The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-05-14
A MODERN FAIRY TALE.
The Talented Young Man and the
Beautiful Maiden.

INV biiStO ilNCo a yOulR NIdu WHO
started out to seek his fortune His
people were poor and had nothing more
tangible to give him than their love
and blessing, so he set out with only a
pen, blotter and a bottle of ink.
The pen was coarse thingF-steel---
with a clumsy wooden handle which
he himself had whitfield WREN lad.
Bat there was really something won
derful about this ordinary-looking pen;
the Fairies had tipped the steel point
with magic diamond, so thatall words
that it wrote were pure, and bright, and
spurfKfing.
1t so happened that the young Man,
was SO lucky as to find the road to his
fortune at once, and soon he was MAX
ing a fine lot of money, SO that he was
both comfortable and happy.
Now, there also lived a beautiful
young Maiden, very sweet and good,
but poor-so poor. indeed, that she was
obliged to work all day at queer ma
chine, upon the keys of which her
white fingers went plunkety-plunlS,a and
10! there appeared arrayed in all neat
ness and order the words which the
magic pen had written.
And as the Maiden sat at her work
escomprehended the thoughts which
were behind the words, which, alas!
many of those who work upon like ma
Chimes fail to discover; and, moreover,
when. the pen had hurried over word
to the dire confusion of the letters
therein she did not substitute in its
place word from her own vocabulary
or one of her own coming, but went
straightway to the young Man and
asked him if it should be thus and thus.
Everybody knows that mans Chi
Biography becomes more and more be-
wi1dering as his fame or his success in
life increases. Now it may have been
from that reason or it may have been
but why speculate the fact was that
the illegibe words became more and
more frequent and the Man dark locks
often brushed the blonde braids of the
Maiden as they puzzled long over some
word which seemed hopelessly in
volved. {
And since she was sweet and good,
and true, and he was young and hand
some, and romantic, they fell deeplyiin
= love with one another, and they plight
cd their faith over the plunkety-plunk
machine; and he was very, very happy,
and the magic pen wrote more wonder
fully than ever before.
Soon his name was in every ones
mouth, and his verses and stories
brought him more of money and fame
than he had ever dased dream of. And
now that he had reached what Is vul-
carly known as the stop -notch@that
something which is called Society
reached out its many arms to welcome
him, and it embraced him and petted
him until he was dazzled by it's flattery
and intoxicated by its praise.
And he grew half ashamed of his love
for the Maiden and dissatisfied because
She, poor thing, had neither position
nor wealth to bring him-nothing but
herpure, beautiful self.
And SO he told her one day that he
feared that they. had been too hasty in
becoming betrothed, and that he felt
that he was doing her an injustice in
excepting her bound to him by her prom-
aise,@when she might meet some one far
more worthy of her love than he, and
he said that perhaps it had been all
mistalle-their little castle in the air.
and he hoped she would always con-
slider him her best friend, etc, etc.
And the Maiden looked into his face,
at first with a startled, hurt expression
IN her beautiful gray eyes; then as he
went on, her glance turn to scorn and
when he had done speaking she said
quite calmly that he was right, and
thatit had been only mistake which
they need think no more about, and
then she shut her machine and went
home.
-~ Now the Fairies have way of find
ing out things that happen among
nortals which is great deal quicker
than our telephone or telegraph or
even our messenger-boy system, and it
Was not many moments after the
Maiden left her work before q Fairy
stole unseen into the Mans desk and
book the magic point from his pen,
leaving only the blunt and rusty tip so
mat when the Man took it up 10 write
ms daily task the words which he
- wrote We're no longer bright, but were
very dull and stupid.
All the, sparkle was gone from his
verses, and all the wit and life from his
7Sf"f.'tt7s ~ pcci. ~ N"AANJs 50
TACT, that the Man swore roundly to
hlmself as he read them and tore them
up
Now, the maiden did not return to
her work the next day because she was
lii-so i'll that the people in the house
went about softly and spoke in whis-
pers as they asked each other If she
We're still unconscious and If the doc
,ors said that there was any hope.
y And it so happened that upon the
night OF this very day the Man attended
quite the sswellest function that had
oeen given in society that season. But
somehow the honeyed words and the
battery which he heard were like
Apples OF Sodom as he mentally con-
uastcd them with the frank, sweet
r, =, words OF the Maiden; and he went
nome sicx at heart and swore that So
e'ety conld be BANKED for all Of him
,l he snsStmorning the Man, with his
Aeafr7hlled with shame and repent