Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-03-14

Two Little Fairy Tales.
In countries where a good deal of Celt
blood yet remains pure and untainted vii
Teutonic or Scandinavian a lingering h
lief in fairies may still be traced in reno
parts. A few years ago an old man in ii
Isle of Man soIemnly assured travel,
there that he himself had one night bebel
the fairies At their revels in such mult
tudes shat there was quite thickne,
TREMENDOUS of them, " and no amount ,
skeptical questioning could shake the al
man in his belief At the present dav i
the wilder parts of Cornwall, a omit
genuine belief in being "pisky ledn mr.,
walls. "Piskie" pixie in Deyopiapl is N
common Cornish name for fairies, and ce,
tain mischievous sprites among them a.
supposed to derive great pleasure in entic
ing unwary travellers across the wild moor
and hills from the right paths aud leadin,
them grievously astray. After Iandin,
some unlucky wight in bog a burst a
merry laughter in the air generally inform
the traveller who his guide has been IN,
only way to eircumvent these airy sprite,
Is TO turn che coat inside out before yentur
ing across desolate expanse. That the,
nave a certain command over the novver,
OF nature is shown by their having the
power to blind and bewilder the traveIa,
by throwing fog around him, so that he
cannot trace his way
WHAT AUNT JOAN" SAW.
The following account of their nersor al
appearance is preserved In a tale told NV
old wives in the neighborhood of Ianorna
beyond Penzance: An old woman caIIaS
Aunt JOAN" when on a visit TO a neie,hhor
popularity supposed to be a white witch
rubs a little ointment she finds hidde,,
under some fern upon one of her evas and
the result is that when she opened her eyes
the place was full Of sprites and snriopanq
In all the folds of the nets and sails hang.
ing from the beams troops of small neonIa
were cutting all sorts of capers. The little
creatures were tossing up their heels. way.
Ing their feathered caps and fans as tbev
launched up and down on the merest bits
OF sticks or green twigs. Numbers of them
were swinging in the cobwebs that hing
from the rafters, or riding the mice in and
our through the holes in the thatch
Il noted that all the little men were
dressed in green, pinked out with red. and
had feathered caps on their heads HIGH
riding boots, with silver spurs on their
heels Their ladies were al decked ont in
the grand old fashion; their gowns were
OF green velvet with long trains. some
topped up with silver chains and bells or
tassels, Others had their trains sweeping
behind them a. they walked in grand state
mp aud down. They seemed to think there
was nobody In the house but themselves
pranclng about in their high heeled shoes
sparkling with diamond buckles The
little women all wore high crowned steeple
mats Ike mine, with wreaths of the most
beautiful flowers of all colors around
them, sprlgs aud garlands on all the other
parts of their dress and in their hands as
well, flirting their fans in the faces of the
men, They were the sauciest little NOR
tails | ever did see What puzzled me
most was to see so many sweet flowers
with them at that time of the yesr.
spied some ugly spriggans seated in the
dark corner looking very gloomy, because
they are doomed to 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 and other instruments
they had made with green reeds of the
brook and shells of the shore"
Then follows an account of how the fairy
band approached the old dame Chenance I
1.-THE white witch), and cast lunches of the
herbs into her apron, with which she made
healing salves and lotions. As soon as
these fairies retired others came forward
bearing in their hands unopened flowers |
Of the foxglove, from which they poured
magic dyes, which no sooner touched her
dress than it was changed into velvet.
others laid silver cord on the cuttings of /
The petticoat, and decked the old dame ou.
IN all manner and variety of flowers. The
house is covered with marvellous tapestries.
and the old dame so transformed with 4
her fairy attire that Aunt Joan gets fright. .
.ned and hobbies off, but on glaucing back .
With her unanointed eye sees Dame Che
nance in her ordinary clothes sewing; but
,n looking with the aRoiated eve the fairy
,cene is again revealed.
LITTLE BOBBY GRIGLANs."
Another story relates how man, cutting
urze on the heath, finds among the bushes
! tiny figure asleep He was no bigger
han cat, and dressed in "A green coat,
ky blue brooches and diamond buekled
hoes. Uncle Billy takes him home to his
who make great friends with
lin, and call him Bobby Griglans (grig-
ans is old Cornish for heath. He is a gay
title creature, who sings and dances for
iours together, with great abhorrence of
lirt or dust. He only drinks milk. and
ats blackberries or hips and haws. They
,eep him few days, but among the furze
me day Bobby and the children meet a lit
lie man and woman, the man dressed lust
8 Bobby, only wearing riding boots with
liver spurs. The little woman wore a
,reen gown sprinkled all over with silver
tars. Her little steeple crowned hat was
vreathed with heather perched on her
,oldeR curls, and the pretty soul was
yringing her hands a-crying, "Oh, my
lear and tender Skilywidden, where ever
anst "a be gone to, my only joyf" Now
zoe back" said Bobby to the children:
my dad and nam are come. Here | am,
BY the time be said Here am" the
title man and woman and Skillywidden
anished, and were never more seen The
hildren got a good thrashin for letting
killywidden go, for If they had kept him
e would have shown their daddy where
rocks of gold are buried, and they would /
il of them have been rich.
All things pass away; even our children
ow will scarcely deign to own belief in
ne OF the purest faBcies that ever entered
uman imaginations aud which in former !
avs great poets deigned to treat as a by no
means despicabie belief Fairies are whole
omer diet for our babies minds than anec- ;
otes of great men and diluted history of
uman endeavors and failures, Let the {
hildren keep their fairies as long as pos {
ible, for fairy reverence means simple
lith in goodness, and it does no harm for !
child to see fairies in the cups of the
ha oft tarl h., 81