his long FAMILIES. and
Marie unconsciously revealed her
charms to him. one by one. until, long
before the first summer vas ended,
the stranger knew that no girl in all
the canton could be compared with
Marie.
On the other side OF tho mountain
from the Widow Neur's homo lived
smother widow. She. too, had but one