, 1891-04-30
THE BELIEF IN FAIRIES.
IT IS SAID TO STILL EXIST IN SOME
PARTS OF THE WORLD.

Two Little Fairy Tales
In countries where a gouI deal Of Celtic
blood yet remains pure and uutuiuted with
Heutonic or Scandinavian a lingering be
lief in fairies may still be traced In remote
parts A few years 4 az old man iu the
Isle Of Man solCmuly assured "A traveller
there that he himself Ind one night beheId
the fairies at their revels in such multi
tudes that there was quito a thickness
tremendous Of them, and no amount Of
skeptical questioning could shake the old
man in his belief. At the present day. in.
the wilder parts OF Cornwall. a quite
genuine belief in being 'pisky led pre-
walls. "Piskie' pixie ia Dgvuuiaul is the
common Cornish name for fairies. and Ger
tain mischievous sprites among them are
supposed to derive great pleasure In entic.
ing unwary travellers across the wild moors
and hills from the right paths and leading
them Eriev0usly astraY. After landing
some ~Unlucky wight 10 a bog q burst OF
merry laughter IN the air generally Informs
the traveller who his guide has been. The
only way TO c~irCumveut theac airy -prte-
is to turn the coat inside out balng- veurur-
ing Across a drs0Iate eypausc. That they
have n certain command over the power
OF nature IS shown by their having the
power 10 blind and bewjIIer the traveller
by throwing a fog around him, so THAI he
cannot trace his way
WHAT "AuET JUAs" SAW
The following account uf their personal
appearance is preserved Boa Il tale told by
old wives In the neIghb1rhoDd Of Lunurua,
beyond Penzancoa An old woman called
Aunt Joan, when Uua visit too ueighb1r
popularity supposed % be "a white witch,
rubs a little ointment she finds hidden
under some fern upon one Of her eyes. and
the result Is thnt when she opened her eyes
the place was fun Of spritcs and s-priggans.
In all the folds OF the nets n sails hang
ing from the beams troops Of small people
were cutting all sorts Of capers. The little
creatures were tossing up their heels. WAY
ing their feathvned caps and fans rs they
launched up and down on the mere-t bits
OF sticks or green twigs. Numbers OF them
were swinging In the cohwebs that hung
from the ~rafter-, or riding the mice in and
out through the holes ia the thntch.
Il noted thai all the little men were
dressed In green, pinkcd out with red, and
had feathered caps OF their heads. high
riding boots, with silver spur. on their
heels Their ladies were Az dccked out in
The grand old fashion their gowns were
Of green velvet with long trains. some
loopcd mp with silver chains and bell. or
tassels, others had their trains sweeping
behind them a. they walked iu grand state
o up and down. They seemed TO think there
was nobody In the house but themselves
pranciuE about in their high heelcd shoes
sparkling with diamond buckles The
little women all wore high crowned stcepIs
hats Ike mine with wrenths OF tho most
beautiful flowers Of NIL colur- around
them. sprigs aud gnrluuds on all the other
parts Of their dress and Ia their hands A.
well, flirting their fans in the faces Of Tho
men, They were the sauUir4t little NOR
tails / ever did see. What puzzled IN.
most was 20 see no many sweet flowers
with them at that time ~ the year /
spied some ugly spriEEuns seated in the
dark corner looking very gloomy, because
they are doomed 10 guard the treasures
and do irksome things the merry small
people are free from. A troop OF the small
people entered, playing such sweet strains
on the pipes, flutes anu other Instrument.
they had mnde with green reeds OF the
brook and shells Of the shore "
Then follows an account of how the fairy
band approached the old dame Cheuance
1.-THE white witch). and cnst punches OF the
herbs into her apron, with which she made
healing salves and lotions. As soon NJ
these fairies retired others came foryvn-d.
bearing In their hands unopened flowers
OF the foxglOye, from which they poured
magic dyes, which NO sooner touched her
dress than IL was changed into velvet.
Others laid silver cord on the quiltings OF
the pctucoAt, aud decSed the old dame on
in all manner and variety Of flowers. The
house is covered with marvellous tapestries
and the old dame 80 transformed with
her fairy attire that Aunt Joan gets fright.
ened and hobbies Of, but on CHANGING back
with her unHnuiutcd eve sees Dame Che.
nance in her ordinary clothes sowing: but
on looking with the uuuiutrd eye the fairy
scene Is again revealed.
LITTLE "RuuUY GEIGLANs
Another story relates how a man, cutting
furze on the heath, finds among the bushes
n tiny figure asleep He was mo- bigger
than a cat, and dressed ina @ green coat.
sky blue brooches and diamond lurblesl
shoes, Uncle Billy takes him home TO his
children, who make great friends with
him, aud call him Bobby GdElRus tgrig
lans is old Cornish for heath. He is "a guy
little creature, who sings aud dances for
hours together, with a great adherence OF
dirt or dust. He only drinks milk. and
eats blackberries OF hips and hayys. They
keep him a few days, but among the mrze
one day Bobby and the children meet a lit.
tie man and woman, the man dressed Just
as Bobby, only wearing riding boots with
silver spurs. The little woman wore a
green gown sprinkled all over with silver
stars. Her little steeple Crowued hat was
wreathed with heather perchcd ON her
golden curls, and the pretty soul was
w%ringing her hands a-cryiuE, "Oh, my
uear huu tender H|hlllYWlQleu. where ever
cAnst a be gone to, my only joygn Now
goe back said Bobby to the children.
my dad and nam are come. Here / am,
NANNY"
By the time he said "Icrc am the
little mar and woman and ~SkiIlywidden
vanished, and were never more seen The
children got a good thrashing for letting
~Skllywidden 20, for II they had kept him
be would have shown their daddy where
crooks Of gold are buried, and they would
all Of them have been rich.
All things pass away; even our children
now will scarcely deigu to own belief in
one OF the purest fancies thai ever entered
human imaginatious, and which In former
days great poets deiEued 70 treat a. "a 10y no
means despicable belief Fairies are whole
somer diet for cur babies minds than anec-
dotes Of great men and diluted history Of
human endeayors and failures Let the
children keep their fairies a. long as pos.
sible, for fairy reverence means simple
faith in goodness, and it does no harm for
a child to sec fairies in the cups Of the
flowers, even II be afterward has to learn
all that can be learned about vegetable It's
sues and c0lOring matter in solution
London Queen.
Years ago Jewish women OF the higher
classes were secluded from public life. and
passed their time with the distAn and spin
die. At marriage the ceremonies lasted
seven DAYS
Don't Throw Up the sPongei--E
EThat hideous ogre. Giant Despair, often
tightens his clutch upun the chronic To-
valid. Constantly plagued by dyspepsia,