Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-29

Qen, ana 0fnerS Lley COmO WIN SunDeamS,
and still others furnish nourishment for the
roots. In order to watch the last named
without their recognizing me took the
form of mole. In this way 1 was soon be-
trayed into the moose, out of which your
hand freed me. And now 1 am here to thank
you andrender you service
well, let me hear. =" said the scholar
"You ar. a learned man." commenced
Ranunculus "You know the flowers and
herbs which grow on meadow and mount
ain, in wood and field; but one bloom you
do not know"
''what is it?'' asked the scholar eagerly.
1.-The flower is called heartsjoy."
"No, that one do not know"
"But know it." said Ranunculus, sand
/ will tell you where you can find it. IF
you follow the mill brook. which you know
SO well, to its source, you will come to a
rock. There you will find a cave which
the people call the little nights cave And
at the entrance blooms the flower heartsjoy,
but it blooms only on Trinity Sunday at the
hour of sunrise, and whoever is on the spot
ca. pick the flower. Do you understand
alp
Perfectly"
Farewell then," said the dwarf. mounted
his winged animal and few through the
open window.
wilderment and shook his head. Then he
became absorbed in a book, which was
bound in hogs skin.
x*x
One evening a few days after this occur
renee the miller's lovely daughter sat before
the mill in the meadow and near her was the
grandmother. The spinning wheels buzzed
and the old dame related abou: the Frau
Perchte, who presented the industrious
spinners with stems of fax, which changed
presently into yellow gold, and many other
wonders she related. She also gave an ac-
count Of the sleeping man, who sits in the
little nights cave. Every 100 years he is
visible, and should a maiden kiss the sleep
ing man three times, he will be delivered
and the maiden receives sweetheart as a
reward. Thus the old woman continued to
relate and the lovely girl listened and spun
the tales still further, like the fax of thread
which she held in her white fingers. The
stars shone in the heaven and as il was the
time when the elders were in bloom, the
eyes of the maiden were overcome by sweet
WEAKNESS. She sought her little room and
went to rest.
In the night it seemed to her as though a
tiny man stood before her, clad in little
green coat and gold green cap. The small
creature looked very friendly, and said to
the girl:
other is assigned the treasure in the nights
caves. Tomorrow is the day when the
sleeping man will be visible; at the sunrise
he will be sitting quietly slumbering at the
entrance of the cave, and if thou be not
timid, but kiss him heartily three times on
the mouth, then the spell will be broken
and the prize will be won. Beware, how
ever, in this work of redemption lest thou
speak one word or make q sound OF any
kind; otherwise the sleeping man will sink
5000 fathoms deep in the earth and he must
await again 100 years for his deliverance.
Thus the strange being spoke and then
disappeared. The girl awoke and rubbed
her eyes A sweet odor like that of new
mown hay filled the room and the gray
morning peeped through the opening in the
window blinds. The brave girl arose from
her couch and dressed. She stole softly out
of room and house, and stepped briskly
through the dewy grass to the nights cave.
x*x
The birds were astir in the bran ches and
were sleepily trying their voices. The white
mist sank to the ground and was drawn in
streaks over the mesdows, and the tops of
the fir trees were golden colored. The
miller's lovely daughter stood at the en-
trance of the cave, and truly, sleeping
man sat on moss covered stone just as the
dwarf had foretold. The girl nearly cried
out, for the sleeping man looked SO exactly
like the scholar, even pair Of gray glasses
was on his nose.
Luckily the maiden remembered the
drawf's warning and silently, but with q
fast beating heart she approached the
sleeper, to perform the sacred work of re-
demption, and she did not find it so terrible
as she had thought it would be.
She bent tquietly over the sleeper and
kissed his mouth. The man made move
ment, as if he would awaken.
The girl kissed him a second time, where
upon the man opened his tied eyelids and
looked at the maiden through his gray
glasses in ghostly manner.
But she stood firmly and pressed the third
kiss on his lips.
The man bounded from his seat in such
haste that the spectacles slid from his nose
and were dashed to pieces on the stone floor.
And once again he saw the fresh green of
spring lighted up by the suns rays, bright
flowers and the blue heavens, and in the
midst of all this splendor, a maiden, beauti-
full as May rose and as slender as lily.
And he embraced her and gave back the
three kisses, and numberless more besides.
Seated on gold-green buttercup was the
wise genius Ranunculus, and he stamped
his tiny feet for Joy. Then he sprang down,
SO that the flower quiyered, and he went to
oversee his important business. He had
kept his word. The scholar had found his
heartsjoy, and the miller's lovely daugh-
ter her sweetheart.